Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert

“I love that dirty water, oh Boston you’re my home.” Boston Legal, “Cheers,” Boston Bruins, Red Sox, Celtics, Chowda, Lobsta, Pahkin the Cah in Havad Yahd and home to the second worst ranking of cyber crime in America. Lovely! Seems whatever advice I give in Boston media, means squat. After all, I am a Proper Bostonian. Boston missed first place by a lousy 11 points. I blame the college kids. Boston has the highest concentration of college students on the planet. It’s their fault. Seattle took first place. What’s your excuse Seattle? Microsoft?

1. Seattle

2. Boston

3. Washington, D.C.

4. San Francisco

5. Raleigh, N.C.

6. Atlanta

7. Minneapolis

8. Denver

9. Austin, Texas

10. Portland, Ore.

Cities with high concentrations of “spam zombies” placed the highest. Becoming a Zombie and part of a Botnet happens to PCs that aren’t properly secured, coupled with user behavior that invites attacks.

If you are surfing porn all day or gaming on distant websites in foreign countries then you are at a higher risk. Downloading files from P2P sites or seeking software cracks or pirated content is also risky. Remember frat boy, there is no honor among thieves.

The Boston Business Journal stated another factor is the Hub’s many unsecured WiFi hotspots — 53.6 per 100,000 residents — where cyber criminals may lurk, trolling for unwitting users. While high-profile or widespread computer attacks are relatively rare, small-scale attacks like these threaten even savvy computer users, the report noted.

Hey Top 10, pay attention:

Computers that are old and have outdated unsupported operating systems like Wind 95/98/2000 are extremely vulnerable.

Systems using older outdated browsers such as IE 5, 6 or older versions of Firefox are the path of least resistance.

Update your operating system to XP SP3 or Wind 7. Make sure to have automatic updates for anti-virus. Don’t engage in risky web-based behaviors.

Protect your identity.

1. Get a credit freeze and follow the steps for your particular state. This is an absolutely necessary tool to secure your credit. In most cases, it prevents new accounts from being opened in your name. This makes your Social Security number useless to a potential identity thief.

2. Invest in Intelius identity theft protection and prevention. Not all forms of identity theft can be prevented, but identity theft protection services can dramatically reduce your risk. (Disclosures)

Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Speaker discussing ATM Skimming on Fox Boston.