SCARS Institute's Encyclopedia of Scams™ RomanceScamsNOW.com Published Continuously for 25 Years

SCARS Institute’s Encyclopedia of Scams™ Published Continuously for 25 Years

In 2025 the SCARS Institute will enter its 11th year of Supporting Scam Victims Worldwide. Please let us know how we can better help you? Thank you for supporting our organization. SCARS Institute © 2024 www.AgainstScams.org

States Using ID.me to Stop Fraud: aka Moral Ambiguity

Guest Editorial by Brett Johnson
Keynote Speaker and Consultant on Cybersecurity & Cybercrime, and Global Identity Theft Expert, Advisory Board Member – AnglerPhish.com

In a bit of a mood today.

The following is a guest editorial for the benefit of our readers, and only reflects the views of the author!

I’m in a bit of a mood today!

You see, I expect Fraudsters to commit fraud. It’s what they do. It’s what I did. I respect that while not liking it and being firmly against it. What I don’t like or expect or even respect is when the solution further victimizes the victims.

Unemployment Fraud. Fraudsters have been eating it alive for months. It’s what they do. I’m seeing 16 year-olds on Telegram bragging about stealing $60k a week doing it. That’s $240,000 a month, $3.1 Million in a year. And I’m going to tell you the Truth no one else will–That kid is not going to get caught. Most these guys will NEVER be caught. That’s the Truth no one is supposed to say. Does Crime Pay? It damn sure does.

Initially, there was no security in place. NONE. All a fraudster needed was PII, someone’s social security number and date of birth. Attach an address and Google Voice Number and you were good to go. Just needed an instrument of deposit: Greendot Prepaid Card, Chime Account, CashApp. Fraudsters LOVE CashApp. Cha-Ching.

That was it. No security or verification in place whatsoever. File 1000 claims using the same IP? Absolutely. No one was checking.

States lost BILLIONS. Money which could be used for the good of everyone in the state–gone forever. They finally implemented security. But they did it piecemeal, without understanding the criminals hitting their systems. My type of criminals. The criminals who understood identity theft, who knew how to properly commit those crimes. The types of criminals who had been circumventing for years the types of security states were implementing. It went as one would expect:

First Security Attempt: Security Questions. KBA. Knowledge. Based. Authentication. The questions asked when you open an account or change info on an existing account. The questions fraudsters have been answering for decades when they take over your accounts and steal your money. Easy answers to obtain. Easy security to bypass. Well, shit. That didn’t work.

Second Security Attempt: Send in Document Scans proving identity, bank account, address, etc. Easy enough to fake. Fraudsters been doing that one for years. One can buy fake doc packages for under $50 on the darkweb. And the document quality? Approaching 1:1 with the real thing. STRIKE TWO. Fraudsters screamed and laughed, “What else you got?!”

Third Security Measure: Send in a selfie holding the driver license. SecondEyeSolution does that all day long for $30. NEXT!

OK. How bout liveness detection? A live video holding the ID. How bout that? Hmm. Sounds good. Well, until I go down and grab me a crackhead, a burner phone, and a fake driver license with the crackhead’s picture on it. Works like a charm. And yes, that shit really does work.

Like I said, I’m in a mood today. All of that is expected. And truthfully, as those security measures are implemented some criminals dropped off at each stage. Not all. Not by a long shot. The ones who remained were just more skilled.

Oddly enough, I’m not here to talk about those fraudsters today. I’m here to talk about desperation. One should never act out of desperation. It often results in bad choices.

See–I’m in a mood today. And it’s not because of the fraudsters. I expect them to do what they do. What I don’t expect is for the solution to come with questionable consequences.

33 States currently use ID.me as security to stop unemployment fraud.

Now, I could talk about how there are currently 3 work-arounds fraudsters are bragging about online that defeats ID.me (including the crackhead anecdote above), but I’m not gonna do that. I’ve not tested the workarounds and EVERY security measure has a workaround. So no need to pick at that.

I’m not going to mention the multitude of people legitimately filing for unemployment benefits who are unable to receive them due to the friction caused by the ID.me system. And Oh, Boy–Is there friction! Legitimate people denied for weeks the benefits they need to survive because of the inability to pass the document submission or the impossible nature of speaking to a live person at ID.me. Nah, I wont mention that–even though I should. Well, I mean I did just mention it. And I’ll throw a link in as well of just one person’s story. https://abc11.com/idme-unemployment-id-me-my/10498998/

Nah, my issue is I read the Terms of Service and Privacy Statement over at ID.me. Yeah. I know, only criminals and attorneys read such things. I’m an ex-criminal. I guess that counts.

I’m in a mood today because I have a real problem with States FORCING applicants to register with ID.me in order to receive the benefits to which they are entitled. Want your unemployment check? Well, ID.me wants all of your data, all of your information. That’s the price of getting the benefits those states owe you.

From ID.me Terms & Conditions

States Using ID.me to Stop Fraud: aka Moral Ambiguity - Guest Editorial by Brett Johnson 1

I have a real problem with applicants that have been forced to register at ID.me in order to get their benefits then having their data used by ID.me to sell advertising to those same applicants.

From ID.me Terms & Conditions

States Using ID.me to Stop Fraud: aka Moral Ambiguity - Guest Editorial by Brett Johnson 2

So yeah. I’m in a mood. I’ve other issues with this whole scenario which I could spend time hashing out. But bottom line is there is a LOT of moral abiguity here. People forced to use a system which then forces them to give up all their data in order to get a benefit they are entitled to. And then the system uses that data to additionally profit. Seems there isn’t much choice on the part of the applicant.

So yeah, Im in a mood today.

Brett Johnson!

About Brett Johnson

Cybersecurity, Cybercrime, Fraud, and Identity Theft Expert. Keynote Speaker, Consultant, Writer, Podcast Personality. Former USA Most Wanted Cybercriminal, Identity Thief, Hacker, and Original Internet Godfather

I am one of the top experts in the world on cybercrime, identity theft, fraud, and cybersecurity. My knowledge is unique. My education does not come from a book, school, investigator, or commentator who has no practical experience on the subject of which they speak. I have hands-on training. My knowledge is from the criminal side of things. I have an understanding of cybercrime that the majority of people on the planet will never possess.

I built the first organized cybercrime community, Shadowcrew, while also establishing several forms of financial cybercrime. Shadowcrew was the precursor to today’s Darknet Markets and laid the foundation for the way modern cybercrime channels still operate today. I was placed on the United States Most Wanted List, convicted of 39 felonies and sentenced to 7 1/2 years in federal prison.

I am fortunate to be one of the few who have been able to step away from my life of crime–with the help of many. Today, I use the vast amount of knowledge I have concerning cybersecurity, cybercrime, identity theft, and fraud to help individuals and companies protect themselves from the type of person I used to be.

I speak and consult with some of the most well-known entities across the globe. Clients include The FBI, Microsoft, Lexis-Nexis, ThreatMetrix, VISA, Identity Guard, AARP, Emailage, MWAA, Elavon, TED, ISMG, Neustar, BBWest Bank, and numerous others.

Recently featured on CNNMoney, NBC, AARP, VICE, RT TV, Arstechnica, the Independent, FOX TV, and more.

Working to stop cybercrime and fraud worldwide. www.AnglerPhish.com and is an advisor to SCARS on the darkweb and cybercrime prevention countermeasures.

To learn more about Brett or to contact him, please visit his LinkedIn Profile here

PLEASE SHARE SO OTHERS WILL KNOW

SCARS Publishing Self-Help Recovery Books Available At shop.AgainstScams.org

Scam Victim Self-Help Do-It-Yourself Recovery Books

SCARS Printed Books For Every Scam Survivor From SCARS Publishing

Visit shop.AgainstScams.org

Each is based on our SCARS Team’s 32-plus years of experience.

SCARS Website Visitors receive an Extra 10% Discount
Use Discount Code “romanacescamsnow” at Checkout

Published On: April 23rd, 2021Last Updated: August 16th, 2022Categories: Online Safety, 2021, Guest Editorials & CommentaryTags: , , , , , , ,

-/ 30 /-

What do you think about this?
Please share your thoughts in a comment below!

Article Rating

0
(0)

Table of Contents

ARTICLE CATEGORIES

POPULAR ARTICLES

Rapid Report Scammers

SCARS-CDN-REPORT-SCAMEMRS-HERE

Visit SCARS www.Anyscam.com

Quick Reporting

  • Valid Emails Only

  • This field is hidden when viewing the form
    Valid Phone Numbers Only

Subscribe & New Item Updates

In the U.S. & Canada

U.S. & Canada Suicide Lifeline 988

U.S. & Canada Suicide Lifeline 988

RATE THIS ARTICLE?

How useful was this post?

Click on a star to rate it!

Average rating 0 / 5. Vote count: 0

No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post.

As you found this post useful...

Follow us on social media!

We are sorry that this post was not useful for you!

Let us improve this post!

Tell us how we can improve this post?

LEAVE A COMMENT?

Your comments help the SCARS Institute better understand all scam victim/survivor experiences and improve our services and processes. Thank you


Thank you for your comment. You may receive an email to follow up. We never share your data with marketers.

Recent Comments
On Other Articles

Important Information for New Scam Victims

If you are looking for local trauma counselors please visit counseling.AgainstScams.org or join SCARS for our counseling/therapy benefit: membership.AgainstScams.org

If you need to speak with someone now, you can dial 988 or find phone numbers for crisis hotlines all around the world here: www.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines

A Note About Labeling!

We often use the term ‘scam victim’ in our articles, but this is a convenience to help those searching for information in search engines like Google. It is just a convenience and has no deeper meaning. If you have come through such an experience, YOU are a Survivor! It was not your fault. You are not alone! Axios!

A Question of Trust

At the SCARS Institute, we invite you to do your own research on the topics we speak about and publish, Our team investigates the subject being discussed, especially when it comes to understanding the scam victims-survivors experience. You can do Google searches but in many cases, you will have to wade through scientific papers and studies. However, remember that biases and perspectives matter and influence the outcome. Regardless, we encourage you to explore these topics as thoroughly as you can for your own awareness.

Statement About Victim Blaming

Some of our articles discuss various aspects of victims. This is both about better understanding victims (the science of victimology) and their behaviors and psychology. This helps us to educate victims/survivors about why these crimes happened and to not blame themselves, better develop recovery programs, and to help victims avoid scams in the future. At times this may sound like blaming the victim, but it does not blame scam victims, we are simply explaining the hows and whys of the experience victims have.

These articles, about the Psychology of Scams or Victim Psychology – meaning that all humans have psychological or cognitive characteristics in common that can either be exploited or work against us – help us all to understand the unique challenges victims face before, during, and after scams, fraud, or cybercrimes. These sometimes talk about some of the vulnerabilities the scammers exploit. Victims rarely have control of them or are even aware of them, until something like a scam happens and then they can learn how their mind works and how to overcome these mechanisms.

Articles like these help victims and others understand these processes and how to help prevent them from being exploited again or to help them recover more easily by understanding their post-scam behaviors. Learn more about the Psychology of Scams at www.ScamPsychology.org

Psychology Disclaimer:

All articles about psychology and the human brain on this website are for information & education only

The information provided in this article is intended for educational and self-help purposes only and should not be construed as a substitute for professional therapy or counseling.

While any self-help techniques outlined herein may be beneficial for scam victims seeking to recover from their experience and move towards recovery, it is important to consult with a qualified mental health professional before initiating any course of action. Each individual’s experience and needs are unique, and what works for one person may not be suitable for another.

Additionally, any approach may not be appropriate for individuals with certain pre-existing mental health conditions or trauma histories. It is advisable to seek guidance from a licensed therapist or counselor who can provide personalized support, guidance, and treatment tailored to your specific needs.

If you are experiencing significant distress or emotional difficulties related to a scam or other traumatic event, please consult your doctor or mental health provider for appropriate care and support.

Also read our SCARS Institute Statement about Professional Care for Scam Victims – click here to go to our ScamsNOW.com website.

If you are in crisis, feeling desperate, or in despair please call 988 or your local crisis hotline.