Adam K. Levin

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Adam K. Levin, the former director of the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs, is the co-founder of Credit.com and the founder of CyberScout. [1] He is the author of the Amazon Best Seller Swiped: How to Protect Yourself in a World Full of Scammers, Phishers, and Identity Thieves, [2] and is host of the Webby-nominated podcast What the Hack with Adam Levin. [3]

Contents

Education

Levin received an A.B. from Stanford University and his J.D. from the University of Michigan in 1974. [4]

Career

As Director of Consumer Affairs in New Jersey, he worked with the New Jersey Legislature and various state regulatory agencies to enact over 40 major consumer protection laws and regulations. [5] He led the fight to force 15 million unsafe Firestone 500 tires off the road. Levin advised consumers on symptoms that indicated failing tires and the proper way to check tires for defects. [6] He developed new consumer educational materials and distribution channels and made over 1,200 consumer educational presentations in five years. [5] Other accomplishments as Director of the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs include the promotion of statewide financial literacy programs, two major tire recalls, and a national effort to secure the right for professionals to advertise- an occurrence which created favorable conditions for price competition and established greater consumer protections in the health spa industry. [5]

In 1982, he resigned his post as Director of Consumer Affairs to run for office. He won the Democratic nomination for the United States House of Representatives in New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District. Levin ran against the Republican Matthew Rinaldo but was unsuccessful in unseating Rinaldo who had been the five term incumbent in the 7th Congressional District. [7] Once the election was over, Levin entered the real estate business and co-founded Kingswood Management, the Regal Management (formerly Bellmarc-Regal Management), one of the largest residential property management companies in New York City. [8]

In 1994, he co-founded Credit.com Inc, an online financial services educator and resource for consumers to manage their credit finances. [9] In 2003, he founded CyberScout, an online provider of identity management, identity theft recovery services, breach services and data risk management for businesses. [10]

Levin is also the president of the Philip and Janice Levin Foundation (which is a major contributor to the renovation of 19th-century paintings galleries at the Metropolitan Museum of Art) and is on the board of the Foundation for Art and Preservation in Embassies. [11]

Levin's speaking topics include a broad range of security and personal finance topics, the benefits and perils of credit, the continuing struggle between convenience and security online; how professionals and businesses can better protect consumer and employee data, as well as trade secrets and intellectual property, privacy issues and the "Internet of Things", protecting data in a world of connected devices, the growing epidemic of tax fraud and medical ID theft and how "breaches have become the third certainty in life", along with the inevitability of identity theft and expert tips on how consumers can minimize their risk of exposure, monitor their credit and identity, and identify effective damage control programs. [12]

What the Hack with Adam Levin Podcast

Levin hosts a weekly podcast called What the Hack with Adam Levin, with co-hosts Beau Friedlander and Travis Taylor, which features guests and experts who discuss their experiences with scams, identity theft, privacy and other cyber-related issues. Notable guests have included Sen. Al Franken, [13] Daily Show Correspondent Roy Wood, Jr. and others.

In 2023, What the Hack won two Signal Awards, [14] a Gold AVA Award, [15] and was nominated for a Webby. [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Identity theft</span> Deliberate use of someone elses identity

Identity theft, identity piracy or identity infringement occurs when someone uses another's personal identifying information, like their name, identifying number, or credit card number, without their permission, to commit fraud or other crimes. The term identity theft was coined in 1964. Since that time, the definition of identity theft has been legally defined throughout both the U.K. and the U.S. as the theft of personally identifiable information. Identity theft deliberately uses someone else's identity as a method to gain financial advantages or obtain credit and other benefits. The person whose identity has been stolen may suffer adverse consequences, especially if they are falsely held responsible for the perpetrator's actions. Personally identifiable information generally includes a person's name, date of birth, social security number, driver's license number, bank account or credit card numbers, PINs, electronic signatures, fingerprints, passwords, or any other information that can be used to access a person's financial resources.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phishing</span> Form of social engineering

Phishing is a form of social engineering and a scam where attackers deceive people into revealing sensitive information or installing malware such as viruses, worms, adware, or ransomware. Phishing attacks have become increasingly sophisticated and often transparently mirror the site being targeted, allowing the attacker to observe everything while the victim navigates the site, and transverses any additional security boundaries with the victim. As of 2020, it is the most common type of cybercrime, with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center reporting more incidents of phishing than any other type of computer crime.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Experian</span> Irish multinational consumer credit reporting company

Experian is a multinational data analytics and consumer credit reporting company headquartered in Dublin, Ireland. Experian collects and aggregates information on over 1 billion people and businesses including 235 million individual U.S. consumers and more than 25 million U.S. businesses. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. Experian is a partner in USPS address validation. It is one of the "Big Three" credit-reporting agencies, alongside TransUnion and Equifax.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Internet fraud</span> Fraud or deception using the Internet

Internet fraud is a type of cybercrime fraud or deception which makes use of the Internet and could involve hiding of information or providing incorrect information for the purpose of tricking victims out of money, property, and inheritance. Internet fraud is not considered a single, distinctive crime but covers a range of illegal and illicit actions that are committed in cyberspace. It is differentiated from theft since, in this case, the victim voluntarily and knowingly provides the information, money or property to the perpetrator. It is also distinguished by the way it involves temporally and spatially separated offenders.

A spoofed URL involves one website masquerading as another, often leveraging vulnerabilities in web browser technology to facilitate a malicious computer attack. These attacks are particularly effective against computers that lack up-to- security patches. Alternatively, some spoofed URLs are crafted for satirical purposes.

Identity fraud is the use by one person of another person's personal information, without authorization, to commit a crime or to deceive or defraud that other person or a third person. Most identity fraud is committed in the context of financial advantages, such as accessing a victim's credit card, bank accounts, or loan accounts. False or forged identity documents have been used in criminal activity or in dealings with government agencies, such as immigration. Today, the identities of real persons are often used in the preparation of these false documents. This can lead to bad consequences and trouble.

Voice phishing, or vishing, is the use of telephony to conduct phishing attacks.

Internet fraud prevention is the act of stopping various types of internet fraud. Due to the many different ways of committing fraud over the Internet, such as stolen credit cards, identity theft, phishing, and chargebacks, users of the Internet, including online merchants, financial institutions and consumers who make online purchases, must make sure to avoid or minimize the risk of falling prey to such scams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Siciliano</span>

Robert Siciliano is an American security analyst, author and media personality. He delivers presentations throughout the United States and Canada on identity theft protection and personal security, including self-defense.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Credit card fraud</span> Financial crime

Credit card fraud is an inclusive term for fraud committed using a payment card, such as a credit card or debit card. The purpose may be to obtain goods or services or to make payment to another account, which is controlled by a criminal. The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard is the data security standard created to help financial institutions process card payments securely and reduce card fraud.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyberethics</span> Ethics of online activities

Cyberethics is "a branch of ethics concerned with behavior in an online environment". In another definition, it is the "exploration of the entire range of ethical and moral issues that arise in cyberspace" while cyberspace is understood to be "the electronic worlds made visible by the Internet." For years, various governments have enacted regulations while organizations have defined policies about cyberethics.

Wireless identity theft, also known as contactless identity theft or RFID identity theft, is a form of identity theft described as "the act of compromising an individual’s personal identifying information using wireless mechanics." Numerous articles have been written about wireless identity theft and broadcast television has produced several investigations of this phenomenon. According to Marc Rotenberg of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, wireless identity theft is a serious issue as the contactless (wireless) card design is inherently flawed, increasing the vulnerability to attacks.

Cyber crime, or computer crime, refers to any crime that involves a computer and a network. The computer may have been used in the commission of a crime, or it may be the target. Netcrime refers, more precisely, to criminal exploitation of the Internet. Issues surrounding this type of crime have become high-profile, particularly those surrounding hacking, copyright infringement, identity theft, child pornography, and child grooming. There are also problems of privacy when confidential information is lost or intercepted, lawfully or otherwise.

Beau Friedlander is an American writer, publisher, and media consultant. He was the founder of Context Books, an award-winning small press, an editor-in-chief at Air America and garnered notoriety as a provocateur for progressive causes.

Identity theft involves obtaining somebody else's identifying information and using it for a criminal purpose. Most often that purpose is to commit financial fraud, such as by obtaining loans or credits in the name of the person whose identity has been stolen. Stolen identifying information might also be used for other reasons, such as to obtain identification cards or for purposes of employment by somebody not legally authorized to work in the United States.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to computer security:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Protecting Cyber Networks Act</span>

The Protecting Cyber Networks Act is a bill introduced in the 114th Congress by Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA), chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. The legislation would allow companies and the government to share information concerning cyber threats. To overcome privacy concerns, the bill expressly forbids companies from sharing information with the National Security Agency (NSA) or Department of Defense (DOD).

The Equifax data breach occurred between May and July 2017 at the American credit bureau Equifax. Private records of 147.9 million Americans along with 15.2 million British citizens and about 19,000 Canadian citizens were compromised in the breach, making it one of the largest cybercrimes related to identity theft. Equifax discovered the breach end of July, but didn't disclose it to the public until September 2017. In a settlement with the United States Federal Trade Commission, Equifax offered affected users settlement funds and free credit monitoring.

Identity replacement technology is any technology that is used to cover up all or parts of a person's identity, either in real life or virtually. This can include face masks, face authentication technology, and deepfakes on the Internet that spread fake editing of videos and images. Face replacement and identity masking are used by either criminals or law-abiding citizens. Identity replacement tech, when operated on by criminals, leads to heists or robbery activities. Law-abiding citizens utilize identity replacement technology to prevent government or various entities from tracking private information such as locations, social connections, and daily behaviors.

References

  1. ↑ "Executive Profile Adam K. Levin", Bloomberg Businessweek
  2. ↑ "Swiped: How to Protect Yourself in a World Full of Scammers, Phishers, and Identity Thieves AdamLevin".
  3. ↑ "What the Hack with Adam Levin".
  4. ↑ "Levin Making 2d Bid to Replace Rinaldo", The New York Times, 30 October 1982
  5. 1 2 3 "Five Questions with Adam Levin, Chairman and Co-founder of Credit.com" Archived 2014-02-22 at the Wayback Machine , The Score, August 2012
  6. ↑ "Check Car Tires: They Could Be Defective" Archived 3 September 2013 at the Wayback Machine , The Westfield Leader, 3 October 1978
  7. ↑ "Rinaldo won 28 of 29 elections", Politicker NJ, 13 October 2008
  8. ↑ "Adam Levin", Huffington Post
  9. ↑ "Credit.com's Levin Makes Sense of New Credit Card Rules" Archived 2014-01-22 at the Wayback Machine , Insider Forum, PBS NewsHour, 23 October 2009
  10. ↑ "Your Money: Protecting yourself from identity theft", USA Today, 12 May 2013
  11. ↑ "Janice Levin, 87, Philanthropist of the Arts", The New York Times , 27 March 2001.
  12. ↑ "About Adam K Levin", 12 September 2016.
  13. ↑ https://adamlevin.com/2022/11/15/al-franken-revisits-the-topic-of-digital-privacy-with-new-sketch/
  14. ↑ https://www.signalaward.com/winners/details/#the-podglomerate/what-the-hack-with-adam-levin/0/384067
  15. ↑ https://enter.avaawards.com/entry/al-franken-holds-a-mock-senate-hearing-on-privacy-with-siri-and-alexa-trailer/
  16. ↑ https://www.webbyawards.com/news/the-2023-webby-nominees-for-best-host-co-hosts-and-featured-guest/
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