Summer vacation season is almost here, and fraudsters are counting on travelers to be carefree, and a little careless, when away from home. They’re ready to strike at restaurants, hotels, gas stations, Internet cafes, and car and recreation-equipment rental locations. That’s because tourist destinations are notoriously easy hunting grounds for criminals—both old-school purse-snatchers and a new breed of sophisticated hackers. And though part of getting away means relaxing, experts say the key to avoiding a vacation nightmare is to be aware of the latest crime trends and to never let your guard down. Click here to read more...

For Rebecca, a small town had its advantages. She was on a first-name basis with her bank. Neighbors treated her as family—a daycare provider for the past 38 years, she had, in fact, looked after many of them or their children. So at year’s end, as clients were collecting information needed for tax write-offs, she didn’t think twice about giving them her Social Security number, which she’d always used to identify her home-run business to the Internal Revenue Service. That is, until she received a letter from the agency at the beginning of March. Click here to read more...

Google has come under fire for its privacy practices in Europe. In April, 10 foreign privacy commissioners criticized the Internet search giant for failing to protect user privacy. They cited the Google Buzz social network, which exposed users’ Gmail contacts, and Google Street View, a mapping tool that shows photos of street scenes. In Italy, three Google executives have been convicted of violating privacy laws. Eduard Goodman, Identity Theft 911’s chief privacy officer, addressed the subject at the International Association of Privacy Professionals conference last month. He attributes Google’s problems to historically different approaches to privacy in the United States and European Union. Click here to read more...