Sign up for the Free USPS Informed Delivery ... before someone else does!

At first I thought that USPS.com's Informed Delivery was clever but not all that important.  My thoughts have changed.  In a BIG WAY.

U.S. Secret Service is warning of cybercriminals using the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) “Informed Delivery,” feature to commit various identity theft and credit card fraud schemes.

I HIGHLY recommend that everyone sign up for USPS's Informed Delivery.  It is free and it prevents fraudsters from claiming your account & address first, then ordering credit cards in your name, and then knowing when to pick up your mail as cards are delivered.

I use it primarily to see when important mail and packages are expected and delivered.

But, from SC Media's article highlighting the Secret Service's findings, I see that it is more than simply a convenience.

Of course, I do hope the USPS will make these accounts more secure for mail recipients, but I'm not betting on that happening anytime soon.  As it is, when I use my USPS.com account to hold my mail, apparently the separate USPS service that deliver many of USPS packages or packages from other couriers (including FedEx and UPS and DHL) do not get the same message to hold packages.  I suppose I need to complain a bit higher up the chain!

Here's an example of the USPS email that lets me know what mail is expected.  Note that the non-specific image was pointing to a magazine delivery.

USPS Informed Delivery Email

Go, sign up today.  Go to the USPS website for Informed Delivery.

EQUIFAX - FUBAR.

I'll let you look up "FUBAR" yourself if you don't know it and are curious.  But please do not lose sleep over this.

EQUIFAX has reported a massive leak and now the tool that they provide to allow you to check to see if your information has been compromised may have been hacked, as well.

The article from c|net (here) essentially states that EQUIFAX's solution, to use the ID protection tool (free for a year if you were affected) may have been hacked, as well, so Caveat Emptor or, in English, Buyer Beware.

What to do? Again, don't lose sleep. Don't hit your cat. Or your kids, or anyone else.  You can yell at the dog or anything else that wakes you unexpectedly in the middle of the night. 

Whatever you have been doing, do that. If you check your credit reports (not scores) from EQUIFAX, TransUnion, and Experian on a yearly basis, keep doing so.  If you don't, then consider starting now thru the US FTC website's link.  Or not.

I actually do not recommend signing up for the free credit protection for a year promotion.  From what I have seen, you need to provide this 3rd party your name and account numbers on all of your financial accounts. That just doesn't sound like a good idea (i.e., common sense) to me.

BUT... if you are concerned about any of your accounts, change your passwords.  Make them strong passwords (Google offers some advice on this). Consider using 2-factor authentication if it is available.  Make your backup & recovery options more secure, too.  Please note that the EQUIFAX breach did not release password information.

And please, no tin hats.