View area storm coverage and share your photos.

ID thieves hit Monster.com

The Capital Times  —  9/06/2007 1:02 pm

Users of the online recruiting site Monster.com should beware because hackers have obtained information from 1.3 million registered job seekers and are using those details to ask for personal financial data, state officials say.

Janet Jenkins of the Wisconsin Office of Privacy Protection also warns that the scammers are encouraging Monster.com customers to download a tool called "Monster Job Seeker," a malicious program that harms the user's PC and may encrypt the user's data.

Everyone who has entered information on Monster.com or its affiliate USAJOBS.com is at risk, according to Jenkins.

Consumers receiving any e-mail from Monster.com should send an e-mail to siteabuse@monster.com to confirm its legitimacy. They should also be suspicious of any e-mail with requests for personal financial information. Scammers typically ask for usernames, passwords, credit card numbers, Social Security numbers and date of birth.

Scammers typically include upsetting or exciting but false statements in e-mails to encourage people to react immediately, Jenkins said.

The agency also warned Monster.com customers not to use the links in an e-mail, instant message or chat to get to any Web page they suspect might not be authentic. Instead, they advise calling the company on the phone or logging into its Web site directly by typing the Web address.

For more information, go to help.monster.com/besafe/email. The company has included information about malicious activity involving the downloading of information from the sites, and provides detailed information about avoiding Internet scams.

Those with ID theft complaints should call the Wisconsin Office of Privacy Protection at 800-422-7128.

The Capital Times  —  9/06/2007 1:02 pm