RALEIGH, N.C. — A new study from Duke University says the personal information of U.S. military personnel is for sale on the Internet.
According to the study, the team of researchers found it was possible to buy data from U.S. data brokers via a .org and a .asia domain for as low as $0.12 per record. The information for sale included the health conditions and home addresses of some service members.
The research team said it did not purchase location data during its study, but researchers said they were able to shop for data on service members based on the geographic location of active service members.
“Access to this data could be used by foreign and malicious actors to target active-duty military personnel, veterans, and their families and acquaintances for profiling, blackmail, targeting with information campaigns, and more,” the study said.
Here are some tips to avoid becoming a victim of a scam:
- Emotional appeal - Any pitch that ratchets up your emotion will inhibit your rational judgment
- Sense of urgency - You MUST act now, or else
- Request for unorthodox payment - Gift cards, prepaid credit cards, wire transfers, etc.
- Explanations that don't ring true - If your new “landlord” can’t show you the inside of the house, that could be because they don’t own it
- You won, now pay up - It’s not a prize if you have to pay for it. Taxes, fees, shipping, whatever
- Too good to be true - That’s because it’s not true. Sorry, your long-lost relative didn’t die, leaving you millions. That car you bought online for a third of its Kelly Blue Book value doesn’t really exist. The son of a billionaire diamond broker didn’t “swipe right” on you and fall instantly in love. That work-at-home job paying you hundreds of dollars an hour for stuffing envelopes isn’t real
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