Verizon Wireless Will Watch Everything You Do If You Don't Opt Out

Verizon Wireless Will Watch Everything You Do If You Don't Opt Out:

Verizon Wireless is sending emails to customers this week informing them that the company will now begin storing their browsing history, location, app usage data and more, in the name of providing "more relevant" mobile ads. The company says it won't "share any information that identifies you personally," and the email includes instructions for customers who want to opt out of the tracking program.

According to the notice from Verizon, information the company will now save includes URLs of web sites visited by customers, which "may include search terms you have used," the "location of your device" and "demographic and interest categories provided to us by other companies, such as gender, age range, sports fan, frequent diner, or pet owner."

Verizon says it will use the data to, among other things, "create business and marketing reports," to allow other companies to do the same, and, of course to "make mobile ads you see more relevant."

Description: When you use your wireless device, you often see ads on websites and apps. Using certain Consumer Information (such as your Demographics, device type, and language preference) and the postal address we have for you, we will determine whether you fit within an audience an advertiser is trying to reach. This means ads you see may be more relevant to you. We will not share any information that identifies you personally.

Example: A local restaurant may want to advertise only to people who live within 10 miles, and we might help deliver that ad on a website without sharing information that identifies you personally.

Verizon announced the new policy last month. Customers can opt out by logging into Verizon's privacy site, or calling a toll-free number. And just in case you were concerned, don't worry: If you opt out, you'll still see ads on your phone.

Important notice about how Verizon Wireless uses information [Verizon Wireless via Techcrunch]

Customer Discovers Card Skimmer On Bank ATM

Customer Discovers Card Skimmer On Bank ATM:

When most of us think about illegal card skimmers on ATMs, we think of free-standing cash machines at convenience stores or on the street. But a sharp-eyed bank customer in Massachusetts spotted a skimmer at the last place you'd expect one: the bank.

The customer tells WBZ-TV that he noticed a loose piece of plastic on the machine near where you insert your card. When he touched it, the piece fell out and it was revealed to be a skimmer that would store users' card numbers and PINs.

The scammers who placed the skimmer did a decent job of making it appear to be an integral part of the ATM. One would only spot the change in appearance in a side-by-side comparison with an un-rigged machine. In the above picture, the ATM on the left contains the skimmer, while the one of the right does not.

While the customer who noticed this skimmer hadn't yet used his card on the machine, it's not yet know how many users' information was stolen by the skimmer -- or how someone managed to tinker with a bank ATM without being detected.

ATM Skimming Device Found At Eastern Bank In Taunton [CBSlocal.com]

Verizon Class Action Settlement: Get Refunds For Accidentally Pressing "Get It Now" Button

Verizon Class Action Settlement: Get Refunds For Accidentally Pressing "Get It Now" Button:

If Verizon "erroneously" charged you for accidentally pressing the "Get it Now" or "Mobile Web" buttons on your phone, you can file for a refund, thanks to a recent class action settlement.

The lawsuit is related to the Verizon insider confession New York Times gadget columnist David Pogue published in 2009 that said the wireless company had rigged their phones to grab $2 a time everytime someone accidentally hit the "Get It Now" or "Mobile Web" buttons on their phone. It was a fee trap for their customers, the insider alleged.

At the time of the controversy, Verizon wrote in a letter to the FCC (PDF) that, "...in order to protect customers from minimal, accidental usage charges, Verizon Wireless does not charge users when the browser is launched, and opens to the Verizon Wireless Mobile Web homepage. If the browsing session ends there without the customer navigating to another webpage, the customer will not incur charges for Mobile Web browsing." However, Pogue's readers wrote him to say that's exactly what happened. That complaint was also among those in the class action lawsuit. Some customers also said they got data charges even when they didn't access the internet on their phones.

Verizon Wireless denies all wrongdoing and has agreed to settle to end the litigation.

You're eligible to request a refund for any mistakenly billed charges that you haven't already gotten a refund for if you are or were a Verizon Wireless customer who paid pay-as-you-go data charges between November 2007 and January 31st 2011.

You can submit an online claim form here in order to get your monies.

DataChargeSettlement.com [via Top Class Actions]

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Verizon Denies It Charges You $2 Each Time You Mistakenly Press A Certain Button On Your Phone

Verizon Configures Phones So You Incur Erroenous Data Charges? (To The Tune Of $300 Million)