This must be a bad week for PR. In the payments industry, Square put out a stupid blog post listing all the reasons why someone might want to worry about the company.

That was topped by the pitch below. It should go without saying that you shouldn’t use a celebrity’s death to pitch a book. But apparently not.

Robin Williams’ tragic death leaves consumers at high risk of identity theft. The 1.2 billion people already endangered from the massive Russian hacking just got more vulnerable as identity thieves lure curious citizens with links promising details about Robin Williams.

Cyber security expert Steve Weisman, founder of www.scamicide.com, author ofIdentity Theft Alert & seasoned media interview can talk about:

• Celebrity tragedies and how they endanger consumers – Amy Winehouse, Whitney Houston and now Robin Williams
• How to spot tainted emails, texts and Facebook links to ‘unreleased police photos’
• The urgency of cyber security in light of the recent Russian breach 
• Likelihood of spear phishing and increased cybercrime following the Russian breach
• Tips for consumers to protect themselves

Would you like to set up an interview with Steve Weisman?

Contact Sarah Gadway at sarah@wilkspr.com, [redacted] for interview requests or for a review copy of Identity Theft Alert.

Thanks for your time,
Sarah

About Steve Weisman
Steve Weisman, BA, JD, is one of the country’s leading experts on scams and identity theft and has been featured on CBS News, ABC, Fox, NPR, PBS, CNN, CNBC, and the Dr. Phil Show and quoted in numerous publications including The Boston Globe, Barron’s, The New York Times, Money Magazine, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal. He founded the blog www.scamicide.com, where he provides the latest information about scams and identity theft. Weisman is a weekly commentator on scams and identity theft on WGGB-TV in Springfield, Massachusetts and the nationally syndicated radio and television Big Biz Show, is a frequent contributor to New England Cable News (NECN) and hosts the Boston area radio show A Touch of Grey, syndicated to 50+ stations nationwide. Aside from his scam and identity theft work, Weisman is a lawyer and member of the Massachusetts Bar and Federal Bar. He has been a faculty member at Bentley University since 1998, and currently serves as a senior lecturer of law, taxation and financial planning. Weisman has authored eight books, including The Truth About Avoiding Scams (2008) and 50 Ways to Protect Your Identity and Your Credit(2005).