Identity Protection

Preventing Holiday Identity Theft

2010-11-21T11:40:00.000-08:00

Before you swipe your card, think about this, 11 million Americans had their identities stolen last year.

Narda Reed's husband was one of them.

"We've had people take free trips to Europe, to Disneyland, Disney World, purchase major items," she says.

And police say the holiday season is the prime time for thieves to steal your information.

"We're not ahead of this curve yet. It is definitely still a growing problem. More and more people are figuring out how to do it, how to commit that offense. Yes we catch them from time to time, but it doesn't take away the hassle that the victim has," says Temple Police Sergeant Brad Hunt.

Don't use public Wi-Fi connections like the ones in coffee shops to shop online. More ID theft happens in stores than online, but four in ten shoppers say they have little or no worries about identity fraud happening to them.

"You are at risk and in this day and age to it's very easy for someone to come along and be close to you and write the number down or get your credit card number and snap a picture of it," AAA Spokesman Dan Ronan says.

Ronan says you should cover up the number as you swipe and shield the keypad when you enter your pin.

"You don't want your card to be out of sight for a long period of time where someone could write down the number, write down the personal code on the back," Ronan adds.

Ronan also suggest taking only one card with you when you go shopping. He also says you should check your credit report at least two times a year.

http://bit.ly/bt8VYu

Tips:

When shopping online, make sure you use a reputable site and look for the security icon before putting in your information.
Protect from the view of a mobile phone camera - When Shopping, Put your Thumb over part of the Credit Card # and shield any PIN# entry.
Take only One Credit Card with you when you shop
Check your Credit Report every quarter using annualcreditreport.com - once for each credit repository (bureau) every three months.
Enroll with the best Identity Theft Shield with the Pre-Paid Legal Plan, because you need an attorney to help you in case of some forms or ID Theft like Criminal and Medical ID Theft.

Medical Identity Theft Ordeal

2010-11-15T20:24:00.000-08:00

Medical Identity Theft Ordeal

You've all heard stories about identity theft, but nothing like this. Imagine: someone walks into a hospital to get major surgery that costs thousands of dollars and does it all in your name. Then that person sticks you with the bills. It happened.....

Preventing Medical Identity Theft

Monitor your insurance claims to make sure they are accurate. spotting a suspicious medical claim may be the easiest way to catch medical identity theft early. Now here are six more tips to help guard against identity fraud in general:

1. Be Vigilant: Regularly monitor your bank and credit card accounts. Set up alerts to both e-mail and a mobile device.

2. Protect Personal Data: Don't provide sensitive financial information over the Internet or phone unless you initiated the interaction with a trusted entity.

3. Move Online: Cancel paper invoices, bank statements, and checks and replace them with electronic versions.

4. Check Who Is Watching: Be mindful of your environment and who may overhear or see sensitive information.

5. Guard Liability: Use credit and debit cards from financial institutions that provide no liability if a card is used without authorization.

6. Employ the top of the line Identity Theft Shield from Pre-Paid Legal Services. The Value outweighs the cost.

Patient Billed for Phony Liposuction as Medical ID Theft Rises

2010-11-15T09:58:00.000-08:00

(Bloomberg) -- Sierra Morgan was billed $12,000 on her health-care credit card in November for liposuction, a procedure she never requested or had.

“It’s depressing to know that someone used my name and knows so much about me,” said the 31-year-old respiratory therapist from Modesto, California.

There were more than 275,000 cases in the U.S. last year of medical information theft, twice the number in 2008, according to Javelin Strategy & Research, a Pleasanton, California-based market research firm. The average fraud cost $12,100, Javelin said.

“A trend we’ve seen over the past few years is using stolen information to file false claims,” said Louis Saccoccio, executive director of the Washington-based National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association, a non-profit research group.

Criminals set up fake clinics to bill for phony treatments, said Pam Dixon, founder of the World Privacy Forum, a non-profit consumer-research group based in San Diego, California, which has worked with more than 3,000 victims. Thieves also may impersonate a patient, like in Morgan’s case, and some medical workers download records to sell, she said.

Read More at: Bloomberg Business Week: http://bit.ly/b11nu8

Protecting Your Children from ID Theft

2010-11-14T16:30:00.000-08:00

ID Thieves are targeting minor's Social Security Numbers because they may be able to use them for several years before discovery. The victim, your child, wouldn't discover that they have a bogus credit record until they apply for a credit card or a job.

The Identity Theft Safeguard for Children can be obtained at www.prepaidlegal.com/idt/asmith

Get the Experts on their side, too!

When it comes to identity theft, age isn't a factor.

In recent years, identity thieves have zeroed in on children as potential prey. Their young age and the fact that they have no credit history make them prime targets for identity theft. In fact, a child who has become a victim of identity theft may not even know for years; until they are old enough to apply for credit.

-Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. offers a special enhancement to the Identity Theft Shield, geared toward minor children. Under the plan, your children (under 18 years of age) can receive valuable services to help safeguard against one of the fastest growing crimes in America.

Identity Theft Services for Minors include:

SAFEGUARD-It's important to educate children as early as possible on the importance of safeguarding private information. Safeguard provides valuable material on credit education for minors, advice on the best practices for the use of a child's Social Security Number and Personal Identifying Information, as well as many other crucial safeguarding practices.

DETECTION - It's vital that a child's credit be monitored throughout childhood. Our service will monitor for the existence of a credit file and notify you should anything be found.

CONSULTATION- Licensed private investigators, specializing in identity theft issues,are available to address any questions or concerns you may have about issues regarding child identity theft.

RESTORATION - Licensed investigators will take immediate action to correct any damages caused by identity theft. They will assist in obtaining a police report, provide available credit reports, dispute all fraudulent accounts with creditors, collectors, credit bureaus, banks, and others. In addition, a 7-year fraud victim statement or a Credit Bureau Minor Fraud alert will be placed with the credit reporting agencies.

Protect those you love at http://www.prepaidlegal.com/idt/asmith

ID Thieves Now Targeting Children

2010-08-18T07:29:00.000-07:00

The latest form of identity theft doesn't depend on stealing your Social Security number. Now thieves are targeting your kid's number long before the little one even has a bank account.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The latest form of identity theft doesn't depend on stealing your Social Security number. Now thieves are targeting your kid's number long before the little one even has a bank account.

Hundreds of online businesses are using computers to find dormant Social Security numbers -- usually those assigned to children who don't use them -- then selling those numbers under another name to help people establish phony credit and run up huge debts they will never pay off.

read more at http://www.delicious.com/asmith1

Inmate pleads no contest to ID theft counts

2010-08-11T09:06:00.000-07:00

It just shows you that you cannot control who gets and uses your personal information.

A Multnomah County jail inmate accused of pretending to be a grandson who needed cash to bail out of jail has pleaded no contest to multiple counts of identity theft.

Prosecutors say 44-year-old Stephen Lee Brown's crimes included impersonating the 20-year-old grandson of an 86-year-old Portland couple in March. The grandparents took a cab to the jail. Jail employees caught on to the scheme before the couple could deposit $1,500 in Brown's jail account.

Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge Henry Kantor ordered that Brown repay their $50 cab fare.

The judge also sentenced Brown to six years in prison and recommended that prison officials keep him away from phones.

Deputy District Attorney Chuck Mickley says 29 of Brown's 66 convictions have been for crimes committed while he was in jail or prison. As Brown pointed out to the judge, the prison yard is full of phones.

___

Information from: The Oregonian

Senators push Data Breach Notification Bill

2010-08-10T11:21:00.000-07:00

Two prominent Senate Democrats have offered a bill that would require businesses and nonprofit groups to meet baseline standards for safeguarding consumers' personal information, and to act quickly to provide notification in the event of a breach.

The Data Security and Breach Notification Act, introduced by Sens. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) and John Rockefeller (D-W.V.), would mandate firms that engage in the collection and storage of personal information to implement "reasonable security policies and procedures" to prevent leaks or breaches.

In the event of a security breach, covered businesses and nonprofits would be obligated to notify all affected individuals within 60 days.

"As more and more of our personal information is collected and stored online and on computers, we need to ensure that the businesses storing this information are keeping it safe and giving us quick warning if it falls into the wrong hands," Pryor, the chairman of the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety and Insurance, said in a statement.

New ID theft targets kids' Social Security numbers

2010-08-09T10:02:00.000-07:00

The latest form of identity theft doesn't depend on stealing your Social Security number. Now thieves are targeting your kid's number long before the little one even has a bank account.

Hundreds of online businesses are using computers to find dormant Social Security numbers — usually those assigned to children who don't use them — then selling those numbers under another name to help people establish phony credit and run up huge debts they will never pay off.

Get the Best available protection/prevention plan for you and your family at http://www.prepaidlegal.com/idt/asmith

FAA confirms data breach; 45,000 affected

2009-03-07T17:18:00.000-08:00

FAA confirms data breach; 45,000 affected
http://blogs.zdnet.com/security/?p=2803
A computer breach at the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) has led to the theft of personal information on more than 45,000 employees and retirees, the agency confirmed this week.

Read about my ID Theft experience at http://www.myid.ws

Tips to Avoid Scams - If it Sounds too Good to be True, It Probably Is

2008-11-15T07:36:00.000-08:00

A... Sign Up for Direct Deposit at Your Bank. There's no end to the creativity of scam artists. Seniors and people with low incomes are often the targets of scams. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to protect yourself from senior scams.

To avoid mail theft, avoid having checks mailed to your home.

If you receive any checks on a regular basis—like social security, disability, or stock dividends—have those checks deposited directly into your bank account.

B... Seniors: Look Out for Medicare Drug Discount Card Scams. Medicare drug discount cards are offered by a number of companies, and they can save you money. Unfortunately they are also popular with scam artists.

The best way to enroll for a Medicare-approved discount card--and avoid a senior scam--is by contacting Medicare directly for a list of approved companies. You can do this online or by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).

Medicare drug discount cards cannot be sold by phone or through door-to-door sales. In addition, you should not need to provide proof of income, because Medicare can access your records from the IRS. If you are asked to provide proof of income, including bank accounts, you may be dealing with a fraudulent company.

C... Assign a Power of Attorney. A power of attorney gives a trusted person of your choice the power to make key financial or life decisions for you if you become incapacitated. Unfortunately, many people are taken advantage of by perpetrators of senior scams when they become ill or injured and cannot make good decisions for themselves.

Having someone who is legally empowered to make choices for you can save you from improper management of your finances, and it’s important to make execute your power of attorney before you become too ill to make this important decision.

D... Avoid Disclosing Personal or Financial Information to Avoid Senior Scams. Many senior scam perpetrators make calls or send email on behalf of a financial institution.

For example, they may say there's a problem with your bank or credit card account and ask you to verify the account numbers.

If you get one of these calls, ask for a name and phone number you can call back, and make that call to be sure you are dealing with your legitimate financial institution. If you cannot verify that the request is legitimate, do not provide the information.

E... Ignore Direct Mail Advertising to Avoid Senior Scams. Seniors are often the target of direct mail, which usually offers something for free or almost free but signs you up for further financial obligations.

If you receive a notice saying you won a contest or a cruise, read the fine print carefully for hidden costs to make sure it's not a senior scam.

And if you decide to consider the offer, ask someone you trust for a second opinion before you sign up.

F... Reduce Telemarketer Calls to Avoid Senior Scams. It can be hard to say no to a telemarketer, and that can mean financial disaster if you become a victim of a senior scam.

To avoid this situation, you can reduce the number of telemarketer calls you receive by registering with the federal government's "Do Not Call Registry."

You can register your land line phone or cell phone with the "Do Not Call Registry" online or by calling 1-888-382-1222.

Visit http://pandapicks.successblognet.com/category/senior-safety/ for more information on Senior Safety.

Visit: http://www.myid.ws for helpful tips to avoid identity theft.

What Are The Early Indications You May Be a Victim of Identity Theft?

2008-10-31T11:18:00.000-07:00

If you have lost important identity or financial documents, such as your credit card, you are immediately at risk of identity theft. Your passport or driver’s license, or your social security number details, may enable an identity thief to pass himself off with your identity. Your credit card may enable a thief to undertake financial transactions in your name.

If your mail appears to be getting tampered with that may be an indication an identity thief is active. If your bank or credit card statements are not arriving as normal your alarm bells should certainly start to ring. A common identity theft tactic is to intercept these statements to delay your ability to see what is happening to your financial affairs.

A strong sign of identity theft is when bills begin to arrive for purchases you have not made. Keeping these from your attention is another reason why identity thieves may take a close interest in your mailbox.

Your mail, or part of it may have been redirected to another address, either through a redirection order being lodged in your name with the postal service, or by notifying a change of address to the people sending mail to you, especially your bank. If you suspect something is wrong with your mail deliveries, check whether this has happened.

If bank and credit card statements and bills are being intercepted in this way, there are other subtle signs of a developing problem that may still get through, such as thank you letters, receipts and follow up promotions from companies you have had no contact with.

The first really serious indication you may hear of a growing debt problem is when credit managers, financial institutions, debt collectors or solicitors try to contact you. This may be by telephone if your mail is still being tampered with.

You may encounter unexpected problems with financial services, such a large
purchase, loan, credit card or mortgage application that indicates your credit status has deteriorated. You can order a copy of your credit file from credit reference agencies to see whether it shows dealings with companies and transactions that you have no knowledge of.

You may be turned down for a state benefit of some kind or social security payment on the grounds you are already receiving it – because an identity thief has already claimed it in your name.

You may find that someone has taken out a mobile phone in your name, possibly
signing up for an expensive contract.

As soon as you feel there is sufficient evidence of an emerging problem you should initiate a review of your financial affairs, and begin talking to unfamiliar companies that seem to think they are doing business with you. The earlier you can detect identity theft and take action the less damage will be done to your reputation.

Please visit http://www.myid.ws for a personal story and what to do to protect yourself.

422 Tax Deductions for Self-Employed Individuals

2008-08-31T09:52:00.000-07:00

The Book 422 Tax Deductions for Businesses and Self-Employed Individuals provides new understand why you should have a home-based business and file a Schedule "C" with your tax return.

Medical Identity Theft Video

2008-08-15T07:46:00.001-07:00

We have protection through the Identity Theft Shield and the Pre-Paid Legal Life Events Legal Services Plan

How to Make Identity Theft Worse -

2008-08-11T21:28:00.000-07:00

IRS Audit Launches
Emerita de Jesus Into Fight
To Get Her Name Back

Audits from the Internal Revenue Service are never welcome. But when Emerita de Jesus received a letter for failing to report earnings at a North Carolina poultry plant, it had a particularly unpleasant twist: The California housewife had never worked at the facility.

Instead, a Mexican worker there had used Ms. de Jesus' name and Social Security number to get hired. The situation caused years of grief for Ms. de Jesus, who fought a protracted battle beginning in 2003 to clear her name with creditors, the IRS and the ..............

Read the rest at: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121807447764219305.html

4-Hour Work Week

2008-08-11T09:23:00.000-07:00

Spending only 4-hours each week at work

Imagine making enough money to pursue your hobbies like traveling around the world while spending only 4-hours each week at work. Timothy Ferriss claims to have a plan to help you accomplish this. We'll talk with the best-selling author of "The 4-hour Workweek"

4-Hour Work Week Watch this Video now!

get the book

Recommended Book: IF YOU WILL ASK

2008-06-15T10:39:00.000-07:00

This Book by Oswald Chambers is Recommended Reading

Mortgage Foreclosure Threats give Employees Reason to use Their Group Legal Services Plan

2007-12-08T17:09:00.000-08:00

Employees are Worried About Losing their Homes while

Employers are Concerned About Lost Productivity!

According to the local newspaper, foreclosures in Los Angeles County are up 800% from this time last year and according to RealtyTrac, there was one new foreclosure for every 1,117 U.S. households in January 2006 compared to the same period a year earlier. Many economists and industry observers expect the pace of foreclosures to accelerate this year.

With foreclosures at their all time high, more and more mortgage holders are faced with higher interest rates and often the short-term fixed rate comes to an end with adjustable rates effectively doubling the payment. With huge payment increases without the increased income to support them, the employee runs into a very stressful situation.

When employees are stressed, their work suffers. When they are in a quandary, with unanswered questions and an insecure situation, they often turn to their fellow employees for guidance. Not only does their productivity suffer, but so does the work flow of their team.

Employers are beginning to promote legal services at an increased rate in an attempt to settle employees' concerns over housing issues. It is estimated that the number of mortgage-related calls received by group pre-paid legal provider law firms has nearly doubled in the past year.

Documentation review and preparation for mortgage-related services is up significantly in the first nine months of 2007 compared to the same period in 2006. This tells us that, more than ever, people are very keen on getting their mortgage papers reviewed before they find themselves in hot water.

Hiring an attorney is not cheap, which is why the presence of a group pre-paid legal plan and financial consultation services is so important right now to those affected by the housing crisis. Most, when faced with a legal situation, either ignore the situation or try to handle it themselves. Both avenues are dangerous policies.

"Someone who has debt problems usually cannot afford an attorney, and yet they're the ones who really need one," says Smith. "A group prepaid legal plan makes it possible."

Read more here.

What is Identity Theft?

2007-04-23T13:33:00.000-07:00

What is Identity Theft?

We are all proud of our name, our reputation and our accomplishments. We are each unique. We each have our very own distinct identity.

We have all been annoyed when someone took the credit for something we did. It might have been a misunderstanding by the coach, teacher, parent or boss that caused
the problem, more than the other person who got all the praise. You are just annoyed
that they bask in the glory of the moment when you think they really should turn and
deflect at least some of the credit on to you. You soon learn its part of life, and to “just get over it” and move on. It usually doesn’t really matter in the bigger scheme of things.

The problem becomes much more serious when your identity is not just borrowed for
a moment, but is actually deliberately stolen and used for profit by someone else.
Worse, there may be serious consequences for you personally. You may incur
financial losses. You could have a black mark placed against your reputation, socially, in your work place, when you want to access credit in future, or even legally in the form of a criminal record.

You could face severe difficulties just getting on with the routines of your life.
Insurance, bank and lending companies may not wish to do business with you, or
impose tough terms. You may find it difficult to get a job. It may be difficult for you to rent a home. Foreign countries may not admit you as a visitor if the records show you are a criminal. You could face big bills from having to engage identity theft lawyers to protect your reputation.

You may well have every right to feel aggrieved. These kinds of identity theft are
crimes, and you become a victim of crime. Nevertheless, the processes to recover
your losses and put your reputation right will probably move very slowly, and perhaps
at great emotional cost and financial expense to you. And this process will take place for you at a very intimate and hurtful personal level, because it is your personal reputation that is at stake.

The problem for those in authority is deciding who, in fact, is the perpetrator of
identity theft - you or the thief. Put yourself in their position: both you and the identity thief seem to be the same person. We all have rights, even thieves pretending to be you, and we are all assumed to be innocent until proven guilty under our legal system.

Until you or an investigator can show clear evidence one way or the other, and until
those in authority accept you are the “real” you, and what you have or have not done,
then you may feel under suspicion as the thief yourself. You may find it necessary to
engage an identity theft attorney. Expect to be somewhat frustrated as the wheels of
justice slowly grind away to sort out these questions. And expect it may take several
years to fully clear your records of the damage an identity thief can do to your
reputation.

It is very wise to take what measures you reasonably can to prevent your identity
being stolen in the first place.

For More information visit: http://MyID.ws

Identity theft a bitter pill for reporter

2006-10-09T09:34:00.000-07:00

Publish Date: 10/8/2006

Identity theft a bitter pill for T-C reporter

By Amanda Arthur
The Daily Times-Call

LONGMONT — “I’m sorry. Do you have another card? This one’s been declined.”

My eyes widened. My cheeks grew hot. My whole body felt covered in pins and needles.

“I just got paid yesterday!” I stammered to the waitress at the Denver Thai restaurant where I dined Sept. 30, telling her to try running my card again.

She ran the card five times. It was rejected five times. My friend covered my bill for me.

As we walked back to his house, my mind raced.

“Maybe the bank has a glitch,” I thought. “Maybe my card wouldn’t scan properly.”

Editors Note: If Amanda had been protected with the Identity Theft Shield http://www.prepaidlegal.com/idt/asmith she would have had no worries, because restoration services are provided.

But on Monday morning, a bank teller confirmed someone had used my debit card number without my permission.

“So you didn’t spend $350 at a shoe store?” she asked.

“No!” I shouted. “That’s worth more than all of my shoes put together!”

I surrendered my debit card and left penniless while bank workers sorted out the charges made to my account over the weekend.

I spent the rest of the day in front of a computer, watching as the thief’s charges hit my account, eventually leaving it $175 overdrawn.

As a crime reporter, I had written dozens of stories about identity theft and credit card fraud. I knew what to do.

I called credit reporting agencies and told them about my stolen account number to protect my credit rating.

I called the police.

Then I got antsy.

I started investigating the businesses where my money was spent. I soon found out it was going to be harder than making some phone calls and dressing down some careless store managers.

The four businesses — Shoe Depot, Tina Fashion, Frank Collection and Photo Creation — where money from my account was spent are in Fontana, Calif., according to my bank statement.

So I called the Fontana Police Department. I called the city’s chamber of commerce. I went on the Better Business Bureau Web site. But no one had ever heard of the stores, and the police couldn’t find an address for them.

I even left messages for people whose names are connected to two of the “businesses,” which I found on a public information Web site. No one called back.

Luckily, my bank sorted out the mess and had money back in my account by 2:30 p.m.

Days later, no one can tell me how my account was raided. I don’t know how someone got my debit card number. The police suspect someone wrote it down when I bought something at a store. Or maybe I accidentally threw away a receipt with my debit card number on it.

It’s pretty unnerving. I wonder what other information the thief took, along with the $671 from my account.

My situation isn’t unique.

On a daily basis, residents call the police to report identity theft. Investigators are often left with little information to go on.

“It’s killing us as an agency and as a community,” Longmont Police Sgt. Jeff Satur said of identity theft.

There are many ways a thief can steal your identity, even if you think you’re being careful.

I thought I was careful. I don’t shop online. I keep receipts or shred them before throwing them away. I destroy documents containing sensitive information.

It still happened to me.

Police advise residents to be wary of where they spend their money, and keep an eye on their credit cards when using them at businesses.

But there’s no fail-safe method to prevent identity theft, investigators say.

“It can happen to anybody, even somebody who thinks they are the most careful person,” said Cindy Taylor, head of the consumer affairs division of the Boulder County District Attorney’s Office.

It’s rare that people ever learn how thieves got access to their money, she said.

Maybe I’ll never know. But that’s a hard pill for a reporter to swallow.

Amanda Arthur can be reached at 303-684-5215, or by e-mail at aarthur@times-call.com.

Check http://www.MyID.ws for more data on how to prevent, protect, and restore.

2006-09-25T21:20:00.000-07:00

SCENE 1.

A friend went to the local gym and placed his belongings in the
locker.

After the workout and a shower, he came out, saw the locker open, and thought to himself.
Funny, I thought I locked the locker. Hmmm." He dressed and just flipped the wallet to make sure all was in order.
Everything looked okay - all cards were in place.
A few weeks later his credit card bill came - a whooping bill of
$14,000! He called the credit card company and started yelling at them, saying that he did not make the transactions.

Customer care personnel verified that there was no Mistake in the system and asked if his card had been stolen. "No," he said, but then took out his wallet, pulled out the credit card, and yep - you guessed it a switch had been made. An expired similar credit card from the same bank was in the wallet.
The thief broke into his locker at the gym and switched cards. Verdict: The credit card issuer said since he did not report the card missing earlier, he would have to pay the amount owed to them.
How much did he have to pay for items he did not buy? $9,000! Why were there no calls made to verify the amount swiped?
Small amounts rarely trigger a "warning bell" with some credit card companies.

It just so happens that all the small amounts added up to big one.

SCENE 2.

A man at a local restaurant paid for his meal with his credit card. The bill for the meal came, he signed it, and the waitress folded the receipt and passed the credit card along.
Usually, he would just take it and place it in his wallet or
pocket. Funny enough, though, he actually took a look at the card and, lo and behold, it was the expired card of another person.
He called the waitress and she looked perplexed.

She took it back, apologized, and hurried back to the counter under the watchful eye of the man.
All the waitress did while walking to the counter was wave the wrong expired card to the counter cashier, and the counter cashier immediately looked down and took out the real card.
No exchange of words --- nothing! She took it and came back to the man with an apology.

Verdict:
Make sure the credit cards in your wallet are yours. Check the name on the card every time you sign for something and/or the card is taken away for even a short period of time.
Many people just take back the credit card without even looking at
it, "assuming" that it has to be theirs.
FOR YOUR OWN SAKE, DEVELOP THE HABIT OF CHECKING YOUR CREDIT CARD
EACH TIME IT IS RETURNED TO YOU AFTER A TRANSACTION!

SCENE 3.

Yesterday I went into a pizza restaurant to pick up an order that I
had called in. I paid by using my Visa Check Card which, of course, is linked
directly to my checking account.

The young man behind the counter took my card, swiped it, then laid
it on the counter as he waited for the approval, which is pretty standard procedure. While he waited, he picked up his cell phone and started dialing.
I noticed the phone because it is the same model I have, but
nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

Then I heard a click that sounded like my phone sounds when I take
a picture.
He then gave me back my card but kept the phone in his hand as if he was still pressing buttons.
Meanwhile, I'm thinking: I wonder what he is taking a picture of, oblivious to what was really going on. It then dawned on me: the only thing there was my credit card, so now I'm paying close attention to what he is doing. He set his phone on the counter, leaving it open.
About five seconds later, I heard the chime that tells you that the
picture has been saved.
Now I'm standing there struggling with the fact that this boy just took a picture of my credit card.
Yes, he played it off well, because had we not had the same kind of phone, I probably would never have known what happened.
Needless to say, I immediately canceled that card as I was
walking out of the pizza parlor.
All I am saying is, be aware of your surroundings at all times.
Whenever you are using your credit cards, take caution and don't be careless. Notice who is standing near you and what they are doing when you use your card.

Be aware of phones because many have a camera phone these days.

When you are in a restaurant and the waiter/waitress brings your
card and receipt for you to sign, make sure you scratch the number off.
Some restaurants are using only the last four digits, but a lot of them are still putting the whole thing on there.

For the info. My credit card company has requested me not to sign my name on the back of my credit card, but rather sign the back with CHECK ID. This has prompted the sale clerks to ask me for picture ID before completing the transaction. However this does not stop the clerk from taking a photo copy of my card or scanning it with some other device for reproduction and use later.
I think I will do like is shown on your e-mail in scene # 3 and take my credit card to the cash register and stay alert of what is taking place during the transaction.
If things look or sound peculiar call your credit card company and advise them. They may cancel your card and you will have to wait a while for a new one, but the wait may take a few days. It may be worth your while. Hope this helps.

Visit http://MyID.ws for the Solution!

Identity theft alert issued - Police say ring targets eateries

2006-09-04T08:30:00.000-07:00

The next time you go through a drive-through of a fast-food restaraunt, or even a fine restaraunt, don't be impatient if the cashier is slower than you think they should be. RELAX, they are stealing YOUR IDENTITY as fast as they can, and you'll JUST HAVE TO WAIT YOUR TURN ...
like the rest of the victims !!!

There was a news story about 911 that said terrorist groups were considering buying convenience stores and gas stations to harvest the large number of credit cards used at just these two places ...
without a thought of how safe their card really is today.

Joe

COBB COUNTY
Identity theft alert issued
Police say ring targets eateries

By YOLANDA RODRÍGUEZ
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 09/03/06

Cobb police have a warning for consumers: Be careful when using credit cards at restaurants.

They arrested three people last week who they believe are part of a larger identity theft ring. The alleged thieves used an electronic skimmer to read information on the magnetic strips on the backs of the cards. The operation was partially undone by a slow-moving cashier at a Taco Bell on South Cobb Drive, near Smyrna.

The cashier, Takeila Cherie Anderson, 18, was moving so slowly while working the drive-through that the manager went to investigate. Store video that police made available shows Anderson taking cards from customers and sliding them along a slit on top of the machine.

The manager called police after seeing the machine — so small that it fits in the palm of a hand.

It was the first time police in Cobb have seen the device, said Cpl. Ron Underwood, a detective in Cobb's criminal investigation unit.

Investigators arrested Anderson of Austell. She helped police lure the men who allegedly put her up to the scheme. Police also arrested Arthur Crumpley Jr. and Cecil Lamont Hicks, both of Douglasville.

They charged all three with criminal possession of a financial forgery device, a felony. They could face additional charges for each stolen account number found on the machine.

Underwood said Crumpley recruited Anderson. He promised her $1,000 for every 50 cards the machine skimmed.

Police believe Crumpley recruited restaurant employees throughout Cobb.

Police think Hicks was the ringleader. Underwood said Hicks told investigators he had a connection in California. Hicks would turn the stolen numbers over to his connection on the 14th Street bridge in Atlanta, Underwood said.

Consumers should pay close attention to monthly credit and debit card statements and get copies of their credit reports.

Underwood said the restaurant manager saved his customers a lot of aggravation.

"If you are a victim of identity theft just one time, you'll understand how serious this is," Underwood said.

Find this article at:
http://www.ajc. com/metro/ content/metro/ cobb/stories/ 2006/09/02/ 0903cobskim. html

We take identity theft seriously, but our banks are dragging their feet

2006-09-03T10:37:00.000-07:00

We take identity theft seriously, but our banks are dragging their feet

Thanks to Joe for the following article:
Readers feel that administrative errors by lenders are at least partly to blame for rising credit card fraud

Lisa Bachelor
Sunday September 3, 2006
The Observer

Credit card holders need to be extra vigilant about fraud on accounts they no longer use. Cash has learnt of a number of recent cases where banks have continued to send out cards and Pins even after being informed that the card holder has moved.

Mike Addelman and his partner Sarah contacted Cash last week after spending three years trying to stop MBNA sending them mail intended for the previous occupant. 'We moved into our house in Sale [near Manchester] about three years ago, and the previous occupants' mail was still being sent to our address. A lot of that was from MBNA, so we called and asked them to stop sending it, which they said they would - but this never happened.'

Addelman says the couple called MBNA on numerous occasions and were on the phone for an average of 40 minutes each time. They returned more than 50 envelopes to the bank saying on them that the account holder was no longer at the address. 'In the end we opened up some of the mail and there was a lot of very detailed information about the account holders in there. We also received blank credit card cheques, two credit cards and, in a separate mailing, the account holder's Pin with a letter saying a new credit limit of £15,000 had been granted. We think this is appalling and shows that they are not taking the security of their customers seriously. We cannot be the only people this has happened to.'

MBNA apologised to the couple and has now closed down the previous occupant's account. 'Anyone receiving an MBNA credit card would have to pass stringent security procedures to activate the card before it could be used,' a spokesman said. 'In addition, consumers would not be liable for any fraudulent transactions that may occur on an account.'

Two weeks ago Cash received a letter with a similar tale from a reader in London who was fed up after spending eight months contacting Barclaycard to tell them to stop sending him mail intended for the previous occupant, the account holder. This time the reader was sent six credit card statements, a credit card and a Pin number. Barclaycard apologised and sent the reader £25 in compensation but could not explain why no one had acted on the reader's calls.

Another reader emailed to say he had settled his credit card account and then moved house, unaware that a new credit card was sent to his old address and subsequently used to make fraudulent transactions. The credit card company passed the debt to a debt collection agency, which is now pursuing him for payment.

Figures from the Association for Payment Clearing Services (Apacs) show fraud losses for 'mail non-receipt' - where a card never reaches its recipient - had risen by more than 60 per cent from £45m in 2003 to £72m in 2004, the year when most chip and Pin cards were issued. The latest statistics, however, show this falling to £40m last year.

'The big driver for card-not-present fraud is when someone forgets to notify their bank that they've moved or where there is a communal hallway,' says Jemma Smith, spokeswoman for Apacs. 'The cases [above] were obviously caused by administrative errors on the part of the card companies and sound highly unusual. The card holder would not be liable for any fraud that did occur in these cases.'

But incidents of identity fraud, where a criminal uses a fraudulently obtained card or card details to open or take over a card account in someone else's name, continue to grow year on year, accounting for £30m of losses last year. According to credit reference agency Experian, almost half of all identity theft happens at a previous address.

An account that has not been used for some time is often declared dormant by a card issuer, but there is no set time limit in which this has to be done. Halifax, for example, says if an account hasn't been used for 12 months prior to the bank reissuing a card it will write to the card holder and ask them if they want the new card. Barclaycard, on the other hand, used to operate a 'three-year rule' when deciding whether an account was dormant or not. It has since changed this so that cards issued from October 2004 will become dormant if there is no activity on them for 21 months.

Apacs is also warning card holders to be extra vigilant about checking the statements they do receive. Although official figures for the first half of this year are not available until next month, it says early indications are that fraud at ATMs is on the rise, after having fallen by 12 per cent for the first time last year. 'This is due mainly to gangs continuing to do old-style skimming fraud at cash machines and taking stolen details abroad,' says Smith.

Sainsbury's Bank announced last week that it is to spend £3.5m on security around its 885 cash machines after worries about increasing levels of fraud in this area. 'Without a doubt chip and Pin has had a positive effect on overall levels of fraud but in this area [ATMs] the problem seems to be growing,' says Kevin Barrett, head of channels at Sainsbury's bank. 'We do twice as many transactions at our ATMs than on average cash machines, so we're being proactive with this move, not reactive.'

The new measures will include changing the position of CCTVs within the supermarkets, attaching 'anti-skimming' devices to all its ATMs and a number of more low-tech solutions, such as putting a line on the ground around ATMs to make it clear that the area is a private space.

How to fight back

What you should do if you receive financial post for a previous occupant?
· Contact the bank and ask to speak to customer services. If you have no luck there, try the customer relations manager.
· If the card issuer ignores repeated requests to stop sending you somebody else's mail, you can take your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service. The FOS would not be able to take it on as a formal complaint as it is not your account, but it has had some success in the past when it has made informal contact with credit card companies over this problem.
· If you open someone else's mail, technically you are committing a criminal offence. Under the Regulation of Investigatory powers Act 2000 it is an offence to open, destroy, hide or delay any post that is addressed to someone else, even if you know that it has been incorrectly delivered.

What you should do to protect yourself against fraud?

· Notify all your card issuers if you change address - even for those accounts you no longer use
· If you no longer intend to use a credit card, close down the account, don't just cut up the card. Cutting up a card or putting it in a drawer doesn't shut down the credit facility.
· Check account statements so that you can spot anything unusual.

Almost everyone is at risk for ID theft - even children

2006-03-19T17:12:00.000-08:00

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/local/sfl-screditreport19xfeb19,0,7452023.story?coll=sfla-business-headlines

Almost everyone is at risk for ID theft - even children
By Harriet Johnson Brackey
South Florida Sun-SentinelFebruary 19, 2006

When Harrison Ford in the current movie Firewall checks his credit report, he finds out he's been the victim of identity theft. Then the action begins.

That drama happens to all sorts of people every day in South Florida.

Identity thieves seem to haunt our state more than almost anywhere. In typical states, the Federal Trade Commission says it gets about four identity theft complaints for every 10 fraud complaints that it receives. From Florida, last year there were seven identity theft complaints to every 10 fraud complaints.

There were 25,000 complaints about identity theft last year in all of Florida.A lot of them came from this region. The FTC listed the South Florida region as sixth in the nation for identity theft. Among major cities, its rate of almost 132 complaints to the federal agency for every 100,000 people puts the region ahead of New York, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco.

Nationwide, an estimated 28 million adults have become identity theft victims since 2003.

At risk: Practically anyone. Hispanics are the most victimized ethnic group, according to a survey from Javelin Strategy & Research. The rich, those with incomes of $150,000 or more, get hit often. And by age, it's the young, 18 to 29, who are targeted in the greatest numbers, according to the FTC.

There's also a seriously disturbing increase in the theft of children's identities, which law enforcement officials say is beginning to show up locally. Complaints to the federal government have risen from only 6,500 three years ago to more than 11,000 last year about identity theft for those under the age of 18.

What can you do? Besides guarding your personal information closely, you should regularly check your financial records to see what's on them.

"I think personally one of the most important things a consumer can do to minimize the risk of identity theft is to look at your credit report.

You can see clearly whether there are accounts on there that may not be yours," said Cindy Liebes, assistant regional director in the FTC's Southeast Region office in Atlanta.

It's not difficult to follow her advice. You can check your report once a year for free or pay a small sum to see it more often. Here's a guide to finding and reading credit reports.

Harriet Johnson Brackey can be reached at hjbrackey@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4614.
Copyright © 2006, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

It's 10 PM. Do You Know Where Your Identity Is?

2006-02-18T07:46:00.000-08:00

It's 10 PM. Do You Know Where Your Identity Is?

Global identity thieves may know their way around your computer better than you do. Welcome to the scary new world of zombies, RATs, Trojan horses and evil twins.
BY BRIAN KREBS
Published in the February, 2006 issue of Popular Mechanics.

PM: Who's Stealing Your Identity? Feb. 2006 Cover Story

The factoid that got my attention was this:

The group's website, shadowcrew.com, functioned as a sort of identity-theft eBay, a one-stop shop where criminals could buy and sell credit cards, Social Security numbers and mothers' maiden names like used car parts. Over two years, some 4000 ShadowCrew members had amassed two terabytes' worth of other people's lives--18 million e-mail accounts and related personal data--mainly by tricking the victims themselves into giving up their information.

Lesson learned: Protect ourselves with the Identity Theft Shield and be vigilant!

Credit Card Offer Opt-out Instructions

2006-02-14T19:39:00.000-08:00

The credit bureaus offer a toll-free number that enables you to get out of having card offers mailed to you for either five years…or permanently. Just phone 1-888-5-OPTOUT (567-8688). You will be prompted to provide some personal information, including your home telephone number, name, address, and social security number.

All information provided is confidential and is used only to process your request. And if over time you get lonely for some junk mail and decide that you want to receive the card offers again, simply phone the same number and you will be added back on the list.

Protect yourself and your spouse from Identity Theft with the Identity Theft Shield: http://prepaidlegal.com/idt/asmith

Jury Duty ID Theft Scam Spreads

2005-11-30T09:35:00.000-08:00

(CBS) A new form of identity theft is targeting one of the nation's most important obligations, jury duty.

The Early Show consumer correspondent Susan Koeppen reports that scam artists are banking on the seriousness most people attach to jury duty.

Koeppen explains that the scammers figure their targets are good citizens who are willing to give up some key personal information because they're needed in the courtroom.

One target of such a ploy, Bellevue, Colorado grandmother Diana Koenig, tells Koeppen she "was definitely duped, definitely, and it was so slick I didn't know it."

Koenig knew better than to give out personal information over the phone but, several weeks ago, got a call from a woman saying she was with the district court.

"When she told me she was a clerk from the courts, I trusted her," Koenig says.

The caller said Koenig and her husband were up for jury duty, and she needed their birthdates and Social Security numbers to send them a summons.

"I thought about it real quickly and decided, 'She must need this,' so I gave it to her," Koenig says.

But when the summons never came, Koenig called the district clerk and got the shocking truth: That call wasn't from the court, but from a scam artist looking to steal her identity.

"I thought I was gonna have a heart attack right then. I knew I was in trouble," Koenig says.

For the Rest of the story Click Here:

Medical Identity Theft: The Dark Side of Health Care Privacy

2005-11-29T21:04:00.000-08:00

Larry Sobal column: Identity theft: the dark side of health care privacy

Posted November 20, 2005
As a patient, your greatest fear is not your neighbors finding out about your most sensitive medical conditions, it's that your "nonpublic" information will be exploited by identity thieves gaining access to your clinical information. What this means is that your medical privacy and your overall identity, is more vulnerable than any time in history.

The term "identity theft" often is used to describe financial crimes, but true identity theft occurs when someone uses your personal information to create new accounts to obtain money, goods, services, prescriptions, a driver's license or even commit crimes in your name. Unfortunately, the relationship between medical privacy and identity theft is growing stronger.

Think about it. How many places is your health information, including your Social Security number, stored these days? Considering database redundancy and the ease of electronic transmission, from your hospital to your insurance plan to your physician to your pharmacy and multiple points in between, it is not unusual for your personal data to reside in literally hundreds of sites.

Not only does this increase the odds of a breach in your medical security, but identity theft is now the No. 1 crime in the country.

Health care organizations are prime targets, and potentially prime leaks, because of their vast reservoirs of personal data. If you aren't worried about all of this, you certainly should be.
Back in the old days (paper) you had two primary risks for inappropriate discovery and use of your health information. The first was a result of "shoulder surfing"— where nosey individuals simply listened in on your discussions or read it from your open medical record or a computer screen. The second was "Dumpster diving" where your records or billing receipts were picked from the garbage can.

The health care industry recognizes the challenge it faces and is using a vast array of resources to protect your information. One key step was the passage of sweeping legislation in 1996 known as HIPPA. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act was created to focus on the security of health data.

Health care organizations, however, are just one place of potential risk. Due to stunning widespread corporate carelessness, representing all industries, the personal information of more than 46 million Americans was lost or stolen in the first half of 2005 alone.

The scary part is that your most likely thief may not be a stranger. According to a recent study by Javelin Strategy & Research, in 26 percent of all cases the fraud victims knew the person who had misused their personal information.

The TowerGroup, a unit of MasterCard International, reports that as much as 50 percent of identity fraud occurs with a family member or friend. Most experts recommend these steps:

Avoid carrying your Social Security card, birth certificate or even your checkbook with you.
Never give out your Social Security number.
Add passwords to online and offline accounts and don't use your mother's real maiden name, your real name, or birthday as identifiers.
Have your mail delivered to a locked box.
Buy a crosscut shredder and destroy all paper or CDs with your information on it, including unsolicited pre-approved credit offers and blank courtesy checks.
Get a regular copy of your credit report and review its activity.
Don't preprint your Social Security number, driver's license number or even your phone number on your checks.
Restrict online purchases to sites that use encryption.
Report any lost or stolen checks or cards to the appropriate institution within 48 hours to obtain maximum protection.

In addition, progressive employers are taking action on behalf of their employees. According to local expert Teri Rose of Prepaid Legal Services in Neenah, many employers are offering identity theft coverage as a voluntary employee benefit.

Whatever you do, perhaps the single most important aspect of identity theft prevention is an awareness of this issue combined with a program of healthy vigilance to protect your personal data and help minimize your risk.

Larry Sobal is chief executive officer of Appleton Cardiology Associates, a member of the Appleton Heart Institute.

You can see what is meant by the Identity Theft Shield by clicking on the banner

Identity Theft Victim Arrested

2005-11-27T15:20:00.000-08:00

Texas Woman Learns Of Theft While Arrested By Richardson Police

DALLAS -- A North Texas woman says a thief stole her good name and then police took her freedom. Now, she warns the same thing could happen to you.

Click here for the rest of the story.

Then come back here and click here for the solution.

Criminal ID Theft - just one of 5 types

2005-09-24T12:32:00.000-07:00

But, Officer, that isn't ME

It's bad enough when someone uses your credit cards to go on a spending spree. But a criminal identity thief could rob you of your good name and put you at risk for arrest.

Get the October 2005 issue of Kiplinger's Personal Finance. http://www.kiplinger.com/personalfinance/magazine/index.html

Karl Koessel Never imagined that losing his wallet would land him in Jail.

Allison Curry, a 4th-grade teacher in San Diego, discovered that someone she voluntarily mentored in a foster-care facility had stolen her identity and that she, Allison, was wanted for the crime of prostitution.

In both of these cases, the victims had to prove their innocence and it took hours and it cost dollars to do so.

There are 5 types of ID Theft and financial ID Theft is only one of them. Criminal ID Theft is another - check back for more on this.

We must protect ourselves -- Visit this site and watch the movie for your benefit.

Jury Duty Scam Leads to Identity Theft

2005-09-07T07:48:00.000-07:00

A New Scam of which to be Aware.

Here's a new twist scammers are using to commit identity theft: the jury duty scam. Here's how it works:

The scammer calls claiming to work for the local court and claims you've failed to report for jury duty. He tells you that a warrant has been issued for your arrest. The victim will often rightly claim they never received the jury duty notification. The scammer then asks the victim for confidential information for "verification" purposes.

Specifically, the scammer asks for the victim's Social Security number, birth date, and sometimes even for credit card numbers and other private information -- exactly what the scammer needs to commit identity theft.

So far, this jury duty scam has been reported in Michigan, Ohio, Texas, Arizona, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Oregon and Washington state. It's easy to see why this works. The victim is clearly caught off guard, and is understandably upset at the prospect of a warrant being issued for his or her arrest. So, the victim is much less likely to be vigilant about protecting their confidential information.

In reality, court workers will never call you to ask for social security numbers and other private information. In fact, most courts follow up via snail mail and rarely, if ever, call prospective jurors.

Action: Never give out your Social Security number, credit card numbers or other personal confidential information when you receive a telephone call.

This jury duty scam is the latest in a series of identity theft scams where scammers use the phone to try to get people to reveal their Social Security number, credit card numbers or other personal confidential information.

It doesn't matter *why* they are calling -- all the reasons are just different variants of the same scam.

Protecting yourself is simple: Never give this info out when you receive a phone call.

Click here: Urban Legends Reference Pages: Crime (Jury Rigged)
http://www.snopescom/crime/fraud/juryduty.asp

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Please visit: http://www.never2late4success.com/ For more postings.

Identity Theft: Banks challenged by inside jobs

2005-07-02T10:57:00.000-07:00

Workers a threat to consumers, experts say

BY PAUL NOWELL

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- When two of the nation's largest banks were forced to notify thousands of customers that their financial records might have been stolen, there wasn't a hacker, a missing laptop or a lost box of backup computer tapes to blame.

This time, police believe, customers of Wachovia Corp. and Bank of America Corp. were the victims of bank employees, workers whose jobs at the Charlotte, N.C.-based banks granted them access to information valuable enough to sell for $10 an account.

Security experts believe it's that battle against insiders -- the theft of Social Security numbers and other sensitive data by those with the authority to access it -- that will consume banks and other financial institutions as they fight a recent run of security breaches that doesn't appear to be waning.

"We've got a nasty problem, and it keeps getting worse over the past couple of months," said Peter Neumann, a security expert with SRI International in Menlo Park, Calif. "Insiders have always been a concern, it's just that (institutions) are finally admitting it."

Security experts such as Neumann believe inside jobs have the potential to be far more damaging to consumers than accidental losses of data, or attacks by hackers similar to one disclosed June 17 at Atlanta-based CardSystems Solutions Inc., which exposed 40 million credit and debit card accounts.

And the protections banks use to thwart hackers -- firewalls and encryption, for example -- have no ability to stop ill-intentioned employees who have authorized access to secure information.

The insider case at Bank of America, Wachovia and two other banks could prove to be far worse for consumers, said Avivah Litan, an analyst with Stamford, Conn.-based Gartner Inc., an information technology research firm.

"It may not be bigger, but that stuff is a lot more dangerous," Litan said.

Among the steps banks can take to fight insider ID theft is to individually limit each employee's access to customer information, Litan said. Such a system specifies exactly what customer information each employee can see, touch and update.

Another way to police insider theft is "the intimidation factor," said Jim Stickley, chief technology officer at TraceSecurity. While some workers might complain that their rights are being infringed by aggressive monitoring of their work activities, he said they need to understand "they are dealing with extremely confidential information that can wreck a lot of peoples' lives."

But in the end, even the experts said protecting sensitive information from insiders comes down to basic human honesty.

"If someone wants to do it, they are going to do it," Stickley said.
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It only makes sense to protect our identity and credit rating by subscribing to the Identity Theft Shield.

Facts about FACTA, Or What Does FACTA Mean to You and Your Company

2005-06-19T17:20:00.000-07:00

Facts About FACTA, Or What Does FACTA Mean To You And Your Company

By Steve Mueller

Ever heard of FACTA? Most of us would say “No”. Have you heard that you can get a free credit report? To that we would say, “Yes”. So you have heard of FACTA. But how does that affect me?

FACTA stands for Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act. The law went into effect Jan. 1, 2005. FACTA is the law which allows all Americans access to their credit report once per year. So what does that have to do with you?

On June 1, 2005, a new provision of FACTA went into effect. It says that any employer (even if you only employ one person) whose action or inaction results in the loss of employee information, can be fined by federal and state government, and sued in civil court.

Bet you didn't know that. But you need to know, and need to know what you can do to protect yourself.

Small Businesses will be affected the most.

‘"A small businessman who makes a mistake could bear the brunt of a regulation like this," says James Plummer, policy analyst at Consumer Alert, a non-profit group that focuses on a free-market approach to consumer regulations.’

If you don't shred and information gets out, there are penalties. But what if you do shred all potential employee information, and take all necessary precautions to protect your past, current, and future employees’ identities, and the information still gets out somehow? Under FACTA, you could still be held responsible.

You may not think information theft could happen to you, but neither did a lot of companies, universities, government institutions, and businesses that have had employee or customer information stolen from them that have been in the news lately:

Lexis Nexis
University of Northern Colorado
California State University (Chico)
University of California – Berkeley
University of Maryland
Las Vegas Department of Motor Vehicles
Bank of America
Choice Point
Weld County (CO) Employees (information stolen by an inmate while in jail)

How can you, as an employer, minimize your liability?

There are hundreds of things you can do to minimize liability, which are probably things you already do. Document shredding, careful screening of employees who will be coming into contact with personal information of customers and employees, physically locking file drawers with sensitive information, and setting up firewalls on computer equipment connected to the Internet, among hundreds of other solutions, are all good ideas.

As Ben Franklin said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”, is definitely the case when it comes to securing personal information. However, no matter what prevention steps you take, there is no 100% effective way to be sure that employee’s information won’t be compromised. Even if the information doesn’t get out from your company, an employee can claim that it did.

That's a scary thought! What if an employee claims that their information was stolen through the actions of your company, but there’s no real proof to back it up? You will end up hiring (or using) an attorney to represent and defend you and your company in court. At $200 - $400/hour for most attorneys across the United States, how long can you afford to defend your company?

So what can you do?

One solution that would at least provide an affirmative defense against the fines, fees, and lawsuits you could incur as an employer, is to offer some sort of Identity Theft protection as a benefit to your employees.

As an employer, you can choose whether or not to pay for this added benefit. However, the most important thing you can do is to make the protection available, and have an employee meeting, to help employees understand Identity Theft and the protection that you are making available to them. When you make the protection available, and when your employees have been educated on the dangers of Identity Theft, they can either elect to have identity theft coverage as a benefit, or they can decline the coverage as a benefit.

If the employee has Identity Theft coverage and becomes a victim, it is beneficial to your business, because an employee with Identity Theft coverage will be notified immediately of the theft, spend less time, less money, and will experience less frustration while trying to have their information restored. This will get them back on the job and focused on work more quickly.

If the employee declines the coverage, and later claims that the information was stolen as a result of you or your company’s actions, you have a piece of paper, with their signature, saying that they attended the presentation and declined the coverage.

Choosing to not make Identity Theft coverage available leaves you exposed to an unlimited dollar amount that you can be sued for under civil liability, federal fines of up to $2,500.00 per employee per incident, and state fines of up to $1,000.00 per employee per incident.

Recommended course of action? Have a benefits consultant who offers an Identity Theft protection plan present to your employees. Help them set up a 20 minute presentation with your employees, and make it mandatory that all employees attend. You want your employees to be protected from this awful crime. If they choose not to be, but you’ve given the option of being protected, then the liability becomes theirs, not yours, when they become a victim of identity theft.

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About the Author: Steve Mueller has over 25 years of human resource experience. He has worked in various fields of human resources; as a Trainer for Cooper Industries, Compensation and Management Development Manager for Zenith Electronics, Plant Personnel Manager for a motor manufacturing company and Benefits Manager for a multi-location distribution company. Steve holds a bachelors of science degree in education from Pittsburg State University. He has taught numerous adult education classes and seminars in the community. Steve has received community service awards for his participation in elementary school child safety programs.

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Note: To find out How to Protect Yourself visit: http://myid.ws

Stolen PC Had Credit-Card Data For 80,000 Government Workers

2005-06-02T10:08:00.000-07:00

Stolen PC Had Credit-Card Data For 80,000 Government Workers

By GARY FIELDS
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
May 31, 2005; Page A4

WASHINGTON -- Federal and local authorities in Fairfax, Va., are investigating the recent theft of a computer containing the credit-card information of 80,000 Justice Department employees. Authorities learned about three weeks ago that the computer had been stolen from Omega World Travel, of Fairfax, which is close to Washington.

The Justice Department has been notifying employees and asking them to monitor their accounts and cancel the government-issued credit cards if they notice suspicious activity.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Fairfax police are looking into the case. Justice Department spokeswoman Gina Talamona said there hasn't been any indication of improper activity on the cards so far. "We don't provide Omega Travel with the kind of personal identification information that's usually exploited for identity theft," she said. "No personal addresses, Social Security numbers or office locations were on the computer." The missing information includes password-protected names and credit-card account numbers. The agencies the employees work with also are included but are in code.

A federal law-enforcement agent, however, raised red flags. Many employees affected by the computer theft likely provided additional information to Omega for their traveler profiles. That information can include home addresses, telephone numbers and even passport numbers and other identifiers. "There's a lot of information on that profile," the agent said. "Between the credit cards and now this, I'll be glad if somebody doesn't end up diverting my check to their account."

J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. and Bank One Corp., which was acquired by the New York financial-services company last year, are monitoring the accounts for suspicious activity and the travel company has beefed up security precautions since the theft. Steps also have been taken to make sure the computer can't be reconnected to the company's network.

In December, Bank of America Corp., Charlotte, N.C., lost tapes containing credit-card information on 1.2 million federal employees -- including some senators on the Banking Committee -- while en route to a storage facility.

Vehicles are New Identity Theft Target

2005-05-25T09:03:00.000-07:00

Officers say Vehicles are New Identity Theft Target

Criminals are trolling dealership lots and shopping malls, looking for a 16 digit vehicle identification code. In some models, it's inside the driver's side door but on others, it's right in plain sight on the dashboard.

The crooks write down the number. Then they use the number to forge titles for stolen vehicles of a similar make and model. The stolen vehicles are sometimes sold to legitimate dealers, who turn around and sell the vehicles to you.

If you end up buying a vehicle with a stolen identity, the police may seize the vehicle. Your insurance will cover any losses but you'll end up paying in higher rates and fees.

To keep from buying a vehicle with a stolen identity, run a Carfax report on any vehicle you may buy, especially used cars. If you notice any differences in mileage, condition of the car, even it's color, you may be looking at a cloned car.

ID Theft - Thousands of Banking Profiles Stolen

2005-05-24T17:01:00.000-07:00

More than 100,000 customers of Wachovia Corp. and Bank of America Corp. have been notified that their financial records may have been stolen by bank employees and sold to collection agencies.

In all, nearly 700,000 customers of four banks may be affected, according to police in Hackensack, N.J., where the investigation was centered.

The bank record theft was exposed April 28 when police in Hackensack charged nine people, including seven bank workers, in an alleged plot to steal financial records of thousands of bank customers.

Bank records contain sensitive and personal information on each depositor, including their social security number, and other private information such as the mother's maiden name. Used together, perpetrators gain access to the victims finances and often open accounts in the victims name, which the victim may not discover till the collection agencies come looking for payment.

Hackensack Police Chief Ken Zisa said collection agent Orazio Lembo Jr., 35, received lists of people sought for debt collection and gave that information to bank workers, who would compare names with their client lists.

Employees accessed records at Cherry Hill, N.J. based Commerce Bank; PNC Bank of Pittsburgh, and Charlotte-based banks Wachovia and Bank of America, according to police.

The thieves were reportedly paid $10.00 for each individual's record.

This kind of activity behooves us to gain protection, such as the Identity Theft Shield from http://prepaidlegal.com/idt/asmith.

My Experience with Identity Theft

2005-05-22T18:47:00.000-07:00

It was just a routine trip to the bank to make a deposit. However, the surprise came about when I noticed that my balance was about $1,500.00 in the red. I closed the account and filed a claim with the banks security department.

Someone in the LA area had become me. They had gotten access to my bank account and obtained an ATM card. They used it to get $300.00 per day for 5 days. In addition they filled their tank with gas a couple of times so the cost to my account was about $1,600.00 before it was over.

That was just the beginning.

Soon after, I discovered the perps had changed by address on my bank account and my statement was mailed to their residence instead of mine. As you know, on your cancelled checks are credit card account numbers and your signature. All data that can be used by a criminal to their advantage.

Then I began to get calls from credit card companies, such as Sears and Macy's, asking me why I was opening additional accounts with them. Of course, it wasn't me. It was the criminal who was claiming to be me.

I filled police reports with my local police department. The Los Angeles Police Department didn't want my report as even though the crime was taking place in their jurisdiction, I was not. They told me there was a lot of ID Theft taking place there. A feeling of helplessness was coming over me. Several calls to the bank security department were not fruitfull. They didn't know who were the perpetrators and it didn't seem like the Police were going to do anythingf

I still have some work to do - as my credit reports are not quite repaired yet.

If I had had a membership with the Identity Theft Shield all the repairs would have been taken care of by Kroll Background America, the world's leading risk consulting company. That would have saved me tons of time and effort.

More on this later . . .