Friday, November 27, 2009

Swift Reaction is the Key to Intruding on Identity Thieves

by Stacy Whelchel

After you receive an official letter or an email letting you know that your personal information has been breached, the worst is over, right?

Not necessarily so, according to this MSN story.

It depends on if the victim actually reads the letter and takes action to prevent recurrence. This doesn’t always happen because the correspondence is sometimes considered junk mail and discarded unopened, according to the report.

Researchers determined that about one in nine consumers receive a security breech notification letter each year. To make matters seemingly worse, these victims have a one in five chance of being duped again during the next year, states the survey by a research firm. Just think what can happen if the initial letter, or subsequent correspondence, are ignored.

Identity theft is a serious crime stopped by awareness before, during, and after the crime. If a security breech notification letter is received, it’s in your best interest to read all the information and call the source if there are questions about any details or recommendations. It might also be in your best interest to consult an attorney to protect your legal rights.

Time is crucial after an intrusion by an identity thief; don’t give them more chances to do the crime by ignoring all the corresponding warning signs.

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Stacy Whelchel is a Corporate Writer at Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. Pre-Paid Legal's signature products, including the Life Events Legal Plan and Identity Theft Shield, serve more than 1.5 million families in North America.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Red Flags Extension, Trends in ID Theft and Attorneys as “above” the law?





By Sue B. Martines J.D.



Any time there is an “exception to the rule,” as the saying goes, it feels like someone is getting off the hook.  And truth be told, most would say attorneys get off the hook all too often.   So here it comes again, with the latest argued exception to the thrice-postponed Red Flags Rule – attorneys shouldn’t have to create written policies outlining how they will prevent, detect and respond to identity fraud.

My, what a burden that might be for them!

But most laws are somewhat burdensome – especially when they’re first mandated and folks are figuring out how to comply.  So it comes as no surprise that the same has been true with businesses scrambling to determine if they are a “creditor” and thus, subject to the identity verification requirements of the “Red Flags Rule.” * The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), tasked with imposing the Rule designed to slow identity theft, lost its most recent battle defending the applicability of the Red Flags to attorneys.

In a  The Daily Record online posting, the FTC argues that as attorneys accept payments from their clients so they ought  be subject to the “creditor” requirements of the Red Flags Rule.  But this U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia sided with the American Bar Association, saying…what was it?  Ah yes, that that would be too “burdensome” on those hard-working attorneys!

Stay-tuned as the courts test the burden-ability of various acclaimed creditors between now and June 1, 2010 (the new deadline)!  And as The Record notes, the FTC can appeal the ruling.

Sue B Martines is a recovering attorney of 12 years now living in Oregon.

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Friday, November 20, 2009

Identity Theft’s Youngest Victims: Children and Teens

By Aleshia Altizer

Applying for that first credit card or opening that first checking account should be an exciting step for teens. But for some, this could be the moment when they discover that they’ve been victimized by identity theft. Children are susceptible because it is often years before they attempt to apply for credit, leaving the thief plenty of time to abuse their credit and vanish. A story posted on MSN Money earlier this year gives us a sobering look at the impact of identity theft to our children.

A 17 year old from California went in to open a checking and savings account at the bank only to discover his Social Security Number was under someone else’s name. The young man’s identity had been stolen years before when he was only 12. Now, as a college graduate he has been “financially crippled” by the bad credit the thief left behind.

The article also quotes former New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton who made the following remarks in a statement: “Identity theft and the theft of our personal information is out of control,” Clinton wrote. “No one is safe, not even kids and young adults, as identity thieves carry out electronic muggings that can cost people cash and their credit records.”

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Aleshia Altizer is a Corporate Writer at Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. Pre-Paid Legal's signature products, including the Life Events Legal Plan and Identity Theft Shield, serve more than 1.5 million families in North America.

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Saturday, November 14, 2009

As Promised Ohio

Attendees of Today's Training Event,


Thank you to everyone that came to the training today in Columbus, Ohio. Nearly 200 individuals had countless other option on how they could spend their Saturday morning and yet they chose to join me at a wonderful training. 
I promised the attendees that I would post on this site where I get some of my statistics, so here you go Ohio.


1. www.thesilentcrime.com - Many experts and guest writers contribute to this site, so browse around and look at the archives. I often learn new things from the numerous contributors. Sign up for the RSS feeds.


2. http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/reference-desk/national-data.html  - This site is run by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and is a great source for National statistics and laws and rules pertaining to identity theft and data security.


3. www.twitter.com/mccoynews - I often tweet current events and interesting facts, among other things. Again, don't forget to sign up for the RSS feed and have tweets delivered to your cell phone.


4. www.youtube.com/mccoymichael


5. http://www.google.com/alerts  - Place google alerts on subjects like; identity theft or data breach.


More sites and articles to come.


Thank you for the warm hospitality in Columbus and I look forward to visiting Ohio in the future.


Best,
Michael McCoy

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Thursday, November 12, 2009

Weak Security can compromise your Credit Card

by Aleshia Altizer

Do you know what happens every time you use your credit card? Your name and card information gets transmitted from the store through various computer networks, and ends up with the bank. According to an MSN article posted this Summer, this process can leave openings for hackers to step in and get valuable credit card information; and the banks and retailers handling this personal information, are not being as careful as they should be. The article cites a statistic from the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse: Since 2006, over 70 retailers and payment processors have disclosed breaches that involved tens of millions of credit and debit numbers. These were breaches that were detected; many other retailers could’ve experienced breaches that went undetected.

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Aleshia Altizer is a Corporate Writer at Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. Pre-Paid Legal's signature products, including the Life Events Legal Plan and Identity Theft Shield, serve more than 1.5 million families in North America.

Friday, November 06, 2009

It’s Bad for Business: Marketing Scams Grab Revenue and Steal Identities

by Stacy Whelchel

Identity theft involving individuals has, unfortunately, become a common theme. Too often we see stories describing how vulnerable moments have led to confidential information being stolen and eventually abused by illicit mass marketers.

However, it’s not just a one-on-one crime. Did you know that businesses of every shape and size are also targets of these illegal activities?

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has reported that identity theft and mass marketing scams seek out companies of every kind. The results can be a loss of a few hundred dollars, at first, but easily grow out of control and do lasting financial damage if the targeted company has insufficient internal controls, according to this FBI report.

The ploy of the schemes runs from fake office supply companies to false loan scams, and more. The FBI says education of this potential problem is vital for you and your business workforce, including always asking for offers of services in writing and requiring a written contract or purchase order for any transaction.

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Stacy Whelchel is a Corporate Writer at Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. Pre-Paid Legal's signature products, including the Life Events Legal Plan and Identity Theft Shield, serve more than 1.5 million families in North America.

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Monday, November 02, 2009

Social Networking Safe?????

Thieves attempting to acquire personal information for identity theft increased 240% on social networking sites from 2008 to 2009.

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