Chris Z Armstrong asked:


Everybody must consider identity theft and how to protect themselves as it’s on the rise and at worst could cost you lots of money if a thief gets access to your finances, at best it’ll cost you time and grief cancelling cards and altering computer passwords.

With the introduction of chip and pin security at retail outlets fraudsters are turning to card holder not present fraud increasingly, so anything that has your personal details on has a value.

Here are our top 5 tips to help protect you and make the thief’s goal more difficult:

Shred anything with personal information  including the envelope. It may sound simple but everything helps. Be wary who you give your personal details to, scammers will try lots of tricks. Change log-ins and pin numbers frequently and make them tricky for fraudsters to guess Reduce the personal data you keep in your handbag or wallet. One stolen wallet could be the door to someone’s new identity! Keep your rubbish bin secure and don’t put personal records in it  Thieves will go through your bin, yuck!

Stealing sensitive and personal information from rubbish and recycling bins is an increasing problem. Identity thieves are very clever at using your data for their own gain.  Any piece of paper with information including name, address, and details from your bank or credit card can be used for identity theft. Be safe and shred it!

Find the perfect shredder or just get extra help and advice at The Shredder Supermarket.com



AARON

Bruce Chambers asked:


NO CHARGE, (over $30,000 of gifts)

SEARCH ENGINES(GOOGLE, YAHOO)

LIGHTSIDE

INTERNET INFORMATION

WINDOW LOGO TESTING

SBA GOVERNMENT WARNING

FRAUD, SCAMS

EARN $250,000

NO CHARGE

Never Buy A Single Webmaster Tool Again! Download The FREE Reports, Videos, Content, Graphics And Tools You Ever Need As A Webmaster.

Closes February 28th, so get there today and check it out

www.webmastergiveaway.com/members.php?id=1685

I can’t believe how strong this giveaway is.

Odinn Sorensen’s “Daddys Birthday Giveaway” is

setting new records - both for total members

and for the huge amount of gifts that are free

for the taking.

And right now you can download as much as

$30,000 in Free gifts. (34 pages worth!)

And it’s not the usual type of gifts to say the least …

There is something for everyone, from Adsense to Wordpress.

All sorts of software, templates, scripts, videos, blogging

and money making ideas.  Closes March 3, 2009.

www.daddysbirthday.com

SEARCH ENGINES

Google

Check out Googles official guidelines for quality listings. They offer a re-inclusion request option that will give your business an opportunity to appeal if a listing is removed too.

In some other Google-related news that online businesses and business with websites might be interested in, they have Introduced a new Sitemap Generator

WEB PAGE TRANSLATION

This feature is particularly helpful if your search has non-English results. Google offers a facility to auto-martially translate a page for you in English. Currently, Google supports Italian, French, Spanish, German, and Portuguese

YAHOO

Last month, Yahoo launched the SearchMonkey gallery where searchers can go and add applications to their Yahoo search. Now, Yahoo is making three of those apps automatic for all users.

The yelp, LinkedIn, and Yahoo Local Searchmonkey apps are now set to ‘default on.’ The three apps have been part of a test Yahoo conducted where they set the app to default on for select users. Yahoo says they saw click-through rates increase as much as 15% as a result. Yahoo has also added a sharing feature with the apps, so you can email results to friends.

 SearchMonkey, which allows third party developers to develop applications for Yahoo’s search product,launched last spring.

 LIGHTSIDE

Practicing for a spelling bee the teacher asked, “Can anyone spell straight”?

Johnny put up his hand and spelled “straight” correctly.

“Great job Johnny, now do you know what it means”?

Johnny replied,  “Yes, without ice”.

INTERNET INFORMATION

False and Misleading Advertising

What’s truthful?  The FTC has attempted to deal with this question by establishing the following standards:

The intention to deceive is not what matters.  What matters is the perception of the public. The test of whether or not an ad is misleading will be based on the effect on the average or unsophisticated person.  Your advertising may also be deemed deceptive through omission or misleading implications.  The bottom-line, “just the facts, just the facts.”

One of the better web sites with links in regards to information,

Regulations;

Visiting the USA

Regulations for USA Residents

Travel Alerts, Restricted/Prohibited Goods

International Mail Imports

US Importing Requirements (starting an Importing Business, or

Import for personal use)

Ports of Entry

www.customs.gov

Windows Logo Testing

When you’re installing a new piece of software on your computer, do you ever get an error message that says something about Windows Logo testing? The driver signing feature in Windows XP allows you to make sure that the drivers you are installing for any new program, device, etc. are actually compatible with Windows.

To do this, right click on the My Computer icon on your desktop and choose Properties. Click on the Hardware tab and then the Driver Signing button. You will see a little explanation of the Windows Logo testing at the top as well.

Next, you can choose how you want your computer to notify you about the testing. You can either have your computer ignore it and not notify you at all, you can choose to be warned with a prompt each time this comes into play or you can block it, which will tell your computer to never install an unsigned driver. Once you’ve made your choice, just check the button next to it and then click OK twice. From now on, your computer will obey your Windows Logo testing preferences and that makes everything just so much easier!

SBA GOVERNMENT WARNING

The U.S. Small Business Administration issued a scam alert today to small businesses, warning them not to respond to letters falsely claiming to have been sent by the SBA asking for bank account information in order to qualify them for federal tax rebates.

The fraudulent letters were sent out with what appears to be an SBA letterhead to small businesses across the country, advising recipients that they may be eligible for a tax rebate under the Economic Stimulus Act, and that SBA is assessing their eligibility for such a rebate. The letter asks the small business to provide the name of its bank and account number.

These letters have not been sent by or authorized by the SBA, and all small businesses are strongly advised not to respond to them.

FRAUD

Subscriber fraud is simply an offshoot of identity theft.

Someone steals your personal details and opens a cell phone account in your name, racking up huge bills that may land in your mailbox.

Stolen or lost phones

In the wrong hands they can be used to make unauthorized calls — one recent victim faced a $26,000 bill. They can also get your personal and contact details you may have stored in them.

 Loss of your phone can be just a prelude for costly identity theft. If you do store personal information, make sure your cell phone is password protected.

Eavesdropping

Remember they can listen in to your calls and download your phone usage records. They can even track your phone to know where you are or where you have been at a particular time. Perfectly legal software can be secretly installed on someone else’s cell phone, then the crook — or concerned person can dial in and snoop.

 They can listen to your phone calls, download copies of text messages and numbers dialled, or even just silently activate the phone and use its microphone to monitor any nearby sounds or conversations.  Keep your cell phone password protected and don’t leave it laying around where some one can get at it.

Be on the safe side, always switch the phone fully off so it can’t be activated when confidentiality could be compromised.

Never throw away ATM receipts, credit statements, credit cards, or bank statements.

Never give your credit card number over the telephone unless you make the call.

Reconcile your bank account monthly and notify your bank of discrepancies immediately.

Keep a list of telephone numbers to call to report the loss or theft of your wallet, credit cards, etc.

Report unauthorized financial transactions to your bank, credit card Company, and the police as soon as you detect them.

Review a copy of your credit report at least once each year. Notify the credit bureau in writing of any questionable entries and follow through until they are explained or removed.

If your identity has been assumed, ask the credit bureau to print a statement to that effect in your credit report.

If you know of anyone who receives mail from credit card companies or banks in the names of others, report it to local or federal law enforcement authorities.

New Internet Attack Via Parking Tickets!

Here is a new attack that just popped up on the Web.  Would you believe… parking tickets?  Huh?  How does that work? 

The crook puts yellow fliers on cars, explaining that the cars had been ticketed for a violation.  The flier lists a Web site where pictures of the violation are available. 

But to see the pictures, you first have to download a toolbar.  If you do, your computer will be infected with a Trojan called Undo, or Modder.

The Trojan throws pop-ups at you, claiming your PC is infected (which, ironically, it is).  It urges you to buy the fake antivirus program “Antivirus 360″ to remove the infection.

The crooks are endlessly inventive, so be on guard for anything unusual, peculiar or bizarre.  Too bad these guys don’t turn their efforts to more honest endeavours.  They could probably make a nice living.

Quick Way To Make $250,ooo

Microsoft, Symantec and other shave put up this money to anyone that can nail the guys behind the Conflicker - Downadu worm.  The worm has infected some 10 million PCs so far, and fear is there is more to come. Every day, the worm phones home for instructions to more than 250 servers around the world.

If one day the worm is instructed to download malware, it could create a large problem.  Researchers are focusing on this daily update feature, trying to disrupt and thus disable the worm.

Keep all your security programs up to date.  Run an antivirus scan every day.  Be careful where you surf, and think before you click, please.

USER FRIENDLY

Have you tried to join a freebie giveaway that requires you to have a User account?  Really frustrating when you try a dozen names, all taken, even when you try, “this is insane” and find it is taken too.



ADAN

mulletmeister63 asked:


this is a well known scam. why can’t the authorities do anything to stop & prosecute these scam artists ? they operate from UK adresses with names, phone numbers & email ID. i would have thought their tactics amount to basic fraud & would therefore be illegal ! isn’t that straight forward fraud ?

ALEX

Gen Wright asked:


ll heard about job applicants that falsify information on their resumes. There are myriad surveys and statistics that point to the excessive abuse of resume fraud. What about , however, the percentage of applicants that falsify personal identifiers on their job applications? This piece will review the ramifications from a possibly overlooked and increasing trend of job applicants falsifying personal identifiable information on job applications to circumvent the identification of criminal records.

Consider this, a recent survey by Morgan & Banks found that seventeen percent of male and seven percent of female respondents admitted to lying on their resume, and eighty percent of Silicon Valley employees admit to having lied on their resumes. Nevertheless, eighty-two percent of responding job seekers say they think companies are aware of resume padding and believe that companies perform background checks on the following: Resumes, however, are not legal documents. There is not much an employer can do if an applicant embellishes their resume. Moreover, if the employer does not discover the job seeker has lied on their resume, then it is highly likely the job seeker will follow suit on their job application too.

Comparatively, employment applications are legal documents. If it comes out later that an applicant lied on their job application, the employer has the right to terminate the employee. While an employer may expect applicants to embellish their resume a bit and tailor it for specific jobs, employers may not be cognizant that applicants are falsifying personal identifiers such as social security numbers and date of birth.

The implications of a job applicant falsifying their social security number are likely to first appear straightforward to an employer. False or inaccurate social security numbers may impose criminal and civil liability to an employer from a work eligibility and tax reporting perspective. What employers may not realize, however, is that false or inaccurate social security numbers may indirectly subject an employer to risk from a pre-employment screening perspective.

From a pre-employment screening perspective, an incorrect social security number may lead to erroneous results or prohibit the request from processing altogether and obtaining accurate completion. If a pre-employment screening service is prohibited from completion, then the results should be evident to the employer and pre-employment screening company immediately. The employer and pre-employment screening company can simply ask the applicant to verify their social security number against what the applicant previously provided on the employment application. After, the pre-employment screening services can simply be re-run based on the updated social security number from the job applicant. This type of scenario may arise when an employer is performing work history verifications (where the social security number is usually required), education verifications, credit history reports, and similar services requiring a social security number. Additionally, pre-employment screening companies can typically provide a social security verification services. The social security verification service can determine whether the social security number is valid, the state of issuance, and year of issuance. Nevertheless, verifying the social security number does not necessarily indicate whether the social security number belongs to the applicant.

The real paramount issue and the focus of this document’s next section though, is the verification or reasonable identification of the applicant’s date of birth. Why is the date of birth so important? Obtaining the job applicants correct date of birth is imperative because there are State and Federal laws in place regarding when an individual’s Social Security number may or may not be used, stored, or saved by a government agency.

More specifically, government agencies such as State and Federal Courts, Criminal Repositories, and Department of Corrections have made policy decisions for the “non-use” of the Social Security numbers. These policy decisions were made based on best business practices suggestions from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other criminal justice agencies with expertise in criminal history record information systems. Without the ability to match criminal records against social security numbers, pre-employment screening firms are forced to rely on two personal identifiers to search, locate, and confirm whether a job applicant has a criminal past.

The two primary personal identifiers that criminal record research specialists rely on to search, locate, and confirm criminal records belonging to a job applicant are name and date of birth. Understanding the importance of obtaining the correct date of birth is paramount to properly and accurately identifying criminal records. With the two aforementioned pieces of information disclosed, importance of collecting correct socials security number an date of birth, we can now address the primary question posed by this piece.

What if, for example, a job applicant understands how criminal records are searched ahead of applying for a job with an employer? There is no common or credible means of determining whether a job applicant is providing a correct date of birth on a job application. One may think that a driver’s license would be a good source to determine an applicant’s date of birth. The driver’s license, however, obtains the date of birth information directly from an applicant. When obtaining a driver’s license an applicant needs only to provide proof of their social security number, nothing else. The only perfected method of verifying a job applicant’s date of birth, from this author’s opinion, is to obtain a certified copy of a birth certificate. Obtaining a certified copy of a job applicant’s birth certificate, however, is unreasonable, costly, and potentially discriminatory.

Some employers are reluctant to obtain additional documentation relative to the confirmation of a job applicant’s date of birth, and rightfully so. For example, an employer may obtain a job applicant’s driver’s license or government ID before running a background check. Most employers do not want to obtain this information at a pre-hire stage though, because the documents may reveal information that is considered discriminatory against age, sex, or national origin. Therefore, the trend is for employers to obtain documentation at a post-hire stage and after the background check has been performed.

Now consider this, if we know that a majority of job applicants falsify their resumes, then how many applicants falsify their personal identifiable information to potentially alter the outcome of a pre-employment criminal background check too? If there is no positive benefit for a job applicant, without prior criminal history, to falsify their name or date of birth, then logically there is a much higher benefit for a job applicant, with criminal history, to falsify their name and date of birth on a job application. Moreover, if job applicants, without criminal histories, who perceive a benefit in falsifying their resume, occur more often than not, then any correlation to this human behavior would surely apply to a job applicant’s motivation in falsifying their name and date of birth to cover up their criminal history too. Unfortunately, there are no reliable statistics to show the number of job applicants that falsify their name and date of birth in effort to manipulate the outcome of a pre-employment criminal background check. Nevertheless, this author has observed numerous instances where it appears job applicants provide erroneous name and date of birth information on job applications.

Applicants supplying date of birth information on a job application or background release form may not be providing incorrect information intentionally. Job applicants that are accustom to Hispanic, European, and Military date formats will instinctively enter date of birth information as MM/DD/YR, not DD/MM/YR. While this seems trivial, an applicant could easily enter the date of birth information in a different format than what is normally processed by the pre-employment screening firm. Thus, throwing-off a criminal record background check and showing the applicant as having a clean criminal history.

In an effort to combat the abovementioned intentional and unintentional behavior from happening, preventive measures should potentially be considered when performing background checks. As with any new course of action in performing background checks the relevant risks and rewards need to be considered. One such preventive measure is to consider using screening services that can reasonably provide additional personal identifiable information on the applicant. Many pre-employment screening firms and employers, however, tend to veer away from this particular practice.

The pre-employment screening firms and employers are veering from this practice because it is becoming more and more important to protect job applicant’s personal identifiers (socials security number, name, date of birth, address), which are revealed on a job application and final background check report. Employers in particular have noticed a trend in job applicants disfavoring filling out job application forms that require the dissemination of personal identifiable information. With identity fraud and computer hackers on the rise, employers and responsible business entities alike that are requesting the personal identifiable information cannot blame a job applicant for their concerns. Hence, the risk of requesting personal identifiable information from job applicants must be weighed accordingly with the potential reward an employer receives in obtaining a more accurate pre-employment criminal background check.

For the employer willing to take on the additional risk and reward of collecting and utilizing more invasive measures to reasonably obtain verification of name and date of birth, there are processes that can be integrated into the pre-employment background check services.

One such processes is to expand the personal identifiable information that is returned on proprietary background check services to retrieve additional verification of the name and date of birth provided by the job applicant. Another means is to perform additional types of background check services. Additional background check services such as credit reports may return confirmation of name and date of birth information. For companies not wanting to divest a job applicant’s credit history report, however, the first option mentioned here within, expanding the personal identifiers within a specific background check processes, may be a better option. One such service that may have been overlooked by many employers as standard practice, but not used to its full potential is the social security verification service. Most employers are familiar with the social security verification service returning results relative to a job applicant’s name variations (aka Aliases) and address history reports. Recently, changes in the social security verification service have enabled pre-employment screening companies to provide expanded results to this service, which include date of birth information that is associated with the social security number. While the addition of this information may appear trivial, the use of it may be vital to diminishing the risk associated with job applicants providing false date of birth information.

Employers seeking to utilize the additional date of birth information within the social security verification service should review the process with their pre-employment screening firm. Employers should determine if the pre-employment screening firm has access to this additional information. Moreover, the employer should determine if the pre-employment screening firm is utilizing this information prior to running a criminal investigation on a job applicant. Just because the information is obtained does not necessarily mean that the information is being used to its maximum effectiveness.

By incorporating the usage of the date of birth information in the social security verification service employers may find job applicants are falsifying more than simply their work history and resume. Additionally, employers may find that the percentage of job applicants containing criminal histories is higher than what the employer once perceived. Regardless of the outcome, employers need to be aware that new trends in falsifying of job applications may be abound and are potentially beginning to trend higher.

LAVERNE

whizzbitz asked:


benefit fraud costs millions a year, if the uk goverment issued cards to benefit claiments that contain finger print or iris recognition information so they could claim benefits this could reduce how many people make duplicate fraudulant claims

ANTHONY

Kristin D asked:


We are moving and my car was broken into. They stole my wallet, which had my sons’ social security cards, and my old one with my maiden name and my new one. They also ended up with my routing and account number, but I closed the account. They had my ID too, but that was mailed back to me from across the state. I am afraid they will open accounts in my sons’ names, since they have all the information needed. How do I file a identity theft/fraud alert for free?

SANTOS

Gloria Moore asked:


There is another “Truth In Caller ID Act” bill currently making its way through the Senate. This bill, known as The Truth In Caller ID Act of 2007, passed in the U.S. House of Representatives in June 2007. This is the second time a bill of this nature is being considered. The first of its kind, The Truth In Caller ID Act of 2006, was dropped and did not pass.

What does this bill mean and what will happen if it passes? Many people are under the impression that if the Truth In Caller ID Act passes into law, it will terminate Caller ID spoofing or the companies that offer this service. At this particular time, this is not true. The purpose of the bill, as it stands now, is not to eliminate Caller ID spoofing, but to place responsibility on the individual who utilizes Caller ID spoofing to ensure they use the service within the law.

More specifically, the individual would not be permitted to spoof with the intention of defrauding, causing harm, or attempting to wrongfully obtain anything valuable. In other words, a person will no longer be able to use the Caller ID spoofing service to make a pretext call.

Caller ID spoofing has become a serious issue in the past few years due to the fact that more and more people are becoming aware that this service may be used to obtain phone records and other personal or corporate information. It is because of the corruption that has, and can occur with Caller ID spoofing, that captured the government’s attention and brought about the creation of the Truth In Caller ID Act.

The objective of this bill is to put a stop to Caller ID spoofing used to commit wire fraud or identity theft, by punishing those who engage in this practice by fining or prosecuting them. Therefore, people who use Caller ID spoofing to make prank calls should also be aware that though they may only be intending a practical joke, this can be considered “causing harm”, which would be against the law and could result in a fine.

Last but not least, telemarketers may also be subject to a fine if the law is passed, should they attempt to use Caller ID spoofing to bypass the National Do Not Call Registry law. That being said, you should know that although this law has not yet been passed, you can still find out whose calling you and find the source to prank calls.



ROB

Michelle Thiel asked:


One of the best ways to fight fraud is to take a proactive approach. Yet some business professionals believe that fraud detection software is the only type of software tool available (or necessary) to fight fraud. Certainly, detection through monitoring can play an important role in your anti-fraud program, but it puts you in a reactive mode. Instead, you should take efforts to better know the people and companies with whom you choose to do business. In other words, do what you can to help prevent fraud from occurring in the first place. Better anti-fraud programs will combine ongoing due diligence with monitoring, and the place to start is with identity verification tools.

There are a variety of reasons that you should know your customers. First, it is just a good business practice. You can help prevent being associated with deceptive individuals, and that can save you money. Such a relationship can lead to direct losses from the particular business deal, but it can also tarnish your company’s name, sending your good customers scurrying to the competition. Second, knowing your customers allows you to focus on those products or services that best meet your customers’ needs. By doing those activities well, you can build (or enhance) a competitive advantage. In addition, some companies face regulatory requirements to identify their customers. For example, certain financial institutions are subject to regulations calling for Customer Identification Programs (CIP), and certain financial institutions are subject to the new Identity Theft “Red Flags” Rules. Many banks collect documents such as a birth certificate, passport, driver’s license, or some other government-issued ID to help establish a customer’s identity. The risk is that personnel may not be able to spot counterfeit documents or fraudulently obtained physical documents. Ensuring your employees are well trained is critical, but what happens when an unfamiliar identification document is presented to your employee? Clearly, the risk of fraud is higher, and some fraud begins with an employee unknowingly accepting counterfeit documentation.

One of the most popular ways to augment identity verification processes is to compare data provided by the potential customer against public records to see if there are any discrepancies. This “non-documentary method” could be very time consuming if not for software solutions that can help you streamline the process. In fact, using identity verification software, this task can frequently be completed within seconds.

Identity Verification Software

Identity verification software is designed to help you quickly and effectively verify the identity of your prospective retail and commercial account holders. This is your proactive step to preventing fraud: recognize the deceptive individuals before the fraud occurs! ID verification software can also help you investigate possible fraud scenarios by helping you confirm whether your customer is the true owner of a Social Security number (SSN) and by detecting potential synthetic IDs. In addition to the potential for identity verification solutions to confirm a true identity, it also may be configurable to perform a custom hotlist check for individuals that might seek to disguise their identity by using an alias or different address.

Being proactive and performing appropriate due diligence can help reduce your risk of being a victim of those that look to perpetrate identity fraud.



COY

Ginger asked:


Is there a way that I can tell the DMV to keep tabs on my lost California ID?

and can whoever has all of this use my ID to get into bars, or to do fraud with or to open loans, or to go to my bank to withdrawl money, if they have the ID then they could couldn’t they? Because they know what bank and they have the debit cards. Also I did call the bank to cancel all of the debit cards but they still have my informationa nd my ID ?
I think i know who took it and it’s someone who goes to my school so it jsut makes it easier for them to stalk me , what can I do ?
I’m afraid because there was not one penny in the wallet and they STILL kept it, that’s what scares me !

KARL

Ronald Hudkins asked:


Whether you want to realize it or not, identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in the United States today. All of us, no matter how careful, can become victims of identity theft. In 2007 there were seventy nine million credit card and Social Security Number thefts according to major news media investigations. In fact, it was determined every three seconds another identity is stolen. That was an increase of four million additional people over the previous years statistics, that had their identity or financial information compromised.

Anyone with a Social Security number and assets to loose should be concerned with identity theft. Unfortunately, a common belief by many people is they assume they have nothing significant for thief’s to take advantage of. Bear in mind criminals are much better than you are at making use of your information. For example; there is credit card theft where someone steals your credit card and runs up charges. Identity theft is where someone steals your personal information (social security number, date of birth, name, etc.and very successfully uses individual identities’ to gain employment, establish a new citizenship or open new lines of credit.

You must realize that your information is stored locally and nationally. Your dentist, doctor, banking facility(s), college transcript, club memberships are examples of data configurations where your personal information is stored. I don’t have to remind you there have been numerous sophisticated agencies and institutions hacked into and identities stolen. How easy it would be to have your identity stolen from neighborhood businesses, your mailbox or even your trash receptacles. Your information like it or not is everywhere thus, a great step is to shred any paper containing your personal information as a proactive measure to protect your identity.

It’s no secret that many savvy consumers have learned to place fraud alerts on their accounts which prompt creditors to call them if someone is trying to establish credit in their names. But did you know these alerts are generally only valid for a period of ninety days? Are you really confident enough to believe your going to take the time or for that matter, even remember to renew fraud alerts every three months? Remember too, just because you have fraud alerts placed does not guarantee you from becoming a victim.

There is an option to implement a credit freeze which locks down all of your personal information making it impossible for anyone to open a line of credit in your name, including you. There are also fees involved with many credit freezes. When you place a freeze, you pay a fee. From this point forward, if one wants to open some new line of credit i.e. credit card, cell phone, auto loan, etc., the freeze must be lifted; there will be a fee for that as well. There are 33 states plus the District of Columbia that have an option to authorize individuals to implement a credit freeze. Unfortunately, if you don’t live in one of these areas, you can not undertake this proactive option.

Because of the many and increasing breaches that have been published,there has been an ever increasing prominence of credit watch services. What exactly is a credit watch, and what benefit does such a service offer the consumer? Credit Monitoring (or a watch) is the credit bureau selling the consumer their own information. After there has been a change on your credit report, the bureau notifies you in 24 to 72 hours that there has been a change. It is then the consumer’s responsibility to check the information for accuracy and by the way, if they find that it is a case of identity theft, the consumer is responsible for any losses, expenses and has to spend the time to clean up the mess. The Bureaus do nothing to actually prevent the crime of identity theft, nor do they help fix the problem. The FTC says it takes an average of 177 hours and over two years to clean up an identity or credit compromise, if you can clean it up at all.

I’m not trying to come off as a fatalist and give anyone the impression there is nothing that can be done about criminal activity. If you worry about identity theft, then it’s time you got to know about identity theft services. These agencies provide proactive identity theft protection.

On your behalf, ID theft companies request that fraud alerts be placed on your accounts. By placing these fraud alerts, you are asking that creditors take extra care to identify who you are and to investigate the validity of any pending transaction. These services also request that your name be removed from pre-approved credit card lists and junk mail lists. Additionally, services annually order your free credit reports from the three major credit reporting bureaus. In the event that your identity is compromised, qualified professionals are available to assist you in addressing whatever complications may arise.

In summary one might ask; What is the actual need for a service that protects identities? The simple answer is nothing more than convenience and protection. The assurance that nothing is overlooked in the shuffle and required responsibilities in everyday living that would keep you from taking the measures necessary to protect your identity. These services have but one concern and mission, to safeguard your identity and assets.



MORRIS