Entries Tagged 'Identity Theft' ↓

One of the best security devices that a person can own is a paper shredder. A good way for one to find out all they need to know about paper shredders is by using the internet, where a vast supply of knowledge about all things shred-able can be found.

A paper shredder is always a must have by a credit repair attorney that deals with cases where an identity theft has been responsible for the credit damage. A few of the better identity theft prevention companies recommend the use of paper shredders to their clients, most notably Life Lock Com.

A good way to choose paper shredders is to look online at an office supply store. Ones such as Office Depot and Staples give a consumer a variety of security shredders that can be used to keep sensitive documents safe. One can choose from a cross cut, also known as a confetti cut paper shredder, to particle cut shredders depending on how they want their paper shredded. Any number of types can be purchased either online or at a brick and mortar store.

For those looking for a convenient way to keep their identification safe from unwanted thievery, then purchasing a paper shredder is just the ticket. Many different paper shredders are available for consumers to purchase, and if one knows what they are looking for, then they can find the perfect machine for their needs. The internet is a good place to find out all one can about these document destroyers, and how to purchase one. Keeping one’s identity safe has never been easier.

The company had its supervisors rate their subordinates based on their performance flexibility and critical skills. In Meacham Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory was planning to lay off a number of employees. Twenty-eight of those 22 employees sued under the ADEA claiming Knolls illegally fired them because of their age. In that case Meacham versus Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory the Supreme Court interpreted a provision of the ADEA that permits an employer to take an adverse employment action against an employee. Knolls totaled those scores and gave the employees additional points based on their years of service. The BFOQ defense states that it is not unlawful for an employer to take adverse employment actions otherwise prohibited by the ADEA where age is a bona fide occupational qualification reasonably necessary to the normal operation of the particular business. Thirty of the 17 salaried employees the company laid off were at least 64 years old. It then used those totals to decide who to lay off. Specifically the jury found that although the plaintiffs did not prove that Knolls intentionally discriminated against them they did prove that Knolls method of deciding who to lay off disproportionately harmed older workers. The Supreme Court ruled that if an employer seeks to rely on that defense. It has the burden to prove that its decision was based on a reasonable factor other than age. In reaching its conclusion that the employer has the burden to prove the reasonable factors other than age defense the Supreme Court looked at another provision of the ADEA the bona fide occupational qualification defense. The Supreme Court has previously recognized that the employer has the burden to establish the BFOQ affirmative defense. As long as the adverse action is based on reasonable factors other than age. The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit initially affirmed the jurys findings but after the United States Supreme Court asked it to reconsider the Second Circuit reversed itself and ruled in favor of Knolls. Even if the employment action is otherwise prohibited by the ADEA. In other words the ADEA permits employers to discriminate based on age considering age is legitimately necessary under the circumstances. The Supreme Court then agreed to hear the case and eventually reversed the Second Circuit and reinstated the jurys finding that Knolls policy unlawfully discriminated because of age. For example it would not be illegal to consider criteria for a particular role in a movie that has a disparate impact on age if the part calls for someone of a particular age. At the trial a jury found Knolls had violated the ADEA because its layoff procedure had a disparate impact based on age. A lawyer from Uithoorn won from a in Montebello California

Do you think the only thing LifeLock has to offer are the things you can do yourself for free? Things like:

• Free Credit Reports – www.annualcreditreport.com
• Opt-out of Pre-approved credit offers – www.optoutprescreen.com.
• Fraud Alerts – call any one of the credit bureaus

Well, it’s true – you can do that stuff for free yourself. It’s not hard either. Life Lock even tells you on their site that you can and should do these initial steps to protect yourself.

These free things you can do are helpful, but they don’t guarantee that your identity could never be stolen.

Does LifeLock guarantee that your identity will never be stolen?

After all, they have that $1 million total service guarantee – right?

Sadly, there isn’t any person or any company that can 100% guarantee that you’ll never be an identity theft victim. It’s just not possible. There are thousands of ways to steal an identity. Identity thieves are too good at what they do and getting better all the time.

LifeLock’s guarantee is designed to take care of you if your identity is stolen while being one of their customers. They will act in your behalf to restore your identity.

No, you won’t get a check for a million bucks. That’s not how it works.

What you will get is all the help you need to have your name cleared after a thief has ruined your credit and your life. LifeLock will do the work for you. They don’t just send you a checklist with “things to do” on it. They do those “things” for you. They hire attorneys, investigators, case managers. They make the phone calls and write letters. In other words, they take care of clearing your name and credit for you. If they can’t recover all your money, they will reimburse you.

Do you think identity theft is an easy crime to recover from?

The most recent FTC Identity Theft Survey from 2006 says:

• Ten percent of all victims reported out-of-pocket expenses of $1,200 or more. For the New Accounts & Other Frauds category, the top 10 percent of the victims incurred expenses of at least $3,000, and the top 5 percent incurred expenses of at least $5,000. One-quarter of victims in the New Accounts & Other Frauds category reported paying out-of-pocket expenses of at least $1,000.
• Victims of all types of ID theft spent hours of their time resolving the various problems that result from ID theft. The median value for the number of hours spent resolving problems by all victims was 4. However, 10 percent of all victims spent at least 55 hours resolving their problems. The top 5 percent of victims spent at least 130 hours.

Financial problems aren’t the only thing created by identity theft. It’s also a crime that affects you emotionally. You’ll be automatically assumed guilty and a deadbeat until you prove yourself innocent. Your peace of mind is shattered. It’s a terrible feeling to be constantly accused of theft.

What else does LifeLock do for my money?

LifeLock offers the following features that help to stop identity thieves quickly:

• eRecon – scans the internet for misuse of your personal information.
• TrueAddress – monitors change of address databases to be sure your address hasn’t been hi-jacked. If you show up, LifeLock will contact you so you can verify it.
• WalletLock – a service to help you if your wallet is lost or stolen.

I heard that Todd Davis, LifeLock’s CEO, had his identity stolen.

Mainstream media have been reporting this in an attempt to find an angle to prove LifeLock doesn’t work because Todd Davis ‘had his identity stolen’. In fact, LifeLock worked exactly like it was supposed to work when people tried to pretend they were him. His credit wasn’t blemished, he didn’t have to do any of the work himself either. It was taken care of by LifeLock – and not because he’s the CEO. It’s worked that way for all the other customers who became victims.

CNN Video of Todd Davis talking about LifeLock’s guarantee. (opens in new window)

What about the lawsuits I heard of?

Several lawsuits have been filed against LifeLock. One of them is from Experian – a credit bureau. Here’s an article about that LifeLock-Experian Lawsuit written from a different point of view than you may have heard before.

More suits have been filed claiming LifeLock’s guarantee doesn’t work and that they would never honor it. That’s just simply not true. LifeLock is a company in the business of identity theft protection. They would be out of business in no time if they didn’t honor their guarantee. You’ve probably never read a story about them not living up to their promises when one of their members had their identity stolen. None of the people involved in the lawsuits has canceled their LifeLock membership either according to Mr. Davis.

So here’s the deal…

• LifeLock doesn’t guarantee your identity won’t be stolen.
• LifeLock won’t give you a million dollars if your identity is stolen.

But they will..

• Be there for you with complete help and support if your identity gets stolen.
• Do all the work for you to restore your good name.
• Scan the internet looking for your personal information being bought and traded.
• Monitor databases watching for any change of address in your name.
• Help you if your wallet is stolen.
• Do those ‘free things’ for you so you don’t have to remember.
• Give you peace of mind knowing you’ll have all the help you need if you become an identity theft victim.

Is this worth only $10 a month? It is to me and that’s why I have LifeLock’s protection.

Use a LifeLock Promo Code and it’s only $9 a month with 30 days free.

These days it is much safer to enter your credit card information on a secure server than it is to hand it to someone in a shop or restaurant. Unfortunately, not all individuals check to make sure the websites on which they are entering their personal information, are secure. Using only sites with secure servers is a big step to avoid identity theft and should be practiced diligently. You wouldn’t go around simply handing out blank checks to individuals that you don’t know, but if you are not being careful with your credit card information and your identity, then you are virtually doing the same thing.

The fact is online purchases are not the only way that your information can be stolen, however, identity theft involving online purchases are on the rise. There was a time when most Identity theft incidents happened by thieves literally stealing information from an individual’s trashcan, stealing the carbons from receipts or literally copying down credit card numbers from the cards themselves. While thieves still use these means to steal consumer’s identities and make purchases with stolen credit card information, the virtual world has made it much easier. This is just one more reason why it is so important to avoid identity theft.

One step you can take to avoid identity theft is to not use your credit card on an unsecured site. Secure websites offer credit card encryption methods through a secure socket layer or SSL, which allows for secure communications online. Another huge step towards identity theft solutions is to not respond to unsolicited emails. These phishing scams happen when you receive an email requesting that you either visit a website to provide bank account and other personal information, or ask that you send your bank account information through an email. These emails can look very professional, and they may look very much like they came from a site that you actually use. Throughout the history of identity theft the thieves have come up with consistently clever ways to get your info, so always be on your guard.

When it comes to identity theft solutions, most of us simply hope that it will never happen to us, but the fact is that it can. Prevention should be practiced by every person who owns a credit card, especially those who use their cards online. It is just smart “business” to never give out your personal information when it is unsolicited, either online or over the telephone. Be smart with your identity information. Know that the sites that you are using are secure before using a credit card, check your bank statements often, and again never give out unsolicited information. Taking these small steps to avoid identity theft can go a long way towards protecting your identity.

Anyone can have their identity stolen – even a former police chief. Here’s a story about how a family discovered they were victims of identity theft.

Former Chandler Police Chief Bobby Joe Harris spent more than 30 years protecting his community. He was trained at the FBI National Academy and other elite law enforcement schools, and knew how to protect himself. Always part of solving crimes, but never a victim: that all changed in late January 2006 when his name was added to the long list of identity theft victims.

Now Harris and his wife have turned to LifeLock to protect them from any future ID theft problems.

“This might sound strange, but we were lucky,” said Harris. “All this occurred in a little over a month and we discovered the fraudulent use of our identity and credit history before it became a major disaster. We had to get our problems corrected ourselves with the credit card company and credit bureaus, though we felt we shouldn’t have to. Being in law enforcement for over 35 years and my wife being in banking for the same amount of time, we went into the investigative mode to find something that would not let this happen again. A friend told us about LifeLock and after we looked at a number of companies, we found that LifeLock had the best product that covered all the aspects we wanted.”

How was their identity stolen?

The adventure began for Harris when an individual working for the local Sam’s Club canceled his wife’s membership/credit card and replaced it with a stolen identity name. The criminal used a false address and telephone number which even changed the address on their credit history. She increased the credit card limit several times up to $15,000 and charged more than $11,000 in the matter of a few days.
 
How did they find out they were identity theft victims?

The crime was discovered when Mrs. Harris was denied service at Sam’s Club.

Someone at the store informed her that her husband had canceled her card and he was the only one who could reactivate it.  When the Harrises’ went into the store to reactivate the card, they found out about the fraud. The store told them the card had not been used and, being a retired police officer, Harris was suspicious and decided to check.
 
Harris and his wife ran a credit report that revealed more than $11,000 had been charged to that account and that the address had been changed.

Harris immediately called the Sam’s Club loss prevention agent in Arizona who told him that he believed Harris had compromised his own personal information. Knowing that was not possible, Harris then e-mailed Sam’s Club headquarters and was informed that the store had an internal problem which resulted in the compromise of information.

Furthermore, Sam’s Club confirmed that they knew about the problem for nearly a month and never did anything to correct it.

It’s unfortunate that so many companies, banks and even the credit bureaus function with such a blasé attitude. They operate under the notion that there’s an acceptable level of loss as long as it doesn’t affect their profits and shareholders.

“I wish we would have known about LifeLock before all this happened to us,” added Harris. “Our experience has been told on TV and in newspapers throughout Arizona. Daily I have people who recognize me say “If you have been a victim, how can we ever protect ourselves?” I tell them being a client of LifeLock brings a peace of mind we never thought we would need. I was one of the people who said something like this would never happen to me. I was wrong but it will never happen again.”

One of the worst parts of being a victim of identity theft is that you’re presumed guilty until you prove your innocence. Take charge of your identity today.

Learn more about Identity Theft Protection or get a LifeLock Promotion Code for 30 days free/$9 a month.

Risk taking is one of the realities of being in business today. For example court records and county record indicate that 60 % of new businesses do not make it past the first year of business (that’s about one in every 4) and over a course of a 5 year period this number rises significantly to three to five.

county record

But just as every business owner knows these figures few realize that there are other elements emanating from the business itself that can dramatically add to the overall risk factor.

A company operating a fleet of cars for example, or even heavy machinery has an added element of risk given that such vehicles and or heavy equipment are manually operated. This human element adds to the element of risks and in doing so brings a whole new outlook to potential liabilities and real possibilities of legal litigation.

Just as all businesses are at the mercy of market forces, so can they also become victims of these human related forces which can indeed be even more damaging! These human related risks expose businesses far and beyond the confines of its geographical address. Indeed any business sending employees to customer’s homes, or dealing with children or disabled people or involved in other such interactive activities between employees and customers places itself in a position of added risk, with regards to liability issues.

Indeed in such cases, all it takes is a single mistake, a poor decision, a poor judgment from a company’s employee to cause problems such that they can have dire consequences and at times even deal a fatal blow to the prospects of the business.

county record

Put differently, the actions of a single careless employee can significantly change the delicate balance between success and failure, and plunge the business in a situation which can at best be costly in terms of customer service and or litigation costs, or at worse be fatal to the business.

Whilst it is impossible for anyone to forecast such problems in order to take appropriate measures every steps of the way to prevent and protect against them, just imagine the additional hassles the business would face if it turned out that the “careless” employee was in fact a person who should never have been hired to begin with had court records been duly investigated as a matter or pre screening before being hired!

What if this individual had a recorded history of poor decision making or worse court records that indicated a less than perfect past! The tragedy in this instance would of course be increased by the fact that this could have been a perfectly avoidable situation which should never have been allowed to take place in the first place.

The issue of accessing a person’s court records as pre-screening is not always well received in our society. After all we live in a free world where the the right to privacy for all of us is something we should all be proud of, and thus whenever the issue of background check is raised there is a sense of guilt or discomfort showcasing everyone desire to stay out of other people’s businesses.

But as the responsible owner of a business, in a world where of lawsuits and legal judgment the question becomes not so much that obtaining court records on a prospective employee may on the surface seem to be inappropriate but rather that not doing so shows a definite recklessness on the part of the business owner!

By all means, individual liberties should indeed be protected at all costs but not at the expense of others who rely on the responsibility of their bosses to do everything they can to protect not only their personal safety but also their livelihood!

When the actions of one careless worker with a checkered history puts the livelihood of others at risk, then obtaining court records or birth records on all prospective employees is the very least a business owner should do to protect his business and the job security of the company’s other employees.

marriage records

Identity theft is becoming the most common crime in America with more than 40% of all reports made to the FTC relating to Identity Theft. More than 300 million hours each year are spent dealing with Identity Theft by businesses and individuals.

Going by the statistics, at least one person that has been a victim of Identity Theft is close to you. Identity Theft is not always a result of something you have or have not done. Lots of information regarding your identity is handled by companies and goverment organization you have worked with.

Learn what you can do to prevent Identity Theft: select identity theft fraud prevention
Topic: identity fraud monitor id theft reporting

Does Lifelock work seems a popular question on the personal security forums nowadays and to answer it you just need to check a few official figures. For every one million of us the Government expect 30 000 of us to be a victim of identity theft. Lifelock has around one million customers and so far less than 80 of them have had to invoke their guarantee. I’d say those figures pretty much prove conclusive.

How does Lifelock work? Lifelock works by placing fraud alerts on your credit files on your behalf. This means that any company who does a credit check on you causes a red flag to be raised and you are informed. Credit checks are carried out when someone applies for credit, a loan, a credit card etc. Lifelock also ensure your name is removed from mail lists as the less your details are spread around the less chance of them falling into the wrong hands.

How well does Lifelock work compared to its competition? Other identity theft companies such as IdentityTrust are set up to monitor thousands of data entry points for any activity in your name. If they spot anything out of the ordinary you would be informed. This works quite well and minimizes the damage caused by identity theft but it doesn’t stop it. The system Lifelock uses prevents your identity being used because no one can take out a credit agreement in your name due to the fraud alerts set up at the 3 credit bureau’s.

Does Lifelock work with credit experts because i have heard I can do everything that Lifelock does for myself? Life Lock Com use experts who know exactly how the system works and make sure your fraud alerts are in place at all times. The 3 credit bureau’s don’t like you to place a fraud alert against your name and they certainly do not like your name being removed from mail lists as it is the sale of these lists that make them so much money. For this reason they don’t make it easy for you to do it yourself. Each alert only lasts a certain amount of time and for it to be effective you cannot let it lapse.

If you wanted to you could do the work yourself just the same as you could leave the car at home every morning and walk to work. Why walk though when there is a perfectly good car sat on the driveway and why carry out all the steps needed to protect your identity when there is a company like Life Lock to do the work for you for just a few cents a day? That’s not the end of it though because not only does Lifelock work and work extremely well, it also brings with it the peace of mind you can only get when you know you have had a job done by a professional and that the job is backed up by a $1 million guarantee.

The Freedom Of Information Act is a legislation signed into law in 1966 by President Lyndon B. Johnson. Also referred to as the “FOIA” this law provides for the release of public records to anyone who might request it as long as the request is in writing. Attached to this legislation are restrictions and exceptions, and the autonomy of each state who may or may not have its own related laws and restrictions in that matter.

government public records

There are nine exemption to the FOIA. Here are the first 5

1. (A) specifically authorized under criteria established by an Executive order to be kept secret in the interest of national defense or foreign policy and (B) are in fact properly classified pursuant to such Executive order;
2. related solely to the internal personnel rules and practices of an agency;
3. specifically exempted from disclosure by statute (other than section 552b of this title), provided that such statute (A) requires that the matters be withheld from the public in such a manner as to leave no discretion on the issue, or (B) establishes particular criteria for withholding or refers to particular types of matters to be withheld;
4. trade secrets and commercial or financial information obtained from a person and privileged or confidential;
5. inter-agency or intra-agency memoranda or letters which would not be available by law to a party other than an agency in litigation with the agency;

Customers who speak to us certainly fall into two categories. There are those who realize that dealing with the bureaucracy of the government may at best be challenging and given the time element that this whole exercise entails recognize that when it comes to public record, the free option is not always the cheapest. And of course there are some who don’t mind the time it takes nor that they probably will have to give this exercise a whole lot more energy that they originally anticipated.

This is why I always advise my customers and friends that when it comes to their own safety and the safety of their loved ones and co-workers, accessing Public Records through a specialized web site such as ours is vitally important!

Many businesses with a large staff turnaround actually benefit from a voluntary monthly membership with no restrictions.

government public records

Irrespective of your status, the facts are that if you are going to hire someone, (a contractor, worker, lawyer, doctor…) you owe it to yourself to ensure that there is nothing untoward in that person’s past.

A background check through the following Public Records website will provide you with all the information you need!

For these reasons, it is always my belief that when it comes to personal safety, a paid up service is always the better option.

More and more businesses actually take the steps of consulting Public Records in order to check their personnel’s background information and rather than consulting a private investigator, or deal with the government, find that a quick search through out extensive database is all it takes to find out exactly the type of information they need to make a business decision on whom they seek to bring into their organization.

Indeed for around $30, the nightmare of dealing with governmental agencies, and the time it takes to actually obtain anything, the use of the following website is entirely justified.

find public records

Have you ever watched the news or read a newspaper to hear about someone who has lost thousands of dollars to an online scheme? If you have, then you may have had a moment of sympathy for the person involved and then let the story completely leave your thoughts. The truth is, most of us believe that we could never be caught up in these types of situations and we believe we avoid scams because of our intelligence. Most people work hard for their money and losing it to someone who is perpetrating fraud would no doubt cause a huge setback in financial and personal matters. It is important to educate yourself on fraud protection.

While a large amount of scams are geared toward defrauding senior citizens and those who fall within the low-income category, online scammers develop internet scams that can dupe anyone. One of the most popular online scams involves investment fraud. The harsh fact is that those committing this type of fraud are able to do so more often because investors simply do not check out information as well as they should.

It is absolutely a necessity to investigate the company that you are handing your money over to, before you invest. A sure fire way to avoid fraud and abuse is to have good quality information. Internet scammers are smart, sly and slick. They have all of their information in place in case you ask for references and other information. Be smarter than the scammers and always rely on your own research and investigations, and remember to report fraud to your local authorities.

You may believe because that you never answer unsolicited emails regarding investment opportunities, that you cannot fall victim to this type of fraud. This unfortunately is not true. While this is a great practice, those looking to defraud individuals use many mediums to disperse information and find victims. You can avoid scams by not jumping into any investment opportunity that you find online, but first investigating the opportunity.

Some online scammers use forums and chat groups to introduce stock and investment information, hoping that hordes of people will purchase the stock. This of course will drive the price of the stock up. After the stock reaches a certain price, the scammers then sell their shares and the prices fall. The criminals have now made their money and the victims are left holding the worthless preverbal bag.

Consider getting yourself some piece of mind by using the services of a company like Life Lock or IdentityTruth to protect yourself against identity theft or at least learn about the history of identity theft so that you at least know how and why they try to steal yours.

Give some thought to protecting yourself from the risks of identity theft by signing up with a company like Life Lock or IdentityTruth. Also learn all you can about the history of identity theft. The more you understand, the easier to protect yourself.

Educating yourself about what scams are out there is one of the best ways to avoid being duped. Check out the sites online and get data from any other source available. Try to find a physical address and/or phone number for the company if you are thinking of investing. This is your personal information and money that you are going to be handing over to these individuals, so taking some time to avoid scams can be very worth your while.