bob s asked:


So much ID theft going on..

Ben

Lisa Carey asked:




Consumers are not the only ones concerned about and taking steps to protect against identity theft. Many states are taking important steps to protect their residents. A few of these steps include stiffer penalties, imposing sanctions and fines on careless companies and providing their residents with many tools necessary to correct the errors that identity theft has caused.

Many identity theft savvy consumers are: installing anti-spy ware, using shredders, reducing the use of their social security number, using services to stop junk mail and risky credit card applications. But what about the actions of others? After all the care you take to protect yourself, what happens when others, such as companies or service providers do not?

Businesses that have access to your information aren’t always looking for you. It is far too easy to simply throw important personal information away, than to take the sometimes expensive steps needed to have it professionally disposed of. But many states are looking out for your best interest, especially when it comes to identity theft. Texas has a growing reputation for being proactive in preventing identity theft and tough on punishing businesses who don’t protect the consumer. Texas law requires vendors to take specific precautions before disposing of personal documents that may include customers’ bank accounts, driver’s license and Social Security numbers. In the state of Texas, you can bet companies will be thinking twice before dumping your credit application in a public trash can.

Examples of Poor Business Practices:

Public trash cans outside a local Radio Shack were filled with thousands of customer’s sensitive personal and credit information after the dumping of these documents. Credit applications containing names, social security numbers, debit and credit card numbers as well as addresses and telephone numbers and receipts were located, exposing many Radio Shack Consumers to identity theft or credit card fraud.

After investigations by the State of Texas Attorney General’s office, a settlement was reached. Under the settlement with Radio-Shack, the retailer is required to enhance security procedures and implement employee training. Radio Shack also agreed to unannounced compliance audits in all Texas stores bi-annually.

Select Medical was investigated after a report that over 4,000 documents were found in the garbage behind their Select Physical Therapy Location. These un-shredded records included bank account numbers, drug testing results, insurance verification sheets as well as sensitive social and vocational therapy questionnaires. Select Medical will also be required to amend security procedures and implement training for Texas employees about the newly established state laws governing customer record disposal. The insurance forms are of particular concern in light of the growing trend of medical identity theft, in which an individuals’ insurance information is used to obtain medical services or to commit insurance fraud.

Under the settlement agreement, the state of Texas will receive nearly $1.5 million in fines, including attorney’s fees. As outlined in the Identity Theft and Protection Act, the remainder will be used for the investigation and prosecution of future cases of identity theft.

Stiff penalties are just one of the steps taken to protect and prevent identity theft. The Texas Attorney General’s Office has created a checklist for victims of identity theft to take steps and track their progress during recovery. The identity theft check list includes information and forms on: closing all fraudulent accounts made in your name, contacting the 3 major credit reporting agencies and requesting a fraud alert or security freeze for new accounts, reporting identity theft crimes for local law enforcement and obtaining a copy of the police report, and reporting identity theft crimes to Federal Trade Commission and completing and ID Theft Affidavit. Victims are also advised to file a consumer complaint with the Office of the Attorney General in the event that they are harassed by credit collectors as a result of identity theft. Additionally The Texas Attorney General’s Office also offers an Identity Theft Victim’s Kit.

According to 2006 state statistics on identity theft, Texas ranks fourth in the area of identity theft. States are ranked according to victims per 100,000 people, and it should be noted that Texas also has a higher population than many other states. The top ten states with the Most Victims of Identity Theft Per Capita are: Arizona, Nevada, California, Texas, Florida, Colorado, Georgia, New York, Washington, and New Mexico.

Just because your state did not make the top ten list, doesn’t mean you are safe. No matter where you live, this crime is a real problem. Information, advocacy, laws and prosecutions in any state will ultimately help everyone but in the mean time consumers must educate themselves and arm themselves with protection against identity theft as well as the remedies available to them. With the continued efforts of law enforcement, state and federal agencies, stiffer fines and penalties as well as requiring a higher standard of care from businesses, progress is being made on many levels in protecting consumers.

Karen

H. Milla asked:




According to the statistics, identity theft is the fastest growing crime in America and many people each year get ripped off by folks who hack their information. When identity theft happens, it can leave you with a lot of frustration and a big mess to clean up. The problems can be overwhelming and they do not go away quickly. What are people supposed to do to combat this or even to stop it before it gets started? If they are smart, they would try some of the best identity theft protection services out there. Are these services worth it? The answer is overwhelmingly yes.

When looking at the identity theft companies, you have to ask what they can do for you. The thing that they really provide for folks is the ability to rest easy. You do not deserve to go around every single day wondering about when the next problem will come up. It is much better if you know that someone is looking out for you when you are not. These services have an eye on your credit report at all times and they keep up with your finances even when you are too busy to do it. This is something that is worth paying for, without a doubt.

- Notification services

The nice thing about these services is that they do not just sit around when something happens. They will get in touch with you, so that you can start the process of fixing the problem. If you face this problem, it is important to act right away, so that you do not run into problems down the road. The sooner you know about the attempted theft, the more quickly you can take steps to figure out how it happened and how to stop it from happening in the future. This is important and it’s a part of what these services provide.

Those people who have been struck by their identity being stolen can tell you that it is not any fun. When it happens, your entire life gets put on hold and the consequences can last for years on end. The smarter thing is to go with some of the better services out there, so that you can stop this sort of thing from happening before it ever reaches your plate. This will save you the money, time, frustration, and the heartache associated with having your identity swiped by some cyber criminal out there.

Natalie

Autumn Leaves asked:


A retailer violated my cc company’s policy and there is evidence they may have done it as cc/ID theft. The cc company has an online form where I can file a complaint if the retailer “displays the MasterCard logo”. But it doesn’t explain what “display” means. Does it mean on the door, at the checkout, on the payment options touch pad, advertising — what?

Eleanor

Lythia B asked:


The staffing agency is called winston resources. I was wondering what do they need this Information for? It seems like alot and I haven’t accepted any jobs yet from them. I didnt have to go through this with other agencies. I don’t have a problem bringing in the info, BUT I don’t want a case of ID fraud/theft neither. Any advice? I checked them out on www.hovers.com and they do have a profile. So I was just wondering. Any advice? They also are offering some kind of test. I am just curious.
The company’s web address is: http://www.winstonresources.com/

They are located here in New York City.
www.hoovers.com

Brittany

J. M. Smith asked:




If you own a business ask yourself some simple questions concerning ID theft and your business.

1. How do you keep up with the new ID theft laws?

2. Are you even concerned about these laws?

3. Who is your security officer?

4. What training do you provide in ID theft for your employees?

5. Do you know what civil and criminal liability you could face?

6. If your business experienced a breached what would be your next step?

7. Are you aware of FACTA, GLB, & your States privacy notification law?

8. What are your vendors doing with your customer information?

9. IF your vendor experiences a breach who will be responsible?

10. Do you have an ID theft policy and procedure in place?

I could go on for ever. I think you understand that the way you did business just a few years ago is drastically changing when concerning ID Theft and the protection of NPI (Non-Public Information). Whether your a small business or large business, 1 employee or 1,000 you should have some type of breach plan in place.

Your business should have an assessment done and you should have frequent training to your employees and ISO if you have one. Why should you do this? Because the Federal Government not only says so but it’s the right thing to do. You can drive without car insurance but State laws require insurance. It’s the protection for yourself and other drivers.

Bottom line is that you have worked to hard to build your business. It provides for you a living and also provides for your employees. At the same time it can face some severe penalties if your business faced a breach of information. Just look at what’s happening to major companies out there that have had ID theft breaches. The difference with them and your business is that you may not have the capital to recover from legal action against you let alone the possible action from the FTC if they called. Should it not be your responsibility to protect your customers information? They trust in you when they hand over credit card information or other personal information you need to do business. What about your employees information? Their social numbers, banking information, drivers license numbers, their addresses. Does your HR person have all that on a laptop going home everyday? What about a flashdrive?

Take responsibility for your business and your clients. Everyone will benefit and you’ll gain trust faster with those clients and your employees. Offer your employees an ID theft protection plan, it shows your concern and not only that, it helps in your compliance plan.

Loretta

korinkoj1 asked:


Recently, my family was victim of ID theft through PayPal. We had over $8000 stolen. I’m an avid World of Warcraft player, and my dad thinks that our passwords may have been stolen somehow through World of Warcraft. I was told that the ports that WoW used couldn’t allow that kind of info to be passed through, but I need solid factual information.

I really need some help convincing my dad with TECH and FACT information.

Jo

Jesse Whitehead asked:




The number of people falling victim to identity theft is on a continuous upward trend. If you want to minimize the chance of your personal information falling in to the wrong hands then you will need to understand why identity theft protection is essential for you.

When we want to carry out any form of financial transactions, we often use bank accounts and credit cards that have been linked to our name and personal details. If criminally minded individuals get hold of such information, they can cause you immense financial damage that can take many months or years to repair. The fact is, it is not difficult to acquire a credit card in another person’s name as long as you have some key pieces of information.

So, what you can do to protect yourself from this type of crime? To begin with, you should always be very careful as to who you give your personal information to. For some reason many people don’t think twice of submitting their name, address, phone number, and other details online through the net. This can be a big mistake if the connection is not secure or if the party is unknown. Also, never send personal information in reply to an email from an unknown sender and don’t submit such data through websites that you are not familiar with.

These days, a large percentage of ID theft and fraud occurs online. Be careful of websites that may try to install spyware on your computer without you knowing it. This form of malicious software will not always be apparent on your hard drive, but will be silently stealing all your passwords, user names, PIN numbers and other personal data just the same. One way to prevent spyware and other types of malware from infecting your computer is to have antivirus installed that is regularly updated with the latest virus definitions. Also, be sure to have your firewall enabled and updated.

Another way to prevent identity theft is to dispose of any physical mail relating to financial transactions and accounts. Do not simply throw into your trash when you are done with it. Be sure to dispose of the documents correctly by shredding it. Buy a cheap shredder and destroy any confidential information for good so identity thieves can’t retrieve it.

Finally, beware of scammers that may phone you up and pretend they are from your bank or brokerage firm. If you think a caller is not legit, just hang up and call back the local branch of the institution the caller purported to represent. It’s better to be safe than sorry when it comes to protecting your good name.

Alma

Cara Arlene asked:


I may have just lost it, but in any case, I have called my local PD, I am gonna file a report later, I called my bank to set up a password, is there anything else that I can do to stop a potential ID theft????
I forgot to say that I was gonna go to the DMV on Friday; should I just call first and then go down there?

Vernon

J. M. Smith asked:




Statistics show that 50-70% of ID Theft comes from within the workplace. This means for the business owner you can spend $100’s and even thousands of dollars in your IT security and have the best encryption service on the planet but if your employee walks out with stolen information on paper that’s thousands ill spent thinking you had ID Theft protection.

Many business owners whether small or large are just not aware of how to fully protect their business and definitely not aware of new ID theft compliance laws. Many attorneys are not aware of these laws let alone help the owner protect the businesses customer personal information.

Businesses spend a lot of money keeping crooks from getting in but what about crooks from within getting information out.

Many owners just don’t have the resources available to them to keep up with the information the Federal Government is putting out and with ID theft laws being somewhat new over the last couple years there aren’t even many ID theft companies out there that can truly help the business.

You may not even be aware of how many people have access to your customer and employee information. What are your vendors doing with your customer information? Do you know what their procedures are if they have a breach with your customers information? Who handles your shredding if you even have a service? What policies and procedures does the shredding company have?

What about your employees? what type of training do you have for them? Are they keeping your customers information secured or could you walk around your business at lunch time and see critical information left on the desk?

ID theft compliance is more than Physical Security. Physical security offers encryption, Shredding service, IT, etc.

Your business should have a full risk assessment done. Helping you become aware of your businesses weakness. When the assessment is complete you should then be able to develop a plan for your business. Generally the cost will depend on how involved you want to be and just how much you want the consulting company to help.

If you think you can’t afford the cost to get your business in compliance think of the cost if you have a breach. You can’t put a number amount on the cost it could potentially cost your business. The loss of customer trust alone can be devastating.

“If you experience a security breach, 20 percent of your affected customer base will no longer do business with you, 40 percent will consider ending the relationship, and 5 percent will be hiring lawyers!” -CIO Magazine, The Coming Pandemic, Michael Freidenberg, May 15th, 2006

Could your business handle these numbers? Even if it could, you should take responsibility for the protection of your customers and employees.

Danny