Dec
30
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.
Jessie
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.
Jessie
Dec
27
Suzy Vanstrusen asked:
ght (c) 2009 Suzy Vanstrusen
Tamara
ght (c) 2009 Suzy Vanstrusen
Consumers are constantly reminded to keep on guard against identity theft and fraud. If you suspect identity theft, you can place your report on fraud alert. This way, when someone tries to open an account under your name, creditors who may inquire about your report will see the alert and contact the owner of the report before approving the application.
Nevertheless, a fraud alert can be ignored. Creditors do sometimes ignore the warnings and approve the application. To provide consumers with a more reliable protection against ID theft, credit freeze was introduced.
Understanding Credit Freeze
What is the difference between a credit freeze and fraud alert? Unlike a fraud alert, a credit freeze blocks new creditors from accessing an individual’s credit report. Not even the owner of the report can take a look into it while it’s on freeze. To make the credit report available for inquiry, the owner must first request for the freeze to be lifted.
Without access to the credit report, no creditor will grant approval for a new credit application. Obviously, if an identity thief attempts to open an account using your name or steal your account information, it will not be possible since no one can access your report.
Be On Guard for More Risks
In what other ways can you protect your identity from fraud? Below are practical tips to help you:
- Be alert when using ATMs. Make sure that no one is looking over your shoulder or standing too close behind you. Do not throw away ATM receipts in the trash.
- Shared important documents before discarding them. Identity thieves also rummage through other people’s trash in search for information. Before throwing your away old billing statements, receipts or old credit cards, shred them first to small pieces.
- Do not write important details on just any sheet of paper. Write your passwords and banking information in a logbook and keep it in a safe storage.
- Request a different credit card number for online use. You can ask your issuer for a different credit card number that you can use for online transactions. This way, you do not have to reveal your banking information online.
- Monitor your accounts regularly. Check all billing statements and notices that your bank sends you. Many credit card companies today provide an online account access option so cardholders can look into their accounts at any time.
- Subscribe to the fraud protection service provided by your issuer. One of the most important provisions that you can get from your credit card company is the fraud protection feature. Be sure that you clearly understand your credit card issuer’s policy on this.
- Check your credit report regularly. If you do found errors, send a dispute letter to the credit bureaus. Point out the errors that you want to be corrected. You can also ask help from a human customer service from any of the three credit bureaus, by visiting gethuman.com for a list of contact numbers.
Tamara
Dec
26
ID Theft 2.0: Surge of Unemployed, Uninsured Give Rise to Health Insurance Fraud
Filed Under Health | Leave a Comment
Michael Brewer asked:
It all started with credit cards.
Remembering your PIN number in the check-out line was that industry’s Hail Mary Pass to cut losses from fraudulent purchases back in the mid-80s. Fingerprint and retinal scans were developed by the FBI about the same time to keep us out of secure areas and to keep our prying eyes off top-secret documents.
Now, fast forward about 20 or so years. Throw in a dismal economy, mix in thousands of suddenly uninsured Americans and you’ve got the makings of an apparently unforeseen black hole of security that could threaten the future of affordable healthcare and the efforts of Congress to reform it.
A woman in New York City faces up to seven years in prison on charges she recently forged more than 50 insurance claims that submitted them to her health insurance company for reimbursement. Meanwhile in Miami, a medical clinic for senior patients was raided after investigators discovered a front desk clerk sharing 1,100 Medicare IDs and patient information with her family members. One of her cousins allegedly made off with $2.8 million in fraudulent refunds for services never rendered.
“As more people are not getting the health care they need, we’re seeing an increasing incidence of medical identity fraud,” tells Michigan-based attorney Norbert Kugele to the New York Times. “Someone will show up at a hospital with someone else’s insurance information and will seek treatment under their name.”
Pulling a Fast One
It’s almost like the industry never saw it coming. Of course, Medicare fraud has been going on for years and the Feds have been battling it with great intensity, by their own admission, with mixed success. But security experts warn high profile health insurance fraud cases are only going to grow and there may be no end to creative tactics the perpetrators may use to bilk an already handicapped health system.
President Obama claims the healthcare reform bill being considered by Congress will provide a safety net to prevent illegal immigrants from obtaining health care under the “Public Option.” Just how this will happen is anybody’s guess. Many citizens who relocated to America without proper documentation have been receiving public benefits and/or employment opportunities for years without much scrutiny by business owners or infiltration by state and local governments — so much so that the Feds figure in fraud when making all kinds of budgetary projections to Congress.
Medical identity theft occurs when criminals obtain information such as a health insurance identification or Social Security number and use it to get health care or to obtain reimbursement from insurers and others for false claims. That means your medical history and health care records can include someone else’s information.
Aside from the obvious health concerns that go along with adopting someone else’s health profile, — imagine an ID thief at the doctor’s office, presenting a health insurance ID from a patient who, unbeknownst to the thief, is diabetic, allergic to certain medication or receiving chemotherapy — there are other huge expenses that could undercut any savings that the Obama administration projects would be saved by reform in its current form.
“Hospitals and insurance companies face enormous expenses when it comes to medical identity theft, as they are forced to write-off charges incurred by the thieves,” recently wrote Bankrate reporter Amy Crane. “But its victims find that the financial aspects of this type of identity theft are the easiest to deal with.”
What You Can Do
- Your insurance card, your life. Security experts think we too often assume that our insurance card is no more valuable than our frequent shopper card or our gym membership. Protect your insurance information as you would your credit card, driver license or other personal asset.
- Give your medical records a check-up. Audit your health insurance and medical records annually, as you would your personal credit report. It’s not only o.k. to ask your doctor for your medical records, it’s protected under federal law to do so. If you see anything that look suspicious, call your insurance company right away.
- Go paperless. Not only is it environmentally friendly, opting into paperless health insurance benefit and billing statements is a good way to prevent your personal health information from slipping into the wrong hands.
Mike
It all started with credit cards.
Remembering your PIN number in the check-out line was that industry’s Hail Mary Pass to cut losses from fraudulent purchases back in the mid-80s. Fingerprint and retinal scans were developed by the FBI about the same time to keep us out of secure areas and to keep our prying eyes off top-secret documents.
Now, fast forward about 20 or so years. Throw in a dismal economy, mix in thousands of suddenly uninsured Americans and you’ve got the makings of an apparently unforeseen black hole of security that could threaten the future of affordable healthcare and the efforts of Congress to reform it.
A woman in New York City faces up to seven years in prison on charges she recently forged more than 50 insurance claims that submitted them to her health insurance company for reimbursement. Meanwhile in Miami, a medical clinic for senior patients was raided after investigators discovered a front desk clerk sharing 1,100 Medicare IDs and patient information with her family members. One of her cousins allegedly made off with $2.8 million in fraudulent refunds for services never rendered.
“As more people are not getting the health care they need, we’re seeing an increasing incidence of medical identity fraud,” tells Michigan-based attorney Norbert Kugele to the New York Times. “Someone will show up at a hospital with someone else’s insurance information and will seek treatment under their name.”
Pulling a Fast One
It’s almost like the industry never saw it coming. Of course, Medicare fraud has been going on for years and the Feds have been battling it with great intensity, by their own admission, with mixed success. But security experts warn high profile health insurance fraud cases are only going to grow and there may be no end to creative tactics the perpetrators may use to bilk an already handicapped health system.
President Obama claims the healthcare reform bill being considered by Congress will provide a safety net to prevent illegal immigrants from obtaining health care under the “Public Option.” Just how this will happen is anybody’s guess. Many citizens who relocated to America without proper documentation have been receiving public benefits and/or employment opportunities for years without much scrutiny by business owners or infiltration by state and local governments — so much so that the Feds figure in fraud when making all kinds of budgetary projections to Congress.
Medical identity theft occurs when criminals obtain information such as a health insurance identification or Social Security number and use it to get health care or to obtain reimbursement from insurers and others for false claims. That means your medical history and health care records can include someone else’s information.
Aside from the obvious health concerns that go along with adopting someone else’s health profile, — imagine an ID thief at the doctor’s office, presenting a health insurance ID from a patient who, unbeknownst to the thief, is diabetic, allergic to certain medication or receiving chemotherapy — there are other huge expenses that could undercut any savings that the Obama administration projects would be saved by reform in its current form.
“Hospitals and insurance companies face enormous expenses when it comes to medical identity theft, as they are forced to write-off charges incurred by the thieves,” recently wrote Bankrate reporter Amy Crane. “But its victims find that the financial aspects of this type of identity theft are the easiest to deal with.”
What You Can Do
- Your insurance card, your life. Security experts think we too often assume that our insurance card is no more valuable than our frequent shopper card or our gym membership. Protect your insurance information as you would your credit card, driver license or other personal asset.
- Give your medical records a check-up. Audit your health insurance and medical records annually, as you would your personal credit report. It’s not only o.k. to ask your doctor for your medical records, it’s protected under federal law to do so. If you see anything that look suspicious, call your insurance company right away.
- Go paperless. Not only is it environmentally friendly, opting into paperless health insurance benefit and billing statements is a good way to prevent your personal health information from slipping into the wrong hands.
Mike
Dec
25
Identity Theft Lawyers Guide
Filed Under Finance | Leave a Comment
Keith Londrie asked:
“Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws.” Plato.
Identity theft, one of the fastest growing crimes in America, is a federal crime under the Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act. Bad people or con men usually find ways to get around this law. Identity fraud occurs when a con artist illegitimately uses your identity to make a frightening number of financial and personal transactions in your name, leaving you – the ID theft victim, responsible for what might turn out to be a mind-boggling turmoil in your life. Last year ID fraud crimes topped the list of complaints reported to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the governmental agency addressing the problem of identity fraud, for the fourth consecutive year.
The FTC estimates that ten million people are victims of ID theft each year. Perhaps the only people minting money are the conmen and identity theft lawyers! Determining the exact scope and financial impact of id theft on people and businesses is difficult. According to a survey conducted by Privacy Right Clearing Group, victims spend from $50 to $2000 on costs related to ID theft, not including identity theft lawyers’ fees. Since ID fraud is a complex crime you may not be able to clear your name as fast as you would like. Bureaucratic financial institutions move slowly, partly to protect you. But if ID theft recovery procedures fail to resolve the problem, you should get in touch with identity theft lawyers. Credit issuers and reporting agencies are sometimes slow in responding to complaints from consumers. The threat of lawsuits can provide some impetus.
If you believe you have been a victim of identity fraud and all steps to restore your name and credit fail, contact top identity theft lawyers in your area immediately, to minimize the damage to your personal and financial accounts, as well as your credit report and reputation. Thanks to the nature of the crime, most identity thieves are never found. So, in order to clear your name, you patiently need to work with the law enforcement agencies and identity theft lawyers, assisting them when you can. Remember, justice moves slowly, and ultimately you will be proven on the side of right, and your life can go return to normal. This is usually a slow process, but it is a necessary evil we all live with.
Janice
“Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws.” Plato.
Identity theft, one of the fastest growing crimes in America, is a federal crime under the Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act. Bad people or con men usually find ways to get around this law. Identity fraud occurs when a con artist illegitimately uses your identity to make a frightening number of financial and personal transactions in your name, leaving you – the ID theft victim, responsible for what might turn out to be a mind-boggling turmoil in your life. Last year ID fraud crimes topped the list of complaints reported to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the governmental agency addressing the problem of identity fraud, for the fourth consecutive year.
The FTC estimates that ten million people are victims of ID theft each year. Perhaps the only people minting money are the conmen and identity theft lawyers! Determining the exact scope and financial impact of id theft on people and businesses is difficult. According to a survey conducted by Privacy Right Clearing Group, victims spend from $50 to $2000 on costs related to ID theft, not including identity theft lawyers’ fees. Since ID fraud is a complex crime you may not be able to clear your name as fast as you would like. Bureaucratic financial institutions move slowly, partly to protect you. But if ID theft recovery procedures fail to resolve the problem, you should get in touch with identity theft lawyers. Credit issuers and reporting agencies are sometimes slow in responding to complaints from consumers. The threat of lawsuits can provide some impetus.
If you believe you have been a victim of identity fraud and all steps to restore your name and credit fail, contact top identity theft lawyers in your area immediately, to minimize the damage to your personal and financial accounts, as well as your credit report and reputation. Thanks to the nature of the crime, most identity thieves are never found. So, in order to clear your name, you patiently need to work with the law enforcement agencies and identity theft lawyers, assisting them when you can. Remember, justice moves slowly, and ultimately you will be proven on the side of right, and your life can go return to normal. This is usually a slow process, but it is a necessary evil we all live with.
Janice
Dec
9
Identity Theft Alert!
Filed Under Technology | Leave a Comment
Syd Tash asked:
The risk of identity (ID) theft has been with us for a long time. With our high-tech toys like computers, smart phones and bank machines, keeping your private, sensitive information, well, private, has become more complicated. In this article, we are going to review some dos and do nots, in the form of a handy checklist. Why not print out a few copies, and distribute them to your friends and family.
It is important that you make a bit of an effort to protect your data. Why? Because recovering from ID theft can be costly, time-consuming and frustrating. For example, there have been cases of ID theft which led to the home of the victim being sold right out from under him, without his knowledge or permission of course.
Read the following checklist carefully, but do not be discouraged or overwhelmed. All you need to do is be alert and vigilant, and you will be fine. OK, here we go:
1. Never give out any personal information unless you really have to. Some large stores ask for your phone number or zip code at the cash, for marketing purposes. Identity theft alert! Just say no.
2. There are three critical pieces of your information which you should never give to anyone except your bank, employer or government agency, and then only if you must. These are your date of birth, maiden name of your mother and your Social Security Number. Once a crook has this information, it is much easier to dig up almost anything about you.
3. Be careful in your choice of passwords online. Do not use your date of birth or Social Security Number (do not laugh; it has happened). Do not use the name of your child or pet, local landmark or college, favorite restaurant, any word in the dictionary, or anything related to you. Crooks use this info to break into your email and online bank accounts. This in fact happened to Sarah Palin.
4. Check your bank and credit card statements upon arrival. Report any discrepancies at once.
5. Check your credit report a couple of times a year, especially before making a large purchase such as a car or house.
6. Make sure all security programs on your computer are up to date, including Windows. You do have anti-virus, anti-spyware and firewall programs, right? If not, get them, pronto!
7. Avoid public computers and public wi-fi hot spots. Or at least do not visit sensitive sites such as your banking and shopping web sites from these places. Use strong encryption. Currently, that means WPA2.
8. Always practice safe surfing, and train your kids to do the same. Educate yourself about spam, phishing attacks, email attachments, etc. Do not copy and paste login information and passwords. The contents of your Clipboard can easily be seen.
9. Shred or burn any documents bearing your name, address, etc. before discarding them.
10. If you travel across international borders with a laptop or even a smart phone, be prepared to have the devices searched and all your files examined. You may have to reveal the decryption key to any encrypted documents. Make sure you have a current backup at the office.
11. Before logging into that bank machine or hotel computer, glance around to ensure no one is snooping on you.
12. There are many resources online to fight identity theft, and to help you recover from an attack. Check them out. Look especially for government sites, that is, web sites ending in .gov.
By now you can guess that it is much easier to protect your credit rating and reputation, than to spend months or even years repairing them after they have been hijacked. So print this list and paste it up on the wall beside your computer, where the whole family can see it. Reread it from time to time, to refresh your memory.
Charles
The risk of identity (ID) theft has been with us for a long time. With our high-tech toys like computers, smart phones and bank machines, keeping your private, sensitive information, well, private, has become more complicated. In this article, we are going to review some dos and do nots, in the form of a handy checklist. Why not print out a few copies, and distribute them to your friends and family.
It is important that you make a bit of an effort to protect your data. Why? Because recovering from ID theft can be costly, time-consuming and frustrating. For example, there have been cases of ID theft which led to the home of the victim being sold right out from under him, without his knowledge or permission of course.
Read the following checklist carefully, but do not be discouraged or overwhelmed. All you need to do is be alert and vigilant, and you will be fine. OK, here we go:
1. Never give out any personal information unless you really have to. Some large stores ask for your phone number or zip code at the cash, for marketing purposes. Identity theft alert! Just say no.
2. There are three critical pieces of your information which you should never give to anyone except your bank, employer or government agency, and then only if you must. These are your date of birth, maiden name of your mother and your Social Security Number. Once a crook has this information, it is much easier to dig up almost anything about you.
3. Be careful in your choice of passwords online. Do not use your date of birth or Social Security Number (do not laugh; it has happened). Do not use the name of your child or pet, local landmark or college, favorite restaurant, any word in the dictionary, or anything related to you. Crooks use this info to break into your email and online bank accounts. This in fact happened to Sarah Palin.
4. Check your bank and credit card statements upon arrival. Report any discrepancies at once.
5. Check your credit report a couple of times a year, especially before making a large purchase such as a car or house.
6. Make sure all security programs on your computer are up to date, including Windows. You do have anti-virus, anti-spyware and firewall programs, right? If not, get them, pronto!
7. Avoid public computers and public wi-fi hot spots. Or at least do not visit sensitive sites such as your banking and shopping web sites from these places. Use strong encryption. Currently, that means WPA2.
8. Always practice safe surfing, and train your kids to do the same. Educate yourself about spam, phishing attacks, email attachments, etc. Do not copy and paste login information and passwords. The contents of your Clipboard can easily be seen.
9. Shred or burn any documents bearing your name, address, etc. before discarding them.
10. If you travel across international borders with a laptop or even a smart phone, be prepared to have the devices searched and all your files examined. You may have to reveal the decryption key to any encrypted documents. Make sure you have a current backup at the office.
11. Before logging into that bank machine or hotel computer, glance around to ensure no one is snooping on you.
12. There are many resources online to fight identity theft, and to help you recover from an attack. Check them out. Look especially for government sites, that is, web sites ending in .gov.
By now you can guess that it is much easier to protect your credit rating and reputation, than to spend months or even years repairing them after they have been hijacked. So print this list and paste it up on the wall beside your computer, where the whole family can see it. Reread it from time to time, to refresh your memory.
Charles
Dec
7
ID Theft 2.0: Surge of Unemployed, Uninsured Give Rise to Health Insurance Fraud
Filed Under Health | Leave a Comment
Michael Brewer asked:
It all started with credit cards.
Remembering your PIN number in the check-out line was that industry’s Hail Mary Pass to cut losses from fraudulent purchases back in the mid-80s. Fingerprint and retinal scans were developed by the FBI about the same time to keep us out of secure areas and to keep our prying eyes off top-secret documents.
Now, fast forward about 20 or so years. Throw in a dismal economy, mix in thousands of suddenly uninsured Americans and you’ve got the makings of an apparently unforeseen black hole of security that could threaten the future of affordable healthcare and the efforts of Congress to reform it.
A woman in New York City faces up to seven years in prison on charges she recently forged more than 50 insurance claims that submitted them to her health insurance company for reimbursement. Meanwhile in Miami, a medical clinic for senior patients was raided after investigators discovered a front desk clerk sharing 1,100 Medicare IDs and patient information with her family members. One of her cousins allegedly made off with $2.8 million in fraudulent refunds for services never rendered.
“As more people are not getting the health care they need, we’re seeing an increasing incidence of medical identity fraud,” tells Michigan-based attorney Norbert Kugele to the New York Times. “Someone will show up at a hospital with someone else’s insurance information and will seek treatment under their name.”
Pulling a Fast One
It’s almost like the industry never saw it coming. Of course, Medicare fraud has been going on for years and the Feds have been battling it with great intensity, by their own admission, with mixed success. But security experts warn high profile health insurance fraud cases are only going to grow and there may be no end to creative tactics the perpetrators may use to bilk an already handicapped health system.
President Obama claims the healthcare reform bill being considered by Congress will provide a safety net to prevent illegal immigrants from obtaining health care under the “Public Option.” Just how this will happen is anybody’s guess. Many citizens who relocated to America without proper documentation have been receiving public benefits and/or employment opportunities for years without much scrutiny by business owners or infiltration by state and local governments — so much so that the Feds figure in fraud when making all kinds of budgetary projections to Congress.
Medical identity theft occurs when criminals obtain information such as a health insurance identification or Social Security number and use it to get health care or to obtain reimbursement from insurers and others for false claims. That means your medical history and health care records can include someone else’s information.
Aside from the obvious health concerns that go along with adopting someone else’s health profile, — imagine an ID thief at the doctor’s office, presenting a health insurance ID from a patient who, unbeknownst to the thief, is diabetic, allergic to certain medication or receiving chemotherapy — there are other huge expenses that could undercut any savings that the Obama administration projects would be saved by reform in its current form.
“Hospitals and insurance companies face enormous expenses when it comes to medical identity theft, as they are forced to write-off charges incurred by the thieves,” recently wrote Bankrate reporter Amy Crane. “But its victims find that the financial aspects of this type of identity theft are the easiest to deal with.”
What You Can Do
- Your insurance card, your life. Security experts think we too often assume that our insurance card is no more valuable than our frequent shopper card or our gym membership. Protect your insurance information as you would your credit card, driver license or other personal asset.
- Give your medical records a check-up. Audit your health insurance and medical records annually, as you would your personal credit report. It’s not only o.k. to ask your doctor for your medical records, it’s protected under federal law to do so. If you see anything that look suspicious, call your insurance company right away.
- Go paperless. Not only is it environmentally friendly, opting into paperless health insurance benefit and billing statements is a good way to prevent your personal health information from slipping into the wrong hands.
Tony
It all started with credit cards.
Remembering your PIN number in the check-out line was that industry’s Hail Mary Pass to cut losses from fraudulent purchases back in the mid-80s. Fingerprint and retinal scans were developed by the FBI about the same time to keep us out of secure areas and to keep our prying eyes off top-secret documents.
Now, fast forward about 20 or so years. Throw in a dismal economy, mix in thousands of suddenly uninsured Americans and you’ve got the makings of an apparently unforeseen black hole of security that could threaten the future of affordable healthcare and the efforts of Congress to reform it.
A woman in New York City faces up to seven years in prison on charges she recently forged more than 50 insurance claims that submitted them to her health insurance company for reimbursement. Meanwhile in Miami, a medical clinic for senior patients was raided after investigators discovered a front desk clerk sharing 1,100 Medicare IDs and patient information with her family members. One of her cousins allegedly made off with $2.8 million in fraudulent refunds for services never rendered.
“As more people are not getting the health care they need, we’re seeing an increasing incidence of medical identity fraud,” tells Michigan-based attorney Norbert Kugele to the New York Times. “Someone will show up at a hospital with someone else’s insurance information and will seek treatment under their name.”
Pulling a Fast One
It’s almost like the industry never saw it coming. Of course, Medicare fraud has been going on for years and the Feds have been battling it with great intensity, by their own admission, with mixed success. But security experts warn high profile health insurance fraud cases are only going to grow and there may be no end to creative tactics the perpetrators may use to bilk an already handicapped health system.
President Obama claims the healthcare reform bill being considered by Congress will provide a safety net to prevent illegal immigrants from obtaining health care under the “Public Option.” Just how this will happen is anybody’s guess. Many citizens who relocated to America without proper documentation have been receiving public benefits and/or employment opportunities for years without much scrutiny by business owners or infiltration by state and local governments — so much so that the Feds figure in fraud when making all kinds of budgetary projections to Congress.
Medical identity theft occurs when criminals obtain information such as a health insurance identification or Social Security number and use it to get health care or to obtain reimbursement from insurers and others for false claims. That means your medical history and health care records can include someone else’s information.
Aside from the obvious health concerns that go along with adopting someone else’s health profile, — imagine an ID thief at the doctor’s office, presenting a health insurance ID from a patient who, unbeknownst to the thief, is diabetic, allergic to certain medication or receiving chemotherapy — there are other huge expenses that could undercut any savings that the Obama administration projects would be saved by reform in its current form.
“Hospitals and insurance companies face enormous expenses when it comes to medical identity theft, as they are forced to write-off charges incurred by the thieves,” recently wrote Bankrate reporter Amy Crane. “But its victims find that the financial aspects of this type of identity theft are the easiest to deal with.”
What You Can Do
- Your insurance card, your life. Security experts think we too often assume that our insurance card is no more valuable than our frequent shopper card or our gym membership. Protect your insurance information as you would your credit card, driver license or other personal asset.
- Give your medical records a check-up. Audit your health insurance and medical records annually, as you would your personal credit report. It’s not only o.k. to ask your doctor for your medical records, it’s protected under federal law to do so. If you see anything that look suspicious, call your insurance company right away.
- Go paperless. Not only is it environmentally friendly, opting into paperless health insurance benefit and billing statements is a good way to prevent your personal health information from slipping into the wrong hands.
Tony
Dec
3
Identity Theft: Protect Yourself
Filed Under Law | Leave a Comment
John Chase asked:
In the digital age, one of the biggest threats to your personal safety is identity theft. A complete stranger here or on the other side of the planet can take just a few pieces of information about you, and destroy your credit for their personal gain.
This guide will tell you ways that your information can be stolen and how to prevent it from happening.
More Identity Theft Prevention Methods
Check Your Credit Score and Reports
If you don’t already, You need to make sure you are checking your credit score and report at least once a year. While there are other circumstances when you should check your score, you need to at least check once every twelve months. These credit report scans can allow you to see any unauthorized activity registered under your name.
By checking your score more frequently, you can potentially catch fraudulent activity faster, which could prevent future theft and lead to the arrest of your identity thief.
Keep Your Social Security Number Private
Your Social Security Number is the magic password that can grant access to all of your personal and financial information. For this reason, you should be very careful about who you share it with.
Never keep your Social Security card in your purse or wallet. If your wallet is misplaced or stolen, the thief won’t just have your credit cards and ID, but your Social Security Number as well.
Also be careful about who you give your Social Security Number to over the phone. If a business asks for your Social Security Number, normally you can request to give them another identification number, such as a driver’s license number. Any time you are asked by a government agency for your social security number, there has to be a privacy agreement, so keep your eyes open.
Secure Your Computer
A simple virus protection program can keep potential identity thieves from coming across your information online. Additionally, only enter personal information on websites that you know are secure and trustworthy.
Choose Smart Passwords
Never use the same password for all of your online accounts. If someone finds out the one password used for every account you have, you’ve just given them a free ticket to all of your information at once.
Try to choose passwords that are unpredictable and hard to guess. That means no mother’s maiden names, no birthdays, no pets’ names, guessable phrases – and especially not part of your social security number.
If you have a hard time remembering a large amount of passwords, write them down and keep them locked in a secure place. It might be a hassle now, but opening a safe to get your bank password is a lot easier than tracking down an identify thief.
Leonard
In the digital age, one of the biggest threats to your personal safety is identity theft. A complete stranger here or on the other side of the planet can take just a few pieces of information about you, and destroy your credit for their personal gain.
This guide will tell you ways that your information can be stolen and how to prevent it from happening.
More Identity Theft Prevention Methods
Check Your Credit Score and Reports
If you don’t already, You need to make sure you are checking your credit score and report at least once a year. While there are other circumstances when you should check your score, you need to at least check once every twelve months. These credit report scans can allow you to see any unauthorized activity registered under your name.
By checking your score more frequently, you can potentially catch fraudulent activity faster, which could prevent future theft and lead to the arrest of your identity thief.
Keep Your Social Security Number Private
Your Social Security Number is the magic password that can grant access to all of your personal and financial information. For this reason, you should be very careful about who you share it with.
Never keep your Social Security card in your purse or wallet. If your wallet is misplaced or stolen, the thief won’t just have your credit cards and ID, but your Social Security Number as well.
Also be careful about who you give your Social Security Number to over the phone. If a business asks for your Social Security Number, normally you can request to give them another identification number, such as a driver’s license number. Any time you are asked by a government agency for your social security number, there has to be a privacy agreement, so keep your eyes open.
Secure Your Computer
A simple virus protection program can keep potential identity thieves from coming across your information online. Additionally, only enter personal information on websites that you know are secure and trustworthy.
Choose Smart Passwords
Never use the same password for all of your online accounts. If someone finds out the one password used for every account you have, you’ve just given them a free ticket to all of your information at once.
Try to choose passwords that are unpredictable and hard to guess. That means no mother’s maiden names, no birthdays, no pets’ names, guessable phrases – and especially not part of your social security number.
If you have a hard time remembering a large amount of passwords, write them down and keep them locked in a secure place. It might be a hassle now, but opening a safe to get your bank password is a lot easier than tracking down an identify thief.
Leonard