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

rebeli812 asked:


my stb ex-wife destroyed my cedit. my house needs repairs i cant pay for. if i sell it and pay it off does it help my score or bring it down as it would show im not making payments monthly? btw i was a victim of id theft. “my wife” bless her little heart. got several cards in the mail using my info. maxed em all out moved in with her bf and stuck me with the bills. including a car loan i had to co-sign for her. the car was scrapped out long ago. im still paying for the tires she had put on it 5 yrs ago. theres alot more but its along story.
the house needs shingles plus some other work. i cant even get a home equity loan for repairs. if i dont sell it the roof will leak eventually. then its a bigger problem. much bigger. i know i shoulda filed something something when this started.-july o5. but i didnt. be it procrastination or the fact i still love her. i know ill never be able to buy another house. i been here 19 yrs. i dont want to move. i dont see where i have a choice. i gotta get out before the bill collectors put liens on it. and the roof leaks.

Mary

CK 604 asked:


My friends store, got broke in to and his credit card machine/Debit machine got rip out of his counter, I used his machine couple times that week,I am afraid of ID theft, Could they get my card info from the machine, I am worry. Please help.

Bryan

teacher4u25f asked:


I saw on the news several years ago a place to check your credit report online for free and it was safe…no scam or id. theft
on the internet..

Jorge

Robert D asked:


that was opened on may 1 2001 have made a police report and filled out a id theft affidavit .i have tolled them it is a fraudulent charge.they still have not removed it from my credit report its been months .what can i do sue! help.

Arnold

Jenny DeRaspe-Bolles asked:


Because identity theft is both lucrative and easy to get away with, ID theft rings are growing and fast in crime circles from meth addicts to mafia. Consequently, there has been an overwhelming corporate response to meet increased demand for identity theft protection.

You have probably heard of LifeLock, an Identity Theft Protection company that has been in the news quite a bit lately. In a ballsy move, the company’s CEO Todd Davis has published his Social Security number (475-55-5462) prominently and dared anyone to try to steal his identity. Actions speak louder than words, and his certainly show confidence in the protection his company offers. One of the fastest growing companies in the US, Davis must have instilled confidence in his customers with inventive marketing strategy, gaining over 1,000,000 customers last year alone.

So what exactly is it and what do they do? Should you join? We’ve gathered some information about the company and the protection they offer here:

What is it and how does it work?

The system places fraud alerts at all three credit bureaus and essentially makes these alerts permanent. What is a fraud alert? In 2003 Congress passed the Fair & Accurate Credit Transactions Act (or FACTA), which forces credit bureaus to allow you to put a fraud alert on their credit reports, requiring lenders to verify your identity before issuing a card in your name. This alert is temporary, expiring after 90 days, but LifeLock essentially makes these alerts permanent by renewing them before they expire. In effect, if someone gained your personal information and attempted to open a fraudulent credit card in your name, the credit bureaus would have to speak with you to verify your identity before processing the application.

1- opts customers out of preapproved credit offers and junkmail lists, a known source of identity fraud.

2- orders your credit report from all three bureaus, which is automatically delivered to you every year.

3- True Address monitors the National Address Database and alerts you if a criminal has changed your address to receive your mail or obtain your personal information.

4- Lifelock’s Erecon monitors hacker and criminal websites for your credit card numbers and personal information, and lets you know if anyone is attempting to steal them. LifeLock will assist you in replacing your account numbers in the case your privacy has been compromised.

5- offers a $1,000,000 Total Service Guarantee. For legal reasons, LifeLock does not call this insurance. In effect, they pledge to cover your costs (i.e. reimburse financial loss, legal fees to restore credit, etc.) in the event that your identity is stolen up to the amount of one million dollars. Note, this does not cover someone stealing your credit card and using it (which rarely costs you anyway, as this is the bank’s domain). It also only covers new cases of identity theft, existing identity theft victims will not be covered. From their website:

“If your identity is stolen while you are our client, we’re going to do whatever it takes to recover your good name. If you need lawyers, we’re going to hire the best we can find. If you need investigators, accountants, case managers, whatever, they’re yours. If you lose money as a result of the theft, we’re going to give it back to you. We will do whatever it takes to help you recover your good name and we will spend up to $1,000,000 to do it.”

Other LifeLock Features:

* Identity theft protection for children (until age 15) for $25 a year

* LifeLock Customer Service is available 24 hrs 7 days a week

In summary: this is proactive rather than reactive, stopping identity theft before it happens. Security expert Bruce Schneier maintains, In reality, forcing lenders to verify identity before issuing credit is exactly the sort of thing we need to fight identity theft. Making information harder to steal can be quite difficult, you can be very smart and safe and still have your purse stolen, for example. A better solution may lie in making stolen information more difficult to use, and this is the approach LifeLock uses.

How much does it cost?

Protection costs $10 per month or you pay for a year in advance for $110 a year. In addition, various websites offer promotional codes and coupons, advertising yearly protection for $99.

Is it worth it?

It is important to know that almost all of the protection LifeLock offers (fraud alerts, credit reports, etc.) you can do yourself for free. In this regard, they are a service company, saving you the time and hassle of taking these precautions yourself. Here is the information you need to protect yourself (for free):

1. Put a fraud alert on your account. All you have to do is contact (by phone or online) one of the three major credit bureaus and request a fraud alert. No need to contact all three, as they are required to communicate fraud alerts with each other. Remember to renew the fraud alert every 90 days. Fraud Alert Contact Information:

* Equifax

* Experian

* TransUnion

2. Opt out of credit card offers and junk mail.

3. Get your free annual credit report.

In addition to these measures (whether you pay for them or do them yourself), there are other precautions you should take to protect yourself against identity theft.

* Lock your mailbox with a secure locking mailbox.

* Switch from paper bills to electronic bills.

* Shred confidential mail with a cross-cut paper shredder.

* Do not carry paper checks or your social security card on you when possible.



Tina

Marc Gaines asked:


Modern technological innovations have given us the convenience to purchase everything from the comfort of our homes. With the help of the Internet and credit cards we can buy our desired products and services from anywhere in the world without physically visiting the showroom or even making the cash payment. However, along with adding comforts to our shopping and many other benefits online transactions though credit cards might also bring troubles that are enough to take away your peaceful sleep! One of the most prevalent problems that credit cards users often face is identity theft, which is a new mode to duping without the knowledge of the victim.

Identity theft means stealing personal information of a person and impersonating him or her for making frauds. Phishing and hacking are some of the common means used for identity thefts involving credit cards. Your credit card number or social security number can be misappropriated by unauthorized persons and misused to cheat banks by fraudulently getting loans, making online purchases, or taking money from the ATM and it is obvious that you will be held responsible for all the transactions being made from your account. IDTheftDefense provides you with A to Z information on identity thefts, the ways of detecting and preventing identity theft, credit reports and a lot more.

Credit monitoring or credit “file” monitoring is an easy, efficient and affordable way to identify theft detection. You can even prevent identity theft by detecting mistakes in your credit report and correct them using credit monitoring services. Credit report, also known as credit history in many countries, provides detailed records of how much a person or company has borrowed and repaid in the past including information on late payments and bankruptcy. A credit score represents your creditworthiness based on the information collected from your credit report.

You can successfully monitor your credit report by using efficient credit monitoring services:

1. First of all, you can check credit report and make relevant inquiries into your credit line.

2. By reviewing your credit report you can easily identify if any new account has been activated using your identity.

3. Address changes on credit information and collection activities in your name can be easily detected from credit reports or credit histories.

4. Your credit report will reflect delinquencies or any negative change made to your account as well as information on closed accounts.

Though credit monitoring is an important step towards ID theft defense, it cannot be used to prevent them. Awareness is the key to check identity thefts. As an informed individual you can easily detect identity thefts or take appropriate steps regarding any mistake in your credit report. Thus, you can lessen the amount of financial or credit rating damage which results from the false or negative activity on the report. Credit monitoring will keep you informed and definitely lower your risks in case of frauds resulting from identity thefts.

You should go for the credit monitoring scheme that suits your needs. Opting for monthly status reports through email is a viable option. IDTheftDefense recommends the 3-in-1 credit report which includes the three credit bureaus – Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, as you may not come to know about all the credit problems if your monitoring plan covers only one credit bureau. If you want to protect yourself and your family members from identity theft, then it is essential for you to educate yourself about it by getting all information from the IDTheftDefense site.



Jacob

Allison May asked:


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Have you ever tried shopping online? Why not? Many people find that online shopping is not only easy and convenient, but much cheaper as well. Internet merchants can afford to sell their products for lower prices because of a lower capital needed for maintaining an online store. But don’t forget about the risk of credit card fraud and identity theft when purchasing from the web.

You may not even be aware of it but other people may already be using your personal information to commit fraudulent crimes against you. For instance, one common strategy used by identity thieves is called “phishing”. In fact, this strategy has been used by ID thieves since the 1990s and has become more and more prevalent today.

How is the crime of phishing done? An identity thief will send an email to an unsuspecting victim, disguising as an email from a reputable company or online merchant like the IRS, Amazon, PayPal and other big names on the web. If you’re not aware of identity theft tricks, you may think that the email is indeed from a valid source.

You may be asked to click on a link that leads to a phishing website. This webpage was made to look just like the genuine company and it takes careful examination to recognize a fake one from the real one. The email may ask you to fill out the online form for them to verify your account. But upon submitting that online form, you may not know that you’re also handing out your personal information to identity thieves.

What You Should Do

The Federal Trade Commission warns all consumers against such tricks. Remember that trusted merchants and government agencies will not solicit personal information from consumers through an electronic message.

The best thing to do if you receive a suspicious email is to call the company who appeared to have sent it to confirm. Never attempt to open an email or click on the links in it.

Bear in mind that the URL of a secured website always begins with https://. You should also look for the pad locked icon in the bottom right corner of your browser. If you have been a victim of Identity Theft or credit card fraud, contact the FTC immediately.

Be Alert Against Online Identity Theft

When making an online purchase, check the background and reputation of the internet merchant you intend to purchase from. Don’t just compare shops based on the low prices they offer. If a certain online shop sells items at an incredibly low price, if it doesn’t have a solid track record of service to show, you could be in danger.

You may also prefer to send in your payment through a reputable online system like Pay Pal. This way, you don’t have to reveal your credit card’s number to anyone. See to it that the online shop uses a secured server. There must be a Privacy Policy provided on the site to show that they are concerned about protecting their customer’s personal information.



Larry

Derrick Bedford asked:


ity Theft

In this age of information, new types of crimes are developing. Identity theft is the most frequently committed white collar crime in the United States today. Identity theft is defined as fraudulent acquisition of money, credit, goods, or services by pretending to be someone else. According to the Federal Trade Commission, one in six American citizens can expect to be victims of identity theft this year alone.

Function

Identity thieves obtain their victims’ personal information in various ways. They may steal mail from your mailbox or garbage can, look over your shoulder at the ATM machine, or steal information from your computer in a number off ways. Other thieves may use a technique called phishing, in which they send you fraudulent e-mails, requesting personal information. Another popular technique is offering a fake employment opportunity. In this case, the application you fill out for this “job” is actually all the personal information a thief needs to steal your identity. Significance In the last year, almost ten million Americans were the victims of some type of identity theft (up from just over eight million the previous year.) Their losses totaled more than fifty-two million dollars, according to recent data released by the FBI. Thirty-eight percent find out within the first three months, which enables them to resolve the problem in a reasonable amount of time; however, up to eighteen percent don’t find out for four years or longer. Clearly, this makes the resolution process much more complicated and lengthy. Effects Identity theft has lasting effects on its victims. Forty-seven percent say that they have trouble getting credit, while eleven percent say it causes difficulties in obtaining employment. A full seventy percent say that they experience trouble getting the false information removed from their credit reports. Forty percent say their families experience emotional and personal struggles following identity theft. This may be because forty five percent experience denial and disbelief, eighty five percent are angry, forty five percent feel “defiled,” and forty-two percent feel they can’t trust anyone after becoming victims.

Types

According to the Federal Trade Commission’s recent report, more than half the time, victims knew the offenders who stole their identities–they were friends, co-workers or employees, neighbors, and even family members. In fact, identity theft is often committed by parents against their own children. Sixteen percent of identity theft is committed by one spouse against the other. These cases are often domestic abuse situations as well, in which the offender dominates every aspect of the victim’s life–including the financial one.

Misconceptions

Some people think that everyone knows better than to give out their personal information via email or to someone they don’t know, but according to a study done by the University of Indiana, fourteen percent of phishing emails are successful, allowing identity thieves access to the personal information of their victims. In the study, traceable “phishing” emails were sent to potential victims, featuring a link to eBay. While the link in the test indeed took them to eBay (as they weren’t actually “phishing”) notification data was recorded when it was clicked. This number is exceptionally higher than the three percent stated by Gartner, Inc. in a similar report.

 



Micheal

Mark Wlaz asked:


Make no mistake – we are under an unrelenting onslaught of identity theft. There should be no doubt in your mind, the stakes are high, the con artists are becoming more sophisticated with each passing day, and the attempts to steal your identity will only continue to increase.

We hear all too often of laptop computers containing the confidential information of tens of thousands of Americans accidentally left behind on subways, hackers stealing account information on millions of credit cardholders, and personal information being transmitted without proper encryption.

And this is not to mention the modern day con artists who operate within the unseen confines of the world wide web, emailing, phishing and pharming – all techniques designed to fool unsuspecting individuals into providing key information such as account numbers or social security numbers under the guise of some legitimate business activity.

Many of the identity theft preventative steps are built on exercising common sense.

Don’t ever give your social security number to someone who has called you. If you already have a business relationship established with a company, they can generally verify your identity with only the last four digits of your SSN. Don’t respond to inbound emails where they request your name, address, credit card account number, etc. And of course, always beware of the opportunity for fast easy money. The old adage is still true today – “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”



In addition, you may want to consider one other step to the prevention and / or early detection of identity theft. Consider buying an identity theft service.

When evaluating any identity theft service, the primary functions you should look for are fraud alert and fraud monitoring. Through the fraud alert process, you are called by the credit bureau whenever you or someone else attempts to establish a line of credit in your name. This allows you to verify if the activity is something you initiated or approve. The fraud alert indicator on your credit bureau record needs to be reinitiated every 90 days. Your service provider should perform this update on your behalf. Fraud monitoring is an automated process where suspected underground internet sites that illegally trade or sell personal information are regularly scanned to ensure your information is not present.

Credit monitoring, which most services include in their product bundle, watches your credit report for any suspicious changes that might indicate the theft of personal information.

When selecting an identity theft service be sure they offer recovery assistance, which in the event that you have been a victim of identity theft, contacts the authorities and necessary entities, related to your credit cards, drivers license, social security number, and the like.

Beyond these basic product features, you will find that some service providers include other additional benefits – free copies of your credit report, for example. You may also want to determine precisely the list of personal information that is protected, as this varies with each provider.

Lastly, look at the service provider’s track record and years in business. It is important that you have confidence in the company’s reputation, their reliability to perform, and that they will work hard to earn your trust. If you think you are interested in the safety and peace of mind that comes with identity theft protection, there are many reputable firms from which to choose.  Invest a little time in researching the companies and products and make the right selection for you.



Michael