Sunday, January 18, 2009

ID Theft led to killing the Mayor's family dogs

'Mayor Cheye Calvo and his wife, Trinity Tomsic, held a televised press conference..."
"his wife became the innocent victim of identity theft and police invaded their home on an illegal no knock warrant and killed the family dogs."
http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7011867263

Associated Press video on You Tube, notice the Police Inspector General's comments on how criminals involve innocent civilians
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9Com08ILgQ&feature=related

Red Flag Rules, Colleges and Universities

The Poyner Spruill Law Firm in North Carolina states:

"The Red Flag Rules require each college or university meeting the criteria above to develop and implement a written Identity Theft Prevention Program..."

http://www.poynerspruill.com/publications/Pages/CompliancewithRedFlagRulesbyCollegesandUniversities.aspx

Physicians must comply with Red Flags Rule

The Wisconsin Medical Society provides a nice summary of the issue as I may have presented it to you:
"The FTC has taken the position that health care providers (including physicians) are “creditors,” and subject to the Red Flag Rules, if they bill consumers after their services are completed, and that health care providers (including physicians) that accept insurance are considered “creditors” if the consumer is ultimately responsible for the medical fees."
http://www.wisconsinmedicalsociety.org/publications_and_media/medigram/archive/october_9_2008/ypyf

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Security Freeze and Fraud Alert

This is a great article from USA Today discussing a Security/Credit Freeze and a Fraud Alert although it was written in 2005 it is still very illuminating:
http://www.usatoday.com/money/perfi/general/2005-06-19-credit-cover-usat_x.htm

I'm glad to see these points discussed which we may have discussed in class:
  1. Identity Theft issues can take Years to resolve
  2. A freeze can be inconvenient
  3. A freeze is best suited for someone who doesn't need to obtain credit quickly or frequently or perhaps doesn't anticipate needing any more credit for the rest of their life
These issues are also highlighted by Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott on his Identity Theft website here:
http://www.oag.state.tx.us/newspubs/weeklyag/2007/0907freeze.pdf

Security Freeze and Child Financial Identity Theft

A measure to consider for your minor children is to order copies of their credit reports from the 3 Bureaus to see if there is anything there, and there should not be, and consider placing a Security Freeze on their behalf.

A Security Freeze can do a great deal to protect your Child from Financial Identity Theft with little impact on them as they won't need credit until they are at least 18 years old.

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott advice about Security Freezes
http://www.oag.state.tx.us/newspubs/weeklyag/2007/0907freeze.pdf

This article from the Identity Theft Resource Center makes two excellent points that should not be overlooked if your child has an Identity Theft issue:
http://www.idtheftcenter.org/artman2/publish/v_fact_sheets/Fact_Sheet_120.shtml
  1. Point out that the child is a minor and that by law is not permitted to enter into a contract.
  2. Do you need an attorney? That depends on the offender or person who is using the information. If the offender is a parent or relative or if this is a case that could be tied into a custody or divorce issue, it may be necessary to involve a family law attorney. This is especially true in joint custody cases. If you have joint custody of the child, timing is critical. If you fear that the offending parent might run off with the child, seek the advice of your attorney as to timing, legal actions that might assist you in protecting the safety of the child or the need to involve child protective services.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

LIfelock Issues

Here is citation for much of what I've heard about Lifelock, it is a good summary of what I've heard and read in my own research:

http://www.bloggernews.net/115050
In the most recent class action, it alleges that Lifelock doesn’t protect it’s customers from all forms of identity theft. It also alleges that putting repetitive alerts on a credit report might hurt a person’s ability to get credit. Last but not least it alleges that Todd Davis — the CEO of Lifelock who plasters his own social security number all over the place as a marketing tool — has himself been an identity theft victim several times."

UPDATE 12.14.13 (the article is older I just added to my blog on 12.14.13)
This is too relevant not to share:

"LifeLock's Fraud-Alert Service Banned Forever in Settlement With Experian"
LifeLock, the ethics-bending, Tempe-based firm covered in two 2007 New Times feature articles, has been permanently banned from performing what used to be its most basic service.

http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/valleyfever/2009/10/lifelocks_fraud-alert_service.php

The link to "permanently banned" takes you to this article by Patrick O'Grady
http://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/stories/2009/10/19/daily66.html

But here is an excerpt just in case "LifeLock Inc. and Experian Information Solutions Inc. have settled their lawsuit, and the agreement permanently blocks the original process LifeLock used to protect its clients."

Kroll Resources

I'm pleased to announce that Kroll may be contacted directly for clients needing Background Check Services and Data Breach Notifications as noted below.

Kroll is a division of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. a NYSE company (MMC) with over 25 years experience. There is not an older, more experienced, more legally compliant company in the United States providing these services, publicly traded or not.

Please tell Donna and Tammy that I sent you.

Background Checks
Kroll Background Screening
Donna St. Jacques
800.990.4473 x1249

Data Breach Notification
Kroll Fraud Solutions
Tammy Kowalski
615.320.9800 x20848

Welcome

Welcome to my blog. The primary purpose of this Blog is to provide links to source material that I may have quoted in a presentation or training or researched in answer to a question I have been asked.

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