Protecting Your Identity

Identity Theft Glossary

2006-02-28T05:30:00.000-08:00

The following is courtesy of:

Click on banner.

Understanding the many terms related to Identity Theft can be difficult. We have put together an Identity Theft Glossary to help you understand some key terms used when talking about Identity Theft.

Account Takeover: Account takeover is what an identity thief does, using your personal information to coerce a financial institution into giving him full control over your account.

Affidavit of Factual Innocence: An Affidavit of Factual Innocence is a legal document issued by a court, stating that you’re innocent. You may need one of these if you’ve been wrongfully arrested as a result of identity theft.

Affidavit of Forgery: An Affidavit of Forgery is a legal document that states that a certain signature is not yours, but a forgery.

Butterfly Pouch Laminate: Butterfly pouch laminate is a type of plastic that identity thieves use to make a counterfeit license. This plastic allows the thieves to print a logo or official seal on it, which is then laminated onto a driver’s license.

Check Reporting Agencies: These agencies report on consumer’s check writing histories, specifically highlighting incidents of fraud and bounced checks. Lending institutions use these reports to determine whether or not to open checking accounts for individuals.

Check washing: Check washing is another method identity thieves use to steal from you. They dip your check in acetone, which washes the ink off so they can write it for a higher amount.

Consumer Statement: A consumer may add a statement to their credit report explaining certain adverse situations appearing on their credit report including ID Theft. These statements are seldom considered in financial transactions and have no effect on an individual’s credit score.

Credit reporting agency (CRA): There are three major credit reporting agencies: Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. They keep track of your credit records, and issue credit reports to those who have a legitimate reason for needing to know your credit history.

Creditworthiness: Creditworthiness is the likelihood that you’ll pay back a loan, based on your past credit history. An identity thief uses your creditworthiness as a weapon against you.

Data Encryption: The reversible transformation of data from the original (the plaintext) to a difficult-to-interpret format as a mechanism for protecting its confidentiality, integrity and sometimes its authenticity. Most web sites employ data encryption to protect your information during e-commerce.

Dumpster diving: Dumpster diving is another method identity thieves use to obtain your personal information. They go through garbage bins, looking for people’s personal information. That’s why it’s very important to always shred your important documents before throwing them out.

Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA): The FCRA is a U.S. federal law that gives everyone the right to see what the CRA's have on file in their credit report. It also outlines permissible purposes for obtaining a periodic free copy of a credit report. And if there are any inaccuracies found, they have the right to dispute them.

Fraud alert: A fraud alert can be put on your credit report at the CRA's if and when you become an identity theft victim. It’s intention is to let everyone know that someone may be trying to obtain new credit in your name, so the process will be very closely scrutinized. In practice, however, this safeguard accomplishes very little as it is often ignored or missed.

Identity fraud: Identity fraud differs from identity theft in that the thief uses personal information that he’s made up, rather than information he’s stolen from a real person.

Identity theft: Identity theft, one of the worst crimes in the world, occurs when a thief uses someone else’s personal information as his own, thereby creating a new identity of an existing person. The new identity then applies for any form of credit he can get. The most common things an identity thief steals are: your name and address, your Social Security (Insurance) Number, your driver’s license number, your employee ID number, your mother’s maiden name, and any account information, including bank accounts and credit accounts.

Identity Theft Passport: Identity Theft Passport programs, are available in a few states such as Ohio and Virginia. The “Passport” is a method of demonstrating to law enforcement and creditors that their identity has been stolen, and of rehabilitating their credit history and identifying any fraudulent criminal charges.

Mail fraud: Mail fraud is a method identity thieves use to obtain your personal information. They steal your mail, which may include pre-approved credit card applications or any other information that will help them get credit in your name.

Opt-out: When you opt-out, you notify a financial institution, insurance company, CRA, or any other company that sells your personal information, that you don’t want your information shared. This is your right, and it protects you from unwanted junk mail and phone calls, not to mention identity theft.

Permissible Purposes: Permissible purposes are guidelines set out in the FCRA that outline the allowable reasons for requesting a copy of a credit report. One of those reasons is if you’re a victim of identity theft.

Phishing: The act of tricking someone into giving them confidential information or tricking them into doing something that they normally wouldn’t do or shouldn’t do. For example: sending an e-mail to a user falsely claiming to be an established legitimate enterprise in an attempt to scam the user into surrendering private information that will be used for identity theft.

PIN (Personal Identification Number): A PIN is your unique personal password that you punch in to an ATM to alert the machine that it’s actually you depositing or withdrawing money. Never write down your PIN where it can be stolen by an identity thief.

Consumer Sentinel Database: Consumer Sentinel is a unique investigative tool, available to law enforcement officials, that allows its members secure, online access to hundreds of thousands of consumer complaints dealing with internet, telemarketing and other types of distant selling fraud.

Shoulder Surfing: Shoulder surfing is the name given to the procedure that identity thieves use to find out your PIN. They either hang around close to the ATM, or wherever you may be entering your PIN, or they can even watch from a distance, using binoculars. Once they have your PIN, you’re in trouble.

Skimming: Skimming is another method identity thieves use to get your personal information. It’s usually done by an employee of a restaurant, a gas station, or any other place where you swipe your card. They have little swiping tools of their own, which they use to quickly swipe your card. A good way to prevent skimming is to always swipe your own card.

Terrorist Watch List: The U.S. master terror watch list is used to stop suspected terrorists from entering the country. Many terrorist groups have been known to use ID Theft as a method to elude authorities and enter the country.

Truncated Credit Card Number:
A truncated credit card number is what you see on many receipts and other papers that have your credit card number on them. All the digits, except for the last four, are x’d out. This is done to protect you from identity theft.

Tweaker:
Street term used to describe meth-amphetamine addicts. These addicts often form ID Theft rings to finance their illegal drug habits. Tweakers are drawn to ID Theft because of its relatively low conviction rate and because of the hours they can spend falsifying documents while “on a tweak”.

For more information about ways to protection your identity and that of your family, click here.

Tips Offered On How to Prevent Identity Theft

2006-02-27T04:30:00.000-08:00

The following is courtesy of:

Click on banner.

Identity theft is a growing trend in the United States. It is a crime that can net the thief a tidy sum of money and runs a low risk of being caught. But to commit identity theft, the perpetrator has to have information, such as a social security number and driver’s license number.

So, how do the criminals get your personal information? According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, they get the information in several ways:

by going through the trash to find straight cut or unshredded papers,
by stealing an individual’s mail or wallet, by listening to public conversations,
by tricking the victim into revealing the information over the phone or by e-mail,
by buying the information on the internet or from someone who has already stolen it,
by stealing loan or credit applications that an individual has filled out, from personal computers, or
from friends or relatives who work with the victim and has easy access to the information.

Businesses and consumers are facing identity theft every day. Many credit card companies warn their customers that their company will never ask for personal information by phone or e-mail and that any suspicious activity should be reported immediately to the proper authorities. Paypal, a subsidiary of E-Bay, warns consumers, on their customer service phone line, that they do not request personal information by phone or e-mail.

After thieves have a person’s personal information, they use it in several different ways. According to www.IdentityTheftPrevention.com, they change the mailing address on credit card accounts to prevent the victim from realizing something is wrong for a while. During that time the criminal is running up large bills.

They open new credit card accounts using the victim’s social security number, date of birth and name. They establish phone or cellular phone service in the victim’s name. They open checking accounts in the victim’s name and write bad checks. They file for bankruptcy to avoid paying debts that they have incurred un-der the victim’s name or to avoid eviction. They drain the victim’s bank accounts. They even take out auto loans in the victims name.

In order to prevent identity theft, the Identity Theft Resource Center offers these tips:

Check your credit reports with all three major credit agencies at least once per year.
Guard your social security number and when possible don’t carry your social security card with you.
Don’t put your social security number or driver’s license number on your checks.
Never give your personal information to anyone unless they have a good reason for needing it.
Watch out for people trying to eavesdrop on your conversations.
Carefully destroy papers that you throw out, especially those with sensitive information.
Be suspicious of telephone solicitors.
Delete suspicious e-mails without replying to them.
Use a locked mailbox to send or receive mail.
Reduce the number of pre-approved credit card offers you receive by calling 888-5OPT-OUT.

Identity theft is a growing problem. It hurts the victim and the companies involved. Report any suspicious activity immediately.

For more information, click here.

Note: Change in Publication Frequency

2006-02-26T08:00:00.000-08:00

As much as I enjoy researching, compiling, bringing to you daily entries, its time-consumting nature has led me to adjusting my schedule.

Effective next month, and starting on March 1, 2006, I shall move to a once-weekly format.

I would love to receive your comments, either by direct email or posted entries here.

Respectfully submitted,

Etienne A. Gibbs, MSW

The Master Blog Builder

www.MasterBlogBuilder.com

Fore more information about how to protect yourself and your family, click here.

Dealing with the Spam Epidemic

2006-02-25T16:30:00.000-08:00

The following is courtesy of:

Computer Associates

Regaining Control of Your Inbox

The first spam e-mail ever sent, according to IBM, can be traced back to April 2, 1994. In the 12 years since, spam has grown at an exponential rate. According to readily available statistics, spam accounted for anywhere between 40% and 82% of all e-mail in 2005. With this growth has come new legislation: the CAN-SPAM Act of 2004 (see “The CAN-SPAM Act” below).

The sources of spam are widely varied, but the most common perpetrators include unregulated overseas parties, legitimate businesses, viruses, criminal phishing scams and others. Although legitimate businesses have largely cleaned-up their act, consumers may still perceive certain legally acceptable e-mail solicitations as spam (see “What ‘Exactly’ Is Spam?” below).

Many other efforts to curb spam are also underway. Some of the largest ISPs are making some headway. And thousands of publicly available blacklists and white lists exist, denoting “good” and “bad” senders (see “Fighting Back…and Winning” below). Yet, despite all the efforts underway, the surest method for protecting yourself and your family today is to run your own anti-spam software.

What "Exactly" is Spam?
It’s hard to nail down a precise definition, which is a constant challenge in the fight against spam proliferation. The fact is, “spam” means different things to different people. Some believe in a broad interpretation — that spam is unwanted email of ANY kind, even forwarded joke e-mails from friends and relatives can sometimes qualify. Others confine their definition of spam to unsolicited ads and commercial offers. But what if the offer comes from a store or Web site where you shop frequently — and comes with a valuable coupon attached? What if you were glad to receive it? Would you still then call it “spam?"

According to Merriam-Webster online, spam is “unsolicited usually commercial e-mail sent to a large number of addresses.” Pretty straightforward, right? However, for Internet security providers like CA, the definition can be expanded to include phishing scam e-mails that aren’t trying to sell you anything, virus infected e-mails that come from friends, or any e-mail from persons you haven’t authorized to enter your Inbox.

Clearly, the definition continues to pose a challenge. As new interpretations arise for what spam “is” and “is not,” technological solutions and legal remedies will evolve as well.

Spam Facts & Stats
Check out these staggering statistics about spam:

Research indicates that more than 40% to 82% of all e-mail is unsolicited, unwanted spam.
According to the Anti-Phishing Working Group’s Report of August 2005, the country hosting the most phishing sites in August was the United States.
13,776 unique phishing reports were received in the month of August alone.
30% of all spam is relayed [or unknowingly broadcasted] by compromised home and home office PCs.
Two-thirds of spam is deceptive or false and violates the law.
According to CNET, consumers have rated spam as one of the most pervasive problems they face today.
23% of home computer users have received at least one phishing attempt via e-mail over the prior two weeks.
63% of email users say they have received porn spam, compared to 71% just a year ago.6
The cost of spam in the U.S. has now reached $21.58 billion annually in lost productivity.7
Percentage of spam recipients who . . .

The CAN-SPAM Act in Review
Ever wonder what the government is doing to protect you from unwanted spam? Here’s a brief summary of the Federal Trade Commission’s CAN-SPAM Act and how this legislation is designed to protect you:

It bans false or misleading header information (who the e-mail is from).
It prohibits deceptive subject lines.
It requires that commercial email give recipients an opt-out method.
It requires that commercial email be identified as an advertisement and include the sender's valid physical postal address.

Each violation of the above provisions is subject to fines of up to $11,000. Deceptive commercial email also is subject to laws banning false or misleading advertising. Additional fines apply to spammers who not only violate the rules described above, but also use unscrupulous methods of obtaining e-mail addresses, such as “harvesting.” The CAN-SPAM Act also allows the Department of Justice to seek criminal penalties, including imprisonment, for some more serious offenses, such as sending spam through another entity’s computer without authorization.

Despite industry and government’s best efforts, it’s entirely possible that spam may never effectively be eliminated, so it only makes sense to do your best to restrict it.

Fighting Back...and Winning!
While major ISPs today offer their subscribers some built-in anti-spam protection, many major security developments are still slated for future releases. New technologies such as “DomainKeys” and “Sender ID” have been developed that would help ISPs authenticate the sender of the e-mail before they deliver it to your Inbox. Other proposals include compelling emailers to pay to have their messages delivered, thereby weeding out unscrupulous marketers and low value messages. But while these technologies represent a step in the right direction, it is only a partial solution to decreasing the volume of spam … and it won’t be fully available for some time. Since the problem has grown so wild and widespread, you need protection today.

You need software that works more diligently, and vigilantly, on your individual behalf, to keep you one step ahead. Such as building “white lists” of approved senders and domain addresses and “black lists” for suspicious dispatchers. Or using advanced probability filtering techniques, content fingerprinting and scoring, plus comprehensive ID authentication. This technology, available in CA’s eTrust® Anti-Spam, intuitively evaluates content before you open any email and intelligently flags and quarantines unknown messages as potentially harmful.

eTrust Anti-Spam offers simple-to-use yet powerful features like these that work seamlessly with Microsoft Outlook and Outlook Express, allowing YOU to regain control of YOUR Inbox.

For more information about how to protect your identity,
click here.

Texans Beware: ID Thieves Are Lurking

2006-02-24T06:30:00.000-08:00

The following, presented in condensed version, is courtesy of the San Antonio Express-News: www.MySanAntonio.com

Texans Beware: ID Thieves Are Lurking
By Aissatou Sidime

Watch your mailboxes and your trashcans. The Lone Star State is a hotbed for identity thieves.

Last year, Texas ranked No. 4 among all states for identity theft, with consumer filing 116.5 complaints per 100,000 populations, according to a new Federal Trade Commission report released Wednesday [Jan. 25, 2006]. The state finished just 43rd for all types of fraud.

San Antonio, Dallas, and Houston are among the top 10 cities for having the highest rates of identity theft.

In Texas, thieves are most likely to steal identities to access bank accounts, open credit cards, and find a job in the state, according to the FTC’s Identity Theft Data Clearinghouse.

For more information, click on the following:

San Antonio Express-News: www.MySanAntonio.com
(Texans Beware: ID Thieves Are Lurking, Jan. 26, 2006)

Sheriff's Office Cracks Down On Identity Theft

2006-02-23T06:00:00.000-08:00

-- The El Paso Sheriff's Office is joining the U.S. Congress in its fight against identity theft.

Saturday, January 28, 2006, a handful of El Pasoans headed Downtown to talk one-on-one with sheriff investigators about how to keep their identity safe.

For more information about how to protect your identity,
click here.

Beware of Credit Report Scams

2006-02-22T05:30:00.000-08:00

By special request:

The following is courtesy of:

You may have seen Web sites or received unsolicited email offering credit reports, sometimes for free. Be aware that some of these online operators may not actually provide credit reports, but may be using these sites as a way to capture your personal information. From there, they may sell your information to others who may use it commit fraud, including identity theft.

This is a variation on "phishing," also called "carding," a high-tech scam that uses spam or fraudulent Web sites to deceive consumers into disclosing their credit card numbers, bank account information, Social Security numbers, passwords, and other sensitive information.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation's consumer protection agency, urges you to take the following precautions when visiting sites or responding to email that offer credit reports:

If you get an email offering a credit report, don't reply or click on the link in the email. Instead, contact the company cited in the email using a telephone number or Web site address you know to be genuine.
Be skeptical of unsolicited email offering credit reports. Keep an eye out for email from an atypical address, like XYZ123@website.net, or an email address ending in a top level domain other than .com, like .ru, .it, or .de.
Check whether the company has a working telephone number and legitimate address. You can check addresses at Web sites like www.Switchboard.com, and phone numbers through reverse lookup search engines like www.AnyWho.com.
Check for misspellings and grammatical errors. Silly mistakes and sloppy copy - for example, an area code that doesn't match an address - often are giveaways that the site is a scam.
Look at the company's Web address: Is it a real company's address or it is a misspelled version of a legitimate company's Web address?
Check to see whether the email address matches the Web site address. That is, when you enter the company's Web address into the browser, does it go to the sender's site or re-direct you to a different Web address? If it re-directs you, that's a red flag that you should cease the transaction.
Find out who owns the Web site by using a "Whois" search such as the search at www.NetworkSolutions.com.
Exit from any Web site that asks for unnecessary personal information, like a Personal Identification Number (PIN) for your bank account, the three-digit code on the back of your credit card, or your passport number and issuing country. Legitimate sites don't ask for this information.
All legitimate sites will want to verify who you are, and will respond to an electronic request for a credit report by asking you for an additional piece of information. If a site does not ask a follow-up question, the site is almost certainly a fake.
Use only secure Web sites. Look for the "lock" icon on the browser's status bar, and the phrase "https" in the URL address for a Web site, to be sure your information is secure during transmission. All real sites are secure.
Watch your mailbox and credit card statements: If you've responded to a bogus site, you may never receive the credit report they offered for free. If you paid one of these sites for a credit report, your credit card may never be charged [for the report]; however, if you find that you have unauthorized charges, contact your financial institutions and credit card issuers immediately.

Report suspicious activity to the FTC and the U.S. Secret Service. Send the actual spam to the Los Angeles Electronic Crimes Task Force at LA.ECTF.reports@usss.dhs.gov and to the FTC at spam@uce.gov.

If you believe you've been scammed, file your complaint at www.FTC.gov, and then visit the FTC's Identity Theft Web site (www.consumer.gov/idtheft) to learn how to minimize your risk of damage from identity theft.

For More Information and to Complain

For a copy of your credit report from the major credit bureaus, contact:

Equifax - www.Equifax.com; 1-800-685-1111
Experian - www.Experian.com; 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742)
TransUnion - www.TransUnion.com; 1-800-888-4213

The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint or to get free information on consumer issues, visit www.FTC.gov or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261.

The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.

Get more information!

Private Investigator Jay Rosenzwig Start Public Records Blog As a Free Service

2006-02-21T04:30:00.000-08:00

The following is Courtesy of Jay's blog:

"New Public Records Blog Starts Today [January 27, 2006]!"

Today is the first day of our public records blog. I have been asked by many individuals to have a blog for public records information. So, let me begin by introducing myself.

I am a licensed private investigator in the State of California. As a PI, I was constantly bookmarking sites that would assist me in my investigation. After a while, there were many too many sites in the bookmarks. My wife asked me, "Why don't you create a website that has all these links for free public records and promote it to the general public."

Well, I took my wife's advice, and in the summer of 2000, I created a website called "PublicRecordFinder.com." The PublicRecordFinder.com site linked to free sites that provided online public records. I spent years gathering links and placing them on the site. In 2003, the site became one of the top sites on Google for finding public records. In the fall of 2004, I sold www.PublicRecordFinder.com to Intelius. Last year, I created another free public records site called www.FreePRF.com/ . Today, www.FreePRF.com/ is one of the most popular sites for finding free public records and can be found on "Google's" first page under the keywords "Public Records."

I spend about 10 hours a week updating the links and rely on your recommendations for adding links. You can join our Yahoo Groups forum to recommend links and discuss public records. There are over 3600 members in this group.

This blog will mostly provide information about conducting your own investigation, where to find public records that are not online and legislative news and information about access to public records. I can't guarantee that I will post everyday, but I will certainly do my best to inform you about public records.

Thanks for your support.

Jay Rosenzweig,
J R Investigations
California Investigation Services
22351 Ventura Blvd., Suite 262
Woodland Hills, CA
License No. PI 13143
www.CALIPI.com

For ways to protect yourself and your family, click here.

Nine Commonly Known Spammer Tricks and Steps You Can Take to Fight Back

2006-02-20T05:00:00.000-08:00

The following is courtesy of Yahoo:

Some of the most common questions Yahoo receives from are from their users complaining about spam. People feel it is getting worse, and they want to know why. Spammers are employing more advanced tactics and getting more aggressive in their spamming techniques. To understand how to stop spam, you should learn some of the tricks that spammers use to gain access to your Inbox.

Dictionary attacks:
The spammer takes a "dictionary" of common words and names, combines them, and sends email addressed to all different variations such as johndoe1@example.com, johndoe2@example.com, johndoe3@example.com.

Spammers typically do this at leading email providers that have a large base of users. Yahoo! Mail's enhanced SpamGuard can identify and prevent many dictionary attacks.
Email spoofing:
The spammer trick of choice these days, email spoofing, uses a faked email header that makes an email message look like the message came from someone or somewhere other than the spammer. It's fairly easy to make an email appear that it's sent from your own address or a seemingly credible source. Spammers use spoofing to get you to open and respond to their mail. Remember, you should never respond to unsolicited email - instead, report it by clicking the "Spam" button in Yahoo! Mail.
Spoofing Yahoo!
Many spammers try to spoof or imitate Yahoo! in the hope that you will submit your personal account information. Please be aware that Yahoo! will never ask you to email your personal information such as Yahoo! ID, password, social security number, credit card numbers, etc.

If you receive an email appearing to be from Yahoo! asking for this type of information, it's spam. Please report this email abuse by clicking the "Spam" button.
Social engineering:
This ploy tricks users into opening the spam by pretending to know the person or trying to lure the person with a "personal" subject line. Typical subject lines include "Hey how are you?," "Urgent and Confidential," "We need to meet," "I have money for you," or "It snowed again." Avoid this trick by never responding to unsolicited email, reporting it by clicking the "Spam" button, and setting up blocked addresses.
Mining message boards and chat rooms:
Do not post your email address in public places -- treat it like you would your phone number. If your email address appears on a message board, in a chat room, or any public place, spammers can use automated robots, or "bots," to search the Internet and grab your email address. We recommend using one of your Yahoo! Mail disposable email addresses - available only to our Yahoo! Mail Plus customers - when visiting message boards and chat rooms. With a disposable email address, you can monitor spam coming into that address and delete it if it gets too much spam.
Open proxy, third-party servers:
Open proxies are third-party servers that allow spammers to send mail while hiding their true identities and Internet locations (IP addresses). Many spammers use these open proxy servers to help maintain anonymity. Yahoo! Mail's patent-pending SpamGuard technology proactively protects you from this technique.
Web beacons:
An email may contain an image that is invisible to the recipient -- this is sometimes called an "invisible GIF" or "web beacon." Once the email is opened, the spammer is alerted that your address is "live." Yahoo! Mail advises that you don't open email messages if they appear to be spam.

To report a message as spam without opening it, click the box to the left of the message and then click the "Spam" button. The message will be deleted and reported as spam.

Additionally, Yahoo! Mail has an Image Blocking feature that prevents HTML graphics from loading until you determine the message is from a trusted sender. To set up Image Blocking, go to Mail Options and click on "Spam Protection."
Inserting random strings of text and characters:
To try and get through spam-control filters, spammers will insert random strings of text throughout the email to make the spam appear unique from other email. Sometimes they do this with email headers by adding spaces and characters like this: V_I_A_G_R_A. You can help fight this type of spam by not opening or responding to it and by reporting email abuse via the "Spam" button.
Chain Letters:
Many of us receive chain letters that invite you to forward the message on to your friends. Sometimes it will say you will get five cents for every email or bad luck if you send to less than five people. These are hoaxes created to promote spam. Never forward these emails thinking you will receive money for each recipient of their email.

Preventing More Spam:
In addition to changing the settings on your Yahoo! Mail account, here are some other spam-fighting tips:

Protect your email address - treat it like your phone number (or use Yahoo Mail! AddressGuard™ - available only to Yahoo! Mail Plus customers).
Use an email service that offers spam-fighting tools, like Yahoo! Mail.
Never send your password, credit card numbers, or other personal information in an email. Yahoo! will never ask you to send this type of information.
Don't post your email address in public places (e.g., newsgroups, message boards, chat rooms) where spammers mine for email addresses.
Use a Yahoo! Mail Disposable Email Address when posting online (available only to Yahoo! Mail Plus customers).
Never respond to unsolicited email - this can alert the sender that your email address is valid.
Never click on a URL or web site listed in spam - this will also alert the sender that your email address is valid.
Never forward spam chain letters.

For more information.

DVD Available To Help Consumers Combat Identity Theft

2006-02-19T05:30:00.000-08:00

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reports that identity theft cost consumers $5 billion and 300 million hours last year. Now, the government is taking steps to help crack down on the crime.

According to the FTC, 10 million people in the United States had their identities stolen last year.

"Identity theft is a particularly pernicious crime. Victims can lose opportunities for employment, credit, housing, the keys to their financial security once their credit history is corrupted by these information age thugs," said FTC Chairman Deborah Platt Majoras.

In response, a new DVD from the Treasury Department is now available. It aims to educate consumers on how to protect their identities.

"Technology being what it is, these attacks are changing daily and rapidly. Awareness is key to have everyone focused on staying ahead of curve," said Emil Henry Jr., the Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Financial Institutions.

The DVD recommends that consumers:

check their credit history. (All three major credit agencies offer free annual credit reports.)
not leave information lying around, including letters in their mailboxes.
shred statements and financial information once they are looked over.

To get the DVD, call (888) 878-3256.

For more ways to protect yourself and your family, click here.

Site Helping in Fight Against Phishing Scams

2006-02-18T05:30:00.000-08:00

is one of the internet's leading anti-phishing sites, maintaining a massive archive of phishing and identity theft email scams. They are currently storing all scam reports with our HoneyTrap database which is now available for commercial license.

Additionally www.MillerSmiles.co.uk also runs a news service that brings you all the latest headlines from the world of fraudulent emails and phishing.

Latest Phishing News Headlines:

Christmas phishing threats loom
Phishing - A Tougher Art
Google fixes security flaw
Phishing Protection in Office SP2
Yahoo! Hosting Phishing Sites
Microsoft's Anti - Phishing Tool
Spear-Phishing Phenomenon
'Phishing' Enters English Dictionary
Bank Launches Anti-Scam Effort
Spanish Phishing Gang Busted
Spyware Threat From Phishers
Phishing Fraud Duo Jailed

Where should you start?

If you're looking for specific information on fraud email scams and phishing, then check out their latest scam reports listed on their site.

www.MillerSmiles.co.uk also runs RSS news feeds for their latest scam reports and news stories. you'll find links to these at the top of the page.

To search for a specific scam, or to see if an email you've received might be a spoof, try using their search or browse their archives.
For more general information about scams, frauds and phishing, have at look at their FAQ or their articles.

See the latest scams against:

eBay
PayPal
Bank of the West
Barclays
Washington Mutual (WAMU)
Natwest
Nationwide
Citibank
SouthTrust
AOL
Regions
HSBC
All companies

Don't become a victim of the phishers! The www.MillerSmiles.co.uk site is a dedicated resource of anti-phishing tools and information.

What is an email phishing scam?

In brief, a 'phishing' email is one that pretends to be from a company or bank like eBay, PayPal, WAMU, Suntrust etc, and which asks you, (for various reasons), to enter your account data, such as login details. These scams are often supported by fake spoof websites, and victims are tricked into thinking they are logging to a real website. Phishing is a form of identity theft, where fraudsters/cybercriminals steal your identity and personal information to gain access to your accounts or commit other crimes using your persona.

For more information about protecting yourself and your family, click here.

Layton Family Falls Victim to Online ‘Phishing’ Scam

2006-02-17T17:00:00.000-08:00

The following is courtesy of:

By Lynn Wilde, Business Editor
January 23, 2006

When Weber State University police academy hopeful Laura Levingston went to work on Jan. 12, she had enough money in the bank to cover the checks she had written. When she returned home at 11:45 p.m., her bank account was overdrawn. Soccer tickets and hip-hop multimedia were charged to her account.

“I woke my husband up and asked him if he had made purchases from PayPal,” Levingston said.

When she learned the purchases were made fraudulently, she began looking for other suspicious activity. Using the history on her Web browser, Levingston attempted to retrace her husband’s steps to no avail.

Levingston was a victim of phishing. According to Wikipedia, the term phishing “arises from the use of increasingly sophisticated lures to ‘fish’ for users’ financial information and passwords.”

Levingston’s husband received an e-mail from someone whom he thought was PayPal asking him to update his account.

“He thought it was a legitimate request,” Levingston said. He submitted the information, which included his checking account information.

According to www.phishinginfo.org, identity thieves send e-mails to people asking them to confirm the information for their account. There is often a threat that failure to provide a quick response might cause account closure. The e-mails often have links to a counterfeit site that appears real.

After a sleepless night, Levingston contacted her financial institution, Bank of Utah.

“They were really nice,” she said. The lady told me I would probably get my money back.”

Bank of Utah reacted quickly and froze her account. Any activity had to be approved by Levingston. She closed the pillaged account and opened a new one.

Scott Parkinson, senior vice president of retail banking for Bank of Utah said the first line of defense to avoid getting scammed is education. His bank puts out fliers to warn people of the dangers of identity theft, how to avoid it, and what to do if victimized. He also refers customers to Bank of Utah’s Web site for more information.

“Our goal is to stay one step ahead of the crooks,” Parkinson said.

However, Levingston was a few steps behind. She called some of the merchants about the unauthorized purchases and was credited her money back. Some of the charges dropped off the account. She is still waiting for a credit from an online vendor.

“Had I not signed up for online banking, I wouldn’t have known,” Levingston said.

The crooks also submitted bids and won auctions on Ebay. She received negative feedback as a result.

The emotional effects of getting phished have been devastating for Levingston. She feels violated.

“I know it’s irrational, but I’m afraid to go outside” she said. “I don’t know what information someone has about me.”

And the financial effects have been upsetting to Levingston and her family. Trying to recover from Christmas and her husband being out of work, Levingston worked 18 days in a row to catch up. She had just enough to cover her bills.

“It was like I worked for nothing,” she said.

Also, other important plans were quelled.

“I couldn’t go out on my anniversary,” Levingston said.

She has recovered most of her money, but lost her trust.

*******************************************

Reach reporter Lynn Wilde by calling 801-626-7624.

Get more information!

Invasion of the ID Snatchers

2006-02-16T05:00:00.000-08:00

The following is courtesy of:

For Victims: What to Do?

It’s frightening to lose your wallet or discover that someone has used information about you for a fraudulent purpose. Don’t panic—help is available. You will need to remain calm, cool, and collected as you go through the process of resolving the problem.

Know that ID theft is a crime. The federal government and many states have enacted specific laws against ID theft.

You can get detailed advice by calling the Federal Trade Commission’s ID Theft Clearinghouse toll-free at 877-438-4338 or going to www.consumer.gov/idtheft. You can also provide information about your problem, which will help law enforcement agencies investigate and track ID theft. The FTC will send you a free booklet, “ID Theft: When Bad Things Happen To Your Good Name,” or you can get it online. There are other steps that you might want to take right away.

If you believe that someone is using your identity illegally, report the crime to a law enforcement agency. It isn’t always possible for agencies to investigate every case, but making an official “identity theft report” can help you solve problems resulting from the ID theft. The “identity theft report” must be a document that subjects the person filing it to criminal penalties for providing false information. This is intended to discourage people from filing phony reports to try to avoid paying legitimate debts, not to prevent legitimate ID theft victims from reporting the crimes. Report the crime to:

Your local police;

The police department where the theft occurred; or

A state or federal agency, including the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
(Do not use a complaint to the FTC as an official identity theft report).

Know your payment rights. Under federal law, you are not responsible for more than $50.00 if someone uses your credit card without authorization, and most issuers will remove the charges completely if you report the problem as soon as you discover it. While your losses could be greater if someone uses your debit card, the card issuer may have a policy that offers you more protection than federal law provides. You can contest checks that have been used with your forged signature or unauthorized withdrawals from your bank account.

When a financial account is involved, contact the bank immediately. If your credit card, debit card, ATM card, or checks have been lost or stolen, or if you suspect that someone has obtained your account number for fraudulent purposes, inform the financial institution promptly and ask what you need to do to protect your money.

Respond quickly to debt collectors. If debt collectors contact you about accounts opened in your name or unauthorized charges made to your existing accounts, respond immediately in writing, keeping a copy of your letter. Explain why you don’t owe the money and enclose copies of any supporting documents, such as an official identity theft report. You have the right to ask the debt collector for the name of the business that is owed the debt and the amount owed. And you have the right to ask that business for copies of the credit applications or other documents relating to any transactions that you believe were made by the ID thief.

Put a fraud alert in your credit files. This will oblige creditors to take extra precautions if someone applies for credit in your name to verify that it’s really you. There are two kinds of fraud alerts. An “initial fraud alert” does not require you to provide a copy of an official “identity theft report” and stays on your credit records for at least 90 days. This is the kind of alert to use if you think you might be a victim but you’re not sure – for instance, if you lost your wallet or you find out that someone has gotten access to the customer records at a place you do business. An “extended fraud alert” should be placed when you have reason to believe that someone has illegally used your identity. You must provide a copy of an official “identity theft report” to request an extended fraud alert, which will stay on your credit records for 7 years. If you put an initial fraud alert on your files, you can always request an extended alert later if the situation warrants it. Just contact one of the three major credit bureaus to place the fraud alert; it will be shared automatically with the other two:

Equifax, 800-525-6285, TDD 800-255-0056, www.equifax.com;
Experian, 888-397-3742, TDD 800-972-0322, www.experian.com;
TransUnion, 800-680-7289, TDD 877-553-7803, www.transunion.com.

Get free copies of your credit reports. When you file a fraud alert, the credit bureaus will contact you with information about how to get free copies of your credit reports. If you filed an initial fraud alert, you are entitled to one free copy of your credit report from each of the bureaus. If you filed an extended alert, you will be able to get two copies from each of the bureaus, one right away and the other within 12 months. This will help you onitor your account for problems. Since the information at the credit bureaus may be different, be sure to get your reports from all three.

Follow the instructions to dispute any accounts you didn’t open, charges you didn’t make, or other information that isn’t accurate. Be specific about any information that you believe is the result of the ID theft. You can permanently block that information from your credit files; you will be asked for a copy of your official identity theft report to do so. As with fraud alerts, you only need to report problems with your credit reports to one of the bureaus, and it will share that information with the other two (see contact information above).

Keep checking your credit report regularly. A new federal law entitles all consumers to ask each of the three major credit bureaus for free copies of their reports once in every 12-month period. This free annual report program started in late 2004 and is being phased in gradually across the country, from West to East. Go to www.ftc.gov/credit or call 877-382-4357 for more details and to see when you can make your requests. You don’t have to ask all three credit bureaus for your reports at the same time; you can stagger your requests if you prefer. Do not contact the credit bureaus directly for these free annual reports. They are only available by calling 877-322-8228 or going to www.annualcreditreport.com. You can make your requests by phone or online, or download a form to mail your requests.

Your state law may also entitle you to free credit reports. Ask your local consumer protection or state attorney general’s office. Any rights your state law gives you are in addition to your rights under federal law.

Be cautious about offers for credit monitoring services. Why pay extra for them when you can get your credit reports for free or very cheap? Read the description of the services carefully. Unless you’re a victim of serious and ongoing identity theft, buying a service that alerts you to certain activities in your credit files probably isn’t worthwhile, especially if it costs hundreds of dollars a year. You can purchase copies of your credit reports anytime for about $9.00 through the bureaus’ Web sites or by phone:

Equifax, 800-685-111;

Experian, 800-311-4769;

TransUnion, 800-888-4213.

For the full story, just click on the banner:

Get more information!

The Real Safety Guide to Beating Identity Theft, Con Artists, and Credit Fraud

2006-02-15T05:30:00.000-08:00

Save yourself from con artists, identity thieves ,and credit scams, and never be a helpless victim again.

Credit scams and identity theft can happen to you suddenly, unknowingly... and with devastating personal and financial consequences.

Just like millions of honest, hardworking people have sadly discovered, thanks to the growing sophistication of con artists and crooks, you could soon find yourself fighting credit card charges you never made, going to court for failing to pay for items you never bought, or losing your ability to lease your dream car, buy your family a well-deserved home or even make a small credit card purchase just to buy food.

It has already happened to millions, and government crime statistics show that you could be next.

But this doesn't have to be your future. You can protect yourself from these con artists, identity thieves and credit scams. All you need is the right information.

Introducing the Real Safety Guide to Beating Identity Theft, Con Artists & Credit Fraud. This breakthrough guide teaches you 140 real-world strategies for making yourself virtually immune to cons, crimes and crooks. Based on live interviews with convicted con artist criminals, crime prevention experts, and law enforcement officials, the Real Safety Guide to Beating Identity Theft, Con Artists & Credit Fraud is the most comprehensive and up-to-date collection of real-world protection strategies ever published!

In this Real Safety Guide, you'll discover:

The 140 top strategies for beating thieves and con artists at the fastest growing crime in America.
Unbelievable insight into the world of cybercrime from our exclusive interviews with Lt. Bob Greenwood (the crime prevention expert of a major U.S. city's police department) and even convicted con artists still serving time in prison!
The basic psychology con artists use to fool their victims.
The cover-all tip to avoid most telephone cons.
How you can obtain a free copy of your credit report once a year.
Free and easy strategies for keeping your credit card numbers (and your credit) safe from the watching eyes of thieves.
The one, inexpensive piece of office equipment that can save you or your company from thousands of dollars in credit card fraud.
The 20 steps to rebuilding your life and taking back control after identity theft.
The five states where identity theft is most common and ways you can protect yourself, no matter where you live.
What you shouldn't have in your wallet or purse.
The five most common telephone sales scams and easy tips for avoiding them.
How to spot a door-to-door con, including the two most common disguises criminals use to get into your home.
Why you don't have to give your social security number to everyone who asks.
How to keep your mail (and all the information on it) out of thieves' hands.
Why formatting your computer isn't enough to erase the personal information on your hard drive and how you can really make your computer a clean slate before you sell it.
How to be a smart shopper: Why extended warranties are usually not worth the money.
Strategies to keep your entire neighborhood safe from con artists.
The "Binary Question" con and how to not fall for it.
Who door-to-door con artists target the most.
What may have been done to that supposedly "like new" used car.
Who's more likely to cheat you -- a car dealership or a private seller.
How to recognize telemarketers' true intentions.
The rules that telemarketers must follow and what you can do to stop those who break them.

… and much, much more. The interviewed the top experts and researched the most informative sources to give you the most up-to-date and thorough information on beating identity theft and fraud. And we put it all right here in this authoritative Real Safety Guide to Beating Identity Theft, Con Artists & Credit Fraud. You simply won't find this information anywhere else, at any price!

Don't wait around for criminals to find you first.

Getting this guide may be one of the most important things you ever do.

Right now, con artists and thieves around the world are dreaming up complex schemes to steal your money and leave you penniless, but you can defend yourself. Just click on the book cover above and, for only $9.95, you can download this book instantly and learn how to not become one of the 10 million (and growing) Americans who suffer from identity theft, credit scams and other cons each year.

A small price to pay for peace of mind for you and your family.

For more information about protecting your family, click here.

Federal Government Warns: Stop! Think! Click! 7 Practices for Safer Computing

2006-02-14T06:00:00.000-08:00

Stop · Think · Click

You can minimize the chance of an Internet mishap by adopting these practices:

Protect your personal information. It's valuable.

Know who you're dealing with.

Use anti-virus software and a firewall, and update
both regularly.

Make sure your operating system and Web browser are
set up properly and update them regularly.

Protect your passwords.

Back up important files.

Learn who to contact if something goes wrong online.

Click on either banner for a surprise!

Click here to read more .

Get more information!

How To Protect Yourself From Phishers

2006-02-13T05:30:00.000-08:00

The following is courtesy of:

Watch out for “phishy” emails. The most common form of phishing is emails pretending to be from a legitimate retailer, bank, organization, or government agency. The sender asks to “confirm” your personal information for some made-up reason: your account is about to be closed, an order for something has been placed in your name, or your information has been lost because of a computer problem.

Another tactic phishers use is to say they’re from the fraud departments of well-known companies and ask to verify your information because they suspect you may be a victim of identity theft! In one case, a phisher claimed to be from a state lottery commission and requested people’s banking information to deposit their “winnings” in their accounts.
Don’t click on links within emails that ask for your personal information. Fraudsters use these links to lure people to phony Web sites that looks just like the real sites of the company, organization, or agency they’re impersonating. If you follow the instructions and enter your personal information on the Web site, you’ll deliver it directly into the hands of identity thieves. To check whether the message is really from the company, organization, or agency, call it directly or go to its Web site, using a search engine to find it).
Beware of “pharming.” In this latest version of online ID theft, a virus or malicious program is secretly planted in your computer and hijacks your Web browser. When you type in the address of a legitimate Web site, you’re taken to a fake copy of the site without realizing it. Any personal information you provide at the phony site, such as your password or account number, can be stolen and fraudulently used.
Never enter your personal information in a pop-up screen. Sometimes a phisher will direct you to a real company’s, organization’s, or agency’s Web site, but then an unauthorized pop-up screen created by the scammer will appear, with blanks in which to provide your personal information. If you fill it in, your information will go to the phisher. Legitimate companies, agencies and organizations don’t ask for personal information via pop-up screens. Install pop-up blocking software to help prevent this type of phishing attack.
Protect your computer with spam filters, anti-virus and anti-spyware software, and a firewall, and keep them up to date. A spam filter can help reduce the number of phishing emails you get. Anti-virus software, which scans incoming messages for troublesome files, and anti-spyware software, which looks for programs that have been installed on your computer and track your online activities without your knowledge, can protect you against pharming and other techniques that phishers use. Firewalls prevent hackers and unauthorized communications from entering your computer – which is especially important if you have a broadband connection because your computer is open to the Internet whenever it’s turned on. Look for programs that offer automatic updates and take advantage of free patches that manufacturers offer to fix newly discovered problems. Go to www.onguardonline.gov and www.staysafeonline.org to learn more about how to keep your computer secure.
Only open email attachments if you’re expecting them and know what they contain. Even if the messages look like they came from people you know, they could be from scammers and contain programs that will steal your personal information.
Know that phishing can also happen by phone. You may get a call from someone pretending to be from a company or government agency, making the same kinds of false claims and asking for your personal information.
If someone contacts you and says you’ve been a victim of fraud, verify the person’s identity before you provide any personal information. Legitimate credit card issuers and other companies may contact you if there is an unusual pattern indicating that someone else might be using one of your accounts. But usually they only ask if you made particular transactions; they don’t request your account number or other personal information. Law enforcement agencies might also contact you if you’ve been the victim of fraud. To be on the safe side, ask for the person’s name, the name of the agency or company, the telephone number, and the address. Get the main number from the phone book, the Internet, or directory assistance, then call to find out if the person is legitimate.
Job seekers should also be careful. Some phishers target people who list themselves on job search sites. Pretending to be potential employers, they ask for your social security number and other personal information. Follow the advice above and verify the person’s identity before providing any personal information.
Be suspicious if someone contacts you unexpectedly and asks for your personal information. It’s hard to tell whether something is legitimate by looking at an email or a Web site, or talking to someone on the phone. But if you’re contacted out of the blue and asked for your personal information, it’s a warning sign that something is “phishy.” Legitimate companies and agencies don’t operate that way.
Act immediately if you’ve been hooked by a phisher. If you provided account numbers, PINS, or passwords to a phisher, notify the companies with whom you have the accounts right away. For information about how to put a “fraud alert” on your files at the credit reporting bureaus and other advice for ID theft victims, contact the Federal Trade Commission’s ID Theft Clearinghouse, www.consumer.gov/idtheft or 877-438-4338, TDD 202-326-2502.
Report phishing, whether you’re a victim or not. Tell the company or agency that the phisher was impersonating. You can also report the problem to law enforcement agencies through the National Fraud Information Center/Internet Fraud Watch, www.fraud.org or 800-876-7060, TDD 202-835-0778. The information you provide helps to stop identity theft.

Get more information!

Parents: Children Are Easy Targets for Identity Thieves!

2006-02-12T05:30:00.000-08:00

The following is courtesy of:

Whether cildren are online or offline at the time of an identity theft, it does not matter to the identity thieves. They know that children are easy "marks" and consequently are increasingly targeting them. According the Federal Trade Commission, complaints about identity theft involving youngsters under 18 have nearly doubled since 2003, up from 6,512 to more than 11,600 last year.

While they make up a small percentage -- about 5 percent -- of the total ID theft complaints, the FTC's Jay Miller says young people are attractive to cons because they may not be as savvy about safeguarding personal information and could easily fall prey while surfing the Internet.

"Identity thieves don't see age as a hurdle," said Miller, who works with law enforcement to combat identity theft. "All they want is as much information about a person as they can get regardless of age. And believe me, they will find a way to use it."

And they have, says Sue Houk of the San Diego-based Identity Theft Resource Center. Houk's friend was stunned to learn that someone had fraudulently opened a bank account in her 12-year-old daughter's name. The con artist then opened about a half dozen credit card accounts, declared bankruptcy, had it written off and left the youngster with a mess of legal hassles.

"It's an easy thing to do. Once they get a valid Social Security number, they just go to town," said Houk, who is the Acting Chief Executive of the Center, a private organization that distributes information about identity theft.

The most victimized age group for identity theft was the 18-to-29 category. The FTC said that category registered 29 percent of the complaints, or more than 70,200. According to the FTC's annual report on consumer fraud complaints identity theft again topped the list for the sixth consecutive year. The number of complaints filed with the FTC jumped from 246,847 in 2004 to more than 255,500 last year.

Parents, I caution you: Keep a closer eye on your children's online and offline activities and events. The identity thieves are!

Get more information!

Phishing and Crimeware Map of Related Related Websites

2006-02-11T05:30:00.000-08:00

The following is courtesy of:

Click on banner to view the most updated map.

The Phishing and Crimeware map displays the most recent data collected by Websense Security Labs (WS Labs) and provides a historical look into where Phishing and Crimeware related websites are hosted on the Internet. Upon discovery, each site is looked up via its IP Address to track the country of origin through the appropriate IP registrars and plotted on the map. The data is updated approximately 15 minutes after discovery.

What is Project: Crimeware? Starting in June of 2005 Websense Security Labs, in conjunction with the AntiPhishing Working Group, started Project: Crimeware. Below is a description of the project from the June AntiPhishing Working Group monthly report. The Crimeware map plots the countries where the websites are hosting malicious code as it pertains to Crimeware.

Since early 2004, the APWG has been observing technical advances worldwide in the way that criminals are attacking unsuspecting users in order to steal consumer information. Although phishing with social engineering lure emails and counterfeit websites is the most prominent phishing technique, there is a rise in alternative methods to co-opt consumers’ online credentials or gain control of their accounts without using direct deception. (The APWG notes that in Brazil, the archetypical phishing approach is actually a blended social engineering and technical subterfuge attack, driving a general population to generic entertainment sites in order to plant key loggers, techniques manifestly more potent than pure social engineering schemes when you examine the alleged phishers’ takings reported during police arrests there over the past year - upwards of tens of millions each time.)

Automated systems based on trojaning schemes and session hikacking systems have reported worldwide over the past 18 months in a trend of development that has surged markedly over the past 3 months, supporting the APWG’s view that automated phishing systems are the way of the future worldwide for this criminal enterprise.

It is the APWG’s belief that phishers will, over time, adopt more automated attack systems based on technical subterfuge to supplement social engineering schemes - or replace them. To remain relevant in its data reporting, the APWG initiated PROJECT: Crimeware, a program of collaborative research designed to capture, record and characterize incidents that are new and emerging in order for the APWG to include them in the monthly report and, possibly, other reports that specifically address the threats posed by crimeware.

What is crimeware? The APWG defines it as a genus of technology distinguished from adware, spyware, and malware by the fact that it is, by design, developed for the single purpose of animating a financial or business crime.

Get more information!

ID Theft Warning Issued for California Guardsmen

2006-02-10T05:30:00.000-08:00

The following is courtesy of:

Stolen Briefcase Prompts Identity Theft Warning for California Guardsmen
Written for the web by Jason Kobely, Internet News Producer
1/21/2006

Personal information on hundreds of California National Guardsmen may have been compromised after a car thief broke into a vehicle and stole a briefcase loaded with personal data on servicemen and women.

A National Guard spokesman said the briefcase was taken from a Guard employee's vehicle January 7 in Sacramento. Officials would not confirm the location of the theft, saying it's possible the thief didn't realize what they had stolen.

In the briefcase was a National Guard seniority roster, including names, Social Security numbers and other personal information of hundreds of National Guardsmen. Not all of California's 1,500 Guardsmen were included on the roster, according to the Guard.

National Guard soldiers were sent a memo about the theft, warning staffers to keep an especially close watch on any possible cases of identity theft.

Get more information!

Criminals Are More Creative and Brazen in Stealing Identities

2006-02-09T06:00:00.000-08:00

The following is courtesy of:

Identity Theft In The Valley
(CBS 5 News)-- 1/21/06

Criminals may be getting more creative and more brazen in how they try to steal people's identities.

Saturday, a new way they are trying to become someone else.

For anyone who has a post office box, this story should serve as a warning. You could be the victim of ID theft.

Scottsdale Police say 26-year-old Joshua Todd and 23-year-old Kyle McClellan are behind bars for ID theft. Investigators say they had a mail box, and would reach through their box grabbing not only their own mail, but putting their arm all the way through, taking other people's mail in adjacent boxes.

Police said the two then altered the stolen mail and made fake credit cards. They were arrested at a Kinko's where detectives said they were altering some mail. Police also located a fraudulently purchased laptop and arrested 26-year-old Carlos Cortez.

Police said both Todd and McClellan are known by authorities for fraud-related crimes. All three were also found with drugs.

More than twenty victims have been identified, and the losses are in the thousands of dollars.

Police recommend that anyone who suspects they've been the victim of ID theft to get a credit check.

Get more information!

Criminals Reveal Their Secrets About Identity Theft

2006-02-08T05:30:00.000-08:00

WPRI and WNAC - TV and www.WPRI.COM
25 Catamore Boulevard
East Providence, RI 02914

Revealing Criminal Secrets - Identity Theft

Your home, your mailbox, your wallet. All targets for identity thieves going after your hard earned cash. The Target-12 Investigators go behind bars, revealing criminal secrets so you can protect yourself.

It's the fastest growing crime in the nation - identity theft. Tonight, we go inside the criminal mind, discovering how these thieves commit their crimes and target their victims.

Last year alone, a quarter million people were victims of identity theft - And that number continues to rise. The convicted criminals we interviewed for this report say that's because it's just "too easy” to get your personal information and do some serious damage.

Someone like Kama Myers is serving jail time for cashing in on innocent people by taking what she calls, "the easy road."

Kama Myers: "If you can get $500 stealing a credit card or $500 robbing a bank, you're gonna take somebody's credit card".

It's the name of the "I-D theft" game, and it's a game Myers almost always won by circling quiet streets, in almost any neighborhood - looking for plastic "gold". And when she got one?

Kama Myers: "Ha ha . . . It's like payday; it's like I scored."

According to our exclusive Target-12 Poll surveying more than 400 Rhode islanders, of "all" the crimes you can possibly fear, only 2-percent of you are afraid of identity theft. But on the "inside," Target-12 uncovers "why" you should be more concerned.

Kama Myers: "'Cause it's so easy. 'Cause it's just very easy." Myers made her money by confiscating credit cards from mailboxes and she took her work seriously.

Kama Myers: "If I set aside six hours to go through mailboxes than I did it for six hours. If I came across two in the first two hours, then I still did the other four hours."

House after house - Myers would collect the cards by rifling through mailboxes. Sometimes, even being "eyed" by curious neighbors who rarely questioned what she was up to.

Kama Myers: "If I’m getting in my car next door and I see you at a mailbox, and you say something to me, I’ll just leave".

Kama is just one of the inmates revealing her criminal secrets to the Target-12 Investigators. We sent out hundreds of surveys to convicted criminals, asking them about their crimes.

Questions like: "What is your secret for stealing someone's identity?"

With blunt answers like: "There is no secret. It's pretty easy."

That answer came from convicted criminal Richard Sypek, who's doing almost two-years for cashing checks - payroll checks mistakenly delivered to his home that, for awhile, just sat there.

Richard Sypek: "One day, I just, bing, a little light bulb came up and I knew how I could use them."

Sypek says it was so easy, because no one checked any identification. And while "he" spent thousands, Kama Myers was doing the same, and she wasn't just stealing from mailboxes, but right out of customer’s wallets in places like the supermarket.

Kama Myers: "People keep it in the same place. You keep your credit cards in your wallet. Everybody does it and especially when you're shopping you keep your wallet on top of your purse."

And according to the pros, what you can do to protect yourself is just as easy.

Kama Myers: "People think it'll never happen to me so they don't protect themselves. They don't shred their mail, they don't put locks on their mailboxes, they think: 'it's not gonna happen in my neighborhood.'"

The Target-12 Investigators discover a number of ways you can protect yourself:

Write the words "See ID." on the back of all your credit cards.
You should also place protective passwords on all credit and bank accounts - and even phone accounts.
Finally, keep your Social Security number private.

Criminals will tell you it's the key to almost anything personal that can leave you out of luck and out of cash.

Richard Sypek: "I had a really nice Christmas, but I’m sure the family I took from didn't".

Remorse from the pros who mastered a criminal craft that claims five more victims every fifteen seconds.

Richard Sypek: "I regret everything I did, believe that".

Kama Myers: "I feel really bad, which is why I chose to do this. Because if I can help somebody protect themselves then I feel like this wasn't wasted time".

Kama Myers says she also stole from family members, which is why you need to be aware of everyone near your personal information.

A few additional tips:

Lock mailbox
Separate credit cards
Never carry Social Security Card

Lock your mailbox because the mailman only needs to slip mail inside. Also, avoid keeping "all" your credit cards together in your wallet . . . and never carry your Social Security Card.

Get more information!

Landing the Big Phish

2006-02-07T18:30:00.000-08:00

The following is courtesy of:

Computer Associates
One Computer Associates Plaza
Islandia, NY 11749USA

Directions
Phone: +1-631-342-6000
Fax: +1-631-342-6800

The latest nefarious ID phishing scam: bogus employment offers presented to online job seekers.

Phishing scammers are trolling the sites of online headhunters and are targeting prospects via posted resumes; these unsuspecting employment candidates are being baited to divulge personal information - like Social Security Numbers, dates of birth and more - by being asked to fill out phony job applications and other fake Human Resource forms.

One especially effective hook: the request for preliminary information to perform so-called routine background checks. Job hunters beware. It's illegal for a company to ask for your date of birth, and any legitimate request for a Social Security Number should automatically turn into bullets or asterisks onscreen as you enter the numbers, as part of some security encryption function.

The CA Solution: Cover your family's multiple email accounts with complete spam protection using e Trust® Anti-Spam .

Get more information!

Preventing Identity Theft: A Newspaper Report

2006-02-06T05:30:00.000-08:00

By John Moore of The Aiken Standard
Sunday, January 22, 2006

Everyone is at risk for identity theft, but there are many precautions a person can take to greatly reduce the chances of personal information getting into the wrong hands.

“Identity theft can strike anybody from birth to death and beyond,” said Dick Dewar, volunteer for the Identity Theft Resource Center and president of the Friends of the Library, during a presentation Saturday at the Aiken County Public Library.

Dewar said in 2002 there were an estimated 7 million victims of identity theft and the problem continues to grow.

“In 2000, the average victim spent 175 hours and $808 to repair their credit,” Dewar said. “In 2003, it was 600 hours and cost an average of $16,000. Once credit is lost, it’s a full time job to get it back.”

Dewar said some simple precautions can go a long way towards protecting against identity theft. “There are countless ways we are exposed daily,” Dewar said. “There are high tech and simple low tech forms of identity theft.”

The cause of identity theft can be as simple as a thief stealing a check from a mailbox or finding personal information in the garbage.

“We strongly recommend everyone to get a shredder, preferably cross-cut shredders,” Dewar said.

Dewar said mail should not be left unattended in the mailbox.

Telephone solicitation calls and the Internet are also ways identity thieves can obtain personal information.

“You can get callers claiming to be from the IRS or a bank, and you can even get an e-mail that looks like it came from your bank,” Dewar said. “Some scams look like employment ads and ask for information and even resumes for jobs.”

Dewar said to never give personal information to someone on a call you did not initiate, and to use firewall software to protect your computer.

Dewar said it is also important not to give out a Social Security number unless someone has a reason to have it.

“Make sure you know why they are collecting it,” Dewar said.

Reasons to suspect identity theft can be denied credit, unexplainable collection notices or denied drivers license renewal. In extreme cases, a person could even be arrested for actions of someone who has stolen their identity.

“Financial identity theft is when someone steals your complete identity using your name, Social Security number and driver’s license— they become you and live like you,” Dewar said.

“Criminal identity theft is when someone tells a police officer they are you and get away with it. Identity cloning is when another person uses your identity to lead an entirely new life.”

There are many other more common types of identity theft ranging from credit card fraud, theft, or account takeover to check washing and counterfeiting.

Dewar said it is important to check your credit report once a year.

More information on identity theft and resources for victims of identity theft can be found at www.IdTheftCenter.org/.

Contact John Moore at jmoore@aikenstandard.com

Consumer suggestions from the Identity Theft Resource Center:

Cross-cut shred sensitive papers before they go in the trash. This includes pre-approved credit card offers, checks, insurance benefit statements, bills, statements, anything with bar-codes.
Guard your Social Security number. Don’t carry it and resist giving it out unless necessary.
Don’t put Social Security numbers on checks.
Check your credit report once a year.
Block your name from pre-approved credit card lists by calling 1-888-5OPTOUT.
Guard your personal information. Carry as little as possible in your wallet. Get credit cards with your picture on them. Be alert to shoulder surfers listening for information. Cancel credit cards you no longer use.
Use firewall software to protect your computer. Watch out for Internet scams.

Get more information!

Join the U.S. Postal Service for National Consumer Protection Week February 5-11, 2006.

2006-02-05T06:00:00.000-08:00

The following is courtesy of the US Postal Service:

Fighting Fraud: It's a Family Matter.

When your grandparents are taken in by a fraudulent investment, your mom loses money to an illegal foreign lottery, or your son or daughter falls for a bogus job offer, who gets victimized? The entire family.

That's why the U.S. Postal Service® Consumer Advocate's Office and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service are partnering to educate American families about fraudulent schemes and equip them with tools to protect themselves from scammers. Educated families are the best defense against criminal fraud.

I invite you to join them from February 5 through 11, 2006, for National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW) and learn about these common types of fraud:

Foreign lotteries
Free-prize schemes
Investment schemes
Multilevel marketing
Work-at-home scams
Identity fraud (or identity theft)
Internet fraud (and online auctions)

Get more information!

The Internet Crime Complaint Center to Your Rescue

2006-02-04T05:30:00.000-08:00

The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) was established as a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C) to serve as a means to receive Internet-related criminal complaints and to further research, develop, and refer the criminal complaints to federal, state, local, or international law enforcement and/or regulatory agencies for any investigation they deem to be appropriate. The IC3 was intended, and continues to emphasize, serving the broader law enforcement community to include federal, as well as state, local, and international agencies, which are combating Internet crime and, in many cases, participating in Cyber Crime Task Forces.

Since its inception, the IC3 has received complaints crossing the spectrum of cyber crime matters, to include online fraud in its many forms including:

Economic Espionage (Theft of Trade Secrets),
Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) matters,
International Money Laundering,
Computer Intrusions (hacking),
Online Extortion,
Identity Theft, and
a growing list of Internet facilitated crimes.

Since June 2000, it has become increasingly evident that, regardless of the label placed on a cyber crime matter, the potential for it to overlap with another referred matter is substantial. Therefore, the IC3, formerly known as the Internet Fraud Complaint Center (IFCC), was renamed in October 2003 to better reflect the broad character of such matters having an Internet, or cyber, nexus referred to the IC3, and to minimize the need for one to distinguish "Internet Fraud" from other potentially overlapping cyber crimes.

IC3 Mission Statement:
IC3's mission is to serve as a vehicle to receive, develop, and refer criminal complaints regarding the rapidly expanding arena of cyber crime. The IC3 gives the victims of cyber crime a convenient and easy-to-use reporting mechanism that alerts authorities of suspected criminal or civil violations. For law enforcement and regulatory agencies at the federal, state, local, and international level, IC3 provides a central referral mechanism for complaints involving Internet related crimes.

Significant and supplemental to partnering with law enforcement and regulatory agencies, it will remain a priority objective of the IC3 to establish effective alliances with industry. Such alliances will enable the IC3 to leverage both intelligence and subject matter expert resources, pivotal in identifying and in crafting an aggressive, proactive approach to combating cyber crime.

Click here to download this flyer in pdf format.

Get more information!

FTC Consumer Alert: The Secrets of Mystery Shopping Revealed

2006-02-03T06:00:00.000-08:00

The following is courtesy of:

Federal Trade Commission
Bureau of Consumer Protection
Office of Consumer & Business Education

Do you love to shop? If so, you may be tempted by unsolicited emails or newspaper ads that claim you can earn a living as a secret or mystery shopper by dining at elegant restaurants, shopping at pricey stores, or checking into luxurious hotels. But, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation’s consumer protection agency, marketers who promise lucrative jobs as mystery shoppers often do not deliver bona fide opportunities.

What is Mystery Shopping?

Some retailers hire marketing research companies to evaluate the quality of service in their stores; these companies use mystery shoppers to get the information anonymously. They assign a mystery shopper to make a particular purchase in a store or restaurant, for example, and then report on the experience. Typically, the shopper is reimbursed, and can keep the product or service.

Many professionals in the field consider mystery shopping a part-time activity, at best. And, they add, opportunities generally are posted online by marketing research or merchandising companies. Nevertheless, fraudulent mystery shopping promoters are using newspaper ads and emails to create the impression that they’re a gateway to lucrative mystery shopper jobs with reputable companies. These solicitations usually promote a website where consumers can “register” to become mystery shoppers — after they pay a fee for information about a certification program, a directory of mystery shopping companies, or a guarantee of a mystery shopping job.

The truth is that it is unnecessary to pay money to anyone to get into the mystery shopper business. The shopping certification offered in advertising or unsolicited email is almost always worthless. A list of companies that hire mystery shoppers is available for free; and legitimate mystery shopper jobs are on the Internet for free. Consumers who try to get a refund from promoters of mystery shopping jobs usually are out of luck. Either the business doesn’t return the phone calls, or if it does, it’s to try another pitch.

The Facts of Mystery Shopping

Becoming a legitimate mystery shopper for a legitimate company doesn’t cost anything. Here’s
how to do it:

Search the Internet for mystery shopping companies that are accepting applications.
Legitimate companies don’t charge an application fee. Many accept applications online.
Do some homework about mystery shopping. Check libraries or bookstores for tips on how to find companies hiring mystery shoppers, as well as how to do the job effectively.
Visit the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA) website at www.mysteryshop.org/ for information on how to register to be a mystery shopper with a MSPA-member company, a database of available jobs, and additional information on the industry in general.

In the meantime, the FTC says consumers should be skeptical of mystery shopping promoters who:

$ Advertise for mystery shoppers in a newspaper’s ‘help wanted’ section or by email. While it may appear as if these companies are hiring mystery shoppers, it’s much more likely that they’re pitching unnecessary — and possibly bogus — mystery shopping “services.”
$ Sell “certification.” Companies that use mystery shoppers generally do not require certification.
$ Guarantee a job as a mystery shopper.
$ Charge a fee for access to mystery shopping opportunities.
$ Sell directories of companies that provide mystery shoppers.

If you think you have encountered a mystery shopping scam, file a complaint with your local consumer protection agency, the Better Business Bureau, your State Attorney General, or the FTC (www.FTC.gov).

The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint or to get free information on consumer issues, visit www.FTC.gov/ or call toll-free, 1-877-FTCHELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.

July 2005

www.FTC.gov

FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION
1-877-FTC-HELP FOR THE CONSUMER

Get more information!

What You Can Do to Promote a Culture of Security: Some Business Outreach Suggestions

2006-02-02T06:00:00.000-08:00

Join Dewie in showing others how to secure their computers
by posting this link button on your site.
Simply copy the following code and paste it to your site

The resulting button and hyperlink should appear
like they do below when you're done.

http://www.ftc.gov/infosecurity

What You Can Do: Some Business Outreach Suggestions:

Post a link to www.ftc.gov/infosecurity on your website.

Include FTC information security publications or your own information security messages in your product packaging, shopping bags, or receipts.

Include FTC publications or your own materials as a statement stuffer; or reprint the tips on billing or account
statements.

Give FTC publications to new customers. The FTC’s Office of Consumer and Business Education can provide publications that you can reprint with your organization’s name and logo.

Share the materials with your public affairs staff. Ask for their ideas on getting the word out to the media and your partners, clients and employees. If you are willing to be interviewed by the media on the topic, let them know.

Make publications available at expo, conference and trade show booths.

Reproduce the materials on our website and share them with others at professional conferences and meetings throughout the year.

Get more information!

Clinton Internet Provider Wins $11 Billion Suit Against Spammer

2006-02-01T05:30:00.000-08:00

The following is courtesy of:

By Thomas Geyer

CLINTON, Iowa — A Clinton-based Internet service provider who successfully sued Internet spammers in the past now has been awarded an $11.2 billion judgment against a Florida man for sending millions of unsolicited e-mails advertising mortgage and debt consolidation services.

The judgment against James McCalla of Florida is the culmination of a multi-defendant lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa in 2003 by Robert W. Kramer III, owner of CIS Internet Services in Clinton.

Handed down by U. S. District Judge Charles R. Wolle on Dec. 23, the judgment also prohibits McCalla from accessing the Internet for three years.

A representative of the business said Kramer would not comment beyond a news release sent Tuesday.

“I’m pleased with Judge Wolle’s ruling,” Kramer said in the release. “It’s a victory for every e-mail user and every responsible ISP. It’s proof our courts and Congress are committed to protecting the public."

“E-mail is an innovation like atomic energy or the automobile. In the beginning, the opportunity for misuse is obvious. For e-mail, that’s now changed,” he said. “This ruling sets a new standard."

Gross abusers

The lawsuit claimed that McCalla sent more than 280 million illegal spam e-mail messages into CIS’s network. CIS Internet Services, which was started in 1996, provides Internet connections to areas around Bellevue, Clinton, Fort Madison, Low Moor, Maquoketa and West Point in Iowa and Albany, Fulton and Savanna in Illinois.

Kramer’s lawsuit initially named numerous defendants, many of whom were weeded out and dropped from the lawsuit over the past couple of years.

Other defendants named in the lawsuit, however, including Cash Link Systems of Florida, AMP Dollar Savings Inc. of Arizona, and TEI Marketing Group Inc. of Florida were ordered in 2004 to pay judgments totaling more than $1 billion to CIS Internet Services.

He claimed that under state law in effect at the time, he was entitled to $10 per illegal e-mail.

Kramer said then that he likely will not see any of the judgment money.

The lawsuit said the defendants “falsely and illegally represented that their e-mails originated from CIS or from some other user of the ‘cis.net’ domain.” The e-mails, the lawsuit states, used the “cis.net” domain as part of a falsified return address. By doing so, the defendants disguised the true source of the e-mails “to deflect the thousands of inevitable complaints from disgruntled recipients of the e-mails.”

Such e-mails included a work-at-home get-rich-quick scheme, illegal Internet gambling and a pornographic Web site, the lawsuit states.

Kramer’s company is one of many that have filed lawsuits against spammers over the past several years. AOL and Microsoft each have filed numerous lawsuits against spammers.

According to the Web site for the Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial Email, or CAUCE, large numbers of junk e-mails have knocked out or disrupted Internet provider systems belonging to large Internet providers such as AT&T, as well as systems belonging to smaller rural providers such as CIS. Additionally, the massive numbers of spam e-mails cost businesses and individuals millions of dollars each year.

John Mozena, co-founder and vice president of CAUCE, said Tuesday that the judgment against McCalla is the largest one he has heard.

“By a couple orders of magnitude,” he said. “And we’re happy Mr. Kramer is holding spammers accountable.”

But the spamming problem remains huge, he said.

“Large judgments have not discouraged spammers as a whole,” he said. “There have been regulatory actions and even criminal actions against spammers, but it has not made much of a dent in the total volume of spam we see. Spam is still roughly two-thirds of all e-mail on the Internet.”

He said, "Sending unsolicited commercial e-mail is not illegal in the U.S.; it is only illegal to send dishonest spam, which includes forging a company’s domain name onto the e-mail or having a misleading subject line.

State courts that have taken up the issue have said free speech is not hindered by anti-spam laws since the courts are only dictating “the manner of speech and not the content of speech,” he added.

"The U.S. Supreme Court has not taken an anti-spam case," he added.

“What we need is a federal anti-spam law, such as some countries such as Australia have,” he said. “Spamming is illegal in Australia.”

Thomas Geyer can be contacted at (563) 383-2328 or tgeyer@qctimes.com.

Get more information!

New Debit/Credit Card Scam Making Its Rounds

2006-01-31T06:00:00.000-08:00

The following is courtesy of ScamsOnline

In case you haven't heard, there is another new credit card scam. The caller doesn't ask for your credit card number - they already have it.

The clever new telephone approach is simple: The phone rings and the caller says, "This is (gives a name), and I'm calling from the security and fraud department at VISA. My employee ID badge number is 3736214."

Next comes an ominous warning. "Your VISA card has been flagged for an unusual purchase pattern, and I'm calling to verify some things. This would be on your VISA card which was issued by (the name of your bank)." The victim gradually lowers their guard because the caller knows the name of their credit card issuer.

"Did you purchase an anti-virus software program with a personal firewall for $497 from a sales and marketing company based in Georgia?" the caller asks.

When you answer "No", the caller will continue with, "Then we will be issuing a credit to your account." He or she then asks a few questions about the numbers on the back of the card. You supply the info, the caller thanks you and the conversation ends.

When your VISA bill arrives at the end of the month, you find there is no charge for anti-virus software and no credit. However, thousands of dollars worth of other charges have been made by the unscrupulous con man who called you.

Why not? After all, YOU gave him all the info he needed!

Get more information!

US Marine Scam Email Hits Inboxes

2006-01-30T06:00:00.000-08:00

The following is courtesy of ScamsOnline:

Security companies are warning of a new email scam that is posing as a letter from a US Marine serving in Iraq.

The email is a variant of the standard 419 scam, where huge riches are promised if the recipient hands over their bank account details and pays an ever-increasing number of commissions and bribes.

The message reads:

“My name is Sgt Richard Murphy, I am in the Military Engineering Unit here Baghdad, Iraq. We have about $15 Million US dollars that we want to move out of the country. My colleagues and I need a good partner, someone we can trust. This is a risk free and legal business (oil money).”

Sadly, it is not risk free, despite the claims in the e-mail. Anyone who falls for this stands to lose thousands of dollars.

Tax Time Spawns Scams: The Morning News

2006-01-29T06:00:00.000-08:00

Tax Time Spawns Scams
By Lana F. Flowers
The Morning News

Add identity theft, stolen refund checks and withheld refunds to the numerous frustrations of tax time.

The Internal Revenue Service is not the only entity interested in your mothers' maiden name, credit card and Social Security numbers and other personal information. Scam artists perpetuate e-mail scams, known as "phishing," trying to get people to give personal and financial information, so scammers can commit identity theft. Thieves may watch mailboxes to steal refund or Social Security checks.

And if you don't receive the expected refund, don't always blame a miscreant.

The IRS, possibly suspicious of your filing, might be holding your refund.

Tax refunds may be fertile ground for fraud because there are so many returns filed. The IRS reports 133.93 million individual tax returns were filed in 2005, a 1.3 percent increase from the 132.2 million refunds filed in 2004, the IRS reported.

The average tax refund was $2,171 in 2005, a 2.1 percent increase from the 2004 average tax refund of $2,126, according to the IRS.

Consumers can protect themselves from tax schemes by not taking phishing bait or by calling the IRS to check the status of refunds.

Tax Phishing
The tax refund phishing scam starts with an e-mail, which appears to originate from taxrefunds@irs.gov. The e-mail tells recipients they may be owed a federal tax refund.

Mike Beebe, Arkansas attorney general, recently warned Arkansans about a specific e-mail scam that uses official sounding language about tax laws. A link in the e-mail purports to take consumers to a secure Web site, where they can enter financial information and account numbers.

Beebe said it's a trick to steal consumers' money.

"Like other government agencies, the IRS does not send you an e-mail out of the blue asking for your personal information," Beebe said in a statement.

Information on a filed a tax return, a W-2 withholding form and other filing documents is all that is required to respond to taxpayers. People who want to know if they are due any federal tax refunds can contact the IRS at 1-800-829-1040.

"The representative who takes your call may ask for personal information, but when you initiate contact and are confident in the identity of the individual with whom you are speaking, it is safer to then share your information to obtain services," Beebe said in the news release.

Matt DeCample, attorney general's office spokesman, said he does not know of any complaints from Arkansans about the tax scam.

However, DeCample said it may take some time for consumers to notice there is money missing from an account or an unusual charge on a credit card statement.

In addition, DeCample said some consumers might complain to the IRS, FBI or another national agency.

"There is more and more national attention on scams and less localized attention," DeCample said. "These e-mails or phishing scams can be sent from anywhere in the world and people send them to everywhere in the world."

Quick Refunds
Some people may not wait to get tax refunds to spend the money. Some businesses offer refund anticipation loans, which consumers repay later when refund checks arrive.

Buy here, pay here used car lots often run pre-refund season promotions, in which car buyers can use their W-2 tax withholding and wage statement forms as down payments for vehicles.

DeCample said he has not heard any reports regarding anticipation loan scams, but a 2005 consumer alert tells people to read and understand anticipation loan terms.

People who got refund anticipation loans spent an average of $250 in fees, equal to annual percentage interest rates of 40 percent to 1,700 percent, the alert said.

Consumers must repay refund anticipation loans even if they ultimately don't receive tax refunds, according to the consumer alert.

Frozen Refunds
The IRS freezes questionable tax refunds without telling people they're suspected of fraud, according to Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson.

The Questionable Refund Program, run by the IRS Criminal Investigation office, uses computer programs and other methods to screen tax returns. More than 28,000 taxpayers whose refunds were frozen sought assistance in 2004 from the Taxpayer Advocate Service, according to Olson's Jan. 9 report.

The IRS does not inform taxpayers that they're suspected of fraud and taxpayers aren't told anything until six months after trying to determine a refund's status, according to Olson.

The IRS tries to validate taxpayers' rights to the refunds and lifts the freeze if there's no fraud. If the refund cannot be validated, it is frozen permanently for further investigation. Refunds claimed on tax returns determined to be fraudulent remain frozen for an undisclosed number of years until the IRS sees the taxpayer file a number of legitimate returns.

Olson studied a representative sample of the cases the taxpayer advocate service handled throughout 18 months. That study showed no evidence of fraud in 66 percent of cases and taxpayers got full refunds. In 14 percent of cases, taxpayers got partial refunds.

IRS representatives said the questionable refund program temporarily delays a small number of refunds, but since 1999 has stopped more than $3.1 billion in fake refunds.

For more information about the taxpayer advocacy program, go to www.IRS.gov and click on the taxpayer advocate issues report link.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Get more information!

Your Phone Records Are for Sale: Chicago Sun-Times

2006-01-28T06:00:00.000-08:00

The following appeared in the Chicago Sun-Times:

Your Phone Records Are for Sale
January 5, 2006
BY FRANK MAIN
Crime Reporter

Chicago Sun-Times

The Chicago Police Department is warning officers their cell phone records are available to anyone -- for a price. Dozens of online services are selling lists of cell phone calls, raising security concerns among law enforcement and privacy experts.

Criminals can use such records to expose a government informant who regularly calls a law enforcement official.

Suspicious spouses can see if their husband or wife is calling a certain someone a bit too often.

And employers can check whether a worker is regularly calling a psychologist -- or a competing company.

Some online services might be skirting the law to obtain these phone lists, according to Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), who has called for legislation to criminalize phone record theft and use.

In some cases, telephone company insiders secretly sell customers' phone-call lists to online brokers, despite strict telephone company rules against such deals, according to Schumer.

And some online brokers have used deception to get the lists from the phone companies, he said.

"Though this problem is all too common, federal law is too narrow to include this type of crime," Schumer said last year in a prepared statement.

The Chicago Police Department is looking into the sale of phone records, a source said.

Late last month, the department sent a warning to officers about Locatecell.com, which sells lists of calls made on cell phones and land lines.

"Officers should be aware of this information when giving out their personal cell phone numbers to the general public," the bulletin said. "Undercover officers should also be aware of this information if they occasionally call personal numbers such as home or the office, from their [undercover] ones."

Test got FBI's calls in 3 hours

To test the service, the FBI paid Locatecell.com $160 to buy the records for an agent's cell phone and received the list within three hours, the police bulletin said.

Representatives of Data Find Solutions Inc., the Tennessee-based operator of Locatecell.com, could not be reached for comment.

Frank Bochte, a spokesman for the FBI in Chicago, said he was aware of the Web site.

"Not only in Chicago, but nationwide, the FBI notified its field offices of this potential threat to the security of our agents, and especially our undercover agents," Bochte said. "We need to educate our personnel about the dangers posed by individuals using this site and others like it. We are stressing that they should be careful in their cellular use."

How well do the services work? The Chicago Sun-Times paid $110 to Locatecell.com to purchase a one-month record of calls for this reporter's company cell phone. It was as simple as e-mailing the telephone number to the service along with a credit card number. The request was made Friday after the service was closed for the New Year's holiday.

'Most powerful investigative tool'

On Tuesday, when it reopened, Locatecell.com e-mailed a list of 78 telephone numbers this reporter called on his cell phone between Nov. 19 and Dec. 17. The list included calls to law enforcement sources, story subjects and other Sun-Times reporters and editors.

Ernie Rizzo, a Chicago private investigator, said he uses a similar cell phone record service to conduct research for his clients. On Friday, for instance, Rizzo said he ordered the cell phone records of a suburban police chief whose wife suspects he is cheating on her.

"I would say the most powerful investigative tool right now is cell records," Rizzo said. "I use it a couple times a week. A few hundred bucks a week is well worth the money."

Only financial info protected?

In July, the Electronic Privacy Information Center filed a petition with the Federal Communications Commission seeking an end to the sale of telephone records.

"We're very concerned about Locatecell," said Chris Jay Hoofnagle, senior counsel for the center. "This is the company that sold the phone records of a Canadian official to a reporter 'no questions asked.' "

Schumer has called for legislation to criminalize the "stealing and selling" of cell phone logs. He also urged the Federal Trade Commission to set up a unit to stop it.

He said a common method for obtaining cell phone records is "pretexting," involving a data broker pretending to be a phone's owner and duping the phone company into providing the information.

"Pretexting for financial data is illegal, but it does not include phone records," Schumer said. "We already have protections for our financial information. We ought to have it for the very personal information that can be gleaned from telephone records."

Get more information!

Victims Are Real; So Are Their Stories

2006-01-27T06:00:00.000-08:00

The following is courtesy of:

"A friend used my email address, on a personals webpage. I was instant messaged, by this guy back in March of 2005. I told this guy I was not the girl he was trying to contact, but he said that is okay, I think I like you better

He said he was from Santa Barbara, CA, and works with computers and travels the world. He was in Nigeria doing a big job for a client. Our first conversation, he did say he loved me - I never paid any attention to it. He said he wanted to send me something so I give him my address. While at work one day, I got delivered a dozen assorted roses, Belgium chocolates, and a big teddy bear. I talked to him some more after this and he then he asked for money. I hesitated for a couple of days. I went to get in my vehicle and there was another package - a gift basket. I thought, gosh, he does like me. Well, feeling guilty, I wired him $100.00. He frowned on such a small amount, but that is all I had. As time went on, I wired him I think another $150.00 for a picture he had painted of me and him for our palace. I was starting to get mad because I don't have that kind of money to be handing out. Well, we talked some more and now he is marrying me and has a ring for me. He had a guy from Canada call and say there was a gift for me from Fred. I asked questions but he wouldn't answer them and he hung up. I questioned Fred and he said it was my wedding ring.

Then, he wanted me to see how much money he made so he had a client of his send me a check for almost $10,000.00. I right away took it to the state police where he told me it was a scam and to be careful. He didn't like it that the police had it and said it wasn't a bad check. After time, he dropped it. Then, he was going to come to Michigan to meet me. I was getting upset with him and all of his excuses for not being able to get back to the states. I told him DO NOT EVER ask me for money again, I am alone and have bills I have to take care of.

Well, as time goes on, he is coming to me, he has emailed me his flight times. But, before he could go, he needed to pay his motel bills. I asked to talk to the accountant at the motel for which he gave me a number. I talked to the guy (which was probably him too). He confirmed he needed $500.00. I gave in again, but only sent $350.00, I told him, I will send the money, but if he says something comes up and can't make it one more time, I am done with him forever. He says, no, I am coming - he left on a Wednesday to catch his plane. Wednesday night, I get an email from Crowns Hospital in Nigeria. He has been in an accident and is in a coma. The Doctor kept in contact by phone and email. A month goes by and I get instant messaged from Fred, he is out of his coma. Now he can't leave the hospital until his bill is paid. I said they can't hold you like that. But he says I don't understand, he is in a different country. So on June 28, 2005, I received a check for $5,885.00, another fake check.

He thinks I have deposited the check and waiting for it to clear right now. No way will I ever cash it. I know what I am dealing with now. He calls me his wife, tells me he loves me a 100 times in a conversation. I have found his picture on a modeling site, along with three other people using the same picture.

Thankfully, I found a romance scams support site and I have learned a lot from all the people on this site.

Kelly from Michigan"

For more information, click either banner.

Get more information!

What You Can Do to Promote a Culture of Security: Some Community Outreach Suggestions

2006-01-26T05:30:00.000-08:00

Join Dewie in showing others how to secure their computers
by posting this link button on your site.
Simply copy the following code and paste it to your site:

<center> <a href="http://www.ftc.gov/infosecurity"> </a> <a href="http://www.ftc.gov/infosecurity"> http://www.ftc.gov/infosecurity </a> </center>

The resulting button and hyperlink should appear
like they do below when you're done.

http://www.ftc.gov/infosecurity

What You Can Do: Some Community Outreach Suggestions:

Ask community organizations with which you are involved to post a link to www.ftc.gov/infosecurity on their website.
Convene a meeting of your staff to talk about ways to promote the Culture of Security in your community.

Send information to potential participating organizations, asking them to promote the Culture of Security through their newsletters or other means of communication. Outlets include local trade organizations, community and senior centers, computer and electronic stores, chambers of commerce, and churches, synagogues and mosques.

Publish our information in your organization’s newsletter.
Send the publications to community colleges and adult education programs and ask that they be forwarded to instructors who teach classes related to computer skills or Internet use. Send copies of our publications to local PTAs.

Ask local libraries to make the information available at their checkout counter or information desk.

Share the material with your family and friends.
Make presentations to Kindergarten-12th grade audiences via public/private schools, boys and girls clubs, Scouts, etc. Make information security a topic for your Speakers Bureau.

Get more information!

Protecting Your Identity and Your Assets

2006-01-25T05:30:00.000-08:00

This is the asset protection supersite, currently having more than 6,500 pages of articles, cases, statutes, analysis, and many other resources for researching contemporary creditor-debtor issues. While this website was set up to support the 2004 publication of "Asset Protection: Concepts and Strategies" by Jay Adkisson and Chris Riser, both Jay and Chris had been independently publishing articles and newsletters ("The Adkisson Analysis" and "The Riser Report") on asset protection issues since 1996 and 1999 respectively, and many of those articles and analysis are contained herein.

While the articles and analysis on this website are most often drafted from the planner's point of view, creditor attorneys and judgment collection professionals will also find many of these resources to be highly useful. We have tried whenever possible to be balanced in our analysis by pointing out strengths and weaknesses in different structures and strategies from both the planner's and creditor's viewpoint.

Again, this website was primarily set up to support Asset Protection: Concepts and Strategies. Because of the publishing agreement with McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., certain articles which were used as the basis for that book have been withdrawn from internet publication. It is suggested that the book be used as the primary resource, and that the other materials on this website should be used as supporting materials only as needed.

Click on book above to visit the asset protection website.

Get more information!

The US Secret Service Also Protects Your Personal Info

2006-01-24T05:30:00.000-08:00

Mission Statement: The United States Secret Service is mandated by statute and executive order to carry out two significant missions: protection and criminal investigations.

The Secret Service protects the President and Vice President, their families, heads of state, and other designated individuals; investigates threats against these protectees; protects the White House, Vice President’s Residence, Foreign Missions, and other buildings within Washington, D.C.; and plans and implements security designs for designated National Special Security Events.

The Secret Service also investigates violations of laws relating to counterfeiting of obligations and securities of the United States; financial crimes that include, but are not limited to, access device fraud, financial institution fraud, identity theft, computer fraud; and computer-based attacks on our nation’s financial, banking, and telecommunications infrastructure.

Financial Crimes Division

The Secret Service investigates crimes associated with financial institutions. Today, this jurisdiction includes bank fraud, access device fraud involving credit and debit cards, telecommunications and computer crimes, fraudulent identification, fraudulent government and commercial securities, and electronic funds transfer fraud.

Mission Statement: The Financial Crimes Division (FCD) plans, reviews, and coordinates criminal investigations involving Financial Systems Crimes, including bank fraud; access device fraud; telemarketing; telecommunications fraud (cellular and hard wire); computer fraud; automated payment systems and teller machines; direct deposit; investigations of forgery, uttering, alteration, false personation, or false claims involving U.S. Treasury Checks, U.S. Savings Bonds, U.S. Treasury Notes, bonds, and bills; electronic funds transfer (EFT) including Treasury disbursements and fraud within Treasury payment systems; fraud involving U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Coupons and Authority to Participate (ATP) cards; Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation investigations; Farm Credit Administration violations; fraud and related activity in connection with identification documents and fraudulent commercial, fictitious instruments,foreign securities.

The Financial Crimes Division also coordinates the activities of the U.S. Secret Service Organized Crimes Program, and oversees money laundering investigations.

Learn more about The Secret Service by clicking here.

Get more information !

Join the U.S. Postal Service for National Consumer Protection Week February 5-11, 2006.

2006-01-23T06:00:00.000-08:00

The following is courtesy of the US Postal Service:

I invite you to join them from February 5 through 11, 2006, for National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW) and learn about these common types of fraud:

Foreign lotteries
Free-prize schemes
Investment schemes
Multilevel marketing
Work-at-home scams
Identity fraud (or identity theft)
Internet fraud (and online auctions)

Click here to access the photo above and print it in an 8 1/2" x 11" size.

Get more information!

Help Brad Fight the Scammers

2006-01-22T09:06:00.000-08:00

The Brad Christensen Exhibit

Over the years, Brad Christensen has been deluged with every type of "URGENT" offer imaginable from Nigerian scam artists. Finally, he decided to fight back by conning the con men. With humor and imagination as his weapons, Christensen preyed on the scammers' abundant supply of greed and ignorance, taking our 419 friends for quite a ride, and always at their own expense. What follows are some of Christensen's more creative exchanges . . .

Click on Tony-the-Wonder-Llama to add your comments on the Brad Christensen Exhibit of humorous replies to Nigerian scam letters. Suggest names and scenarios for Brad to lure the scammers to some faraway and exotic location in search of Brad's money.

Get more information!

Quatloos.com Fights the Scammers on Our Behalf

2006-01-21T05:00:00.000-08:00

"Quatloos.com is a public educational website maintained by Financial and Tax Fraud Education Associates, Inc., a California non-profit company that has received a Determination by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service that it qualifies as a § 501(c)(3) exempt organization.

Quatloos! covers a wide variety of financial scams, including wacky “prime bank” frauds supposedly involving $100 Billion dollars investments that you can buy for a mere $100, exotic foreign currency scams claiming 80% per week returns, and many forms of offshore investment frauds. Quatloos! also warns about many types of tax scams, including claims that payments to the IRS are voluntary or that the income tax is unconstitutional, to “Pure Trust” structures that purport to be financial black holes but in reality will win you an extended stay at Club Fed.

Along the way, Quatloos! keeps readers’ attention by collecting some of the funniest scams around, such as non-existent countries and financial programs that are guaranteed by space aliens from the far reaches of the galaxy, as well as would-be victims’ responses to the scam artists’ offers - such as the Brad Christiansen Exhibit where Brad leads Nigerian scam artists on wild goose chases around the globe to try to collect his money.

Funny though these scams are, the sad truth is that many persons – including otherwise well-educated professionals and experienced businessmen – annually lose tens and hundreds of millions of dollars to these scams. By raising the public’s awareness about these scams, and providing a valuable on-line resource where potential victims can read up on frauds and fraud artists quickly, Quatloos! has saved would-be crime victims well over $100 million dollars over the last five years and probably much more than that.

Quatloos! is the brainchild of Jay D. Adkisson, an attorney and stockbroker who is also known as one of the best asset protection planners in the U.S. and a regular speaker on asset protection to the American Bar Association and other prestigious groups. Mr. Adkisson’s experiences in law and finance - and in the peculiarities of offshore planning - combined with his dry but infinite sense of humor gave him the vision to prevent fraud through mass education embodied in deep cynicism and priceless parody instead of simply trying to stop and punish individual scam artists after the scam had already gone down. Although Mr. Adkisson continues to follow and occasionally edit materials posted on the Quatloos! site, his focus remains on his widely-read Riser Adkisson website and newsletter, at http://risad.com/developments.htm and other business interests.

The Quatloos! site has now run well past its original intent of simply poking fun at scams and their perpetrators. Now, people worldwide send information to Quatloos! and in many ways it has become a clearinghouse for information on the latest scams. Additionally, many law enforcement agencies have requested the use of Quatloos! materials for law enforcement and training materials, and Quatloos! materials are now being included in many books and articles written about scams.

Finally, you may wonder from whence the name Quatloos! derives. Frankly, we don't know. Many readers have sent us e-mail telling us that the word was first used on the old Star Trek © sci-fi series ("I'll wager 200 Quatloos! on the newcomer!"). Others have told us that the term was used before that episode, but was merely picked up by the writers.

Whatever the case, the term Quatloos! has come to denote a fictional currency, having no real value whatsoever -- which is exactly what you should use to pay the scam artists who may pitch to you some of these weird schemes.

We hope that you truly enjoy our site."

~ Quatloos! Staff

Be sure to visit Quatloos! to get the bigger picture.

Click on banner to go to their website.

Get more information!

Crimes of Persuasion: A Website and Book for Your Protection

2006-01-20T06:30:00.000-08:00

Crimes of Persuasion: Schemes, Scams, Frauds: How Con Artists Will Steal Your Savings and Inheritance Through Telemarketing Fraud, Investment Schemes, and Consumer Scams

In-depth fraud coverage of computer crimes such as pyramid schemes make this economic crime library of internet crimes the cyber crime location for the schemes, scams and swindles that con artists and shonks perpetrate.

White collar crimes such as prime bank fraud, pyramid scams, internet fraud, phone scams, chain letters, modeling agency and Nigerian scams, computer fraud as well as telemarketing fraud are fully explained.

This organized crime report includes credit card fraud, check kiting, tax fraud, money laundering, mail fraud, counterfeit money orders, check fraud, and other who's who true crimes of persuasion.

Their Mission: To inform the public, along with law enforcement personnel, justice officials, and victim support groups on the workings and scope of telemarketing and investment fraud so that efforts can effectively be taken to minimize the impact on its victims and ensure that adequate penalties are in place to deter the perpetrators.

Click on banner above to go to their website.

Get more information!

What You Can Do to Promote a Culture of Security: Some Media Outreach Suggestions

2006-01-19T05:30:00.000-08:00

Join Dewie in showing others how to secure their computers
by posting this link button on your site.
Simply copy the following code and paste it to your site:

<center> <a href="http://www.ftc.gov/infosecurity"> </a> <a href="http://www.ftc.gov/infosecurity"> http://www.ftc.gov/infosecurity </a> </center>

The resulting button and hyperlink should appear
like they do below when you're done.

http://www.ftc.gov/infosecurity

What You Can Do: Some Media Outreach Suggestions:

Write an op-ed or a letter to the editor on the importance of information security. Be sure to include simple, concrete tips that readers can use, such as those listed at www.ftc.gov/infosecurity.

Call your local television stations to suggest a news story on the importance of information security.

Host a brown bag lunch or breakfast for reporters in your area who cover business, personal finance, lifestyle and education. Enlist their help in promoting a Culture of Security.

Ask a local media personality to become involved in your plans. Ask him or her to help promote the Culture of Security.

Ask for space on transit or electronic billboards – on expressways, and near banks, car dealerships, fast food restaurants and motels – to display information security
messages.

Get more information!

Western Union Offers Some Suggestions on Protecting Yourself

2006-01-18T05:30:00.000-08:00

1. What can I do to protect myself?

Western Union does not recommend sending money to anyone you don't know. Only transfer money to someone you know personally or whose identity you can verify!
If you are purchasing goods or services and paying through the Western Union network, you do so at your own risk.
Western Union does not recommend use of its money transfer service when doing business with a stranger and is not responsible for the non-receipt or quality of any goods or services.
Western Union does not recommend using money transfer services to pay for online auction purchases. Do not send money using a fictitious recipient's name. This will not protect you when purchasing from someone you don't know.
Remember that Western Union does not require a receiver to present a money transfer control number (MTCN) to pick up funds.
Discontinue any transaction in which you are instructed or coached on how to respond to questions asked by Western Union. This is a sure sign of fraud.

Security is everyone's responsibility. Stay informed. Keep abreast of consumer fraud trends. A few excellent sources of information include your local newspaper and websites hosted by the United States' Federal Trade Commission (www.FTC.gov ) and the National Association of Attorney's General (www.NAAG.org). Remember, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

2. Are there common consumer fraud scenarios to be aware of?

Be wary of once-in-a-lifetime investment opportunities.
Be wary of a return of a lost pet or valuables.
Beware of bargain-priced electronics or other equipment.
Be wary if you are required to pay a fee before receiving a loan.
Beware of sweepstakes, prize or lottery company representatives who tell you to transfer money to them in order to claim a prize you've won. There are many companies running fraudulent contests that ask you to transfer them money but give you nothing in return.
Beware of unsolicited letters or emails from a Nigerian or other foreign government official requesting assistance in the transfer of excess funds from a foreign country into your bank account.
Beware of telephone calls from the police claiming someone you know has been in an accident or arrested and is requesting money.
Beware of unsolicited letters or emails offering an unrealistic price for expensive or difficult to find merchandise.
Beware if you have been overpaid for an item you are selling by cashier's check or postal money order and have been instructed to return the overpayment amount to the buyer or other party via money transfer. Cashier's checks and postal money orders can take up to a month to fully clear. If the payment turns out to be fraudulent, you could be held responsible for the entire amount withdrawn from your bank.
Be wary of offers of employment that require you to deposit money into your account and then wire it to a third party.
Make sure you know to whom you are sending money. If you are purchasing goods or services and paying through the Western Union network, it is your responsibility to verify the reputation and legitimacy of the seller. Western Union is not responsible for the non-receipt or quality of any goods or services.

3. How can I protect my password?

Never share your www.WesternUnion.com password with anyone. You are responsible for keeping your password confidential. If you suspect your password has been compromised, change it immediately.
Select a password that is unique and difficult to guess. As a general rule, it is a good idea to choose a password that uses both letters and numbers. Avoid using a password that is easy to figure out; do NOT use your email address as your password or other common passwords such as "password," "westernunion," "1234," etc.
Change your password frequently.
Do not use the same password that you currently use for any other online services.

4. I received a suspicious email from someone claiming to be Western Union, what should I do?

If you receive an email from a company representing itself as Western Union and you are not sure it was sent by www.WesternUnion.com, do not click on any links in the email. Instead, immediately forward the suspicious email to Western Union so it may be examined. Send it to customerservice@westernunion.com .

Western Union will never send you an email asking for your user ID or password.

5. Can the Test Question feature secure my funds or delay payment of a transaction?

The "Test Question" feature in the Western Union Money Transfer service is designed for emergency situations where the receiver does not have proper identification (e.g. his or her wallet and identification have been stolen).

Any other use of a test question may be fraudulent. It should never be used as additional security to time or delay the payment of a transaction.
In addition to identification, a test question may be required by a few countries in order to process a transaction. Check with your Western Union^® Agent location to be sure of the requirements in your receiver's country.

6. Does Western Union offer an escrow service or any kind of buyer protection?

Western Union does not offer an escrow service or any type of "purchase protection" policy. Western Union's business is to transfer funds from a sender to a receiver. We caution people who use our services against sending money to people they don't know. It is the sender's responsibility to know the party to which the funds are being sent. Using a fictitious name or changing the Receiver name after the money transfer has been sent is not a guaranteed means of securing funds. If a receiver presents proper identification with the same name as on the money transfer, payment will be made.

Be wary of 3rd party "collection" or "holding" services unless they are a reputable, licensed escrow service. Western Union is not an escrow service, should not be used as an escrow service and is currently not affiliated with any escrow services.

7. What can I do if I suspect fraud or am a victim of fraud?

If you have just sent a money transfer transaction and suspect that you may be a victim of fraud, ask the sales clerk to stop your transaction immediately or call Western Union. If the transfer has not been completed, your principal and fees will be refunded.

Contact your State Attorney General's Office of Consumer Affairs if you are uncertain or suspicious of a telephone, mail or email solicitation.

If you feel you have been the victim of fraud, you can access the Internet Fraud Complaint Center (IFCC) at www.IFCCFBI.gov/ or contact the Federal Trade Commission through their web site at www.FTC.gov/.

8. What does Western Union do to protect my information?

If you have just sent a money transfer transaction and suspect that you may be a victim of fraud, ask the sales clerk to stop your transaction immediately or call Western Union. If the transfer has not been completed, your principal and fees will be refunded.

Contact your State Attorney General's Office of Consumer Affairs if you are uncertain or suspicious of a telephone, mail or email solicitation.

If you feel you have been the victim of fraud, you can access the Internet Fraud Complaint Center (IFCC) at www.IFCCFBI.gov/ or contact the Federal Trade Commission through their web site at www.FTC.gov/.

If you have questions that are not answered here, please contact Western Union:

by clicking here:
by email: customerservice@westernunion.com
by mail:

Customer Service in English:

Customer Service in Spanish:

or by phone: Call 1-800-325-6000 to speak with a Customer Service Representative in English, or find an Agent location.

Get more information!

Seven Tips From the FTC to Help You Become a More Savvy Consumer

2006-01-17T05:00:00.000-08:00

The following is courtesy of:

The Federal Trade Commission is America's consumer protection champion.

Seven Tips From the FTC to Help You Become a More Savvy Consumer.

1. Know who you are dealing with. Don't do business with any company that won't clearly provide its name, street address, and telephone number.

2. Protect your personal information. Share credit card or other personal information only when buying from a company you know and trust.

3. Take your time. Resist any urge to "act now" despite the offer and the terms. Once you turn over your money, you may never get it back.

4. Know the risks. Every potentially high-profit investment is high-risk. That means you could lose your investment — all of it.

5. Read the small print. Get all promises in writing and review them carefully — especially the ones in small print — before making a payment or signing a contract.

6. Never pay for a "free" gift. Throw away any offer that asks for payment for a "free" gift. If it's free or a gift, you shouldn't have to pay for it. Free is free.

7. If you think you have been a victim of fraud, report it. If you are a victim of fraud, there is a way for you to get even with the scam artists who cheated you. By reporting your complaint to www.FTC.gov or 1-877-FTC-HELP, you will provide important information that can help law enforcement officials track down scam artists — and stop them!

The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop, and avoid them.

To file a complaint or to get free information on consumer issues, visit www.FTC.gov or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261.

The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.

To Order Printed Copies of FTC Publications, click here.

Get more information!

Join the U.S. Postal Service for National Consumer Protection Week February 5-11, 2006.

2006-01-16T06:00:00.000-08:00

The following is courtesy of the US Postal Service:

I invite you to join them from February 5 through 11, 2006, for National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW) and learn about these common types of fraud:

Foreign lotteries
Free-prize schemes
Investment schemes
Multilevel marketing
Work-at-home scams
Identity fraud (or identity theft)
Internet fraud (and online auctions)

Click here to access the photo above and print it in an 8 1/2" x 11" size.

Get more information!

Dewie to the Rescue to Help You Safeguard Your Personal Information

2006-01-15T06:30:00.000-08:00

The following is courtesy of the Federal Trade Commission:

The Federal Trade Commission has created a website for consumers and businesses as a source of information about computer security and the safeguarding of personal information.

All over the site, you’ll see Dewie, the e-Turtle. Dewie’s wired, but carries his security shell no matter what he’s doing on the Internet. Even though turtles take their time, Dewie crosses the finish line first because he takes the appropriate steps to avoid a disaster.

From time to time, Dewie will post new materials on this site with useful information for computer users, from kids to businesspeople. Check it often for updates.

In the Resources section, you'll find links to information about security materials from other government agencies and non-profit organizations, including the National Cyber Security Alliance’s www.StaySafeOnline.info/ and the beta version of the Internet Education Foundation's www.GetNetWise.org security section.

Get more information!

Ten Ways to Teach Your Children How to Improve Their Online Safety

2006-01-14T05:15:00.000-08:00

The following is courtesy of Microsoft:

"10 things you can teach kids to improve their Web safety"
Published: December 14, 2004

To read this article in its entirety on the Microsoft website, click here.

The Internet can be a great place for kids to learn, be entertained, chat with friends from school, and simply relax and explore. But just like the real world, the World Wide Web can be dangerous for kids. Before you allow your child to go online without your supervision, make sure you establish a set of rules that you can all agree on.

If you're not sure where to start, here are some ideas on what to discuss with your kids to teach them about using the Internet more safely.

1. Encourage your kids to share their Internet experiences with you. Enjoy the Internet along with your children.

2. Teach your kids to trust their instincts. If they feel nervous about anything online, they should tell you about it.

3. If your kids visit chat rooms, use instant messaging (IM) programs, online video games, or other activities on the Internet that require a login name to identify themselves, help them choose that name and make sure it doesn't reveal any personal information about them.

4. Insist that your kids never give out your address, phone number, or other personal information, including where they go to school or where they like to play.

5. Teach your kids that the difference between right and wrong is the same on the Internet as it is in real life.

6. Show your kids how to respect others online. Make sure they know that rules for good behavior don't change just because they're on a computer.

7. Insist that your kids respect the property of others online. Explain that making illegal copies of other people's work—music, video games, and other programs—is just like stealing it from a store.

8. Tell your kids that they should never meet online friends in person. Explain that online friends may not be who they say they are.

9. Teach your kids that not everything they read or see online is true. Encourage them to ask you if they're not sure.

10. Control your children's online activity with advanced Internet software. Parental controls can help you filter out harmful content, monitor the sites your child visits, and find out what they do there.

Get more information!

The Texas Department of Public Safety's Identity Theft Information Guide

2006-01-13T06:30:00.000-08:00

The following is courtesy of the Texas Department of Public Safety:

DISCLAIMER: “The Texas Department of Public Safety provides the Identity Theft Information Guide only as a convenience. USERS ARE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR VERIFYING THE ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS, CURRENCY AND SUITABILITY OF ALL INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN. The Department does not endorse, guarantee or warrant any of the referenced commercial products or services and any mention of commercial products or services is for informational purposes only. The Department has provided links to Internet sites maintained by third parties which may be of interest to users, but for which this agency has no responsibility. The Department makes no representations or warranties of any kind as to the accuracy or any other aspect of the information contained on such Internet sites.”

To read the Identity Theft Information Guide in its entirety, please click here.

To visit the website of the Texas Department of Public Safety, please click here.

The only true defense against identity theft is prevention.

What To Do If You Have Become A Victim of Identity Theft:

NOTIFY THE POLICE: Contact your local police department to file a criminal report. Document the names and phone numbers of everyone you speak to regarding the incident. List exactly what has happened, such as bad checks, credit card abuse, or misuse of name, state driver license, or identification card. Follow up your phone calls with letters. Keep a copy of the police report.
CONTACT ANY DRIVER LICENSE OFFICE: After you have filed a police report, you may contact any local driver license office for assistance in determining the best course of action for your individual situation. You will be asked to supply personal documentation for proof of your identity as well as police reports, copies of returned checks or cancellation information on credit card or checks. You may also be asked to complete a Forgery Affidavit form that will need to be notarized. A copy of the form can be obtained at any local driver license office or printed from Forgery Affidavit.
NOTIFY CREDITORS AND MERCHANTS: If unauthorized charges appear on your legitimate credit cards, cancel those cards and request replacement cards with new account numbers. Cancel all unauthorized credit cards and close those accounts. Monitor credit card bills for new fraudulent activity and, if found, report it immediately to the credit card issuers and credit reporting agencies.
NOTIFY YOUR BANK(s): Ask them to flag your account and contact you regarding any unusual activity. Take the following action in the event of such activity:
AUTOMATIC TELLER MACHINE (ATM) CARDS: If your ATM card has been stolen or compromised, contact the issuing financial institution and request a new card, account number, and password. Do not use your old password, common passwords, personal identification such as the last four digits of your social security number, your birth date, middle name, mother’s maiden name, address or anything else that could be easily discovered.
CONTACT THE SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION (SSA): Report the unauthorized use of your personal information to:
CONTACT THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION: The FTC is the one place to report ID theft to the federal government. To file an identity theft complaint or request information call:

Be sure to ask for the free brochure:
ID Theft: When Bad Things Happen to Your Good Name.

NOTIFY THE U.S. PASSPORT AGENCY: Notify the U.S. Passport Agency to be on alert for anyone applying for a new passport fraudulently in your name:

Get more information!

What You Can Do: Some Practical Ideas for Promoting a Culture of Security

2006-01-12T06:30:00.000-08:00

The following is courtesy of
the Federal Trade Commission:

"Join Dewie in showing others
how to secure their computers
by posting this link button on your site.
Simply copy the following code and paste it to your site:"

The resulting button and hyperlink should appear
like they do below when you're done.

http://www.ftc.gov/infosecurity

What You Can Do: Practical Ideas for Promoting a Culture of Security

To order bulk copies of FTC publications
(50 or more copies), please send the publication names and quantities,
your name, organization, address,
and telephone and fax numbers:

by fax to 202-326-2572
by email to publications@ftc.gov, or
by mail to:

Distribution Office

Federal Trade Commission
600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Room B-20,
Washington, DC 20580-0001.

To order up to 49 copies, call this toll-free Number:
1-877-FTC-HELP (877-382-4357).

Get more information!

Four Types of Identity Theft

2006-01-11T06:00:00.000-08:00

The following is courtesy of:

"Identity theft is a crime in which the imposter obtains key pieces of information such as Social Security and driver's license numbers and uses them for his or her own gain. Victims are left with a tainted reputation and the complicated task of restoring their good names.

There are four types of identity theft crime:

Financial ID Theft — This type of case typically focuses on your name and Social Security number (SSN). This person may apply for telephone service, credit cards or loans, buy merchandise, lease cars or apartments.

Criminal ID Theft — The imposter in this crime provides the victim's information instead of his or her own when stopped by law enforcement. Eventually when the warrant for arrest is issued it is in the name of the person issued the citation- yours.

Identity Cloning — In this crime the imposter uses the victim's information to establish a new life. They work and live as you. Examples: Illegal aliens, criminals avoiding warrants, people hiding from abusive situations or becoming a "new person" to leave behind a poor work and financial history.

Business or Commercial Identity Theft — Businesses are also victims of identity theft. Typically the perpetrator gets credit cards or checking accounts in the name of the business. The business finds out when unhappy suppliers send collection notices or their business rating score is affected.

No matter what type of identity theft is involved, the result is a long and sometimes arduous road to recovery. As in all crimes, preventing the crime from occurring in the first place is key.

ITRC strongly believes that while it is important for consumers to take steps to decrease their risk factors, the business community must do their part as well. This crime truly begins in the acquiring, use, storage and access of information we have given to businesses and governmental agencies. Until these groups do their part, this crime will not be stopped.

This section includes information that will help both consumers and businesses. It includes risk factor tests, (IQ Test and Business Risk Test), information on how thieves steal your identifying data and recommendations on ways to decrease the chances of becoming this crime's next victim. (Prevention Tips) You will also find information on laws, legislation and local ITRC sponsored programs.

Identity theft is a complex problem and a changing one. Please keep checking the Prevention Tips page for current information. You should also keep abreast of recent scams via our Scam Alert Section.

Finally, some consumers ask about fraud alerts, credit monitoring services and contacting the Credit Reporting Agencies. You may click on these subjects to read more about the topic."

Be sure to visit the Identity Theft Resource Center by clicking here for more information.

Get more information!

Are You a Victim? Take Some Tests to Be Sure

2006-01-10T06:00:00.000-08:00

Many people aren't sure if they have been or are about to become a victim of fraud.

Visit www.LooksTooGoodToBeTrue.com to take any of their risk assessment tests and see if you are a potential victim. These easy, quick, and free tests include:

Is Your Computer Protected?

Is It Authentic or Counterfeit?

Are You Protecting Your Identity?

Are You an Unwitting Accomplice in Crime?

Are You Safe from Financial Fraud Opportunities?

Are You the Lucky Winner in a Sweepstakes or Lottery?

Are You At Risk To Be Scammed Through an Internet Auction?

Get more information!

Join the U.S. Postal Service for National Consumer Protection Week February 5-11, 2006.

2006-01-09T06:00:00.000-08:00

The following is courtesy of the US Postal Service:

I invite you to join them from February 5 through 11, 2006, for National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW) and learn about these common types of fraud:

Foreign lotteries
Free-prize schemes
Investment schemes
Multilevel marketing
Work-at-home scams
Identity fraud (or identity theft)
Internet fraud (and online auctions)

Click here to access the photo above and print it in an 8 1/2" x 11" size.

Get more information!

California's Top 10 Tips for Identity Theft Prevention

2006-01-08T06:00:00.000-08:00

The following is courtesy of The State of California's
Department of Consumer Affairs and its:

Top 10 Tips for Identity Theft Prevention

CONSUMER INFORMATION SHEET 1

An identity thief takes some piece of your personal information and uses it without your knowledge. The thief may run up debts or even commit crimes in your name. The following tips can help you lower your risk of becoming a victim.

1. Protect your Social Security number. Don’t carry your Social Security card in your wallet. If your health plan (other than Medicare) or another card uses your Social Security number, ask the company for a different number. For more information, see "Your Social Security Number: Controlling the Key to Identity Theft" (Consumer Information Sheet 4) on our Social Security Numbers Web page.

2. Fight "phishing" - don’t take the bait. Scam artists "phish" for victims by pretending to be banks, stores or government agencies. They do this over the phone, in e-mails and in the regular mail. Don’t give out your personal information - unless you made the contact. Don’t respond to a request to verify your account number or password. Legitimate companies will not request this kind of information in this way.

3. Keep your identity from getting trashed. Shred or tear up papers with personal information before you throw them away. Shred credit card offers and "convenience checks" that you don’t use.

4. Control your personal financial information. California law requires your bank and other financial services companies to get your permission before sharing your personal financial information with outside companies. You also have the right to limit the sharing of your personal financial information with most of your companies’ affiliates. Write to your companies that you want to "opt-out" of sharing your personal financial information with their affiliates. For more information, see "Your Financial Privacy" (Consumer Information Sheet 3) on our Financial Privacy Web page.

5. Shield your computer from viruses and spies. Protect your personal information on your home computer. Use strong passwords: with at least eight characters, including a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols, easy for you to remember, but difficult for others to guess. Use firewall and virus protection software that you update regularly. Steer clear of spyware: Download free software only from sites you know and trust. Don’t install software without knowing what it is. Set Internet Explorer browser security to at least "medium." Don’t click on links in pop-up windows or in spam e-mail.

6. Click with caution. When shopping online, check out a Web site before entering your credit card number or other personal information. Read the privacy policy and look for opportunities to opt out of information sharing. (If there is no privacy policy posted, beware! Shop elsewhere.) Only enter personal information on secure Web pages with "https" in the address bar and a padlock symbol at the bottom of the browser window. These are signs that your information will be encrypted or scrambled, protecting it from hackers.

7. Check your bills and bank statements. Open your credit card bills and bank statements right away. Check carefully for any unauthorized charges or withdrawals and report them immediately. Call if bills don’t arrive on time. It may mean that someone has changed contact information to hide fraudulent charges.

8. Stop pre-approved credit offers. Stop most pre-approved credit card offers. They make a tempting target for identity thieves who steal your mail. Have your name removed from credit bureau marketing lists. Call toll-free 888-5OPTOUT (888-567-8688).

9. Ask questions. Ask questions whenever you are asked for personal information that seems inappropriate for the transaction. Ask how the information will be used and if it will be shared. Ask how it will be protected. Explain that you’re concerned about identity theft. If you’re not satisfied with the answers, consider going somewhere else.

10. Check your credit reports - for free. One of the best ways to protect yourself from identity theft is to monitor your credit history. You can get one free credit report every year from each of the three national credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian and Trans Union. Request all three reports at once, or be your own no-cost credit-monitoring service. Just spread out your requests, ordering from a different bureau every four months. (More comprehensive monitoring services from the credit bureaus cost from $44 to over $100 per year.) Order your free annual credit reports by phone, toll-free, at 877-322-8228, or online at www.AnnualCreditReport.com/cra/index.jsp. Or you can mail in an order form, available from the Federal Trade Commission.

This fact sheet is for informational purposes and should not be construed as legal advice or as policy of the State of California. If you want advice on a particular case, you should consult an attorney or other expert. The fact sheet may be copied, if (1) the meaning of the copied text is not changed or misrepresented, (2) credit is given to the Office of Privacy Protection in the California Department of Consumer Affairs, and (3) all copies are distributed free of charge.

Office of Privacy Protection
1625 North Market Blvd., Suite N324
Sacramento, CA 95834

Toll Free: (866) 785-9663
www.privacy.ca.gov

Get more information!

Your Social Security Number: Controlling the Key to Identity Theft

2006-01-07T06:00:00.000-08:00

The following is courtesy of The State of California's
Department of Consumer Affairs and its:

Your Social Security Number: Controlling the Key to Identity Theft

CONSUMER INFORMATION SHEET 4

Your Social Security number is the key. Originally, your Social Security number (SSN) was a way for the government to track your earnings and pay you retirement benefits. But over the years, it has become much more than that. It is the key to a lot of your personal information.
With your SSN, an identity thief can get your credit history, your bank account, your charge accounts, and your utility accounts. A thief can also use the number to open new credit and bank accounts or to get a driver's license-all using your identity.

Don't carry your Social Security card in your wallet. You don't need to have your Social Security card with you at all times. Keep it at home in a safe place. Check for other cards that may have your SSN on them.

Ask questions when they ask for your Social Security number. There is no law that prevents businesses from asking for your SSN. And you may be denied service if you don't give the number. If giving your SSN to a business doesn't seem reasonable to you, ask if you can show another form of identification. Or ask if the business can use another number as your customer number.

Remember that some government agencies can require your SSN. These agencies include DMV, welfare offices, and tax agencies. Look for the required "disclosure" form. The form should state if giving the number is required or optional, how it will be used, and the agency's legal authority to ask for it.

California law limits the public display of Social Security numbers. A California law bars many organizations from publicly displaying SSNs. The law prohibits:

Printing SSNs on ID cards or badges,

Printing SSNs on documents mailed to customers, unless the law requires it or the document is a form or application,

Printing SSNs on postcards or any other mailer where its visible without opening an envelope,

Avoiding legal requirements by encoding or embedding SSNs in cards or documents, such as using a bar code, chip or magnetic strip,
Requiring people to send SSNs over the Internet, unless the connection is secure or the number is encrypted, and

Requiring people to use an SSN to log onto a web site, unless a password is also used.

The law applies to businesses, government and other entities.

Ask your companies to change now. Organizations may continue their current practices for using SSNs for existing customers, rather than stopping the practices barred by the new law described above - unless a customer requests otherwise in writing. You can ask a company or organization to treat your SSN as the law requires now. Send a letter that says something like the following:

"I am hereby requesting that you comply with the requirements of California Civil Code section 1798.85 related to your use of my Social Security number. I understand that you have 30 days from the receipt of this letter to comply."

Important Note: Health care providers, health plans and insurance companies are given more time to comply with the ban on printing SSNs on ID cards. They must fully comply by July 2005.

Getting a new Social Security number is probably not a good idea. Victims of identity theft sometimes want to change their Social Security number. The Social Security Administration very rarely allows this. In fact, there are drawbacks to changing your number. It could result in losing your credit history, your academic records, and your professional degrees. The absence of any credit history under the new SSN would make it difficult for you to get credit, rent an apartment, or open a bank account.

Here's where to get more information on Social Security numbers.

Identity Theft: If you think an identity thief is using your SSN, call the Social Security Fraud Hotline at 1-800-269-0271. If you think someone may be using your SSN to work, check your Social Security Personal Earnings and Benefit Statement. You can get a copy by calling 1-800-772-1213, or online by clicking here. Also see the Social Security Administration's booklet "When Someone Misuses Your Number," available by clicking here.
What the Numbers Mean: For an explanation of the meaning of the numbers in Social Security Numbers, see "Structure of Social Security Numbers", by Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility. Interesting reading, it will open your eyes. Click here to view it.
More on Protecting Your SSN: "Fact Sheet 10: My Social Security Number: How Secure Is It?" by the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, available by clicking here.
Recommended Practices: For recommendations on how organizations can protect privacy in their handling of SSNs, see the Office of Privacy Protection's "Recommended Practices for Protecting the Confidentiality of Social Security Numbers," available on the Recommended Practices Web page at www.privacy.ca.gov.

Download the FREE Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Office of Privacy Protection
1625 North Market Blvd., Suite N324
Sacramento, CA 95834

Toll Free: (866) 785-9663

www.privacy.ca.gov/

Get more information!

Phone, E-Mail, and Pager Messages May Signal Costly Scams

2006-01-06T06:30:00.000-08:00

The following is courtesy of the Federal Trade Commission:

urgent

prize

809, 758

664

The Federal Trade Commission

FTC

809, 758

664

011 international access code

011 international code

Area Code:	Location:

264 268 242 246 441 284 245 767 473 876 664 869 758 784 868 809	Anguilla Antigua and Barbuda Bahamas Barbados Bermuda British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Dominica Grenada Jamaica Montserrat St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Vincent/ Grenadines Trinidad and Tobago Dominican Republic

FTC

complaint

www.FTC.gov

1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261.

FTC

Consumer Sentinel

Get more information!

Identity Theft Victims: Immediate Recovery Steps to Take

2006-01-05T04:30:00.000-08:00

The following is courtesy of the Federal Trade Commission's site:

If you are a victim of identity theft, take the following four steps as soon as possible, and keep a record with the details of your conversations and copies of all correspondence.

1. Place a fraud alert on your credit reports, and review your credit reports. Fraud alerts can help prevent an identity thief from opening any more accounts in your name. Contact the toll-free fraud number of any of the three consumer reporting companies below to place a fraud alert on your credit report. You only need to contact one of the three companies to place an alert. The company you call is required to contact the other two, which will place an alert on their versions of your report, too.

Equifax
P.O. Box 740241
Atlanta, GA 30374-0241
1-800-525-6285
www.Equifax.com/
Experian
P.O. Box 9532
Allen, TX 75013
1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742)
www.Experian.com/
TransUnion
Fraud Victim Assistance Division
P.O. Box 6790
Fullerton, CA 92834-6790
1-800-680-7289
www.TransUnion.com/

Once you place the fraud alert in your file, you're entitled to order free copies of your credit reports, and, if you ask, only the last four digits of your Social Security number will appear on your credit reports.

Once you get your credit reports, review them carefully. Look for inquiries from companies you haven't contacted, accounts you didn't open, and debts on your accounts that you can't explain. Check that information, like your Social Security number, address(es), name or initials, and employers are correct. If you find fraudulent or inaccurate information, get it removed. See Correcting Fraudulent Information in Credit Reports to learn how. Continue to check your credit reports periodically, especially for the first year after you discover the identity theft, to make sure no new fraudulent activity has occurred.

2. Close the accounts that you know, or believe, have been tampered with or opened fraudulently.

Call and speak with someone in the security or fraud department of each company. Follow up in writing, and include copies (NOT originals) of supporting documents. It's important to notify credit card companies and banks in writing. Send your letters by certified mail, return receipt requested, so you can document what the company received and when. Keep a file of your correspondence and enclosures.

When you open new accounts, use new Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) and passwords. Avoid using easily available information like your mother's maiden name, your birth date, the last four digits of your Social Security number or your phone number, or a series of consecutive numbers.

If the identity thief has made charges or debits on your accounts, or on fraudulently opened accounts, ask the company for the forms to dispute those transactions:

For charges and debits on existing accounts, ask the representative to send you the company's fraud dispute forms. If the company doesn't have special forms, use the sample letter to dispute the fraudulent charges or debits. In either case, write to the company at the address given for "billing inquiries," NOT the address for sending your payments.
For new unauthorized accounts, ask if the company accepts the ID Theft Affidavit (PDF, 56 KB). If not, ask the representative to send you the company's fraud dispute forms. If the company already has reported these accounts or debts on your credit report, dispute this fraudulent information. See Correcting Fraudulent Information in Credit Reports to learn how.

Once you have resolved your identity theft dispute with the company, ask for a letter stating that the company has closed the disputed accounts and has discharged the fraudulent debts. This letter is your best proof if errors relating to this account reappear on your credit report or you are contacted again about the fraudulent debt.

3. File a report with your local police or the police in the community where the identity theft took place.

Then, get a copy of the police report or at the very least, the number of the report. It can help you deal with creditors who need proof of the crime. If the police are reluctant to take your report, ask to file a "Miscellaneous Incidents" report, or try another jurisdiction, like your state police. You also can check with your state Attorney General's office to find out if state law requires the police to take reports for identity theft. Check the Blue Pages of your telephone directory for the phone number or check www.naag.org/ for a list of state Attorneys General.

4. File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.

By sharing your identity theft complaint with the FTC, you will provide important information that can help law enforcement officials across the nation track down identity thieves and stop them. The FTC can refer victims' complaints to other government agencies and companies for further action, as well as investigate companies for violations of laws the agency enforces.

You can file a complaint with the FTC using the online complaint form; or call the FTC's Identity Theft Hotline, toll-free: 1-877-ID-THEFT (438-4338); TTY: 1-866-653-4261; or write to:

Identity Theft Clearinghouse
Federal Trade Commission
600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20580.

Be sure to call the Hotline to update your complaint if you have any additional information or problems.

Get more information!

Been a Victim? File a Complaint with the FTC.

2006-01-04T06:30:00.000-08:00

If you think you have become a victim, click here to submit a complaint to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Bureau of Consumer Protection about a particular company or organization. The complaint form found on the FTC site also may be used to submit a complaint to the FTC concerning media violence.

The information you provide is up to you. However, if you do not provide your name or other information, it may be impossible for the FTC to refer, respond to, or investigate your complaint or request. To learn how we use the information you provide, please read our Privacy Policy.

While the FTC does not resolve individual consumer problems, your complaint helps them investigate fraud, and can lead to law enforcement action. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel ® , a secure, online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies worldwide.

Important Note:

If you want to file a complaint about a violation of National Do Not Call Registry or register your telephone number on the Registry, please go to www.DoNotCall.gov/
If you want to file a report about Identity Theft, please use their Identity Theft Complaint Form by clicking here.
If you want to file a complaint about online transactions involving foreign companies, please use the complaint form found at www.econsumer.gov.

Get more information!

Fake Credit Report Sites: Cashing in on Your Personal Information

2006-01-03T06:00:00.000-08:00

The following is courtesy of:

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation's consumer protection agency, urges you to take the following precautions when visiting sites or responding to email that offer credit reports:

If you get an email offering a credit report, don't reply or click on the link in the email. Instead, contact the company cited in the email using a telephone number or Web site address you know to be genuine.
Be skeptical of unsolicited email offering credit reports. Keep an eye out for email from an atypical address, like XYZ123@website.net, or an email address ending in a top level domain other than .com, like .ru, .it, or .de.
Check whether the company has a working telephone number and legitimate address. You can check addresses at Web sites like www.Switchboard.com, and phone numbers through reverse lookup search engines like www.AnyWho.com.
Check for misspellings and grammatical errors. Silly mistakes and sloppy copy - for example, an area code that doesn't match an address - often are giveaways that the site is a scam.
Look at the company's Web address: Is it a real company's address or it is a misspelled version of a legitimate company's Web address?
Check to see whether the email address matches the Web site address. That is, when you enter the company's Web address into the browser, does it go to the sender's site or re-direct you to a different Web address? If it re-directs you, that's a red flag that you should cease the transaction.
Find out who owns the Web site by using a "Whois" search such as the search at www.NetworkSolutions.com.
Exit from any Web site that asks for unnecessary personal information, like a Personal Identification Number (PIN) for your bank account, the three-digit code on the back of your credit card, or your passport number and issuing country. Legitimate sites don't ask for this information.
All legitimate sites will want to verify who you are, and will respond to an electronic request for a credit report by asking you for an additional piece of information. If a site does not ask a follow-up question, the site is almost certainly a fake.
Use only secure Web sites. Look for the "lock" icon on the browser's status bar, and the phrase "https" in the URL address for a Web site, to be sure your information is secure during transmission. All real sites are secure.
Watch your mailbox and credit card statements: If you've responded to a bogus site, you may never receive the credit report they offered for free. If you paid one of these sites for a credit report, your credit card may never be charged [for the report]; however, if you find that you have unauthorized charges, contact your financial institutions and credit card issuers immediately.

For More Information and to Complain

For a copy of your credit report from the major credit bureaus, contact:

Equifax - www.Equifax.com; 1-800-685-1111
Experian - www.Experian.com; 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742)
TransUnion - www.TransUnion.com; 1-800-888-4213

Get more information!

Join the U.S. Postal Service for National Consumer Protection Week February 5-11, 2006.

2006-01-02T06:00:00.000-08:00

The following is courtesy of the US Postal Service:

I invite you to join them from February 5 through 11, 2006, for National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW) and learn about these common types of fraud:

Foreign lotteries
Free-prize schemes
Investment schemes
Multilevel marketing
Work-at-home scams
Identity fraud (or identity theft)
Internet fraud (and online auctions)

Click here to access the photo above and print it in an 8 1/2" x 11" size.

Get more information!

A Safe Job Search: Avoid Online Fraud and Scams

2006-01-01T06:30:00.000-08:00

The following is an article found on the Monster site warning about identity theft and scams using legitimate job search sites. Click on either icon to go to the Monster site.

Protect Your Info

by Ben Murray, Monster Staff Writer

With the wheel, came the getaway car, with the printing press came counterfeiting, and now scam artists continue to keep up with technology by exploiting the Internet's anonymity to approach victims over the Web. While Internet fraud is nothing new, would-be swindlers have found a new avenue by which to reach victims: Online job postings.

While offline activities set the precedent for this type of fraud, the move to the Web allows con artists to reach vast numbers of potential victims. Often their goal is identity theft, and cons can be sneaky. Taking advantage of job seekers' desire to please potential employers, they ask for all sorts of personal information: your name, birth date, credit information -- all the things they need to steal your identity and spend your money.

The best protection is constant vigilance when searching for jobs. Since the point of the scam is to prey on your hopes for a great job and to hit you where you least expect it, being wary about even the most legitimate-sounding requests for your personal information is always warranted.

"There's an old saying that you should never buy anything you can't see from someone you don't know," says Paul Barada, Monster's Salary Negotiation Expert. While it's legitimate for employers in the early stages of the hiring process to ask you for information about your education, training and qualifications related to a prospective job, "you don't provide proprietary information until you're farther down the road."

And he means so far down the road that you're standing at the HR manager's desk, and even then, there should almost never be an occasion to give out your bank or credit card information. As his best piece of advice on what to do to avoid being fleeced by a bogus job ad, Barada says you should ask someone who approaches you for his contact information, and then independently look up the company's phone number and call them to verify that the company is legitimate and the person who approached you actually works there in a legitimate capacity.

Also look at the details, because they may reveal a thief. If someone approaching you under the guise of a well-known business asks you to reply to them through a third-party address that doesn't bear the company's name or trademark, that's a clue to a possible con. While many large recruiting firms may ask applicants to do this, it pays to make sure the person you're working with is legit. Also look at phone numbers and letterhead. Do they line up with the company's mailing address, other phone numbers and images?

Even given the current job market, Barada advises job seekers not to let their desire to please employers overpower their better judgment. "(Job seekers) shouldn't perceive themselves to be totally at the mercy of prospective employers," he says. "It's not worth losing your identity."

According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the government agency responsible for receiving and processing identity-theft complaints, even if you've been very careful about keeping your personal information safe, you can further minimize your risk by regularly checking your credit record and making sure the information is correct. You can order a report from one of the three major credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion. It also pays to follow up on a late bill from a credit card company, as people who fraudulently use your card number will often change the billing address so you won't find the extra charges until much later.

If you find that you've been a victim of identity fraud, the FTC recommends you do three things immediately:

Contact the fraud departments of each of the three major credit bureaus and ask them to flag your account so no new charges can be made without your approval.
Alert all the financial institutions with which you have accounts and close anything that has been accessed illegally. Put new passwords on the ones you keep open, and password-protect your new accounts with different codes.
Report the crime to the appropriate police department and get a copy of the report for your files.

You can also file a complaint directly with the FTC, and calls may be warranted to the Social Security Administration, (800) 269-0271, and the Internal Revenue Service, (800) 829-0433, depending on what information you gave out.

In addition, there are other authorities to whom you may report possible fraud on the Internet, such as the Internet Fraud Complaint Center (IFCC), a partnership between the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the National White Collar Crime Center. The IFCC maintains a database of fraud complaints, and offers statistics and information on such crimes.

Get more tips for a safe job search on Monster's Be Safe page. You can also check out www.LooksTooGoodToBeTrue.com.

Get more information!

Attorney Mari J. Frank, Esq., Identity Theft Expert Extraordinaire

2005-12-31T17:00:00.000-08:00

As we close out this stressful year, it is my hope and prayer that you will pay more attention to the protection of your identity.

Here's a website that I strongly encourage you to bookmark and refer to frequently because I consider it an encyclopedia on the topic.

Allow me to introduce you to Attorney Mari J. Frank, Esq., Identity Theft Expert Extraordinaire:

"Ms. Mari Frank knows firsthand as an attorney, sheriff reserve, and former identity theft victim, what it takes to protect your personal information, and how to successfully restore your identity if it is stolen. Her testimony, educational programs, and her books have been invaluable to victims and policymakers alike."

-- U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein

As a former victim of identity theft herself, Mari J. Frank, Esq. vigorously researched the issues of privacy and identity theft. Mari has served as an expert witness and mediator on several identity theft and privacy cases. As a practicing attorney/mediator and former litigator, Attorney Frank is familiar with the process of trial, however presently she limits her practice to negotiation, mediation services, consulting, and training.

Additionally, Attorney Frank, a certified trainer for the State Bar of California for Continuing Legal Education for attorneys, has been a law professor and has taught at several colleges and Universities as an adjunct professor. A great deal of her time is spent on privacy and identity theft issues helping victims, companies, governmental agencies and law enforcement across the nation.

Attorney Frank is author of several publications:

Identity Theft Survival Kit (Porpoise Press, Inc.1998, 2000),
Identity Theft Prevention and Survival, the audiocassette series
From Victim to Victor: A Step by Step Guide for Ending the Nightmare of Identity Theft With CD (the book by Porpoise Press,)
Privacy Piracy (booklet by Office Depot, 1999).

Attorney Frank has also written a chapter in Protection Security, and Safeguard (CRC, 2000), the Introduction for Consumer Financial Privacy (LRP Publications) and a chapter in the 2003 State Bar of California Business Section Book.

If that were not enough, Attorney Frank is also the author of another new book, Safeguard Your Identity: Protect Yourself with a Personal Privacy Audit (Porpoise Press 2005) released in 2004 with the new edition of From Victim To Victor with CD as pledges for the PBS Television program Attorney Frank hosted entitled, Identity Theft: Protecting Yourself In the Information Age.

Attorney Frank has provided oral and written testimony and has published many articles regarding privacy and identity theft issues.

On Attorney Frank's website, under the linking of Resources, you will find every resource to include:

Check-Verification/Check-Guarantee Firms
Identity Theft and Privacy Protection
Privacy Resources & Organizations
Crediting-reporting Bureaus

Privacy Newsletters

Legal Resources
Data Compilers

Click on either icon to visit:

. . . where you'll find over 70 pages of free information.

For more information about Attorney Frank's mediation and training,
be sure to visit:

www.MariFrank.com.

Facts and Statistics as Repoted by Equifax

2005-12-30T06:00:00.000-08:00

Below are just a few recent facts and statistics about credit fraud and identity theft.

"More than 27 million Americans have been victims of identity theft in the last five years.... To deal with the problem, consumers reported nearly $5 billion in out-of-pocket expenses."
- The New York Times

"Stealing someone's identity to acquire -- and use -- new credit cards has become one of the most popular white-collar crimes today, according to fraud investigators from across the country."
- Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

"This year alone more than 500,000 Americans will be robbed of their identities…with more than $4 billion stolen in their names."
- CBSnews.com

"In one notorious case of identity theft, the US Department of Justice reported that the criminal incurred over $100,000 of credit card debt, obtained a federal home loan, and bought homes, motorcycles, and hand guns in the victim's name all the while calling his victim to taunt him."
- US Department of Justice Web site

"The number of identity thefts in the U.S. has skyrocketed during the past 15 months."
-CNN.com

"According to a convicted ID thief in Denver, CO, 'On a good day I could make $5,000 in cash and another $7,000 to $8,000 in merchandise . . .' "
-CBSnews.com

"A recent report on identity theft warned that there is likely to be "mass victimization" of consumers within the next two years. The report said consumers should be extra careful to monitor all their financial transactions for unexplained account activity, withdrawals, or fund transfers."
- The Gartner Group, a technology research group

"Every 79 seconds, a thief steals someone's identity, opens accounts in the victim's name and goes on a buying spree."
- CBSnews.com

"Experts report that a victim can spend anywhere from six months to two years recovering from identity theft."
- CNNfn.com

"Most people don't find out they have been a victim of a stolen identity until they are turned down for a loan or credit card. A copy of their credit report explaining the denial may unveil weeks or months of fraud."

- CNNfn.com

Preventing Identity Theft as Reported by Equifax

2005-12-29T04:00:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately, it's not possible to prevent identity theft and credit fraud entirely. However, by managing your personal information carefully, and with a full understanding of its importance, you can substantially reduce the likelihood that it will happen to you. The following tips show you how.

How to Outsmart Identity Thieves:

Be careful about giving out personal information. Whether on the phone, by mail, or on the Internet, never give anyone your card number, Social Security number, or other personal information for a purpose you don't understand. Ask to use other types of identifiers when possible, and don't carry your SSN card. Be sure to keep it in a secure place.
Protect your mail. To stop a thief from obtaining personal information about you by going through your through trash or recycling bin, tear or shred your charge receipts, credit applications, insurance forms, bank statements, expired charge cards, and preapproved credit offers. Deposit outgoing mail in post office collection boxes or at your local post office. Promptly remove mail from your mailbox after it's delivered. If you plan to go away, call the U.S. Postal Service at 800-275-8777 and request a vacation hold.

Guard your credit cards. Minimize the information and the number of cards you carry in your wallet. If you lose a card, contact the fraud division of the credit card company. If you apply for a new credit card and it doesn't arrive in a reasonable period, contact the issuer. Watch cashiers when you give them your card for a purchase. Also, when you receive a new card, sign it in permanent ink and activate it immediately.
Pay attention to billing cycles. Contact creditors immediately if your bills arrive late. A missing bill could mean an identity thief has taken over your credit card account and changed your billing address.
Safeguard personal information in your home. Especially if you are having service work done in your home, employ outside help, or have a roommate.
Find out who has access to your information at work. Be sure to verify that records are kept in a secure location, and are accessible only to employees who have a legitimate reason to access it.
Be smart about passwords and PINs. Memorize your passwords and personal identification numbers instead of carrying them with you. Avoid using easily available information like your mother's maiden name, your birth date, the last four digits of your SSN or your phone number, or a series of consecutive numbers.
Fraud Alerts. You may place an Initial 90 day Fraud Alert by calling any one of the 3 nationwide credit reporting companies. The agency that accepts your request will share your request with the other two credit reporting companies, which will add the alert to your file or request that you provide them additional information. You will receive a confirmation when an alert is added to your file.

Active Duty Alert. You may request an active duty alert, which will remain on your file for 12 months, by calling any one of the nationwide credit reporting companies. This alert removes your name from pre-screened offers of credit for 2 years. You will receive a confirmation when an alert is added to your credit file.

Sharing of Alerts. The nationwide credit reporting company that accepts your request for a Fraud or Active Duty alert will share your request with the other two nationwide credit reporting companies, which will add the alert to your file or request that you provide them additional information.

Other Important Facts:

Zero responsibility doesn't mean zero problems. Because credit card companies must limit consumer responsibility to $50 in most cases of fraud, and because many new cards include "zero responsibility" protection, some people think there's no reason to worry about credit fraud. But in its most advanced form -- identity theft -- credit fraud can cause wide-ranging long-term problems. Identity thieves can use your personal information to take over your credit accounts and open new ones. They may even use your good credit to get a job, take out a car loan, or rent an apartment.
Check your credit report regularly. Checking your credit report can help you catch mistakes and fraud before they wreak havoc on your personal finances. Make sure your report is accurate and includes only those activities you've authorized. It's also a good idea to review your credit report from each of the three major credit reporting agencies every year -- it's possible that information is reported to one but not the others.
Get the 3-in-1 Credit Report and see your credit history as reported by the three major credit reporting agencies. You can also subscribe to Equifax Credit Watch for eBay™ credit report monitoring service, and get an early alert to new and suspicious activity on your report.

Did You Know? Although the problem is nationwide, states with the highest incidence of identity theft are California, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida, Georgia, Texas, Illinois, and Washington.

International Lottery Scams

2005-12-28T07:30:00.000-08:00

The following is courtesy of the Federal Trade Commission:

"Congratulations!

You may receive a certified check for up to $400,000 U.S. CASH!

One Lump sum! Tax free! Your odds to WIN are 1-6."

"Hundreds of U.S. citizens win every week using our secret system!

You can win as much as you want!"

Sound great? It's a fraud.

Scam operators — often based in Canada — are using the telephone and direct mail to entice U.S. consumers to buy chances in high-stakes foreign lotteries from as far away as Australia and Europe. These lottery solicitations violate U.S. law, which prohibits the cross-border sale or purchase of lottery tickets by phone or mail.

Still, federal law enforcement authorities are intercepting and destroying millions of foreign lottery mailings sent or delivered by the truckload into the U.S. And consumers, lured by prospects of instant wealth, are responding to the solicitations that do get through-to the tune of $120 million a year, according to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says most promotions for foreign lotteries are likely to be phony. Many scam operators don't even buy the promised lottery tickets. Others buy some tickets, but keep the "winnings" for themselves. In addition, lottery hustlers use victims' bank account numbers to make unauthorized withdrawals or their credit card numbers to run up additional charges.

The FTC has these words of caution for consumers who are thinking about responding to a foreign lottery:

If you play a foreign lottery-through the mail or over the telephone-you're violating federal law. There are no secret systems for winning foreign lotteries. Your chances of winning more than the cost of your tickets are slim to none.
If you purchase one foreign lottery ticket, expect many more bogus offers for lottery or investment "opportunities." Your name will be placed on "sucker lists" that fraudulent telemarketers buy and sell.
Keep your credit card and bank account numbers to yourself. Scam artists often ask for them during an unsolicited sales pitch.

The bottom line, according to the FTC: Ignore all mail and phone solicitations for foreign lottery promotions. If you receive what looks like lottery material from a foreign country, give it to your local postmaster.

To report telemarketing fraud of any kind, contact your state Attorney General.

The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop and avoid them.

To file a complaint or to get free information on consumer issues, visit www.FTC.gov or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261.

The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.

Common Fraudulent Work-at-Home Opportunity Schemes

2005-12-27T09:30:00.000-08:00

Cyber con artist criminals know working at home sounds attractive. That’s why they place such ads. Here are some of the more common fraudulent work-at-home opportunities:

Envelope stuffing: In this scam, promoters offer a money-making opportunity stuffing envelopes at home — for a “small fee.” But victims do not receive a job. Instead, the victim pays the promoter who then provides them with the details of the scheme. The details are simple: contact other potential victims with an offer to make money stuffing envelopes and then sell them the details of the scheme. Typically, there is nothing to stuff.

The fraud depends on the continuous recruitment of people to offer the same plan. The reality of envelope stuffing is that the process has become a highly automated and mechanized operation. Businesses use sophisticated computer software and mail-processing equipment to generate addresses and insert letters into envelopes. This eliminates any profit potential for an individual doing this type of work at home. Postal Inspectors know of no work-at-home envelope stuffing promotion that ever produces income as alleged.

Product assembly and craft work: These programs often require victims to buy supplies and instructions for assembling simple toys or other products in their home. Then, many hours are expended producing items such as baby booties, plastic signs, or toy clowns for a company that has promised to buy them. However, after the victim has purchased the supplies and equipment and has performed the work, the promoter often decides not to pay because the work does not meet certain “quality standards.” Unfortunately, with these promoters, no work ever meets their “standards,” and the victim is left with merchandise that is difficult or impossible to sell. With no market for the product, the victim wastes time and money.

Reshipping: These scams involve the receiving and reshipping of merchandise often ordered online, to locations that are usually overseas. The work-at-home shipper is told substantial amounts of money can be earned by receiving these goods, repackaging them, and then mailing them to the foreign addresses. However, the shipper is unaware the merchandise has been paid for with stolen or fraudulent credit cards. In effect, the shipper/victim becomes part of a fencing operation by receiving stolen goods and then mailing the goods to the promoter. The promoters, often based in a foreign country, are outside the reach of U.S. law enforcement and are able to cover their tracks to evade capture. The victim, however, is easily tracked and implicated in the crime.

Multi-level Marketing: Multi-level marketing, a direct sales system, is a well-established, legitimate form of business often promoted as a work-at-home opportunity. Many people have successfully sold the products of reputable companies to their neighbors and co-workers. These people are independent distributors who sell popular products and also recruit other distributors to join them. On the other hand, illegitimate pyramid schemes can resemble these legitimate direct sales systems.

An obvious difference is that the emphasis is on recruiting others to join the program, not on selling the product. For a time, new recruits who make the investment to buy product samples keep money coming into the system, but very few products are sold. Sooner or later, the people on the bottom of the pyramid scheme are stuck with a saturated market, and they cannot make money by selling products or recruiting. When the whole system collapses, only a few people at the top have made money — and those at the bottom have lost their investment.

IP - Relay Assisted Scheme: Online "fraudsters" have added another weapon to their arsenal. At first, when the “Reshipper Scam” began, unsuspecting e-commerce businesses were receiving fraudulent orders via email. As e-commerce began to recognize the "fraudster's" online signature, the respective e-businesses implemented changes to thwart the online criminal element.

The "fraudsters" have responded in-kind by taking advantage of the Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS), for communication to place orders with merchants and to befriend Internet acquaintances. Under Title IV of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), all telephone companies must provide free relay services. At first, the TRS was utilized by the traditional text telephones. However, with the advent of the personal computer and the Internet, TRS users are now able to utilize the Internet to complete an Internet Protocol (IP) Relay. By using the IP-Relay, anyone throughout the world who has a computer and Internet access can connect to a relay operator/communication assistant, and place a free telephone call, to include the international market.

This fraudulent work-at-home scam presents other drawbacks. Individuals attracted to work-at-home employment through advertisements posted on popular Internet job websites often are required to provide personal information. This means the prospective “employee” might be asked to submit Social Security Number, date of birth, and sensitive bank account information. Once “employees” are hired, they immediately begin receiving packages for reshipping at their residence. Unfortunately, the promoter now has personal information about the new “employee” which often is later used in identity fraud.

Another drawback is the “pay.” Payment to employees usually arrives in the form of a third-party cashier’s check, rather than a regular paycheck. The check often is larger than the payment due to the victims for their reshipping services. The employee is instructed to cash the check and electronically forward the excess amount to an overseas bank account. Ultimately, the bank will discover the cashier’s check is bogus, and the victim will be liable for repaying the full amount of the check. At this point, “employees” realize they have not only fallen victim to a scam, but that the operators of the scam now possess their personal information.

Don’t believe that you can make big profits easily. Operating a home-based business is just like any other business — it requires hard work, skill, good products or services, and time to make a profit. There is no easy way to wealth. A consumer’s good judgment is the first, last, and best line of defense against cyber con artist criminals.

List of Scams Known to the San Antonio Police Dept.

2005-12-26T11:13:00.000-08:00

Scam Prevention Alerts

For a list of common scams known
to the San Antonio Police Dept. click here.

Alert from San Antonio Police Dept.

2005-12-25T08:00:00.000-08:00

Attention San Antonio Businesses and Residents:

Recently in the San Antonio area, a number of residents have received telephone calls with lucrative offers to switch credit card companies. Once the caller gains the information from the account holder to switch, he makes a number of charges with that person's personal/credit card information. This has caused large losses to businesses and credit card companies.

Warning: Do not give your personal account information over the telephone unless you know the caller.

Click the link below to read about the high-tech and sophisticated extremes
criminals will go to just to steal your ID:

Bank ATM Converted to Steal IDs of Bank Customers

Fraudulent Use of the "DHL" Name

2005-12-24T05:30:00.000-08:00

Even legitimate companies are being preyed upon and are increasingly becoming victims of Identity Theft themselves. Here's what DHL recently discovered and how they're dealing with it.

It has been brought to our attention that attempts have been made to defraud Internet shoppers by unauthorised use of the DHL name and brand, via e-mail communications and graphics which appear, on the surface, to originate from DHL.

The communications concern the sale of consumer goods over the Internet, where payment may be requested by money transfer before the goods will be delivered. Please be aware that DHL does not in general get involved in collecting payment from its customers for goods which it transports. In general, DHL only collects money due to DHL (for the shipping costs).

If you receive a communication like this, or if there is any doubt as to the authenticity of any DHL communication, please report it to DHL by contacting Customer Service via e-mail from the global DHL web site, www.DHL.com, or phone Customer Service at the telephone number published on the DHL web site for your country (country web site addresses available through www.DHL.com).

This security notice does not affect the obligation of consignee to pay shipping, customs, VAT or similar charges where these are properly payable at the time of delivery.

E-Mail Contact instructions:

You can contact us by e-mail now using the DHL on-line contact form. Please ensure that you:

* Provide all personal details in section 1 (e.g. your name, location and e-mail address).

* Tick [check] 'Other' as your 'Type of Comment' in Section 2. You can then add your questions or issues in the box provided.

By following the above instructions, we can ensure that your comments are answered by a local DHL expert as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Country Web Site Integrity:

If you are in any doubt as to the integrity of a DHL country web site, please access using 'Select your Location' to the right of the DHL page.

Thank you.

DHL Security

Free US Postal Service Fraud-Prevention DVD: Foreign Lottery Scams

2005-12-23T05:30:00.000-08:00

Fraud-Prevention DVD: Foreign Lottery Scams
Order any of five fraud-prevention DVDs from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service by following the links below to the Postal Store, or by calling toll-free 1-800-STAMP-24 (1-800-782-6724) in the US only.

All DVDs feature a Spanish-language option.
Toda la característica de DVDs una opción de la Español-lengua.

Long Shot: Foreign Lottery Scams

It’s illegal to play foreign lotteries in the United States. But another reason not to play is that you are almost guaranteed to lose. And once you play, you can count on receiving more "chances" to play and lose. This free DVD tells the story of a foreign lottery fraud victim and the con artist behind the scam. Produced by High Noon Film and presented by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, it also provides tips on helping you avoid becoming a victim of this scam.

Free US Postal Service Fraud-Prevention DVD: Dialing for Dollars

2005-12-22T05:30:00.000-08:00

Fraud-Prevention DVD: Dialing for Dollars
Order any of five fraud-prevention DVDs from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service by following the links below to the Postal Store, or by calling toll-free 1-800-STAMP-24 (1-800-782-6724) in the US only.

All DVDs feature a Spanish-language option.
Toda la característica de DVDs una opción de la Español-lengua.

Delivering Justice: Dialing for Dollars
Telemarketing fraud costs Americans millions of dollars each year. And when it comes to phony investment "opportunities," older Americans are prime targets. This free, 15-minute DVD tells the story of such a scam and the lives that are ruined by criminals. The film provides tips on how to protect yourself from investment fraud and tells you what to do if you've been victimized. "Dialing for Dollars" is a High Noon film presented by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

Free US Postal Service Fraud-Prevention DVD: Web of Deceit

2005-12-21T06:30:00.000-08:00

Fraud-Prevention DVD: Web of Deceit
Order any of five fraud-prevention DVDs from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service by following the links below to the Postal Store, or by calling toll-free 1-800-STAMP-24 (1-800-782-6724) in the US only.

All DVDs feature a Spanish-language option.
Toda la característica de DVDs una opción de la Español-lengua.

Web of Deceit: Internet Fraud
Internet scams are like old wine in new bottles. Telemarketing and mail fraud scams are now coming to you from cyberspace. This free DVD tells the story of a scammer who uses the Internet to victimize unsuspecting consumers around the world until he gets caught in his own web of deceit. The DVD also provides tips on what to watch out for when you do business on the Internet.

Free US Postal Service Fraud-Prevention DVD: Work-at-Home Scams

2005-12-20T03:46:00.000-08:00

Fraud-Prevention DVD: Work-at-Home Scams
Order any of five fraud-prevention DVDs from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service by following the links below to the Postal Store, or by calling toll-free 1-800-STAMP-24 (1-800-782-6724) in the US only.

All DVDs feature a Spanish-language option.
Toda la característica de DVDs una opción de la Español-lengua.

Work-at-Home Scams: They Just Don't Pay
Working at home has become attractive to many stay-at-home moms, college students, and retirees. While some jobs are legitimate, others just don't deliver on their promises. This free, short film tells the story of a new type of work-at-home scam and how a young mother gets caught up in it. It also provides tips on how you can avoid being duped by criminals and what to do if you've been victimized. This High Noon Film is presented by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

Free US Postal Service Fraud-Prevention DVD: Identity Crisis

2005-12-19T06:00:00.000-08:00

Order any of five fraud-prevention DVDs from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service by following the links below to the Postal Store, or by calling toll-free 1-800-STAMP-24 (1-800-782-6724) in the US only.

All DVDs feature a Spanish-language option.
Toda la característica de DVDs una opción de la Español-lengua.

Identity Crisis: Protect Your Identity

Identity fraud is the fastest-growing crime in America. With millions of victims and losses in the billions of dollars, it continues to be one of consumers' biggest fears. This free DVD tells the story of a couple whose credit is ruined and of the criminals who defrauded them. The DVD by High Noon Film, presented by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, also provides tips on how to protect yourself against identity fraud -- and what to do if you become a victim.

Pyramid Schemes

2005-12-18T06:30:00.000-08:00

The following is courtesy of:

Pyramid schemes, also referred to as franchise fraud, or chain referral schemes, are marketing and investment frauds in which an individual is offered a distributorship or franchise to market a particular product. The real profit is earned, not by the sale of the product, but by the sale of new distributorships. Emphasis on selling franchises rather than the product eventually leads to a point where the supply of potential investors is exhausted and the pyramid collapses.

At the heart of each pyramid scheme there is typically a representation that new participants can recoup their original investments by inducing two or more prospects to make the same investment. Promoters fail to tell prospective participants that this is mathematically impossible for everyone to do, since some participants drop out, while others recoup their original investments and then drop out.

Some Tips to Avoid Pyramid Schemes:

Be wary of "opportunities" to invest your money in franchises or investments that require you to bring in subsequent investors to increase your profit or recoup your initial investment.
Independently verify the legitimacy of any franchise or investment before you invest.

What is a "Ponzi" Scheme?

2005-12-17T07:00:00.000-08:00

The following is courtesy of:

A Ponzi scheme is essentially an investment fraud wherein the operator promises high financial returns or dividends that are not available through traditional investments. Instead of investing victims' funds, the operator pays "dividends" to initial investors using the principle amounts "invested" by subsequent investors.

The scheme generally falls apart when the operator flees with all of the proceeds, or when a sufficient number of new investors cannot be found to allow the continued payment of "dividends."

This type of scheme is named after Charles Ponzi of Boston, Massachusetts, who operated an extremely attractive investment scheme in which he guaranteed investors a 50 percent return on their investment in postal coupons. Although he was able to pay his initial investors, the scheme dissolved when he was unable to pay investors who entered the scheme later.

Some Tips to Avoid Ponzi Schemes:

As with all investments, exercise due diligence in selecting investments and the people with whom you invest.
Make sure you fully understand the investment before you invest your money.

Letter of Credit Fraud

2005-12-16T02:53:00.000-08:00

The following is courtesy of:

Legitimate letters of credit are never sold or offered as investments.

Legitimate letters of credit are issued by banks to ensure payment for goods shipped in connection with international trade. Payment on a letter of credit generally requires that the paying bank receive documentation certifying that the goods ordered have been shipped and are en route to their intended destination.

Letters of credit frauds are often attempted against banks by providing false documentation to show that goods were shipped when, in fact, no goods or inferior goods were shipped. Other letter of credit frauds occur when con artists offer a "letter of credit" or "bank guarantee" as an investment wherein the investor is promised huge interest rates on the order of 100 to 300 percent annually. Such investment "opportunities" simply do not exist. (See the Prime Bank Note post for additional information.)

Some Tips to Avoid Letter of Credit Fraud:

If an "opportunity" appears too good to be true, it probably is.
Do not invest in anything unless you understand the deal. Con artists rely on complex transactions and faulty logic to "explain" fraudulent investment schemes.
Do not invest or attempt to "purchase" a "Letter of Credit." Such investments simply do not exist.
Be wary of any investment that offers the promise of extremely high yields.
Independently verify the terms of any investment that you intend to make, including the parties involved and the nature of the investment.

Prime Bank Note

2005-12-15T06:30:00.000-08:00

The following is courtesy of:

International fraud artists have invented an investment scheme that offers extremely high yields in a relatively short period of time. In this scheme, they purport to have access to "bank guarantees" which they can buy at a discount and sell at a premium. By reselling the "bank guarantees" several times, they claim to be able to produce exceptional returns on investment. For example, if $10 million worth of "bank guarantees" can be sold at a two percent profit on ten separate occasions, or "traunches," the seller would receive a 20 percent profit. Such a scheme is often referred to as a "roll program."

To make their schemes more enticing, con artist criminals often refer to the "guarantees" as being issued by the world's "Prime Banks," hence the term "Prime Bank Guarantees." Other official sounding terms are also used such as "Prime Bank Notes" and "Prime Bank Debentures." Legal documents associated with such schemes often require the victim to enter into nondisclosure and noncircumvention agreements, offer returns on investment in "a year and a day", and claim to use forms required by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). In fact, the ICC has issued a warning to all potential investors that no such investments exist.

The purpose of these frauds is generally to encourage the victim to send money to a foreign bank where it is eventually transferred to an off-shore account that is in the control of the con artist. From there, the victim's money is used for the perpetrator's personal expenses or is laundered in an effort to make it disappear.

While foreign banks use instruments called "bank guarantees" in the same manner that U.S. banks use letters of credit to insure payment for goods in international trade, such bank guarantees are never traded or sold on any kind of market.

Some Tips to Avoid Prime Bank Note Related Fraud:

Think before you invest in anything. Be wary of an investment in any scheme, referred to as a "roll program," that offers unusually high yields by buying and selling anything issued by "Prime Banks."
As with any investment perform due diligence. Independently verify the identity of the people involved, the veracity of the deal, and the existence of the security in which you plan to invest.
Be wary of business deals that require nondisclosure or noncircumvention agreements that are designed to prevent you from independently verifying information about the investment.

Common Health Insurance Frauds

2005-12-14T08:30:00.000-08:00

The following is courtesy of:

Medical Equipment Fraud: Equipment manufacturers offer "free" products to individuals. Insurers are then charged for products that were not needed and/or may not have been delivered.

"Rolling Lab" Schemes: Unnecessary and sometimes fake tests are given to individuals at health clubs, retirement homes, or shopping malls and billed to insurance companies or Medicare.

Services Not Performed: Customers or providers bill insurers for services never rendered by changing bills or submitting fake ones.

Medicare Fraud: Medicare fraud can take the form of any of the health insurance frauds described above. Senior citizens are frequent targets of Medicare schemes, especially by medical equipment manufacturers who offer seniors free medical products in exchange for their Medicare numbers. Because a physician has to sign a form certifying that equipment or testing is needed before Medicare pays for it, con artists fake signatures or bribe corrupt doctors to sign the forms. Once a signature is in place, the manufacturers bill Medicare for merchandise or service that was not needed or was not ordered.

Some Tips to Avoid the Health Insurance Fraud:

Never sign blank insurance claim forms.
Never give blanket authorization to a medical provider to bill for services rendered.
Ask your medical providers what they will charge and what you will be expected to pay out-of-pocket.
Carefully review your insurer's explanation of the benefits statement. Call your insurer and provider if you have questions.
Do not do business with door-to-door or telephone salespeople who tell you that services of medical equipment are free.
Give your insurance/Medicare identification only to those who have provided you with medical services.
Keep accurate records of all health care appointments.
Know if your physician ordered equipment for you.

Advance Fee Scheme

2005-12-13T09:00:00.000-08:00

The following is courtesy of:

An advance fee scheme occurs when the victim pays money to someone in anticipation of receiving something of greater value, such as a loan, contract, investment, or gift, and then receives little or nothing in return.

The variety of advance fee schemes is limited only by the imagination of the con artist criminals who offer them. They may involve the sale of products or services, the offering of investments, lottery winnings, "found money," or many other "opportunities."

Clever con artists will offer to find financing arrangements for their clients who pay a "finder's fee" in advance. They require their clients to sign contracts in which they agree to pay the fee when they are introduced to the financing source.

Victims often learn that they are ineligible for financing only after they have paid the "finder" according to the contract. Such agreements may be legal unless it can be shown that the "finder" never had the intention or the ability to provide financing for the victims.

Some Tips to Avoid the Advanced Fee Schemes:

If the offer of an "opportunity" appears too good to be true, it probably is. Follow common business practice. For example, legitimate business is rarely conducted in cash on a street corner.
Know who you are dealing with. If you have not heard of a person or company that you intend to do business with, learn more about them. Depending on the amount of money that you intend to spend, you may want to visit the business location, check with the Better Business Bureau, or consult with your bank, an attorney, or the police.
Make sure you fully understand any business agreement that you enter into. If the terms are complex, have them reviewed by a competent attorney.
Be wary of businesses that operate out of post office boxes or mail drops and do not have a street address, or of dealing with persons who do not have a direct telephone line, who are never "in" when you call, but always return your call later.
Be wary of business deals that require you to sign nondisclosure or noncircumvention agreements that are designed to prevent you from independently verifying the bona fides of the people with whom you intend to do business. Con artist criminals often use noncircumvention agreements to threaten their victims with civil suit if they report their losses to law enforcement.