| How to leave identity thieves out in the cold
WALNUT CREEK, Calif. � It could happen to you. Somebody swipes your Social Security number, then uses it to open a credit card in your name. Before you know it, you've become a victim of identity theft and have a pile of bills for things you didn't buy. Sylvia Coates has found a way to prevent that unpleasant scenario from happening by freezing her credit reports. ``I can't tell you how wonderful it is. I think it is the only foolproof way,'' she said. Coates, who lives in Orinda, Calif., applied for a credit freeze soon after that option become available in 2003, thanks to passage of a state law there that requires credit reporting bureaus to let consumers initiate a credit freeze. Having a credit freeze means that access to your credit reports and credit scores cannot be shared with potential creditors or lenders unless you give permission.
Identity theft lands wrong man in Albuquerque jail for six days
• Get yourself fingerprinted so that your prints are on file for comparison. Contact your local law enforcement agency. • Ask arresting agency to amend all criminal complaints that wrongly name you. • Ask the appropriate courts to provide you with official documentation showing that your identity was wrongly used in a criminal case, then carry those documents with you at all times. • Keep the phone number of a good attorney handy. • Investigate your own background to check for identity theft by accessing various online information broker services such as mybackgroundcheck.com. Locally, check Metro Court records under your name at www.metrocourt.state.nm.us or state district courts at nmcourts.com. • Report your identity theft to the Federal Trade Commission at consumer.gov/idtheft, so it can more accurately monitor such crimes.
Scio Library hosts program on identity theft
Melanie Foster will talk at the Scio Public Library at 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 19 on the crime of identity theft - the wrongful acquisition and use of credit card numbers, Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers, medical information, and other personal data.Foster is a Eugene insurance agent and a graduate of the University of Arizona. She will explain how to prevent identity theft, whom to call when you find out that your personal data has been stolen, and how to undo the damage afterward. Identity theft involves more money worldwide than the trade in illegal drugs. Oregonians are particularly susceptible to this crime: Oregon ranks seventh for the number of victims among all states and countries in the world. Sponsored by the Friends of the Scio Public Library, the program is free of charge, although donations to the Library Building Fund will be welcomed. The Scio Public Library is at 38957 North First Avenue, adjacent to Scio City Hall.
Seminar provides tips to prevent identity theft
If knowledge is power, Carryl Grubbs has the upper hand.Grubbs, accompanied by her husband, Glen, was among a crowd of about 25 cautious Lake Saint Louis residents eagerly awaiting the start of a seminar Tuesday on how to prevent identity theft.The hour-long presentation, hosted by the city's police department, was meant to address the area's need for a heightened awareness of the dangerous issue, one that Grubbs said she now feels better prepared for."No one wants to think something is going to happen, but it's obvious that it happens before you know it," she said.That's what instructor Joan Crenshaw wanted her audience to remember most: When it comes to identity theft, it's all about prevention. So much so, said Crenshaw, senior vice president of New Frontier Bank, that she has been to dozens of church basements, organizations and homes in St.
Ideas in Motion: Anthony Munns Assesses Risk and Rewards
It's a pressure-packed meeting and the business executives are worried. With the daily newspapers and talk shows full of news on yet another security breach and identity theft incident, the higher-ups are trying to figure out how to protect their data and systems. More importantly, they want to ensure their technology and supporting information provides the necessary and much-needed peace of mind they must have for their customers and themselves.
As the group surmises its present processes won't get the job done, they realize they need help. That's where Anthony J. Munns, CISA, CIRM, CPIM, comes in.
Munns is head of the Risk Management Services practice for Brown Smith Wallace, LLC in St. Louis, Mo., where he performs IT audit, security, HIPAA implementation services and technology attest reviews, including SAS 70 reviews.
Watchdog warns of phone scam
Consumers are being conned over the phone by fraudsters claiming to be calling from Consumer Direct. The callers pretend they are carrying out a survey on behalf of the Government-funded consumer advice organisation and ask their victims for personal and financial information. However, Consumer Direct said the callers have no connection with it, and their intention may be to use the information for identity theft, to run up bills or commit crimes using stolen details. Consumer Direct said although it does carry out surveys in order to monitor its performance, it will always write first so that the call is expected. The consumer watchdog said it also would never ask people for financial or personal information and warned people that they should never pass on these kind of details to any cold callers either over the phone or via email.
ID theft prevention tools tested
You or someone you know has probably already been a victim. Identity theft is a huge problem that just gets worse this time of year. More shopping for gifts means more opportunity for thefts. Crime Tracker 3's Sophia Choi show you how to protect one of the most important items you can own, your identity. One slip up, and you could be stuck fighting bogus charges for 880 days. That should get your attention. Something that caught our attention were special pens, the makers of which claim prevent check fraud. We put it to the test. The pens boast specially formulated ink. Detective Kim Thomas tested it against a Gel Rollerball pen and a regular ink pen. After cutting the checks into pieces, he soaked them in a variety of chemicals from gasoline to acetone.
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