I present on Identity Theft all over the Western United States, came across this forum, and thought I would throw in my two cents.
In response to someone's post, job ads are already being used for Identity Theft. Monster.com ranks it among their biggest problems- fake companies posing as real companies.
Someone on this forum stated that you would have to be dumb to lose your information. I beg to differ.
No matter how good you are, no matter how vigilant, no matter how much you shred, or don't mail from your box, or hide in your home, there is no 100% effective defense against Identity Theft.
Here's why. Let's say you want to get health insurance, or auto insurance, or finance a car, etc. etc. etc. Let's say for purposes of this example that you are trying to get health insurance through your company. A relatively simple process, right? Fill out the form, wait to get the insurance cards.
Now, the insurance agent takes the form and submits it for group health. It is submitted to three different companies for underwriting. So now, the insurance agent and the insurance company has the information on you, the three companies supplying the insurance have the information on you, AND all of the employees at all four points have access to the information. Think about how many employees that might be.
That information is then passed on to a data warehouse like ChoicePoint, and anyone who has access to ChoicePoint now has access to that information. Who has access to ChoicePoint? I think with the recent news articles, the more appropriate question is, who doesn't have access to ChoicePoint?
The information is also submitted to your MIB (Medical Information bureau) file. Anyone who has access to the MIB files, now has access to all of that information. Who has access to the Medical Information Bureau records? Anyone at any hospital around the United States who has even a small amount of clearance.
According to John Gardner, co author or Chicken Soup for the Entrepreneurial Soul, "This makes the Identity Theft Shield, along with a Pre-Paid Legal Membership, an absolute must for anyone that's breathing."
If you want to learn what Mr. Gardner is talking about, visit www.prepaidlegal.com/hub/jkraft.
If not, and you want to continue thinking that shredding your information is going to protect you, good luck.
Jonathan
(877) 825-7119
Hi all,
I nearly became the victim of ID Theft for my business via an online scam, I started looking into the industry, trying to understand what was going on and how I might protect myself.
What I learned:
I was completely amazed that there wasn't any real help through governmental organizations or credit card/credit reporting companies. There's no 100% effective way to prevent yourself, or your business, from being a victim of identity theft. There are ways to decrease the likelihood that you will become a victim, but that's it.
This, to me, became a cause. I now present all over Colorado and Wyoming about ways identity theft takes place, trying to make clear to people of all ages and backgrounds how serious this is.
What most people don't realize is that many identity thefts take place in different jurisdictions. for example: your company's merchant account is used to purchase homes in Florida and California, and let's say that you live in Montana. You go to Montana police to report the crime, but they say that there's nothing they can do because it happened in Florida and California. So you call police in those states, and there's nothing they can do, they say, because you live in Montana. So you call the FTC, whose web site (actually) says "While the FTC does not resolve individual consumer identity theft problems, your complaint helps us to investigate fraud, and can lead to law enforcement action." So you think, well, I'll contact the Better Business Bureau, whose web site says "If your complaint is against the Identity thief, it is unlikely that the BBB can assist you. We urge you to contact the Federal Trade Commission."
And those of you who have tried to deal with the credit card companies and the credit bureaus know what a ridiculous prospect that is. I mean, think about it - 9.9 million victims of identity theft in 2002 - that's 27,000 people who line up in the morning at the credit bureau's doors, and the credit card companies' doors, and they don't all get dealt with that day, but 27,000 come the next day, and 27,000 the next, and so on.
I am associated with a NYSE company, and a NASDAQ company. I do market their combined service, which is the best solution for helping individuals and businesses to make sure that this crime doesn't happen to them, and that if it does, that they will have all the help they need.
If you are currently dealing with this issue, I can help you, and it really won't cost you very much (like next to nothing). I am also really wanting to train some people to do what I do (or better than I do), so that we can get the word out to as many people as possible, before this affects them, and especially if it's already affected them. We have people working with us both part-time and full-time, earning incomes between $500/month and $15,000/month.
Within the next two-five years, all of us will pay for some sort of identity theft policy, either built into the insurances we already have, or as a separate product. From a business standpoint, I would like to have many of those people as customers as possible - wouldn't you, if the product you offered really helped them? From a personal standpoint, I've seen most of what is available today for identity theft protection, to help people and companies, and none of it holds a candle to what we do to help protect people, and restore their good names.
If you fit into either of these groups (need help with an Identity Theft/fraud, or would like to make part-time or full-time income offering a better product than what most everyone will elect to have), please email me at jkraft@strive4impact.com). You can also call me at 877 825 7119 (Leave a voicemail if no answer)
Like I said, I'm not an anonymous coward:) I just came across this forum after researching Google for Identity Theft articles online, and felt like I had to respond even though I hadn't (and still haven't) received a Slashdot password.
Please let me know if I can help you deal with this most challenging of crimes, or increase your income by helping to protect others.
Slashdot Mirror
I present on Identity Theft all over the Western United States, came across this forum, and thought I would throw in my two cents.
In response to someone's post, job ads are already being used for Identity Theft. Monster.com ranks it among their biggest problems- fake companies posing as real companies.
Someone on this forum stated that you would have to be dumb to lose your information. I beg to differ.
No matter how good you are, no matter how vigilant, no matter how much you shred, or don't mail from your box, or hide in your home, there is no 100% effective defense against Identity Theft.
Here's why. Let's say you want to get health insurance, or auto insurance, or finance a car, etc. etc. etc. Let's say for purposes of this example that you are trying to get health insurance through your company. A relatively simple process, right? Fill out the form, wait to get the insurance cards.
Now, the insurance agent takes the form and submits it for group health. It is submitted to three different companies for underwriting. So now, the insurance agent and the insurance company has the information on you, the three companies supplying the insurance have the information on you, AND all of the employees at all four points have access to the information. Think about how many employees that might be.
That information is then passed on to a data warehouse like ChoicePoint, and anyone who has access to ChoicePoint now has access to that information. Who has access to ChoicePoint? I think with the recent news articles, the more appropriate question is, who doesn't have access to ChoicePoint?
The information is also submitted to your MIB (Medical Information bureau) file. Anyone who has access to the MIB files, now has access to all of that information. Who has access to the Medical Information Bureau records? Anyone at any hospital around the United States who has even a small amount of clearance.
According to John Gardner, co author or Chicken Soup for the Entrepreneurial Soul, "This makes the Identity Theft Shield, along with a Pre-Paid Legal Membership, an absolute must for anyone that's breathing."
If you want to learn what Mr. Gardner is talking about, visit www.prepaidlegal.com/hub/jkraft.
If not, and you want to continue thinking that shredding your information is going to protect you, good luck. Jonathan (877) 825-7119
Hi all,
:) I just came across this forum after researching Google for Identity Theft articles online, and felt like I had to respond even though I hadn't (and still haven't) received a Slashdot password.
I nearly became the victim of ID Theft for my business via an online scam, I started looking into the industry, trying to understand what was going on and how I might protect myself.
What I learned:
I was completely amazed that there wasn't any real help through governmental organizations or credit card/credit reporting companies. There's no 100% effective way to prevent yourself, or your business, from being a victim of identity theft. There are ways to decrease the likelihood that you will become a victim, but that's it.
This, to me, became a cause. I now present all over Colorado and Wyoming about ways identity theft takes place, trying to make clear to people of all ages and backgrounds how serious this is.
What most people don't realize is that many identity thefts take place in different jurisdictions. for example: your company's merchant account is used to purchase homes in Florida and California, and let's say that you live in Montana. You go to Montana police to report the crime, but they say that there's nothing they can do because it happened in Florida and California. So you call police in those states, and there's nothing they can do, they say, because you live in Montana. So you call the FTC, whose web site (actually) says "While the FTC does not resolve individual consumer identity theft problems, your complaint helps us to investigate fraud, and can lead to law enforcement action." So you think, well, I'll contact the Better Business Bureau, whose web site says "If your complaint is against the Identity thief, it is unlikely that the BBB can assist you. We urge you to contact the Federal Trade Commission."
And those of you who have tried to deal with the credit card companies and the credit bureaus know what a ridiculous prospect that is. I mean, think about it - 9.9 million victims of identity theft in 2002 - that's 27,000 people who line up in the morning at the credit bureau's doors, and the credit card companies' doors, and they don't all get dealt with that day, but 27,000 come the next day, and 27,000 the next, and so on.
I am associated with a NYSE company, and a NASDAQ company. I do market their combined service, which is the best solution for helping individuals and businesses to make sure that this crime doesn't happen to them, and that if it does, that they will have all the help they need. If you are currently dealing with this issue, I can help you, and it really won't cost you very much (like next to nothing). I am also really wanting to train some people to do what I do (or better than I do), so that we can get the word out to as many people as possible, before this affects them, and especially if it's already affected them. We have people working with us both part-time and full-time, earning incomes between $500/month and $15,000/month.
Within the next two-five years, all of us will pay for some sort of identity theft policy, either built into the insurances we already have, or as a separate product. From a business standpoint, I would like to have many of those people as customers as possible - wouldn't you, if the product you offered really helped them? From a personal standpoint, I've seen most of what is available today for identity theft protection, to help people and companies, and none of it holds a candle to what we do to help protect people, and restore their good names.
If you fit into either of these groups (need help with an Identity Theft/fraud, or would like to make part-time or full-time income offering a better product than what most everyone will elect to have), please email me at jkraft@strive4impact.com). You can also call me at 877 825 7119 (Leave a voicemail if no answer) Like I said, I'm not an anonymous coward
Please let me know if I can help you deal with this most challenging of crimes, or increase your income by helping to protect others.
Thank-you,
Jonathan