July 28, 2009 by Terry.

~ contributed by By Stacy Whelchel

Have you ever been to a carnival where a worker promised you a prize if you let the person guess your age or weight? It’s a guessing game that gives them the advantage because even if you win, the prize costs less than what you paid to play.

Similarly, researchers have discovered that thieves can easily guess individual Social Security Numbers, according to a Washington Post story. Even more unnerving is the fact that the criminals can, and have used, public information to uncover the vital digits. Unlike the carnival, this game is illegal, and the payoff for the thief is much more substantial.

Do your part to stop identity thieves from using your SSN and damaging your credit report.  Don’t routinely carry your identification card or other documents that display your number in a purse or wallet.  Don’t provide the number on any forms, unless positively necessary.  And, DO make sure you have an identity theft plan in place…just in case the guessing game doesn’t end in your favor.

What is cheaper? - pre-paid or post paid in these situations:

• health care
• auto repair
• home repair

Try having an accident with your car, then asking for car insurance - doesn’t typically work that way.

As 70%+ of claimed IDentity Theft victims end up hiring or wishing they had legal counsel, a whole industry starting to catch is the Legal arena.  You would want to find a service that is membership based where they do most of or all the effort on your behalf - not insurance based, where typically you take the actions and the policy helps them decide what you will be reimbursed on.  In the case of IDentity Theft most programs out there will leave you doing the work, even if they guide you, but it is being done during the day when the agencies you need to contact are open.

With the likes of LifeLock being sued by companies like Experian and being shut down by federal judges in states like California, I recommend you find a service that will monitor and restore your good name, provide many legal services covering you across America [because IDentity Theft isn’t limited to your trash can].

More importantly you want a service with a proven track record, and is governed by each state’s Insurance, Regulatory, & Bar Association

~ Terry Kohler
Certified IDentity Theft Risk Management Specialist
Talk Solutions Today

Veteran-Owned Small Business

Posted in IDT - SSAN | Print | No Comments »

May 25, 2009 by Terry.

Did you see this article on the New York Times back in January - or hear about it since then?

From that article the authors stated:

“Heartland, based in Princeton, N.J., works with about 175,000 small merchants and processes about 100 million transactions a month. It has created a Web site, 2008breach.com, to provide information about the incident. Cardholders are not responsible for unauthorized fraudulent charges.”

Not according to the Federal Trade Commission and legislation:

Page 19 of the free booklet IDTheft Victims receive when they file a complaint with the FTC “Take Charge: Fighting Back Against Identity Theft” [available at http://ftc.gov/idtheft] indicates you are responsible in this way - that can be very costly:

“…If an identity thief changed the address on your account and you didn’t receive the bill, your dispute letter still must reach the creditor within 60 days of when the creditor would have mailed the bill. This is one reason it’s essential to keep track of your billing statements, and follow up quickly if your bills don’t arrive on time.”

Terry Kohler
Certified IDentity Theft Risk Management Specialist
Talk Solutions Today

Posted in IDT - Businesses, IDT - SSAN, IDT - Financial, News Alerts, IDentity Theft Victims | Print | No Comments »

July 24, 2006 by Terry.

… The victim told Deoria that Grier used his social security numbers to obtain services through…

more of the story…

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