December 24, 2009 by Terry.

See if you can follow my meandering thoughts.

I am a Novice long-time Genealogist, dabbling in my family history research here and there.  As an advocate in this IDentity Theft crisis, I beg to wonder with this crisis will our children and their children, doing family history research, be heard saying “Will the real Grandpa Terry Kohler please stand up?”  Now, I wonder if we will be hearing “Will the Real America Please Stand Up?”

I am so flippin’ displeased with this current administration’s choices.  With the voting that just took place in D.C. this morning and the bribes paid out by Harry Reid and those buying votes to get passage of the Health Care Reform, not only are our Freedoms being eroded away, but our IDentity is being messed with.  What the @#*%^$! are Ben Nelson, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, P-BO [President Barrack Obama], and the Demo’s doing?  I wonder if some “LOWER Power” has them by the Ball’s? I hear from the media that the Healthcare Reform piece of garbage wouldn’t take effect for 4 years [NO, I haven’t read the 2,000 pages of the document — sounds like Mr. Obuma and many others haven’t either].  Obuma says they will make health care affordable for 30Million Americans [Yeah, like the ones who are illegal immigrants using True Americans social security numbers to get medical treatment], yet costing, those who pay for health insurance through their employer or on their own, even more in costs.  Obuma says that the American People sent them [Him and those Czars] there to do the things the People want them to do.  What?  He and the BIG govt, and the rest of the greedy power mongers, aren’t listening to all the people I am hearing.

Let ME CHOOSE to pay into a PRIVATE health care ACCOUNT that I can take with me from job-to-job or company-to-company.  I want to be in control of MY OWN portable health care costs.

I salute my fellow American Veterans!  Many people do NOT realize the blank check we wrote when we swore to protect America’s Freedoms, yet who we are [our IDentity] is being taken away, by votes, by force.  Veteran’s spouses and families also bear major sacrifice and support America more than some Americans realize.

All you Socialistic spread the wealth, entitlement-minded, people out there: STAY OUT OF MY “BUSINESS” and MY BUSINESS, and that of my friends, families, business associates, and THEIR businesses.  Don’t spread MY wealth or non-wealth, spread your own.  I will do with MY TIME, MONEY, FREEDOM, what I need or want to do with it.  I will bless the lives of my family, or others, by giving, when, where, how, I see fit and best.  You should teach a man to fish, not just feed him fish.  All you people who are HONESTLY using government assistance - hurry and get back on your feet, and be self-sufficient.  All you who have been on public assistance longer than necessary - SHAME ON YOU.  The most you should be given are Seeds to grow your own food - don’t know how- learn.  The government is to protect us from evil doings and protect our freedoms - not be part of the evil doings and destroy our freedoms.

MERRY

Posted in IDT - America, IDentity Theft | Print | No Comments »

November 4, 2009 by Terry.

See how legal issues for business may be fought today compared to years ago, especially when “IDentity Theft in the workplace” happens.

http://cp.blastoffnetwork.com/index.php/prepaid/113863864

For business - click on the Blue Arrow Box just above the ‘talking lady in black’ and the “Legal Service Business Plan” to learn more.

For IDentity Theft education on many areas [not just financial] - click on the IDentity Theft areas to learn more.

Posted in IDT - Solutions, IDT - Businesses, IDentity Theft Victims, IDentity Theft | Print | No Comments »

October 14, 2009 by Terry.

WARNING: 2010 Census begins phase 1 and so does the IDentity Thieves

Scam Alert: Be Cautious About Giving Info to Census Workers

With the U.S. Census process beginning, as citizens we need to be cooperative, but very cautious.  Talk with EVERYONE in your home who may answer the door and even your neighbors who may respond to door-to-door census takers, if your door isn’t answered.  This may help in not becoming a victim of fraud or identity theft. The first phase of the 2010 U.S. Census is under way, as workers have begun verifying the addresses of households across the country.

Eventually, more than 140,000 U.S. Census workers will count every [used very loosely] person in the United States and will gather information about every person living at each address including name, age, gender, race, and other relevant data.

A very concerning question is - how do you tell the difference between a U.S. Census worker and a con artist?

If a U.S. Census worker knocks on your door, they will have a badge, a handheld device, a Census Bureau canvas bag, and a confidentiality notice.  Ask to see their identification and their badge before answering their questions.  However, you should never invite anyone you don’t know into your home.

Census workers are currently only knocking on doors to verify address information.  Do not give your Social Security number, credit card or banking information to anyone, even if they claim they need it for the U.S. Census.

REMEMBER, NO MATTER WHAT THEY ASK, YOU REALLY ONLY NEED TO TELL THEM HOW MANY PEOPLE LIVE AT YOUR ADDRESS.

While the Census Bureau might ask for basic financial information, such as a salary range, YOU DON’T HAVE TO ANSWER ANYTHING AT ALL ABOUT YOUR FINANCIAL SITUATION.  The Census Bureau will not ask for Social Security, bank account, or credit card numbers, nor will employees solicit donations.  Any one asking for that information is NOT with the Census Bureau. 

AND REMEMBER, THE CENSUS BUREAU HAS DECIDED NOT TO WORK WITH ACORN ON GATHERING THIS INFORMATION..  No Acorn worker should approach you saying he/she is with the Census Bureau.  [yahoooooo]

Eventually, Census workers may contact you by telephone, mail, or in person at home. However, the Census Bureau will not contact you by Email, so be on the lookout for Email scams impersonating the Census.

Never click on a link or open any attachments in an Email that are supposedly from the U.S. Census Bureau.

For more advice on avoiding identity theft and fraud, visit any of these web sites:

http://TalkSolutionsToday.com – IDentity Theft information site, for businesses

http://WebDataBreachAlert.org – subscribe to a monthly service that could alert you to data breaches at businesses, schools, medical facilities, etc, which you frequent.

http://privacyrights.org – Nonprofit Consumer Information and Advocay Organization

http://ftc.gov/idtheft – Federal Trade Commission’s IDentity Theft info web site

http://WhoElseHasYourName.info – this blog

PLEASE SHARE THIS INFO WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS.

Posted in News Alerts, IDentity Theft | Print | No Comments »

October 2, 2009 by Terry.

To my Veteran Comrades who help me share the solution to the IDentity Theft & Data Breach crisis’s with others:

As veteran’s, we need to be concerned, but not as bad as fellow vets and their families who don’t have the premier no-contract service plans we have - but we need to let them know what they and their families can have, can afford, and would be among the wise.

Fellow Veteran’s: Soldiers’ Data Still Being Downloaded Overseas; Probe Targets Archives’ Handling of Data on 70 Million Vets

I just received this Data loss breach notification from front line sources!  Items 2 and 3 are important to share.  We have the solution; let’s respond to those who ask, quickly!

Terry Kohler

Certified IDentity Theft Risk Management Specialist

http://talksolutionstoday.com

——– Original Message ——–

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Today’s Topics:

   1. Extortion of 700,000 ? (Al)
   2. Soldiers’ Data Still Being Downloaded Overseas, Firm Says (lyger)
   3. Probe Targets Archives’ Handling of Data on 70 Million Vets (lyger)

———————————————————————-

Message: 1
Date: Thu, 1 Oct 2009 12:37:02 -0500
From: “Al” <.com>
Subject: [Dataloss] Extortion of 700,000 ?
To: <.org>
Message-ID: <.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=”us-ascii”

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9138723/Express_Scripts_700_000_notified_after_extortion

[..]

Last November, the company reported that someone had threatened to expose millions of customer prescription records, but it has come under criticism for being vague about how many of its customers’ records were accessed. Now the company says that about 700,000 have been notified.

[..]

the St. Louis-based company in October 2008, received a letter containing the names, birth dates, Social Security numbers and prescription data of 75 patients. The extortionists threatened to turn the information public if they weren’t paid. Express Scripts refused and instead notified the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation. The company is now offering a US$1 million reward for information leading to the arrest of the perpetrators.

[..]

In a June court filing, the company said that three of its customers have also been approached by the extortionists. Toyota is one of those companies. In November 2008 it received a letter that was similar to the October Express Scripts threat from extortionists who threatened to release information on Toyota employees and their dependents.

[..]

In late August 2009, Express Scripts was informed by the FBI that the perpetrator of the crime had recently taken action to prove that he possesses more member records from the same period as those identified in the 2008 extortion attempt.

-

Al Macintyre

 
——————————

Message: 2
Date: Fri, 2 Oct 2009 14:07:59 +0000 (UTC)
From: lyger <.org>
Subject: [Dataloss] Soldiers’ Data Still Being Downloaded Overseas, Firm Says
To: dataloss <.org>,   dataloss-discuss
        <.org>
Message-ID: <.org>
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/01/AR2009100104947.html?hpid=moreheadlines

The personal data of tens of thousands of U.S. soldiers — including those in the Special Forces — continue to be downloaded by unauthorized computer users in countries such as China and Pakistan, despite Army assurances that it would try to fix the problem, according to a private firm that monitors cybersecurity.

Tiversa, which scours the Internet for sensitive data, discovered the data breaches while conducting research for private clients. The company found, as recently as this week, documents containing Social Security numbers, blood types, cellphone numbers, e-mail addresses, and the names of soldiers’ spouses and children.

The availability of such data, security experts say, exacerbates the threat of identity theft and retaliation against troops on sensitive missions. In addition to using the information to drain financial accounts, hackers could pose as soldiers in an effort to ferret out sensitive data, including passwords to government systems.

[…]

——————————

Message: 3
Date: Fri, 2 Oct 2009 14:13:10 +0000 (UTC)
From: lyger <.org>
Subject: [Dataloss] Probe Targets Archives’ Handling of Data on 70 Million Vets
To: dataloss <.org>,   dataloss-discuss
        <.org>
Message-ID: <.org>
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed

http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2009/10/probe-targets-archives-handling-of-data-on-70-million-vets/

The inspector general of the National Archives and Records Administration is investigating a potential data breach affecting tens of millions of records about U.S. military veterans, Wired.com has learned. The issue involves a defective hard drive the agency sent back to its vendor for repair and recycling without first destroying the data.

The hard drive helped power eVetRecs, the system veterans use to request copies of their health records and discharge papers. When the drive failed in November of last year, the agency returned the drive to GMRI, the contractor that sold it to them, for repair. GMRI determined it couldn’t be fixed, and ultimately passed it to another firm to be recycled.

The incident was reported to NARA’s inspector general by Hank Bellomy, a NARA IT manager, who charges that the move put 70 million veterans at risk of identity theft, and that NARA’s practice of returning hard drives
unsanitized was symptomatic of an irresponsible security mindset unbecoming to America’s record-keeping agency.

[…]

——————————

_______________________________________________
Dataloss Mailing List (.org)

End of Dataloss Digest, Vol 14, Issue 1
***************************************

Posted in IDT - Veterans, IDentity Theft | Print | No Comments »

August 23, 2009 by Terry.

View this video [link lost] to see why having continuous monitoring on your credit bureau records are important, and why your current or next job may not continue or happen.

Posted in IDT - Videos, IDentity Theft | Print | No Comments »

August 2, 2009 by Terry.

My father gave me a plaque with this poem on it years ago.
I found the same plaque years later and gave one to each of
my boys, almost years ago.

Fathers Name

You got from your father; it was all he had to give.
So it’s yours to use and cherish, for as long as you may live.

If you lose the watch he gave you, it can always be replaced.
Put a black mark on your name, son, can never be erased.

It was clean the day you took it, and a worthy name to bear.
When he got it from his father, there was no dishonor there.

So make sure you guard it wisely, after all is said and done.
You’ll be glad the name is spotless, when you give it to your son.

[author unknown]

Posted in IDentity Theft | Print | No Comments »

May 28, 2009 by Terry.

“…LifeLock has been breaking California law for years by placing fraud alerts on its customer’s credit profiles.” from THREAT LEVEL at Wired.com

And charging you for it.  Folks, we can do that for FREE!  See the 2003 Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act, or FACTA, rules and other legislation.

Read the full story at the link above - THEY ALL TALK ABOUT FRAUD RELATED IDENTITY THEFT ~~~ WHY AREN’T THEY TALKING ABOUT ALL AREAS OF IDENTITY THEFT? Like the ones that can land you in jail, in handcuffs in front of your kids, slammed to the ground when you ARE innocent, or the one that CAN kill you.

Kroll, the world’s leading risk consulting company, with more than 30-years experience, says it best on their website.  They also appoached the leading nationwide network of lawfirms [what if IDentity Theft happens against you, by someone in ANOTHER state] and partnered with Pre-Paid Legal Services to offer the better answer.  Get the answers in short 4-minute videos at each link on Talk Today

As mentioned in the article these companies that popped up in the last 5 years to offer a fraud alert placement service will need to stop doing that.  WHY?  Better yet, WHY NOT? - YOU can place the alert yourself - FOR FREE.

The IDENTITY THEFT SHIELD[tm] is the better answer and their licensed investigaters place the alert, on your behalf, ONLY when necessary, and they don’t charge you extra.

Recommended reading to help you understand this crisis: The Silent Crime: What You Need To Know About Identity Theft, authored by Steffen Schmidt and Mike McCoy

Terry Kohler
Certified IDentity Theft Risk Management Specialist
Talk Solutions Today

Posted in News Alerts, IDentity Theft | Print | No Comments »

April 23, 2009 by Terry.

Readiness for May 1, 2009 deadline - Knowledge of these Federal Red Flag Rules - mostly relating to IDentity Theft and Data Breaches

http://polls.linkedin.com/p/34409/pfbyu

If you are a business, be aware, your customers, B2B, and vendors, will be concerned about YOUR readiness and if you are up to speed with them.

Free gift for you - PDF file ”

Offered by Talk Solutions Today

[deadline was extended from original November 1, 2008 deadline, because too many businesses weren’t aware]

Terry Kohler

Posted in IDT - Businesses, News Alerts, IDentity Theft | Print | 1 Comment »

March 4, 2009 by Terry.

WATCH OUT - help get this warning out to everyone you know!

Web sites, like presidentobamagrants.com or officialstimulusgrants.com, may advertise that they can help you get money from the stimulus fund.  Many sites, like these, use deceptive names or images of President Obama and Vice President Biden to suggest they are legitimate.  They’re not!

The FTC has indicated that there are web sites which suggest that for a small sum of money - even as low as $1.99 in some cases - consumers can get a list of economic stimulus grants they can apply for.  Two things could happen: the number of the credit card the consumer uses to pay the fee can fall into the hands of IDentity Theives and scam artists, or the $1.99 might become the down payment on a “negative option” agreement that may cost hundreds or thousands of dollars if the consumer does not cancel the agreement [which they should have their attorneys review before signing - always involve your top-rated nationwide network of law firms before signing any contract or agreement]. 

Eileen Harrison, acting director, of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, noted that many illegitimate sites use photos, of Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, to give the appearance of authenticity. Sites also copy and use logos from ABC, CBS, CNBC, CNN, FOX, NBC, MSNBC, and other major media outlets to make them appear to be a legitimate web site or email.

The FTC last week reported that, for the ninth year in a row, IDentity Theft — especially in Arizona and California — was the number one consumer complaint filed with the Federal Trade Commission in 2008.  Of 1,223,370 complaints received in 2008, 313,982 - or 26%- were related to IDentity Theft.

Further, the FTC ‘s list in the  “Consumer Sentinel Network (CSN) Data Book for January-December 2008,” states that credit card fraud was the most common form of reported identity theft at 20%, followed by government documents/benefits fraud at 15%, employment fraud at 15%, phone or utilities fraud at 13%, bank fraud at 11 %and loan fraud at 4%. The CSN received over 1.2 million complaints during calendar year 2008.

Did you see that?  20% — What about the other 80%+/- of IDentity Theft cases?  From that, might I suggest, the other approximately 80% of IDentity Theft falls into DMV - Medical - SSAN - Character/Criminal areas.

Check out this 4-minute video, and see what happened to some of these folks.

Then, be careful out there.

Posted in IDTheft Stats, News Alerts, IDentity Theft Victims, IDentity Theft | Print | No Comments »

December 23, 2008 by Terry.

Right now, I couldn’t have said it any better than DHS Secretary Chertoff.

Read the entire article, but note his comment:

“…I’m going to submit to you that in the 21st Century, the most important asset that we have to protect as individuals and as part of our nation is the control of our identity, who we are, how we identify ourselves, whether other people are permitted to masquerade and pretend to be us, and thereby damage our livelihood, damage our assets, damage our reputation, damage our standing in our community.”  DHS_Remarks_HomelandSecurity

This is why I am on a mission to help as many individuals and families as I can.  I can help more of them at once by helping the businesses in America meet as much of the FTC/FACTA/GLB reg’s and requirements, relating to IDentity Theft issues, as possible.

Posted in IDentity Theft | Print | No Comments »