A Look Back at the Gonzales Sentencing

One of the most high profile identity theft cases to occur in the past few years reached a conclusion in the sentencing of Albert Gonzalez last spring. Gonzalez, who some might call the brains behind the multimillion dollar scam that resulted in credit card information theft from retail giants like T.J. Maxx, DSW and Dave and Buster’s, received a sentence of two concurrent 20 year terms in federal prison on conspiracy charges. Gonzalez pleaded guilty to these charges in hopes of a lighter sentence.

While these charges were not identity theft charges, per se, they were related to the fact that Gonzalez sold the credit card information to other criminals. So really, those secondhand criminals were the ones committing the identity theft. Much better, huh? It seems so according to Gonzalez’s defense attorney, who argued in court for 15 years. He also argued that many of the credit accounts that were compromised had expired.

According to PC World, Gonzales told his partners in crime that he was planning to continue his schemes until he had the money he needed to buy a yacht. After that, his goal was to retire from the criminal life. When he was arrested in 2008, he so far only had a BMW, a condo in Miami, 1.65 million in cash, computers and a Glock 27 gun. Too bad he had to give all of these items away as part of his guilty plea agreement.

Part of the filing from the Department of Justice read as follows, “Albert Gonzalez was motivated by ego, challenge and greed and was proud of the national attention his computer intrusion and data thefts drew.” His success in this arena likely inspired more thieves to follow in his footsteps.

This means that even though Gonzalez is in prison now, and will be for a very long time, you are – unfortunately – still very much at risk for identity theft. The number of victims still stands at about 10 million per year, and this case didn’t factor into the number for 2009. Remember, the thieves don’t think of you as anything but a number.

They don’t worry about the impact compromising your information can have on your life. They may even be proud of what they do and also proud of what they can get away with. Don’t count on them to grow a conscience, either overnight or in the years to come. Instead, count on an identity theft protection plan to help keep you protected from America’s fastest growing crime.

Check Washing Scam Leads to Charges

Have you ever heard of washing checks? No, it is not the same thing as forgetting you have one in your pocket and accidentally running it through the spin cycle. Just ask a Reno couple who recently got busted for this type of identity theft. Kevin Frank Curtis and Jesseka Ashlee Koivisto were arrested on December 27 after a witness tipped off the Reno police department’s financial fraud unit.

The couple was allegedly stealing people’s mail and using the information from it to alter checks and attempt to cash them. When the police searched Koivisto’s home, they found stolen mail, magnetic ink, and other equipment which is commonly used for the purpose of financial fraud. What was really damning is the fact that the couple is accused of washing checks, which happens when you take an already written check and remove the ink on it. This allows you to keep the signature, if you wish, but to alter the amount and the recipient. The couple was busted when police detectives caught Koivisto trying to use such a check to get $800 in cash at Walmart.

Most times, business owners were smart enough to realize that the checks they were dealing with were not on the up and up. However, a small percentage were happy to cash them, and that’s really all it takes. I cannot stress enough how important it is to keep personal checks out of an unlocked mailbox. Even if you don’t make it obvious what is inside an envelope, a thief has no problem grabbing all of your mail and meticulously going through it. After all, he or she has likely been successful with this method in the past.

Curtis was booked on suspicion of “possession of a financial laboratory” and Koivisto was booked on “forgery, burglary and getting money using false pretenses.” So, it’s likely these alleged thieves will be off the streets for a while, but there are plenty more where they came from. Keep an eye on your bank statements, making sure they are accurate each month. While credit card companies are likely to call you if they see charges that are out of the ordinary, the same cannot be said for check cashing.

An identity theft protection service can also help, particularly one that has an insurance plan to help you if you are a victim of fraud. Just remember that you need to sign up for it before the fraud happens for it to be of any use to you if that time comes.

Stolen Laptop Leaves Thousands of Hospital Patients at Risk for Identity Theft in South

Spartanburg Regional Hospital in Spartanburg, South Carolina is recently releasing information regarding a laptop that was stolen from one of their employee’s vehicles back in March of 2011. The information is just not being released, although there has been nothing found in the investigation with the Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office that makes them believe that the information has been inappropriately used, let alone accessed.

The information the laptop included the medical information and personal data of thousands of patients, and could result in identity theft, both financial and medical.

A notice has been sent to those who may have been affected, but the hospital also encourages patients to contact the Sheriff’s department if they noticed they have become a victim of identity theft. It is also strongly encouraged that patients consider using a credit monitoring service to watch their financial accounts for misuse.

Unencrypted Email the Cause of a Security Breach that Affects Some 4,000 Employees

The Securities and Exchange Commission is under investigation after a payroll and financial reporting contractor at the Interior Department’s National Business Center emailed a file to the SEC without encrypting it. The software on the system could also be to blame, as the software was supposed to catch the error and force the encryption as well. The mistake was on behalf of two errors, one of the contractor and one from the software.

The file that was sent included the information of approximately 4,000 employees of the agency, including Social Security numbers and personal payroll data and information. This data, if intercepted by a hacker, could be used to commit identity theft on behalf of the individuals.

Although there are no signs or indication of the data being intercepted, the company is still offering their employees 60 days of free credit monitoring services to help them watch and monitor their financial reports for anything suspicious.

Another Scam, Another Potential Identity Theft Threat

I open my inbox, and what do I see? Another scam alert. Another potential identity theft threat. This one is not particularly original. It refers to a telephone scam targeting senior citizens. The goal of this scam is to get people who fall for it to fill out a phony grant application, provide a cell phone number and then wire money using the Western Union service. In exchange for wiring the money, the people are promised a much larger sum in the form of their approved grant.

In Maryland, this scam is perpetrated using the name “Living Well.” This is an actual grant, but in terms of the scam it is of course not legitimate. In fact, it could easily lead to identity theft, since grant applications ask for personal information. If you are contacted and the phone call you receive sounds eerily familiar to this entry, you’re asked to contact the Federal Trade Commission at ftccomplaintassistant.gov.

The reality is, though, that there are literally hundreds of scams out there, and more and more are created every day. While some of them are so obviously fake that pretty much anyone can guess, there are many that even the savvy consumer can get victimized by. If this weren’t the case, there wouldn’t be over nine million identity theft victims in this country every year. This is where an identity theft protection plan can really come in handy. You shouldn’t have to spend your days worrying about whether every letter or phone call or piece of mail you get is actually legitimate.

If a thief gets a hold of your personal information, a protection plan can help ensure that he or she is unable to use it without your knowledge. Left to his or her own devices, said thief could drain your bank accounts and even impersonate you on identification such as a drivers license or a passport. With a plan in place, you should be alerted to fraudulent usage of your information right away so that you can put a stop to it.

This doesn’t mean that you should ignore the obvious, though, even if you have a plan. For example, if someone you don’t know asks you to wire money, it’s a good idea to just say no to that. The problem with wiring money is that it is difficult to get it back, if possible at all. It’s not like a credit card charge where you can simply reverse the charge if you find that it was ill begotten.

Study Shows Lackadaisical Attitude Towards Identity Theft

A lot of predictions are made about 2011: what the weather will be like, what songs will be big hits, what movies consumers will flock to see … Predictions are also made about what might trouble us in the year ahead. The Faces of Fraud: Fighting Back survey was designed to do just that, in regards to identity theft. The Information Security Media Group, which got responses from over 230 professionals in the finance industry, came up with some sobering findings which could spell trouble for 2011.

*A full 76 percent of those surveyed first found out that fraud has occurred when they are notified directly by their customers or members.
*Only 34 percent of those surveyed said that they plan to increase the money they spend on fraud prevention in the new year.
*Only 20 percent of the respondents said that they had the resources they needed to combat or prevent phishing attacks.
*A full 55 percent still use manual methods to prevent fraud instead of more integrated cross-channel protection.

According to George Tubin of TowerGroup, this somewhat lackadaisical attitude to identity theft is just unacceptable in this day in age. He told the managing editor of Bankinfosecurity.com, “Many institutions only know about fraud when they get notified by the customer, and that is not indicative of an industry that is really trying to address the problem.” Matthew Speare of M&T Bank agreed that many security issues are simply seen as an afterthought.

Not giving you a huge amount of confidence in the protection capabilities of your financial institution? Good. The number one person who should be looking out for your information’s safety is you. In fact, 76 percent of those who responded to the survey said that consumer education, as well as employee education, is key – the top way to fight back against fraud.

The educated consumer should read up on identity theft protection companies. They have a track record of success, and many Americans swear by them. This site is a great resource to help you with your research, and save you some money when you make your decision on which one is best for your needs.

TrustedID Review

TrustedID is a very strong identity theft protection company with a service that is second to none. Their service offers complete protection from identity fraud and they back their service with a $1 million guarantee and identity theft experts to help restore your good name in the unlikely event you do become a victim.

TrustedID is great for families as it’s the only credit monitoring service that offers a family plan covering everyone living in the same household. So those who take care of an elderly parent or have a large family can save a lot with this discount.

Trusted ID’s suite of products for consumers is entitled IDEssentials, and contains several products that provide a comprehensive protection plan to help prevent thieves from damaging your credit, stealing your identity and creating havoc with your life. Here are the details.

The first line of defense in TrustedID’s identity protection arsenal is there daily 3 bureau credit monitoring (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion) with bonus credit score. This will notify you promptly via email of changes in your credit accounts that you can then check to make sure that all transactions are legit.

TrustedID also gives you an easy-to-understand way to gauge your risk of identity theft, called an Identity Threat Score, by assigning a score between 0 and 500 with 0 meaning you are not at risk. They calculate this score by using advanced technology, previously only available to large financial institutions, to search millions of public and private database records and then analyze the information (including personal, financial, credit, and more) for patterns that could indicate if you are – or are about to become – a victim of identity theft. These scan are routinely done and are the leading fraud detection tool.

TrustedID will also send you a free copy of your credit report from each of the three bureaus on a yearly basis, without you even having to request them. Trusted ID also monitors your credit card and bank account numbers in addition to your Social Security number, so you will get an email if any unusual activity is detected, as soon as it occurs, to help thwart any attempts to compromise your identity or credit. For example, when TrustedID finds your information online in a place where it shouldn’t be. There are many black market internet sites run by criminal organizations that routinely sell our private information and Trusted ID monitors them daily.

Fewer eyes should be passing across your credit file once you sign up for TrustedID. The company will remove your name and information from solicitors’ lists so third parties will not have access to your private credit information for marketing purposes thus cutting your junkmail and stopping those pre-approved credit card offers that thieves love to steal.

TrustedID offers a warranty of up to a million dollars if identity theft does occur while you’re a member. This money can be used to cover expenses you incur in recovering your good name, such as application fees for new credit, legal fees, and any missed work due to problems with your employment qualifications, etc. You will also gain access to company-provided services to help you restore your identity as quickly and efficiently as possible. It is great to know that if your identity was compromised you would have trained professionals on your side.

TrustedID has a 24-hour customer service line staffed by experts in the field. The company can be contacted anytime by toll-free phone number, 1-800-229-9933, for any questions and concerns about protecting your identity in general or regarding its specific products and services.

Another thing that makes TrustedID stand out is the fact that it allows you the ability to “freeze” your credit at your discretion at all three bureaus. With the CreditLock service, you can place a “lock” on your credit files, denying both companies and individuals access to it. This means that even if you want to open a new account that you will have to contact TrustedID and “unlock” your credit files so a legitimate credit check can be done, such as when you are applying for a loan. This is a much easier task than contacting all three bureaus though it still takes a day or two to make your credit report available to creditors. There is an extra fee that varies by state for this additional service but it is great to know that if you are under attack you could simply call Trusted ID and take this extra precautionary step.

Trusted ID costs $125 per year for individual protection or $240 per year for family coverage. This is the best TrustedID promotion. Learn more at TrustedID.com.

These are the best prices available and include all of the services mentioned under IDEssentials except for CreditLock which you can employ if need be, though that is very unlikely to be needed with the protection you are already offered with this company. In fact PC Magazine rated TrustedID number one for identity theft protection and they have Suze Orman’s endorsement. They have also been recognized by the Identity Theft Resource Center a very well respected non-profit organization.

Over nine million people have their identities stolen every year, according to a study by the Better Business Bureau and Javelin Strategy & Research. Do not let this grave inconvenience and potential financial hardship happen to your family. Protect yourself, and your household members, today.

Buy TrustedID Identity Theft Protection Now. First 14 days are free.

Virus Attack Leaves Massachusetts State Computers Vulnerable to Hackers

In April of 2011, a virus called W32.QAKBOT was discovered on 1,500 computers within the state’s government offices, such as the One Stop Career Center and the Unemployment Assistance and Career Services office. The computers were supposedly disinfected, but the virus was persistent and it was found that it was still in effect on the systems. This virus allows hackers to have access to the information on the computers, which store information about 210,000 Massachusetts residents, making this an extremely large state data breach.

If you were part of any of these government assistance programs through the state of Massachusetts, it is essential that you watch your credit reports closely for any unusual or suspicious activities on your financial accounts. This can be done with the help of identity theft protection services available to everyone through a number of companies.

Stolen Hard Drive Leaves Unknown Number of Healthcare Patients at Risk for Identity Theft

Dunes Family Medical Care in Reedsport, Oregon is sending out a letter to their current and former patients notifying them of a potential security and data breach that may affect thousands of patients.

In March of 2011, a hard drive that stored client back-up information was stolen from a locked, secured area with limited access. The theft was reported to the Oregon State Crime Lab, and an investigation is underway. However, patient information, such as Social Security numbers, names, dates of birth, home addresses, and other sensitive information could quite possibly be accessed, causing extreme concern for anyone who may have been a patient at their office.

Dunes Family Medical Care understands the importance of protecting their patient’s information, so they have partnered with ID TheftSmart and Kroll, Inc. to provide their patients with one year of credit monitoring services to help protect the “unintentional exposure of confidential data” and patient information.

Equifax Credit Monitoring Review

The credit bureau, Equifax, offers a variety of credit monitoring services that can help protect you and your family from identity theft. Instead of just one blanket service, Equifax has a few different ones. This way you can cater your credit monitoring to your needs or the needs of your family.

Traditional credit monitoring services
With each of these services you will get daily alerts of any changes to your credit file that could signal an identity thief is making fraudulent transactions in your name. These changes include but are not limited to new accounts being opened or your contact information being changed.

Also, all of these plans give you the security of a $1,000,000 ID Theft Insurance policy. This policy protects you from many of the costs associated with restoring your credit and accounts if you do become the victim of identity theft. Once you start using the service, identity theft is less likely to occur. But in case it does happen you will be covered. There is no deductible on this policy. Insurance underwritten by member companies of American International Group, Inc.

Equifax Complete
This is the most in-depth credit watch program that Equifax offers. With 3-in-1 monitoring you will be alerted daily of changes not just to your Equifax credit file but also to your files at the other two major credit bureaus, Experian and TransUnion.

Equifax Complete includes one 3-in-1 Credit Report with 3 scores, with details about what’s impacting each of your scores. The score power gives you your score from each of the 3 main credit bureaus plus a simulator that allows you to predict your credit score based on actions you take to improve it. It also includes unlimited access to your Equifax credit report and score.

If you want they will even give you additional identity protection through their Automatic Fraud Alerts feature.

Equifax Credit Watch Gold with 3-in-1 Monitoring
This service is similar to the previous one except you do not have the credit score benefits.

Equifax Credit Watch Gold
Again, a similar service. With this plan, you receive daily monitoring of your Equifax credit file only as opposed to your files at all three credit bureaus. This plan is the most affordable and it provides an ok level of coverage since the credit bureaus will usually share information but we do not recommend it unless you have other credit protection plans in place.

Why? If a creditor granted credit in your name through a different bureau and the information did not propagate to Equifax you would be unaware of the theft and could face a horrible experience restoring your credit and good name. There is also a delay in time from when a change in your credit report at one bureau propagates to the others.

Customer Service
Equifax has 24/7 customer service. This same dedicated customer service team will be available to assist you once you purchase your credit monitoring plan and includes members who are trained fraud specialists in the event you become an identity theft victim. Usually the size of a credit bureau prevents them from having top notch customer service but it is nothing that should prevent you from considering Equifax for your needs.

Pricing
The monthly costs for these plans and the corresponding links to Equifax’s website follow:
Credit Watch Complete- $14.95/month
Credit Watch Gold with 3-in-1 monitoring – $14.95/month
Credit Watch Gold – $9.95 (not recommended)

You can order any of these services online right now at Equifax by clicking the appropriate link above…
and begin protecting the most valuable asset you will ever have: your good name.

Equifax FICO Credit Score
In addition to credit monitoring, Equifax also gives you the option of purchasing Score Power, a unique service that will give you your Equifax FICO score plus a simulator that allows you to predict your FICO score based on actions you take to improve your credit score. Your FICO score is the score used by 90% of lenders and is the one recommended by Suze Orman among others. It is the number often used to determine loan rates and approvals.

This is an ideal service for people looking to apply for mortgages or other loans that tend to have varying interest rates. You will learn what rates you’ll be likely to qualify for and be alerted to the activities that trigger changes in your score. It’s a good way to learn where you stand right now and what exactly you can do to make positive changes to your credit score for the future. This is a great service for those actively monitoring their credit score and either protected from identity theft by other means or unconcerned with the threat. Hopefully it is the former otherwise we highly advise you to learn more about identity theft and its risks.

Score Power – $15.95

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