Here are some of the current catches. Do take note of the diverse backgrounds. It continues to reinforce that identity theft is a crime of opportunity. We must continue to diminish the opportunities.

• North Country Gazette » Hacker Guilty In International Identity Theft - Albert Gonzalez, 28, of Miami, pleaded guilty to 19 counts of conspiracy, computer fraud, wire fraud, access device fraud and aggravated identity theft relating to hacks into numerous major U.S. retailers including TJX Companies, …

• PNC Bank teller and others charged with identity theft « White … - Babatune Ibironke, a PNC bank teller, his wife, Eryn Brown, and John Caldwell Jr., an accomplice, were charged with several counts of identity theft, theft by deception and conspiracy to commit those crimes. …

• Four Springfield residents indicted for identity theft … - Matt J. Whitworth, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that four Springfield, Mo., residents were indicted by a | Office of Inadequate Security.

• Identity theft ring-leader pleads guilty, to be sentenced … - The Newcastle News is the local monthly newspaper for Newcastle, WA. Local news, classifieds, weather, mountain pass and contact information.

Tags:Albert Gonzalez,Babatune Ibironke,identity thieves indicted

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What's in Your Purse?

There are many instances of identity theft that are beyond our control.  But many cases of identity theft are still happening in old fashioned ways.  Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke had his identity stolen because his wife’s purse was snatched from a chair at a restaurant.  We all know to protect our purses and wallets, but many times we simply don’t think about, or forget to implement best practices in public.  Or it simply is just plain inconvenient.

Stolen identity is much worse than protection inconveniences

Remember - identity thieves come with many different profiles.  But first and foremost - identity theft is a crime of opportunity.  It is up to us to continually lessen the opportunity.

Getting Back to Basic Identity Protection Steps

What’s in Your Wallet

• Never carry your social security or Medicare card with you unless you are going for a job interview or Doctor’s appointment.  When you arrive back home from said event, remove the cards immediately and put in a safe place.
• Make copies all all important cards you carry, both front and back, and store in a safe place, but readily available if you need to make phone calls.
• Remove all but one credit or debit card for shopping purposes, and leave your checkbook home.
• Best practice -consider doing all your shopping with one credit card that you pay off at the close of the billing cycle.  Why? If your wallet or card goes missing, you are working with the creditor’s money, instead of your checking account being drained below a zero balance.  It buys you some time and doesn’t leave you personally broke.
• Next best practice - if you don’t have a credit card you can use, use your debit card as a credit card, where you sign your name instead of entering a PIN number.  That avoids issues with shoulder surfing, telephoto lenses, phone cameras, etc.
• Never ever write checks to strangers who come to your door and volunteer to do yard work or household projects.  Why?  All your personal information, except for social security number and birth date are contained on the check, including bank routing number and account number.
• When you must pay bills with checks, do not put bill account numbers in the memo area.
• Best practice when you need cash - go into your bank and get it.  With the advent of skimmers and tiny cameras hiding on ATM machines, just avoid using ATM’s.  Identity thieves are so brazen with this practice, sabotaged bank ATM’s have been discovered, operating at peak business hours, while the bank doors are open.
• Next best practice if your bank is not open - use your debit card at a store that allows cash back.  This is the only time you will have to use your PIN number - remember to shield it.
• Take the time to put your card back in it’s proper location right at the counter, or checkout stand before you leave.
• Respect and respond to your “gut” feeling.  If a transaction does not feel right, just end the transaction.  It is better to be safe than sorry.

Each week we will have more  tips to help us protect what is within our ability to protect, so do subscribe and stay informed.

Reminder

Taking appropriate personal action to protect our information is no guarantee that we will avoid identity theft.  Our personal information is already “out there” in thousands of databases.  We are only lessening the “opportunity” in the areas we can control.

Best practice - don’t risk the hassle of trying to restore your identity on your own.  Create a safety net.  Choose a full identity restoration plan that best meets your needs.  What that will mean for you - a qualified agency will do the investigative work for you, and save you hours of time and frustration.  Don’t be talked into anything less than a full identity restoration plan.

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How Trojan.Peskyspy works:

Peskyspy uses Windows API calls to grab sound coming from various audio devices plugged into a victim’s computer. It intercepts audio data and converts the stream into an MP3 file, which is then stored on the victim’s machine.

The Trojan contains a back door, which enables an attacker to send the captured audio to a new location for listening.

So far Trojan.Peskyspy does not contain any method to spread from one computer to another. Once Peskyspy is installed on a victim’s machine, it bypasses security protocols or encryption applied by Skype because it sits between the Skype process and the audio device.

What You Need to Do:

Make sure you are running the most effective computer security programs. It is not enough these days to just have an anti-virus program. You need an adequate firewall, plus anti-virus, and now most important, anti-spyware programs. You also need to run them regularly. I run my anti-spyware every time I finish using the internet.

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Back to Identity theft experts. I can understand the BBB, AARP, US Postal Service and other fine organizations giving incomplete advice. Their hands are tied, so to speak, because they cannot make product recommendations. And their advice does contain practical tips, as long as you understand that following all the practical tips in the world does not completely protect you from being a victim of ID theft.

What really irks me is when supposed individual experts present misleading facts. Maybe I am just paranoid with semantics concerning ID Theft. But when I hear a so-called expert use the phrase “XYZ product will protect your identity” - it raises the hairs on the back of my neck. There is nothing; no amount of tips, procedures or products that can guarantee identity protection!!! Until everyone understands this one statement, droves of concerned citizens will miss the one tool that can change the face of Identity theft forever - and very few experts even touch the subject.

What is that tool? That will be the subject of the next post in the general catagory. Subscribe now so you don’t forget to check back for the answer.

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Watch Yancy Nesby’s personal story.

What You Can Do

Like Medical Identity Theft, Criminal Identity Theft is difficult to straigten out, as you have seen from the previous videos. This is an area where most paid protection plans completely miss the boat.

If you have a plan that monitors criminal databases, that will be an early detector of the problem, but how do you exponge the damage done? Unless you are a lawyer by profession, not only is it difficult to connect the dots in the criminal mess, but you word on the matter doesn’t usually carry much immediate weight. It more likely turns into WAIT for further investigation and proof.

Because of the issues with Medical and Criminal identity theft, I would not be without a complete, guaranteed identity theft restoration plan.

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Torrey Richardson had a driver’s license, but did not own a car. Watch his identity theft story unfold, after his driver’s license was stolen.

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So Easy To Make a Fake Driver's License

Your driver’s license serves as your national ID. It is the main proof you are who you say you are. Or is it?

Your license can be stolen. Or, with the right information, an ID thief can apply for a duplicate license.

Or a resourceful identity thief will just make a new one.

Modern technology makes it very easy for ID thieves to compile an almost identical looking driver’s license, with a few minor changes. They add their picture, and description.

Drivers license card stock is readily available from carder sites on the Internet. Inexpensive software, such as Photoshop Elements, makes the manipulations quick and easy. There are even sites that sell step by step instructions for creating phony ID’s. One site sells a membership for only $29.95! Another site is selling a 7 module video instruction manual for $49.00.

There is always one element on the driver’s license that stays the same - your name.

So, if the identity thief is engaged in other criminal activity besides stealing identities, and gets arrested, guess whose name is associated with the criminal charges. That’s right - it is your good name.

Or worse, the person using your identity is wanted for an offshoot of ID theft - check fraud. You could become the villain, unable to prove you are the victim.

There is much more to be said on driver’s license identity theft. If you have not yet subscibed to this blog, do it now so you can keep up to date on driver’s license issues.

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Statistics tell a different story.  Even when we add all credit card and financial fraud together, it is less than 50% of the total identity theft picture.

To date, there are now 6 distinct faces to Identity theft, and they are:

1. Financial ID Theft
2. Social Security ID Theft
3. Drivers License ID Theft
4. Medical ID Theft
5. Criminal ID Theft
6. Synthetic ID Theft

Some people are only affected by one form of identity theft, where others have fallen prey to all six.  So let’s explore each face, or form of identity theft  individually.

Financial Identity Theft

Financial ID Theft is the best known form in large part due to TV comercials.  Financial id theft includes any type of credit card fraud, whether it is stealing your current credit card information, or opening new cards in your name.

It also includes any type of financial fraud, including hijacking your checking account, opening utilities in your name, renting in your name, obtaining new loans, or any other type of financial fraud.

Social Security Identity Theft 

This is a lesser known form of ID theft.  With your Social Security number, illegal alians can obtain employment.  With your social security number, thieves can get a duplicate drivers license in your name.  Your Social Security number opens doors for all sorts of covert activity, both financial and non-financial.

Drivers License Identity Theft

How does drivers license ID theft work?  The new drivers license includes your name and address, the thief’s picture, and physical description.

What are the ramifications?

Your drivers license and social security number are your two major proofs of identification.  Even if a thief does not have your ss#, with a forged drivers license, your name is attached to whatever they do.  Whatever criminal activities they are involved in are easily traced back to you. 

Medical Identity Theft

Medical ID Theft is a fast rising star.  Almost unheard of 4 years ago,  it is gaining in popularity, and in essence, can be the scariest, and most threatening form of id theft.

How it works - somebody who cannot afford insurance, or an expensive medical procedure checks into the hospital using your name and your insurance information.  You not only get billed, but your medical records get adulterated with the thief’s current medical records and procedures that are being billed to you. 

This creates a twofold problem.  First, with the strict HIPAA laws, since you can’t prove you are “you”, your access to your medical records is denied.  Months down the road, when you have finally worked out the identity issues, you still cannot correct your medical records.

What does this mean for you if you are in an accident, and brought unconscious to the ER?  You may likely be given the wrong treatment, based on erroneous medical records. 

Criminal Identity Theft 

Let’s face it.  People who steal identities are criminals.  Many are engaged in other types of criminal activities, such as; peddling and/or using drugs, prostitution, child pornography, etc.

Their drivers license has your name and address on it.  They get arrested, and don’t show up for court.  What do you do when the police come calling at your door with a warrant for your arrest?

Or worse, what if you are pulled over for a routine traffic check, and unbeknown to you, a warrant for your arrest shows up?  And what if your kids are in the car with you?  This is not  make believe science fictio .  This senario is happening to more and more honest citizens, and they are being arrested on the spot, and hauled off to the local jail. 

Synthetic Identity Theft

Synthetic ID theft is the newest kid on the block.  It is literally a concocted identity - a randomly selected SS#, with bits and pieces of multiple identities merged into one new identity.

Knowledge is Power

This is scary information.  This scary information is also your lifeline to hope and proper identity theft protection, and that is the purpose of everything you read on this blog.

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Picture this - you are a male elementary school principal. You, your wife, and kids are driving to a family outing. You are pulled over for a routine traffic check, and suddenly, in front of your family, you are handcuffed and arrested on child pornography charges.

How can this possibly be happening?! It could happen in any number of ways. Perhaps your good name was on the phony credit card used to purchase access to child porn sites on the internet.

Or perhaps your good name was on the phony drivers license of child porn film makers that were busted. When the criminal using your good name does not appear for arraignment, an arrest warrant is put out on your good name.

How does this really affect you? Your good reputation is now flawed. Your position as school principal is gone. Or any job working with children is gone. In an instant, you are no longer the “you” you were a week ago.

Innocent until proven guilty is a very difficult process in identity theft cases, because professional identity thieves stay hidden, and many times the criminal activity is out of state, or over the internet. In other words, it is hard to get to core facts with criminal identity theft.

I have personally interviewed people who have been victims of criminal identity theft and they have spent anywhere from 6 to 10 years trying to get their good name put back together.

Especially in criminal identity theft, if victims use trained investigative agents for identity restoration, they get their lives back in a matter of months, not years.

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