tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76145203686119868182024-03-12T19:30:17.124-05:00Fair Credit Reporting Actwww.fcralawyer.blogspot.com <br>
A blog explaining the Fair Credit Reporting Act.Chris Kittellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.comBlogger516125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-31034033035042911802019-01-06T10:01:00.000-06:002019-01-06T10:01:12.147-06:00Watch Out for Hidden Cameras - Hernando Business CEO Charged With Placing Hidden Camera in Women's RestroomIn this age of technological wonders, everyone should be wary of the potential misuse of technology, as female employees of a local Hernando, Mississippi business recently learned the hard way.
David Hunter Moore, 23, CEO of Moore Advanced, was arrested by Hernando police after female employees of Moore Advanced noticed a hidden camera in the bathroom used exclusively by female employees. Chris Kittellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-56332509942575959982019-01-03T13:15:00.000-06:002019-01-03T13:15:05.852-06:00Deployed Servicemembers Should Receive Free Credit Reports While DeployedActive duty servicemembers are often at greater risk of identity theft and fraud because they may be deployed overseas or away from home for weeks or months at a time. In 2018, Congress passed a law to give active duty servicemembers the right to free credit monitoring services from the Big Three credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion).
Unfortunately, the new law only requires the Chris Kittellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-23899502571208334952018-12-30T14:07:00.000-06:002018-12-30T14:07:32.515-06:00Data Breach at Blue Cross Blue Shield Puts 15,000 at RiskA potential data breach at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan may have exposed the personal information of approximately 15,000 of its "Medicare Advantage" customers. The potential data breach occurred when a laptop of an employee of a vendor contracted by a Blue Cross Blue Shield subsidiary was stolen.
The laptop theft potentially exposed the names, addresses, dates of birth, genders, Chris Kittellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-21472778814420768872018-11-25T11:43:00.000-06:002018-11-25T11:43:50.087-06:00Alleged Credit Card Fraud Culprit on the Run in HernandoThe Hernando Police Department is searching for a man who allegedly committed credit card fraud.According to Hernando Police, the man has scammed people out of more than $13,000.He may be driving a newer model gray Dodge Journey.If you recognize him, call the Hernando Police Department at (662) 429-9096.And, if you are one of his victims and need legal representation or assistance correcting the Chris Kittellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-13333195525055372142018-07-08T10:41:00.002-05:002018-07-08T10:41:20.642-05:00Potential data breach by employee at Arkansas Children’s HospitalA former employee of the Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock, Arkansas is under investigation for the potential misuse of patients’ private information. The former employee accessed an unidentified number of patients’ personal identifiers while employed with the hospital. The employee was employed from November 7, 2016 to February 6, 2018, at which time the employee was Chris Kittellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-258890159517512782018-04-15T08:28:00.002-05:002018-04-15T08:28:55.637-05:00West Virginia sues Equifax over 2017 massive data breachThis past Thursday, West Virginia became the second state to sue Equifax due to last year’s massive data breach at the consumer reporting giant.
Patrick Morrisey, the West Virginia Attorney General, filed the lawsuit against Equifax, alleging that Equifax failed to safeguard consumer information of hundreds of thousands of state residents and for delaying alerting the public to a breach that Chris Kittellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-34743929472191035452017-09-26T09:34:00.002-05:002017-09-26T09:34:54.829-05:00Equifax CEO out! Barney Fyfe and Elmer Fudd appointed interim CEOsOk, so the second half of that title is a joke. But I for one would not be surprised considering how Equifax has handled the rest of the fall out from their huger than huge data breach that exposed the lives of 143 million Americans to the financial and emotional ruin of identity theft.
Equifax CEO Richard Smith was not fired, however. He decided to retire, much like the politician Chris Kittellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-78356874298424305092017-09-21T15:09:00.000-05:002017-09-21T15:09:46.308-05:00Lord Have Mercy! Equifax has been sending consumers to fake site for 2 weeksAs my momma used to say "when it rains, it pours". If that's the case, Equifax is in the middle of a Hurricane Harvey-esque Cat 5 hurricane of pouring rain.
After "forgetting" to install a security patch to its website which led to the largest data breach in the history of ever, then "forgetting" to tell their 143 million victims that they are and will forever be at risk for identity theftChris Kittellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-26427686987493986952017-09-21T09:31:00.000-05:002017-09-21T09:31:13.633-05:00Video of Briefing for Senate Staff and Press on CFPB Arbitration Rule and Congressional Review Act Attack on the ruleHere is a link to the streaming video of yesterday's Senate briefing about the Congressional Review Act attack on the CFPB's arbitration rule.
As usual, my colleague Paul Bland did a fantastic job protecting us consumers. Thanks for all you do, Paul!Chris Kittellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-12205553237552526482017-09-19T09:20:00.001-05:002017-09-19T09:21:04.423-05:00It Just Keeps Getting Deeper - Equifax Suffered Second Undisclosed Data BreachBloomberg.com is reporting that the gigantically huge data breach that Equifax disclosed less than two weeks ago is not the only hack the consumer reporting agency suffered this year. There was allegedly a hack in March, two or more months before the big data breach that has put 143 million Americans at risk of having their identities stolen and their lives ruined.
According to Bloomberg, Chris Kittellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-42013372065805043502017-09-18T10:09:00.000-05:002017-09-18T10:09:27.313-05:00Representative Loudermilk is STILL trying to protect Equifax instead of consumersU.S. Representative Barry Loudermilk is still trying to give immunity to Equifax for its utter failure to protect the private information of over 143 million Americans and its subsequent bungling of the data breach it allowed to happen.
Prior to the breach (allegedly, since we really don't know when the breach actually happened since we only have Equifax's word that the breach occurred in late Chris Kittellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-63992769724263691952017-09-17T07:17:00.000-05:002017-09-17T07:17:11.331-05:00Don't Answer Calls from EquifaxAs if the damage done by Equifax's negligence in allowing the massive data breach and its subsequent shenanigans in delaying publication of the data breach and its efforts to further screw consumers by stealing their right is not enough, now scammers (other than Equifax) are trying to profit off the data breach at the expense of consumers.
I have been told that scammers are placing calls to Chris Kittellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-73629698773842987822017-09-08T17:11:00.000-05:002017-09-08T17:11:03.453-05:00Too Little, Too Late - Equifax Adds Opt Out to Arbitration Provision regarding Data BreachAfter a flurry of bad press and social media outrage (including from yours truly), Equifax has now added an opt out provision to the arbitration provision it snuck into the fine print for anyone accepting Equifax's "offer" of "free" credit monitoring and identity theft protection.
Couple of problems. No one reads the fine print so they don't know about the arbitration clause, much less Chris Kittellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-43109146452936138442017-09-08T13:39:00.000-05:002017-09-08T13:39:23.394-05:00Equifax based in Georgia; Georgian Congressman seeks to gut FCRA. Coincidence? I think not!Equifax is based in Atlanta, Georgia. Three guesses which state's congressman proposed HR 2359, i.e. the Kill the FCRA bill. Yep, that's right, Congressman Loudermilk of Georgia. I wonder who put him up to it?
Representative Loudermilk is now being called on to withdraw his Equifax protecting bill by the National Association of Consumer Advocates (of which I am a proud member) Chris Kittellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-51325586163665214722017-09-08T13:27:00.000-05:002017-09-08T13:27:03.368-05:00Congressional Committee to hold Hearing Regarding Equifax Data BreachYesterday, the House Financial Services Committee held a hearing on a bill that would gut the protections of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, which is the only law protecting Americans from the ridiculously inept consumer reporting agencies such as Equifax.
Today, the public learned of a massive data breach of Equifax's treasure trove of secret information regarding consumers, including the full Chris Kittellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-42395733193502889602017-09-08T12:16:00.002-05:002017-09-08T12:16:32.722-05:00Equifax's data breach just keeps getting worse!As if it is not bad enough that Equifax exposed 143 million Americans to the hellacious ordeal of identity theft, now its becoming crystal clear just how inept their response to the data breach was.
For instance, the website ARS Technica (www.arstechnica.com) reported the following:
"What's more, the website www.equifaxsecurity2017.com/, which Equifax created to notify people of the breach, is Chris Kittellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-52687801092160702742017-09-08T11:17:00.000-05:002017-09-08T11:17:06.378-05:00NCLC's statement regarding the Equifax data breachBelow is a statement from the National Consumer Law Center regarding the Equifax data breach. NCLC fights for the rights of you, the consumer, every day, even though you probably didn't know it and, for a large segment of America, vote for the very politicians that are doing their best to strip you of your rights and protect the big businesses that trample your rights every day.
Statement of Chris Kittellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-24526334484263932852017-09-08T10:15:00.001-05:002017-09-08T10:15:35.007-05:00Equifax Data Breach Puts 143 Million Consumers at RiskOn July 29 (yes, nearly two months ago), Equifax discovered that it had suffered a data breach between mid-May and July. The massive data breach exposed the personal identifiers of approximately 143 million Americans. That means approximately half of the population of the United States just became even more likely to have their identities stolen.
The information that Equifax allowed Chris Kittellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-28136881078470671702017-08-14T09:08:00.000-05:002017-08-14T09:08:12.519-05:00Equifax Continues to Profit from Identity TheftEquifax has purchased identity theft protection company ID Watchdog for approximately $63 million. ID Watchdog is a company similar to LifeLock that consumers and/or businesses pay to monitor their credit and "protect" them from identity theft.
Once again, Equifax is turning identity theft into a profit center for its bottom line.
Equifax is charged by the Fair Credit Reporting Act to Chris Kittellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-9809632139190612002017-08-08T09:00:00.000-05:002017-08-08T09:00:00.239-05:00When to Check Your Child's Credit Report
When will your child have a credit report? When should you check? When should you be worried that your child does have a credit report or his or her credit is being used illegally? These are all questions that parents should ask themselves but often do not.
Typically children do not have a credit report until they actually obtain their first credit card, car loan or other Chris Kittellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-27507010931553813922017-08-07T09:25:00.000-05:002017-08-07T09:25:00.343-05:00Nigerian Citizen Living in North Carolina Arrested for Phishing Scheme Targeting Connecticut and Minnesota School Districts
Nigerian citizen Daniel Adekunle Ojo was arrested last week at his residence in Durham, North Carolina. He is being charged with fraud and identity theft charges filed by Connecticut U.S. Attorney Deirdre Daly.
According to prosecutors, an employee of the school district in Glastonbury, Connecticut was duped by a phishing scam which Ojo was allegedly behind. A phishing Chris Kittellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-30446859742279787842017-08-06T11:59:00.000-05:002017-08-06T12:49:35.976-05:00Former Member of U.S. Air Force Sentenced for Identity Theft
A Chicago federal judge has sentenced former U.S. Air Force member Ronnie Allen II to four years in prison for identity theft. Allen, a 28 year old from Greensboro, North Carolina, used his position in the Air Force to illegally steal an Air Force personnel roster. The roster contained the private identifying information of approximately 1400 Air Force members stationed in Idaho at Chris Kittellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-9318131007848015942016-07-18T20:13:00.000-05:002016-07-18T20:13:48.547-05:00New Blog Series - What Are Your Rights as a Consumer?
I represent a lot of consumers in litigation using different federal laws designed to protect consumers, such as the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. Because of my experience representing consumers, I have learned what rights consumers have and, as often as not, do not know they have. So I decided to do a Chris Kittellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-91943386940106907992016-03-07T10:50:00.004-06:002016-03-07T11:07:59.964-06:00Beware of Credit "Repair"
Be wary of anyone claiming that they can get current accurate information on your credit report deleted. Information can only be deleted from your credit report if it is inaccurate (i.e. not yours) or if it is obsolete, which usually means a derogatory item that is more than seven years old. Lately, I have seen a lot of ads on the internet promising to "repair" your credit by having Chris Kittellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-47431994009775853032013-02-26T15:12:00.000-06:002013-02-26T15:12:21.508-06:00Identities stolen at a pace of one every three seconds in 2012!
One Mississippi ... Two Mississippi ... Three Mississippi. Uh oh, someone's identity was just stolen.
The crime rate for identity theft rose to a three year high in 2012 with more than 5% of the adult population in the United States having their identities stolen last year. That's 12.6 million consumers. That also means that an identity was stolen every three seconds last Chris Kittellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com1