tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76145203686119868182012-01-21T18:41:16.394-06:00Fair Credit Reporting Actwww.fcralawyer.blogspot.com <br>
A blog explaining the Fair Credit Reporting Act.Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.comBlogger4161100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-66635645112148134632012-01-21T18:41:00.000-06:002012-01-21T18:41:16.398-06:00Brag Time - for the second straight year, all of the attorneys at Merkel & Cocke are recognized by Super Lawyers Magazine!A little off topic, but I was told once by a pretty good attorney to "gloat while you can". So here's a little bragging on me and my law partners. Below is an article about our recent honors:
Once again, all seven partners of Merkel & Cocke, P.A.were honored by their peers by their inclusion in the 2011 edition of Mid-South Super Lawyers, a magazine that annually compiles a list of the top Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-83750453832801553132011-10-13T08:37:00.000-05:002011-10-13T08:37:37.599-05:00Known Victims of Georgia Identity Theft Ring Total Nearly 9,000!A Georgia identity theft ring has nearly 9,000 victims! The current number of victims of the alleged identity theft ring centered in Suwanee, Georgia stands at 8,965 and includes people from Georgia to California.
Apparently, the identity theft ring ran a bogus tax preparation service that was submitting false tax returns for unknowing victims. The scheme caused one victim, Jeanette Adams of Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-54370583851474222932011-10-11T08:47:00.000-05:002011-10-11T08:47:14.484-05:00Operation Swiper busts largest identity theft scheme in U.S. historyWho says the economy is struggling? One identity theft ring that involved more than 100 criminals spent more than $13 million on iPads, iPhones, computers, watches and even swanky handbags from Gucci and Louis Vuitton. The only problem - they used their victims' credit to make the purchases.
A sixteen month investigation, dubbed "Operation Swiper", led to charges against 111 suspects, 86 of Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-69542156567463855892011-10-04T08:27:00.000-05:002011-10-04T08:27:01.060-05:00Horrible - TriCare refuses to provide credit monitoring to the victims of its data breachTriCare is a healthcare program that provides healthcare coverage to uniformed service members, retirees and their families. Last month, a number of TriCare's computer backup tapes were stolen from the vehicle of an employee of Science Applications International Corp. The tapes contained the personal information (including Social Security numbers) and health information of 4.9 million Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-20894669404900495622011-10-01T09:48:00.000-05:002011-10-01T09:48:41.809-05:00New scam involving EquifaxThe Better Business Bureau serving eastern North Carolina is warning consumers on its website about a new scam involving Equifax. Business are apparently receiving faxes that appear to be from Equifax, one of the three major consumer reporting agencies, but are actually from scammers. The faxes seek sensitive financial information and asks the businesses to fax the information back to "Equifax"Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-82254430857383581892011-09-30T08:37:00.000-05:002011-09-30T08:37:02.800-05:00Slow news day ...... in the FCRA world. But here are a few articles worth a quick look:
An article by Holly Culhane about concerns over Social Intelligence - a CRA that publishes reports to potential employers (and presumably others) utilizing "deep searches" of consumers' social networking sites such as FaceBook and MySpace. - http://www.bakersfield.com/news/business/economy/x2000241818/Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-88185342451245216052011-09-29T10:01:00.000-05:002011-09-29T10:01:04.510-05:00Goldman Sachs got hackedHackers going by the twitter name of @CabinCr3w were apparantly able to hack Goldman Sachs' computer system. The hackers sent off a tweet that directed followers of their twitter account to the Pastebin website. The Pastebin website allows users to paste information to the website anonymously, where it is stored for a period of time.
The hackers pasted the personal information of Goldman SachsChris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-55273175206475694812011-09-29T08:39:00.000-05:002011-09-29T08:39:52.733-05:00Thousands at risk of identity theft from stolen laptopA stolen laptop has put thousands of former patients of two Minnesota medical care providers at risk of identity theft. A laptop containing the personal identifiers and other private information of approximately 14,000 patients of Fairview Health Services and 2,800 patients at North Memorial Medical Center, both of Minneapolis, was stolen out of a locked car located in the parking lot of a Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-18622409447734901762011-09-28T23:18:00.000-05:002011-09-28T23:18:13.025-05:00Trans Union takes on Asset AcceptanceTrans Union has filed a lawsuit in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois (i.e. Chicago - TU's home town) against Asset Acceptance, a collection agency notorious among us FCRA and FDCPA lawyers for reporting incorrect information and being pretty ruthless, immoral and unethical in its collection tactics. For instance, I have sue Asset Acceptance many times. I can think of one client who I Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-56985409327819341932011-09-28T08:39:00.000-05:002011-09-28T08:39:19.049-05:00Identity thieves go high techDo you think you are safe because you shred your credit card bills (after paying them of course), change your password often and don't respond to e-mails from banks where you've never been a customer? Think again. Identity thieves are now using a new high tech device to take advantage of new features on credit cards. This new device, which costs less than $100, allows identity thieves to Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-45850063739995741982011-07-31T15:25:00.002-05:002011-07-31T15:25:47.958-05:00No Need for Credit Repair CompaniesAll I've got to say in response to this article is AMEN!!! Check out what I'm talking about here --> http://rapidcityjournal.com/business/your-credit-resource-you-can-correct-errors-on-your-credit/article_aa159bf8-bb40-11e0-bb72-001cc4c03286.htmlChris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-84449452475576503022011-07-23T06:39:00.000-05:002011-07-23T06:39:06.594-05:00More about the social network credit bureauI wrote previously about a new consumer reporting agency called the Social Intelligence Corporation that mines date from social networking websites such as Facebook and MySpace to build a consumer report about you. My previous post is here - http://fcralawyer.blogspot.com/2011/06/social-intelligence-new-social-network.html
The latest article which provides a good bit of detail of how the SocialChris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-20202666517203371802011-07-21T09:15:00.000-05:002011-07-21T09:15:14.055-05:00Ways to prevent identity theftHere's a link to another list of steps to take to help protect yourself from identity theft. Enjoy.
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/article/211611/3/Kens-Top-10-Ways-to-Protect-Personal-InformationChris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-17179267429832070272011-07-20T09:53:00.002-05:002011-07-20T11:40:36.022-05:00Identity thief arrested at her own weddingWhen the audience was asked whether anyone objected to this marriage, the police said "we do!". A woman was arrested at her own wedding on a Michigan warrant for identity theft recently. Police actually allowed Tammy Lee Hinton of Port Richey, Michigan to finish her wedding before hauling her off to jail. She was held for less than half an hour before the new hubby bailed her out. Wonder if Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-46095588100550903002011-07-20T08:33:00.001-05:002011-07-20T11:39:17.299-05:00Way to go Senator Gillibrand!Talk about a no brainer. U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand from New York is pushing legislation that will force the removal of Social Security numbers from Medicare cards and communications from Medicare.
Forty million Americans carry Medicare cards with their Social Security number on them. They also receive letters and other communications from Medicare that include their Social Security Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-41440703577100836862011-07-20T06:26:00.001-05:002011-07-20T06:27:11.930-05:00Credit Scores Disclosed for Free Starting Tomorrow ...but only when you suffer an adverse action based on a credit report, such as when your credit application is denied.
Starting tomorrow, July 21, 2011, the latest amendments to the Fair Credit Reporting Act go into effect. The new amendments require lenders or other users of credit scores to include those scores on their adverse action letters they send consumers who suffer the adverse actions.Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-56123667506763313422011-07-19T09:08:00.000-05:002011-07-19T09:08:00.210-05:00Is your child a victim of ID theft?Identity thieves are not ones to discriminate based on age. In fact, some of their favorite targets are children. This is so for various reasons, not the least of which is that their crime is likely to go undiscovered longer if the ID theft victim is a child.
A recent study performed by Debix, an identity theft monitoring company, found that 4000 children's identities had been stolen or Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-46232802023844206652011-07-18T08:50:00.004-05:002011-07-20T06:29:52.396-05:00The Fourth Credit Bureau?If you have been reading this blog much, you have probably seen me refer to Equifax, Experian and Trans Union as the Big Three. They could also be called the Three Stooges, but I'd hate to insult Moe, Larry and Curly.
But what a lot of people don't realize is that there are many, many consumer reporting agencies outside of the Big Three. I was reminded of this recently when I read a WashingtonChris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-31825654016708615392011-07-17T16:06:00.000-05:002011-07-17T16:06:40.140-05:00Starbucks' new iPhone app a risk for identity theft?According to 9News.com (Colorado's News Leader), Starbucks' new iPhone app, that allows iPhone users to pay for purchases, check gift card balances and purchase gift cards for others, is causing identity theft concerns.
Actually, the identity theft concerns are not really related to Starbucks' app as the concerns would apply to many apps. Any app that encourages the storage of personal Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-11685178236738367862011-06-28T08:58:00.000-05:002011-06-28T08:58:00.577-05:00Identity theft - the latest summer risk for kids?Its summer. I know this due to the repeated "I'm bored" comments I hear from my nine year old.
Summer also brings additional risk of identity theft to children. Thanks to the additional free time caused by the long days of summer, children spend more time in front of the computer or on their internet capable cell phones. With this additional time online comes the additional risk of identity Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-48491997330350178612011-06-27T10:05:00.001-05:002011-06-27T10:05:00.904-05:00Social Intelligence - a new social network credit bureau?According to a recent article on pcworld.com, the Federal Trade Commission has authorized a new company called "Social Intelligence" to conduct background checks of consumers based not on their credit or criminal histories, but instead using the online social network activity. This means there is yet another way that your online activity (or posts online regarding your less than stellar offline Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-65621550579736371482011-06-04T21:52:00.000-05:002011-06-04T21:52:15.618-05:00Horrible decision on s-2(b) claimA bad decision was rendered recently, dismissing a consumer's claim against a furnisher who failed to perform a reasonable investigation of the consumer's dispute of the collection of a fraudulently opened account.
In Healey v. Trans Union, a decision rendered May 18, 2011, by the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington threw out a consumer's 15 U.S.C. 1681s-2(b) Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-35685450504803545872011-04-19T20:58:00.000-05:002011-04-19T20:58:55.611-05:00Photo Contest
Cute pic, huh? This is my 3 year old son in his "frog" hat. He's in a photo contest on Facebook and I would appreciate all your votes. Here's how you vote. You must first "like" the photographer's Facebook page at Studio 8 One 8. You then must also "like" my son's pic. Do both and you have officially voted for my cute little boy. Fail to do either and your vote won't count, much like a Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-78262394391477514662011-04-01T08:31:00.001-05:002011-04-01T08:31:00.628-05:00Online Video Gamers also at Risk of Identity TheftHere's a link to an article about online gamers at risk for ID theft - online gamers, take heed. Or you won't be typing "Woot" anytime soon.
Here's the link -
Scammers now taking to video game theft for crimes - WECT TV6 - WECT.com - Wilmington, NC news and weather -Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-23704863632749051572011-03-31T08:11:00.003-05:002011-03-31T08:11:00.638-05:00Interesting experiment regarding what personal data is left on discarded or sold cell phonesAn interesting experiment conducted by a company called CPP regarding second hand cell phones to determine what treasure troves of personal identifiers an identity thief would find. The results of the experiment were disheartening (well, except maybe for me - I call the results "job security". :)
"Life assistance company CPP purchased second hand mobile phones and SIM cards through Ebay and Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-4663196450942544222011-03-30T08:43:00.002-05:002011-03-30T08:43:01.038-05:00Tips for avoiding Identity Theft when shopping onlineHere are some tips from http://www.retail-digital.com/ regarding how to avoid identity theft when shopping online. I especially agree with tip # 2 - why risk your money when you can risk the credit card company's?!
1. Keep your internet security up-to-date
Updating your internet security, keeping your operating system and browser updated and securing your internet connection can all help to Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-70979964200548972832011-03-27T09:09:00.000-05:002011-03-27T09:09:40.957-05:00Where Have I Been?You may be wondering about the lack of posts recently. Just so happens that I had several trials scheduled one every other week for the past several weeks. I got trial ready for three of them, only to have two settle and one get postponed at the last minute. The other did go to trial and resulted in a $250,000 verdict for my client.
The case involved injuries that my client suffered when sheChris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-82805163547171928792011-02-15T08:52:00.001-06:002011-02-15T08:52:01.213-06:00New identity theft protection in Indiana causing problemsFrom an article by Joe Astrouski on wthitv.com -
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - A new system at the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles designed to prevent identity theft has left some unable to cash checks or fill prescriptions.
Under the system, when someone orders a driver’s license or identification card, he or she is given a temporary identification slip to use for driving and voting for ten Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-87335264980591398002011-02-14T08:28:00.000-06:002011-02-14T08:28:00.160-06:00Honestly.com - a new CRA?15 U.S.C. 1681a(d) defines a consumer report as "any written, oral, or other communication of any information by a consumer reporting agency bearing on a consumer's credit worthiness, credit standing, credit capacity, character, general reputation, personal characteristics, or mode of living which is used or expected to be used or collected in whole or in part for the purpose of serving as a Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-57709687849783286612011-02-12T16:04:00.000-06:002011-02-12T16:04:39.451-06:00More on Google v. BingI recently posted about Bing's theft of Google's identity - see http://fcralawyer.blogspot.com/2011/02/has-yahoos-bing-been-stealing-googles.html - so I thought I would also report on the below subject, even though it really has nothing to do with the FCRA (although it does involve Experian). I just found it interesting and thought you might as well.
Recently, Experian's Hitwise, which Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-44351340347477734532011-02-12T09:51:00.001-06:002011-02-12T09:51:00.248-06:00According to one study, volume of identity theft dropped last year ... or did it?According to Bloomberg News, the cost of identity theft fraud dropped in 2010 by 34% to $37 billion, the lowest since 2003 when Javelin Strategy & Research began tracking such information. Good news, right?
Well, not so fast. Once again, the definition of identity theft that is used to make this calculation is broad, possibly skewing the results. Javelin's definition apparently includes such Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-28770090647307614852011-02-12T08:13:00.000-06:002011-02-12T08:13:08.598-06:00Can answering 2 simple questions on Facebook really give ID thieves the key to figuring out your SSN?No. Despite an article I just read on Cincinnati's Fox19.com. This is just not accurate, or at least not in the manner in which Fox19.com claims.
According to Fox19.com, truthfully answering the Facebook profile questions regarding where you were born and how old you are gives identity thieves enough information to reverse engineer your Social Security number. While the answers to those Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-81563197245623500472011-02-12T00:17:00.000-06:002011-02-12T00:17:37.323-06:00A new lowCan you believe this? A total of six identity thieves plead guilty recently to stealing the identity of more than 50 residents of Maryland, which resulted in the theft of more than $200,000. The scheme involved defrauding banks in Maryland and five other states and the withdrawal of money from people's personal bank accounts.
Here's the shocking part. The identity thieves followed funeral Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-6060110070532695302011-02-08T09:12:00.001-06:002011-02-08T09:12:00.232-06:00Site steals 250,000 Facebook profiles to raise awareness of online ID theftInteresting way to raise awareness of the risks of online identity theft - article is by Michelle Castillo and can be found at http://techland.time.com/2011/02/04/site-steals-250000-facebook-profiles-for-a-social-experiment/
You might be signed up for Lovely-Faces.com's dating services and not only know it. Website creators Paolo Cirio and Alessandro Ludovico took information from 250,000 Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-11505647938647728002011-02-07T10:55:00.001-06:002011-02-07T10:55:01.020-06:00Google sponsoring contest to strengthen Chrome against identity theft hacksGoogle is sponsoring a $20,000 hacking contest for the purpose of testing the defenses of Chrome, its internet browser, against identity theft hackers. This year's hacking contest is called "Pwn2own". The first researcher who is able to exploit Chrome will receive a prize of $20,000.
Pwn2own participants will also attempt to exploit Windows 7 or the Mac OS X, as well as web browsers Internet Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-19826298505955126832011-02-05T17:35:00.000-06:002011-02-05T17:35:25.928-06:00New featureJust added a new feature to the blog. Its called a "flag counter" and its located on the right hand side of the blog. Basically, it tracks the people who visit this site and sorts them by their country's flag. Wish I had found this little gizmo earlier, as I have seen people from all over the world visit this site, which I always thought odd for a site dedicated to a law that has no effect Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-8696735542223331912011-02-04T08:47:00.000-06:002011-02-04T08:47:10.355-06:00Below are the contents of a letter I received yesterday from Elizabeth Warren, Assistant to the President and Special Advisor to the Secretary of the Treasurey on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) that was created in the first portion of President Obama's term. Apparently, they are hard at work getting the CFPB up and running.
Dear Colleague,
In July 2010, Congress created a newChris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-39620211098230530882011-02-03T09:00:00.000-06:002011-02-03T09:00:03.448-06:00Has Yahoo's Bing been stealing Google's identity?Being a lifelong fan of both baseball and following politics, I often read the blog postings of Nate Silver, who started out as a baseball statistician but began using his analytic ability to predict the outcome of elections through analyzing various political polls. His blog started out on its own but is now a part of the NY Times website. He recently posted the following, which I found Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-86853205379720418452011-02-02T10:04:00.002-06:002011-02-02T10:04:00.351-06:00Experian credit reports to include positive rental paymentsPotentially good news for renters - Experian credit reports are to include positive rental payments. As far as I know, Experian is the first of the credit bureaus to take this big step.
In the past, only negative information about a renter's payment history was included on credit reports. That meant that the segment of the population, which often included those trying to establish their creditChris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-57710777745589216792011-02-01T22:00:00.000-06:002011-02-01T22:00:58.002-06:00An interesting article about an identity theft ring based out of a federal prison, straight from http://7thspace.com/headlines/370211/inmate_sentenced_in_ohio_for_running_identity_theft_ring_from_prison.html:
"The man who led an identity-theft ring that ran up a quarter-million dollars worth of charges from inside a federal prison was sentenced to more than 14 years in prison, Steven M Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-15154440587562607132010-12-19T08:11:00.000-06:002010-12-19T08:11:18.571-06:0011.7 MILLION Victims of Identity Theft in U.S.According to a survey conducted in 2008, the results of which were just released on December 16, 2010, by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, an estimated 11.7 million U.S. citizens were victims of identity theft during the two year period prior to 2008.
The losses from this vast number of instances of identity theft totalled more than $17 billion (with a "b").
However, the definition of identityChris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-1314057088825502522010-12-11T16:39:00.001-06:002010-12-11T16:51:52.822-06:00$1 million verdict against Equifax won't be reducedThis man's story reminds me of a client I represented a while back against ... you guessed it ... Equifax. More about my case below:
By Maria Dinzeo
SAN FRANCISCO (CN) - A cancer survivor who won more than $1 million from Equifax for improperly handling his identity theft report can keep the full award, a federal judge ruled.
U.S. District Judge Susan Illston rejected the credit reporting Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-11798336749292170442010-09-25T08:16:00.000-05:002010-09-25T08:16:53.366-05:00Background Screening Company Doesn't Want Equal Employment For AllJudy Gootkind, member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Professional Background Screeners, a group made up of resellers of consumer reports for background checking purposes, testified yesterday before the House Financial Services Subcommittee regarding a new proposed law entitled "The Equal Employment for All Act", H.R. 3149. From reading a transcript of her testimony (Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-4780361614911884492010-09-21T13:32:00.002-05:002011-01-21T09:22:43.977-06:00New scam aimed at attorneys!As if attorneys weren't maligned enough, I just received this from the Mississippi Bar Association. Apparently there is a new scam out there targeting lawyers. Every lawyer out there needs to be aware of this scam because I could see how one could easily fall for it.
The Bar has been advised of at least two scams being perpetrated on lawyers involving a common set of facts. The lawyer is hired Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-23792685995189000972010-03-08T08:36:00.001-06:002010-03-08T08:36:00.219-06:00Time Limit for Reporting Tax LiensTax liens are treated differently than any other item on a credit report. Most adverse items are allowed to be reported for seven years from the date of delinquency, regardless of whether the item is ever paid. Tax liens, on the other hand, potentially fall under two different seven year reporting periods.
15 U.S.C. 1681c(a)(3) says that paid tax liens are allowed to be reported for seven Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-39808999066461444662010-03-01T09:41:00.001-06:002010-03-01T09:41:00.329-06:00FTC cracks down on advertising for non-free services while ordering your free credit reportsNewJersey.com reports on new restrictions by the FTC -
In an attempt to make sure credit reporting agencies don't put a fast one over on consumers seeking free credit reports, the Federal Trade Commission has adopted tough new disclosure rules in response to more than 1,000 comments it received from consumers and others last fall.
Under a federal law passed in 2003, the three credit reporting Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-77462627161310660302010-02-26T13:27:00.001-06:002010-02-26T13:27:00.106-06:00Another Career Involving an Identity ThiefAs I have reported in the past, the careers that have spawned identity thieves has been many and diverse, from bankers to radio hosts, from nannies to car dealers. Well, here's a new one - postal worker.
A former mail carrier has been sentenced to serve 180 days at the Middlesex County Adult Correction Center for taking an ATM card from the mail and using it to withdraw $7,533 from an Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-44410820711098968842010-02-26T11:02:00.001-06:002010-02-26T11:02:00.327-06:00Another Credit Repair Company SuedAccording to a lawsuit filed by Colorado Attorney General John Suthers, a “credit repair” company has clearly violated federal and Colorado law by charging upfront fees and failing to disclose the total cost of its services.
The suit was filed in Denver District Court against Veracity Credit Consultants, a credit repair company that charges consumers initial fees of up to $99, and subsequent Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-43173842709670973692010-02-26T08:24:00.001-06:002010-02-26T08:24:00.108-06:00Excellent post about how to build your credit report from scratchHere's a link to an excellent article I read about how to build your credit report from scratch the right way! Here's the link - http://www.theoldarmy.com/2010/02/building-you-credit-score-from-scratch/comment-page-1/#comment-413.
Check it out.Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-34855347376527064462010-02-22T09:36:00.001-06:002010-02-22T09:36:00.199-06:00Watch Out India!Experian Credit Information Co has received the final approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to set up a credit bureau in the country, it announced on Thursday. The bureau will have to begin operations within six months.
“Now that we have the licence, we will begin the process of collecting credit data from lenders,” said Phil Nolan, the newly-appointed managing director of Experian Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-62659878543266509312010-02-19T09:06:00.002-06:002010-02-21T17:43:41.640-06:00New Bill to Require Free Credit Scores if PassedWay to go U.S. Representative Steve Cohen, a Democrat from Memphis, TN. Even though I've never met him, I feel like I know Representative Cohen, since I live and grew up just an hour or so south of Memphis and our local TV stations all come out of Memphis. Cohen was a TN state representative but is now a freshman U.S. Representative, having won Harold Ford's old spot after he left it to Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-73357564473637713302010-02-19T08:29:00.001-06:002010-02-19T08:29:00.203-06:00Percentage of Americans falling behind on credit cards has leveled offGood news for the economy -
The percentage of Americans falling behind on credit card bills stabilized in January, according to data from the six major lenders, signaling that U.S. consumer credit woes may be leveling off.The rest of the article can be found here - http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61F4JB20100216Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-55652509054468871112010-02-18T08:54:00.002-06:002010-02-18T08:54:00.228-06:00Credit Denial CodesYou would think that its is the credit lender that comes up with the reasons why it does not want to grant your credit application. Wrong. The lender makes the decision but it is the credit bureaus that provide the reasons why your credit application is denied to the lender which the lender then inputs on the adverse action letter they send you informing you that your application was denied. Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-33884661820651931592010-02-17T09:38:00.001-06:002010-02-17T09:38:00.460-06:00Five Secrets to your Credit ReportFrom creditdebt.toughchild.com -
If you’ve ever applied for a loan or credit card, chances are your lender acquired and examined a copy of your credit report before deciding whether or not to grant you credit.
Your “Credit Report” is a record of your credit history and it’s prepared by agencies called “Credit Bureaus”, or “Consumer Reporting Agencies.” These are private organizations and have Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-4002798020259621712010-02-17T08:24:00.001-06:002010-02-17T08:24:00.149-06:00New case law out of the Seventh Circuit Court of AppealsAccording to a recent ruling by the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, sovereign immunity does not apply to protect the federal government from credit reporting violations.
The federal government is protected against individual lawsuits in all cases except where Congress explicitly states the immunity has been lifted. The question in the case, Talley v. United States Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-38618565768603588832010-02-16T09:11:00.001-06:002010-02-16T09:11:00.444-06:00Potential Blue Cross ID Theft Victims Top 500,000Look out, former and current members of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Tennessee. Another 301,628 of you are going to find out shortly that you may be another victim of identity theft. Don't worry, you've got company, as 220,133 people were already notified of their potential fate.
Last year, computer hard drives were stolen that happened to contain the personal identifiers and other Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-24404286202348303322010-02-15T08:26:00.005-06:002010-02-15T08:26:00.503-06:00Identity Theft Ruins Man's LifeHere's a pretty bad but fairly typical account of what an identity theft victim goes through -
In fewer than six months, some $900,000 in merchandise, gambling and telephone-services charges were siphoned out of his debit card. His attempts to salvage his finances have cost him nearly $100,000 and have bled dry his savings and retirement accounts. His credit score, once a strong 780, has been Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-22942269672622819202010-02-12T13:54:00.004-06:002010-02-12T13:54:00.165-06:00Experian kills off another consumerWhat's with these credit bureaus? One of the many recurring problems with the credit bureaus is that they often report consumers as deceased when they are very much still alive. But don't let a little thing like a pulse contradict a credit bureau's pronouncement of death! Here's a quote from an article about yet another "deceased" consumer with a heart beat -
"They said, 'I'm really sorry, Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-31862441264801042662010-02-12T11:34:00.001-06:002010-02-12T11:34:00.302-06:002010 Census - stand up and be counted ... but make sure its legit first!A buddy of mine forwarded the following to me regarding tips to avoid census fraud -
AVOID ID THEFT DURING THE 2010 CENSUS
Zander Insurance wants you to be aware of scam artists using the 2010 Census as a means to steal your personal information.
THE CENSUS will be mailed to 134 million households on March 1. The form has 10 questions about your age, date of birth, race and whether you rent or Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-43508532108149037232010-02-12T09:17:00.001-06:002010-02-12T09:17:00.124-06:00Its tax time ... which means its time for tax time scams!In my line of work as a consumer attorney, I see the tragic results of a lot of different types of scams. One type of scam that I am seeing more of is scams involving tax returns.
A couple of tips -
First, never sign a blank return. That's just dumb. That return can then be used to send your refund to some other person's account or some other similar scam.
Second, never pay someone a Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-16540350178890954172010-02-10T08:42:00.001-06:002010-02-10T08:42:00.644-06:00Strategic defaults are becoming more and more commonA research study using 24 million individual credit files found something surprising - that consumers with higher credit scores are more likely to "walk away" from a mortgage than consumers with lower credit scores. In fact, consumers with higher scores are 50% more likely to strategically default on their mortgage than consumers with lower credit scores.
The research study found some Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-9618589748164086182010-02-09T15:17:00.001-06:002010-02-09T15:17:00.316-06:00Illinois Federal Judge rules that FACTA does not apply to e-merchantsIn the case of Shlahtichman v. 1-800 Contacts, Inc., U.S. District Judge John Darrah ruled that FACTA's truncation requirements for "printed" receipts does not apply to e-mails sent to purchasers by internet merchants.
The theory, according to Judge Darrah, behind FACTA's requirement that credit card numbers and expiration dates be truncated on receipts, is that such truncation would help Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-8604949150871876902010-02-09T15:05:00.001-06:002010-02-09T15:05:00.203-06:00Alaska employees at risk of identity theft - push Equifax to establish call centerFrom newsminer.com - 77,000 current and retired public employees from 2003-2004 at risk of identity theft due to security breach by PriceWaterhouseCoopers. Read on.
The 77,000 current and retired public employees who may be at risk for identity theft because of information lost by a state contractor should receive letters within the next week or so with details on what to do next. The state is Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-22750069796329209702010-02-08T13:13:00.002-06:002010-02-11T20:27:38.214-06:00Do consumers in hard times pay their mortgage first or their credit cards first?From ConsumerLoanWire.com:
The economic downturn has forced many consumers to make difficult financial choices, one of them being the choice to make a credit card payment or a mortgage payment. Historically consumers would protect their mortgage while letting a credit card fall delinquent if forced to make the choice, but a new trend shows that consumers are choosing to pay off credit debt at an Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-15636234988543890162010-02-08T09:32:00.001-06:002010-02-08T09:32:00.418-06:00Equifax announces quarterly dividendOn Friday, Equifax announced its quarterly dividend payable on March 15, 2010, for all shareholders of record as of February 22, 2010. The dividend will only be 4 cents per share. Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-46276641657498426172010-02-08T08:15:00.001-06:002010-02-08T08:15:00.479-06:00Does checking your credit report hurt your credit score?I get asked all the time whether a consumer checking his or her own credit report hurts the consumer's credit score. The short answer - no. When you as a consumer check your own credit report by requesting a copy from one of the big three credit bureaus, it is considered a "soft inquiry", which is only seen by the and does not affect the consumer's credit score in any way.
When a third party, Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-21638959705295621812010-02-05T09:00:00.001-06:002010-02-05T09:00:05.270-06:00West Virginian sentenced to two years for identity theftTammy Aleshire, a West Virginian was sentenced last Friday by U.S. District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. to a mandatory sentence of two years in prison for aggravated identity theft. She was also oreded to pay restitution to the victims of her identity theft scheme.
Aleshire had previously pled guilty in October 2009 to the aggravated identity theft charge.
Aleshire learned the name and Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-63392563340699038632010-02-04T08:55:00.001-06:002010-02-04T08:55:00.356-06:00Haitians worried about identity theftOn top of all their other injuries, loss, worries and problems, Haitians are also worried about identity theft, as illustrated by the below article by Efrem Graham with CBN.com:
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- Victims of Haiti's earthquake are dealing with yet another painful reality as they struggle to get back on their feet.
Many have no identification to prove who they are and they're afraid they Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-12290300338296914702010-02-03T09:26:00.002-06:002010-02-03T09:26:00.374-06:00Opponents of CFPA attempt to mislead the publicI don't often go to my own blog. Seems weird at first, but I usually go straight to the "behind the scenes" view of my blog where I can post and respond to comments from readers. Its not often that I go to my main page that you see when you go to my blog. I do it occasionally though, primarily to make sure everything is still looking right and to see what ads are showing up on my blog. I Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-68854789241668948722010-02-02T10:17:00.001-06:002010-02-02T10:17:00.374-06:00PA identity theft ring member sentencedFrom the EthiopianReview.com -
Richard S. Hartunian, United States Attorney for the Northern District of New York, John F. Pikus, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Albany Division and Steven Heider, Chief of the Town of Colonie Police Department, announced today that JOHN W. WINDLE, 44, of Philadelphia, PA was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gary L. Sharpe to Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-16973112352962893712010-02-02T08:57:00.001-06:002010-02-02T08:57:00.196-06:00Stay OFF the tennis court! Tennis is the most common trait of identity theft victimsGuess Tiger Woods is safe from this one. But Venus Williams, Andre Agassi, John McEnroe and Anna Kournikova better watch out. Experian has compiles what it sees as the most common traits of an identity theft victim. The most common? Tennis. Yes, tennis. Check out the article below.
Most Common Traits of ID Theft Victims
by Jeremy M. Simon
Friday, January 29, 2010
Wealthy consumers who enjoyChris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-65941336594285604882010-02-01T14:18:00.001-06:002010-02-01T14:18:00.046-06:00Talk about a bad day ...Imagine reading your local paper's crime report and seeing that you have been arrested for a crime. Only you weren't arrested. That's what happened to Dennis Lewis of Hattiesburg, Mississippi. According to the Hattiesburg American, Lewis was listed in their January 18 crime report as being charged with vagrancy and interfering with a police officer. Only Lewis was not charged with anything. Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-59153505626739661392010-02-01T10:12:00.001-06:002010-02-01T10:12:00.687-06:00Mortgage assistant guilty of identity theftFrom WCCO.com:
A former mortgage assistant is awaiting sentencing after he pleaded guilty Friday to stealing information on the job and using it to commit identity theft, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
In his plea agreement, 32-year-old Jason Alan Tauer of Robbinsdale admitted to stealing the files of 93 people who'd made loan applications at Ameriquest Mortgage, where he worked fromChris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-81737051555534903302010-02-01T08:47:00.002-06:002010-02-01T08:47:00.053-06:00Equifax keeps expandingThis from Zacks Investment Research at http://www.dailymarkets.com/stocks/2010/01/20/equifax-partners-1010data/ -
"Information solution major Equifax Inc. ... recently announced that the company is expanding its partnership with data provider and analytics company 1010data. This collaboration will help Equifax to provide its individual and household marketing data to retailers via the 1010data Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-80206850216235529262010-01-26T10:52:00.002-06:002010-01-26T10:52:00.330-06:0017 years in the making - Feds to unveil auto databaseAnd I thought it was taking a long time to get the "Red Flag Rules" up and running. 17 years after Congress first passed legislation requiring it, the Feds are unveiling an auto database to deter theft and fraud regarding vehicles titled in the United States. Read all about it here - http://www.detnews.com/article/20100123/AUTO01/1230331/Feds-to-unveil-auto-database-to-deter-theft--fraud. GoodChris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-81722346584523627662010-01-26T08:30:00.001-06:002010-01-26T08:30:01.094-06:00See, I was right!This article supports what I've been saying about the so called "free" credit reports. Good read.
So many people are worried about identity theft and the status of their credit report these days. But with so many companies claiming to offer you a free report, it is no wonder consumers are confused and overwhelmed about how to get the information they need. The truth is many companies are not Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-83724000320406311012010-01-25T14:13:00.001-06:002010-01-25T14:13:00.152-06:00Interesting articleHere's an interesting article about how to rebuild (and presumably build) your credit without using those risky things called credit cards. Interesting read.
http://www.walletpop.com/blog/2010/01/22/you-can-rebuild-credit-without-credit-cards/Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-71063446313556166042010-01-25T11:09:00.001-06:002010-01-25T11:09:00.209-06:00I need to start keeping a list ...of all the types of employments I have seen used to steal identities. I can recall car dealers, radio hosts, bankers, custodians, mortgage brokers, pickpockets. It seems like rich and poor can all be greedy enough to try identity theft. Well, thanks to the AP article below, I can now add waiter to the list:
KANSAS CITY, Mo.—A former Kansas City man has admitted stealing credit card Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-49792020098568151382010-01-25T07:58:00.003-06:002011-01-21T17:22:27.215-06:00Bernanke identity thief gets 17 years in the pokeyRemember a few months ago when Federal Reserve Chairman's Ben Bernanke's wife had her identity stolen. Well, if you don't, read my prior posts on the subject here - http://fcralawyer.blogspot.com/search/label/Bernanke
Lernando Zanders, a ringleader of the $1.5 million identity-theft ring that victimized Ms. Bernanke (among many others) was sentenced last week to 17 years in prison and ordered Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-84915268712059907702010-01-19T20:50:00.001-06:002010-01-19T20:50:00.389-06:00Experian's profits rise at expense of Latin American's credit history accuracyExperian has reported a 1 percent increase in its third quarter revenues over last year, thanks primarily to a 16 percent jump in its Latin American revenues. Experian did not report profit figures, so we do not know how much revenue Experian is actually making off us inventory ... I mean consumers.
"Looking ahead across our major businesses, we see further stabilization in parts of North Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-32212088221388706652010-01-19T11:01:00.001-06:002010-01-19T11:01:00.300-06:0010 things for the small business owner to worry about in the new yearRobert Sciliano has identified ten things for the small business owner to stress over in the new year. The full article can be found here -
Back up your back up. Numerous reports of cyber-war, thousands of new viruses weekly, and even Mother Nature reeking havoc on the internet, have caused concern among industry professionals. Doing business in the cloud is fantastic; however make sure you Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-8708867778349273992010-01-18T10:56:00.001-06:002010-01-18T10:56:00.110-06:00Experian increasing its presence in the tenant screening marketExperian announced Friday a new website designed specifically for the tenant screening industry. The website will provide instant rental decisions to property managers and tenant screeners. Experian's new website will provide tenant payment history, residence history including length of residence, and fraudulent application information. Of course, given Experian's lackluster history at Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-59508851272222008822010-01-18T08:34:00.001-06:002010-01-18T08:34:00.648-06:00Chicago Cub Tyler Colvin possible identity theft victimTyler Colvin, a touted up and coming outfield prospect for my favorite baseball team, the Chicago Cubs, is at least an attempted identity theft victim. Colvin has never been to Utah. Yet, someone used his name and apparent emerging baseball fame to purchase a $50,000 Dodge pickup truck at a West Valley City, Utah car dealership last week.
Authorities caught up to Matthew T. Van Meter, a 24 Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-50969854823383299222010-01-13T10:58:00.001-06:002010-01-13T10:58:00.166-06:00Data breach thwarted by Suffolk BancorpSuffolk Bancorp (NASDAQ - SUBK) announced today that on December 24, 2009, its banking subsidiary, the Suffolk County National Bank ("SCNB") discovered through an internal security review that an unauthorized intruder accessed certain customers' Log In information via the computer server hosting SCNB's Online Banking system.
Based on SCNB's investigation, which is ongoing, the unauthorized Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-25588877633182690602010-01-13T08:48:00.001-06:002010-01-13T08:48:00.467-06:00Watch out India, here comes Equifax!Maybe I should get licensed to practice law in India. Equifax, the credit bureau who I have sued many many times in the past, has announced the formation of a new credit bureau in India, named Equifax Credit Information Services Pvt Ltd. The new credit bureau is a joint venture between Equifax and six leading financial institutions in India, including Bank of Baroda, Bank of India, Kotak Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-88270572731522345702010-01-12T08:38:00.001-06:002010-01-12T08:38:01.104-06:00Nice article with some good questions and answers, particularly for younger consumers. The whole article is on the Chicago Tribune's website at http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/yourmoney/chi-tc-ym-started-bigda-0110jan10,0,4925763.story
So here are five common questions about credit scores, specifically FICO scores, the most widely used rating.
FICO scores range from 300 (the worst) toChris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-70899063966953134882010-01-11T15:24:00.001-06:002010-01-11T15:24:00.438-06:00Springfield, Missouri man may get 50 years in prison for identity theftBrian Ray, a 32 year old Springfield, Missouri man, could spend 50 years in federal prison for passing bogus bills and identity theft.
The U.S. Attorney's Office says Ray plead guilty to charges in two separate federal indictments.
Ray admits that, between April and November 2009, he stole checking account and personal information from several victims totaling more than $108,000, produced severalChris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-82971376733599153392010-01-11T10:20:00.001-06:002010-01-11T10:20:00.224-06:00Experian invades Japan's cyberspaceInformation services company Experian has acquired an 88.5% share of A-Care Systems, Japan’s leading e-mail marketing company. A-Care will be blended into Experian’s CheetahMail e-mail marketing unit.
A-Care has more than 1,000 clients across several Japanese sectors, including e-commerce, manufacturing and retail. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The acquisition extends Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-44634301073111402182010-01-11T08:27:00.001-06:002010-01-11T08:27:00.808-06:00California's new law restricting the release of marriage license information went into effect on January 1. This law is aimed at protecting private information and, as a result, curb identity theft. The law requires people obtaining marriage license information to fill out an application that gives information about the requester. This gives the authorities a record of who asked for the Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-75291519062898618822010-01-05T08:44:00.000-06:002010-01-05T08:44:00.637-06:00Does using another person's identity when you get married constitute a menage a trois?Aracelis Cherico, a Manhattan, New York medical assistant has pled guilty to stealing a stranger's identity and using it to get married in the other woman's name.
As a result of Cherico's marriage in her victim's name, the victim's application for a marriage license was denied. Cherico admitted using the name and personal identifiers of Sara Benitez for years, including when Cherico wed in 1992Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-9532398073096698222010-01-04T11:10:00.001-06:002010-01-04T11:10:00.751-06:00Identity theft is for the birds ... chickens to be precisePoultry producer Pilgrim's Pride has reached a non-prosecution settlement agreement with the U.S. Attorney Office for the Eastern District of Texas and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement regarding charges of identity theft and employment of illegal aliens at five of Pilgrim's Pride's plants.
The settlement agreement requires Pilgrim's Pride to pay $4.5 million to the government over Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-12800753430136779262010-01-04T08:49:00.007-06:002010-01-04T08:49:00.791-06:00New article with tips on preventing identity theftThe Holyoke Enterprise (from Holyoke, Colorado) gives the following tips on preventing identity theft:
—Protect your social security number: Don’t keep a Social Security card in your wallet or include the number on checks. Only provide the number when absolutely necessary, and ask to use other identifiers. If a social security number appears on a driver’s license or health insurance card, ask toChris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-26752808517108468432009-12-31T11:56:00.000-06:002009-12-31T11:56:33.825-06:00PC World's identifies the top ten security nightmares from the past ten yearsInteresting article from PC World about the Top Ten Computer Security Nightmares of the past decade. Scary how far we've come in the past ten years. Here's the article - http://www.pcworld.com/article/185227/top_10_security_nightmares_of_the_decade.html.
PC World has been around forever ... at least in terms of the computer age. I remember my first computer. It was actually my dad's. Not Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-83591459603082795502009-12-28T11:55:00.001-06:002009-12-28T11:55:00.870-06:00Countrywide settles class action lawsuit for mere "slap on the wrist"What a crock. Countrywide, who allowed a rogue employee to steal the personal information of over 17 million of its customers (me included), has achieved preliminary court approval for its settlement of a class action lawsuit filed against it. The proposed settlement - Countrywide (now owned by Bank of America) - gives each of the potential victims a wopping settlement of ... drum roll please .Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-58944772196998717672009-12-28T08:02:00.001-06:002009-12-28T08:02:00.211-06:00Red Flags Rule just can't seem to reach the checkered flagIn 2003, Congress passed amendments to the Fair Credit Reporting Act. One of the changes was a requirement for business that met a certain definition to implement procedures to prevent identity theft. The procedures were dubbed the "Red Flags Rule". Congress gave the businesses that met the definition of creditor until November 2008 (yes, five whole years, longer than a term in office for the Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-63145523294262453652009-12-23T08:34:00.002-06:002009-12-23T08:34:00.181-06:00Department of Justice's nationwide effort nabs another identity thiefA Tennessee federal grand jury has indicted an alleged identity thief as a part of the Department of Justice's nationwide effort to identify and prosecute those responsible for mortgage and other fraud against lending institutions.
Jerome Henderson, Jr. of Clarksville, Tennessee was indicted last week for aggravated identity theft, bank fraud and social security number misuse. According to Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-50259260273495035252009-12-22T08:46:00.000-06:002009-12-22T08:46:00.183-06:00Identity theft victim charged with crimeImagine finding out there is an arrest warrant with your name on it. As if that's not bad enough, imagine that your name is on the arrest warrant not because you committed a crime but because you are a victim of one.
That's exactly what happened to Anna Greer of Bakersfield, California. Apparently, a woman committed a crime and, when caught by the police, identified herself using Anna Greer's Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-84624885965908079502009-12-21T08:14:00.002-06:002009-12-21T08:14:00.436-06:00Identity theft rocks the world of Rock & RollEven the world of rock and roll is not immune to identity theft. And, no, I'm not talking about Elvis impersonators.
Eric Valentine, a music producer who has worked with Maroon 5 and Queens of the Stone Age, has filed a lawsuit against one of his associates for allegedly impersonating him in an attempt to land recording jobs.
The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on December 8, Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-20489591965429938182009-12-17T10:30:00.000-06:002009-12-17T10:30:36.161-06:00Yes, I'm vain.Someone once told me that vain people like to google their own names. Guess I'm ultra vain then, since I have a google alert set up to google my name for me. (BTW, google alerts are great. I have alerts set up to e-mail me whenever new content appears on the web regarding Experian, Equifax, Trans Union, identity theft and the FCRA. Pretty nifty.)
The reason (other than vanity) I have a Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7614520368611986818.post-27329514617350914702009-12-16T11:15:00.000-06:002009-12-16T11:15:00.263-06:00Colorado Supreme Court ruled that evidence of identity theft found during search of tax records office was illegalIn a 4 to 3 decision, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that a prosecutor's search of 5,000 tax files while looking for evidence of identity theft by illegal immigrants was an invasion of privacy. In so doing, the Colorado Supreme Court upheld a lower court's ruling.
Last year, a Weld County, Colorado district attorney served a search warrant on Amalia's Translation and Tax Service in Greeley, Chris K.http://www.blogger.com/profile/02810831141089337996noreply@blogger.com0