Friday, July 22, 2011
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Thursday, July 9, 2009
IDENTITY THEFT CONTINUES TO HURT PEOPLE
IDENTITY THEFT CONTINUES TO HURT PEOPLE.
And watch this.... http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/30344575#30344575
View this video and look at this article of a TRUSTED retired employee
and how she was treated by the law and her own former employer.
And watch this.... http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/30344575#30344575
THEN PROTECT YOURSELF and your family with an Identity Theft/Legal Plan that covers both the ID Theft AND the Legal consequences you're bound to face:
Go to [copy and paste] www.prepaidlegal.com/hub/dancassin and click on family plans or call me Dan at 502-554-2397 or email dan@dancassin.com
A Strange Case of Identity Theft
Susan Sward, Chronicle Staff Writer
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Margot Somerville knew she was in for a hassle when her wallet was stolen in 2006 on a
San Francisco streetcar. But she had no way of knowing she would end up facing felony
identity-theft charges 950 miles away.
Somerville, 64, was a retired Wells Fargo Bank vice president. Her youngest son, Todd
Harris, was a nationally known Republican strategist. The entryway of her expensive
Walnut Creek home was decorated with pictures of her with former President George
H.W. Bush and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. She had never been accused of a crime in
her life.
But one Sunday morning in April 2008, nearly two years after her wallet was swiped,
police came to her house and took Somerville away in handcuffs on a no-bail warrant out
of Colorado.
Prosecutors in a town near Denver claimed she had masterminded a scam in which a
woman armed with Somerville's identification had used stolen checks and bank
withdrawal slips to steal more than $60,000 from other people's accounts at local Wells
Fargo branches. Somerville was charged with 19 felonies.
By the time the charges were dropped seven months later, Somerville said she had spent
more than $46,000 in legal bills. Even today, police in Wheat Ridge, Colo., don't think
they made a mistake by having her arrested, saying a handwriting expert said she had
written many of the forged documents.
Bank's response
Wells Fargo says it cooperated with both law enforcement and Somerville's attorney
during the investigation. The bank is happy that charges against her were dropped, a
spokesman says.
But Somerville argues that blunders made by Wells Fargo, combined with the bungling
of small-town police and prosecutors, got her wrongly indicted as the supposed kingpin
of a nationwide identify-theft and check-fraud ring. She was treated as a criminal and not
as a victim, she says.
"In my heart, I never knew anything like this could happen," Somerville said.
Her case was "the perfect storm of horror," recalled her son, Todd Harris, who has
worked for Schwarzenegger, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Arizona Sen. John McCain. "I
kept thinking sanity was going to prevail, but days turned into weeks, months and years."
Somerville's troubles began on June 7, 2006. She and seven friends from her bridgeplaying
group rode BART into the city, ate lunch at the Slanted Door at the Ferry
Building and then boarded a packed F-line streetcar to ride a few blocks down the
Embarcadero.
Pocket Picked
On the streetcar, Somerville felt someone bump up against her, and she instinctively
pulled her purse closer to her body. When she got off the streetcar, her wallet was gone.
She reported the theft of her wallet, credit cards and Wells Fargo ATM card to San
Francisco police. The thief soon charged $45 in purchases from United Parcel Service,
and initially that was all that happened.
About five months later, Somerville noticed money missing from her bank account, and
at about the same time her son noticed money gone from an account he shared with his
mother. Both said bank personnel initially downplayed their concerns about the
unauthorized withdrawals, but further checking proved that about $20,000 was missing
from the accounts.
It turned out, Somerville said, that an impostor had used blank bank withdrawal slips and
stolen checks to obtain the money out of Somerville's accounts, accessing them at a Wells
branch in Wheat Ridge, Colo., and another Denver-area branch. The thief was filmed by
a security camera, and Wheat Ridge police acknowledge that she was not Somerville,
police records show. But they apparently came to believe that Somerville and unknown
accomplices were stealing blank checks and using them to obtain fraudulent withdrawals.
When Somerville next traveled to Denver to visit family, she dropped by the Wheat
Ridge Wells Fargo branch. She said she wanted the bank to know "they had just given
money out of my account to someone who wasn't me."
The manager "got defensive and blew me off," Somerville says. The manager insisted the
bank had followed its policy for approving withdrawals: The woman claiming to be
Somerville had her driver's license and knew Somerville's Social Security number and
where she opened her bank account - two standard questions the bank uses to verify a
customer's identity. Somerville couldn't understand how the thief was able to get this
information because it was not in her wallet when it was stolen.
Rebuffed by the bank, Somerville contacted the Wheat Ridge police. Detectives
eventually concluded that she was the ringleader of an identity-theft ring.
Police Bungling
Police asked Somerville twice to provide handwriting samples, and twice she complied.
Each time, she said, police told her the results did not rule her out as a suspect. As she
later learned, a handwriting expert hired by police had concluded that Somerville had
signed some incriminating documents in the case.
Somerville said Wells officials told her that her money could not be refunded while the
case was under investigation. Finally, Somerville wrote Richard Kovacevich, then Wells
Fargo's chairman, at the bank's San Francisco headquarters, saying that the Wheat Ridge
branch "failed to follow even the most basic" of security procedures that could have
stopped her account from being looted.
She said she never received an answer. But in June 2007, Wells Fargo refunded the
$20,000 that had been stolen from her accounts. "Had I not been a (retired) trusted
employee, I never would have gotten my money back," she said.
Lie detector
Two months later, Somerville said, Wheat Ridge police called her and said that if she
didn't return to Colorado to take a lie detector test, an arrest warrant would be issued for
her. Instead, she hired a lawyer in Colorado. A prosecutor in the office of Jefferson
County District Attorney Scott Storey promised she would be notified if the case were to
go forward, but no alert was ever given, Somerville says.
The following year, Somerville answered a knock on the door on a Sunday morning and
found two Walnut Creek officers ready to arrest her. As the police moved to handcuff
her, she started crying uncontrollably.
She was transported to Martinez, where her mug shot was taken; she then was shackled to
another female prisoner and taken by bus to the county jail in Richmond. There she lay
crying on her cell bunk all night.
Somerville was released at 2 p.m. the next day. She flew to Colorado a few days later,
where she was booked and fingerprinted.
Police never made any other arrests in the case, and neither police nor prosecutors could
ever really explain how they thought the supposed fraud ring worked, said Karen
Steinhauser, one of Somerville's Colorado lawyers.
"We don't know what they were thinking - if they were thinking she planned the thefts
from her accounts to look like a victim or what," she said. "It never made sense."
The trial was postponed several times. Each time Somerville had to fly to Colorado to
appear in court. In the meantime, her attorneys had her take a lie detector test, which she
passed, and police finally tested for her fingerprints on the forged documents. They found
none.
Constant Contact
On Oct. 27, 2008 Steinhauser wrote the district attorney's office urging it to drop the charges.
The case was based "solely on handwriting analysis," she wrote, "which in this day and
age of sophisticated identity theft rings ... means absolutely nothing."
On Nov. 17, 2008 the district attorney's office dropped the case. Somerville's lawyers told the
judge that the "unfounded prosecution" had forced Somerville "to prove her innocence,
something that a defendant should not have to do in our criminal justice system."
Victims Scrutinized
Linda Sherry of the nonprofit group Consumer Action said it's not uncommon for people
who complain of identity theft to find themselves under scrutiny.
"Banks sometimes tend to want to blame the victim first," she said. "They always want to
see if someone in your family or someone with access to you committed the fraud - and a
lot of identity theft is committed by people who know the victim." Nevertheless,
Somerville's experience seems extreme, she said.
"I have never heard of a local police agency going to these lengths to blame the victim,"
she said. "It doesn't make sense that this agency would use its limited resources to build a
case against the very victim of the crime."
Pam Russell, the district attorney's spokeswoman, declined to say whether the charges
were dropped because prosecutors realized Somerville was innocent. "We are absolutely
committed to protecting the community from identity theft, and in Colorado we actually
have a high incidence of that," Russell said. "When Somerville was originally arrested, a
judge found probable cause to issue the warrant, and we initially believed there was
probable cause" to charge her. The case was dropped because "we no longer believed that
we had a successful likelihood of conviction," she said.
Wheat Ridge Police Sgt. Fred Bright said police don't owe Somerville an apology. "In
our view, the evidence still points to her because the handwriting analyst reviewing
multiple documents concluded that she had written many of them," he said. "There
clearly was a fraud occurring; we just couldn't prove in a criminal court of law who did
it."
Wells Fargo contends it helped clear Somerville's name. "We're very pleased that
information Wells Fargo provided to the authorities and to Ms. Somerville's attorney led
to the charges against her being dropped," said Chris Hammond, a Wells senior vice
president. The bank's investigation "determined Ms. Somerville was defrauded and
credited her account with the amount that had been inappropriately withdrawn," he said.
Harris, Somerville's son, is not mollified by the explanations offered by law enforcement
and the bank. He remains angry at what he sees as law enforcement's inept handling of
the case. And he says it is very hard to comprehend the conduct of Wells Fargo, which he
argues helped police pursue his mother as if she were a common criminal.
"We were a Wells Fargo family," Harris said. "I used to be a teller in high school. My
brother was a teller. One of my sisters was an assistant branch manager. We were like a
company family."
For her part, Somerville is considering whether to sue the bank, the police and the
prosecutors for all the heartache they put her through.
At the same time, she still keeps a small Wells Fargo stagecoach as a decoration in her
bookshelf, and she says: "I love Wells Fargo. I never moved my account. I spent a lot of
my life there."
How to Protect Yourself
The Federal Trade Commission has some advice for people who fall victim to identity
theft - and for those who want to avoid it entirely.
If you're a victim, take these steps, the FTC says:
-- Put a fraud alert on your credit reports by contacting the toll-free number of one of
these three consumer reporting companies : TransUnion (800) 680-7289, Equifax (800)
525-6285 or Experian (888) 397-3742.
-- Close accounts that you believe "have been tampered with or opened fraudulently."
-- File a complaint with the FTC by using its online complaint form, calling the
commission's theft hot line toll-free at (877) ID-THEFT, or writing Identity Theft
Clearinghouse, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington,
DC 20580.
-- Contact your police department and report your identity theft.
To avoid becoming an ID theft victim, the FTC gives this advice :
-- Never carry your Social Security number in your wallet.
-- Shred crucial documents such as charge receipts before throwing them into the trash.
-- When you go out, only carry the identification and credit card you will need.
-- When you select passwords for your bank and other accounts, a combination of letters,
numbers and special characters is best.
-- Never give out personal identification information on the phone unless you have
confirmed who you are talking to and you initiated the contact.
Finally, to be notified or prevent ID Theft or to deal with the legal effects of ID Theft:
PROTECT YOURSELF and your family with an Identity Theft/Legal Plan that covers both the ID Theft AND the Legal consequences you're bound to face:
Go to [copy and paste] www.prepaidlegal.com/hub/dancassin and click on family plans or call me Dan at 502-554-2397 or email dan@dancassin.com
Monday, June 29, 2009
Identity Theft and HR/Personnel Depts
HR and ID Theft: The Best solution
One of today's hottest topics is identity theft. It's alleged to be the fastest-growing white-collar crime in the
How does it work? Thieves gain access to the numbers on someone's key documents--Social Security, checking account, credit cards, Medical Benefits, insurance policies--and conduct high-priced transactions by using those documents as if they were their own. How do they get the numbers? One way is a process that's been dubbed "phishing." According to the U.S. Treasury Department, phishing commonly starts with an e-mail message sent to a big list of consumers. It directs recipients to a fraudulent website designed to resemble those of government agencies, big-name financial services firms, Internet auction sites, or electronic payment services. The website then asks consumers to "update" sensitive personal information--such as credit card numbers, Social Security number, e-mail address, and so on. When a consumer fills in the requested information, bingo--the thieves can begin using the numbers immediately. One survey found that 1,125 instances of phishing were reported in April 2004, an increase of 180 percent from March 2004.
What's identity theft got to do with HR?
Quite a lot, as it turns out. First, many thieves don't use the relatively sophisticated phishing method to obtain the numbers they need. Instead, they gain access to paper records from business sources. Any provider or vendor that collects lots of information from its users will do, but here are several particularly good sources: doctors' offices, insurance agencies, and--you guessed it--employers. That's where HR comes in, because payroll records and employment applications are goldmines of information. One way for thieves to get the information is "dumpster diving" outside buildings whose tenants don't shred records containing personal information. In fact, a class action lawsuit was filed against a company, which failed to shred customer records containing such information as names, addresses, dates of birth, and credit card numbers. The largest theft so far was (NYSE:TJX) - TJ MAXX which had 43 million credit card records stolen electronically, in Dec 2006, and didn't report it until Jan 2007.
Besides scrounging through paper records that weren't shredded, thieves can gain access to payroll records or employment applications by getting hired as summer interns, temps, or part timers in HR departments. So besides shredding records, the next way that HR can help fight identity theft is to conduct thorough background checks on anyone who will be given access to employee records.
A third way that HR and identity theft can intersect
Some companies, including Prepaid Legal (NYSE: PPD) have begun advertising to employers the availability of group rates on Identity Theft/ Legal plans for employees. According to them, here are the advantages:
· Employers that offer these plans expand their benefits packages at no cost to themselves. Attracting and keeping good employees, thru expanded benefits that show you care.
· Employees can purchase such coverage at lower group rates than they could buy it individually, covering personal issues, while exempting employer-related issues.
· Employees who have coverage will need to spend far less time straightening out a case of identity theft than employees not on the plan. This saves time on the job, saves vacation and sick days and other time off.
Employees have legal problems with Identity Theft and other personal legal issues, which can take time away from the job and on the job, distracting them from work. Identity Theft/ Legal plans keep them on the job and let professionals take care of the problems.
Employees of all business sizes need to be trained according to FTC Requirements in Identity Theft Prevention, Red flag Rules and
It takes an individual consumer up to 600 hours to track down all the ways in which a case of identity theft needs to be rectified--and those hours may be spent at work, because that's when all the organizations who deal with ID Theft are open, too. This also lowers productivity for the employer. Plans costs between $25 and $60 a month, depending on benefits desired, and covers specialized attorney's activities, fees and some court costs and Identity Theft monitoring, notification and recovery.
Monitoring services from credit card companies or credit reporting agencies are often expensive, as they only cover their own accounts, and they don't kick in until theft has already occurred. The biggest problems with ID Theft can be damage to the individual's credit rating or even a criminal record. This can hurt the employer, too. The Federal Trade Commission reports that 16 percent of theft victims rack up a criminal record, and correcting credit ratings is a time-consuming, process. A business benefit? Offer group rates on plans, but remain neutral on its value.
[Ed.] Prepaid Legal [NYSE:PPD] offers an Identity Theft/ Legal Plans coverage plan of legal, monitoring and recovery services to victims of Identity Theft.
Dan Cassin is a Certified Identity Theft Risk Management Consultant and can provide certified Identity Theft training to satisfy FTC requirements for your company. Call Dan at 502-554-2397 today or e-mail dan@dancassin.com.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Identity Theft Prevention
TO ALL State Employees:
From: Dan Cassin,
Certified Identity Theft Risk Management Consultant,
Harvard Benefits Consultant.
Top 10 reasons for this New Employee Benefit:
ID THEFT/ Family Pre-paid Legal Plans, all the benefits below, and more.
1. ID Theft grew 22% in 2008 according to FTC (Feb 2009) to 9.9 million; that's just the reported ID Theft events.MSNBC/ USA TODAY report 1 in 4 families have been affected by ID Theft; fewer than 40% know about it.Everyone knows someone who has been affected by ID Theft. Dan has been. How would you know about it? How do you protect yourself? Your employee benefit can help. Email Dan about how this benefit works.
2. The average person doesn't think they need a lawyer; the top 10% know they do.In the Commonwealth of KY, you need a WILL and/or Trust or DNR and other Legal documents. "That's gonna cost me, Right?" Wrong! Our great lawyers can provide you one for free. And depending on complexity, more complicated wills, trusts and other forms are nearly free or at a greatly reduced rate from your benefits.
3. "Someone's fooling with my Credit or my Name or my legal documents. I need to stop the problems and clear my name and keep my job and my money. What do I need to do? How much will it cost me?" The answer is nothing to both questions! It can take up to 600 hours (USA Today, FTC) to fix that, mostly during work hours. You can afford the great lawyers on our plan.Let our ID Theft Sheild Plan fix it for free! Ask Dan how this employee benefit works.
4. The average person doesn't think they can afford a lawyer; the top 10% can, the bottom 10% have Legal Aid. Our plan is for the 80% who may have only 1 legal issues/ year, some have 3+ legal issues per year. (ABA research) "My %$#% bill is wrong, and (dept store) customer service won't fix it for me. What can I legally do about it? Can anyone call / write them for me and fix this?" YES, at no cost to you! Dan had it happen to him; the Lawyer wrote them and in 2 weeks it was fixed. I didn't owe them a thing!! It didn't cost Dan any more. Ask Dan how affordable this benefit is.
5. "OK, I had a traffic ticket (could've been an accident) in NY. Maybe I was going fast. Can someone go to NY courts for me without charging me?" Yes they can.
Dan called his local attorney, they called a New York lawyer, who went to court for me.
He got the charge reduced, lessened the fine, no points reported.
No increase in insurance premium. No attorney time charges. Ask Dan how this benefit helps you.
6. "I started a new business and needed legal advice. How do I form my Company? What do I do about taxes? What about employees? Can someone do contract writing/review? Where can you get advice like that for free?" I get these questions constantly.
There are 102 reasons to protect your business with this benefit.
Let's get your business protected/advised/ and setup correctly. Let Dan show you how to get free advice/help from this benefit.
7. "Someone's says they're gonna sue me. Wish I had a Lawyer on my side, but I can't afford those huge retainers and hourly charges." - Let's get rid of those charges today, and you'll HAVE your own Lawyer. He/she can call/write them or defend you for $0 (zero) hourly rate for up to 60 court hours - (that's the 1st year; adds up to 300 court hours at 5 years!) A great benefit, if you are sued.
8. "I did my own 2008 taxes. IRS wrote me a letter.
Can I get a lawyer to go there with me? How about at no hourly charge?"
Yes on both counts. Ask Dan how this benefit defends you.
9. "My neighbor/ friend/ relative/ stranger/ business person is trying to cheat/sue me. Who can advise me of my rights and can they do it for free?" Yes, our lawyers will do that (as long as you're not involved in something criminal). You have no rights, if you don't know what they are.
Ask Dan about your benefits under this plan.
10. There are over 101 reasons nearly 2 million people use our ID Theft Legal benefit plans (see flyer attached). TOP lawyers/ legal network. Large benefits in 6 areas of legal issues., including Identity Theft Small monthly charge: Less than the cost of 1 lunch per week. One year is less than one month of the avg. health benefit cost. One use will pay for the entire year in legal fees avoided. And is less than one month of Medical plans.Dan has saved over $500.00 in legal fees this last 12 months alone over the plan cost.
Ask Dan how this benefit saves you time off the job, time spent dealing with personal issues and money.
The only problem is Personnel can't tell you of your state-approved benefits. Why?
1.They don't know about the benefits and how they help you! It's not on the website or in the benefits info.
2. State employees are using state-employed lawyers as personal lawyers, making the state liable. Isn't it illegal?
3. They don't know the Top 3 reasons people take time off have nothing to do with illness,
but involve personal, legal and family issues, that probably could be handled by their benefit lawyers.
Get the free info from Dan.
Dan Cassin, CITRMS, CLTDF
Go here to sign up: www.prepaidlegal.com/hub/dancassin
Author of "Creative Leadership Dynamics"& Leadership Team Development FacilitatorBusiness & Family Identity Theft Consultant
502-554-2397 email: dan@dancassin.com
From: Dan Cassin,
Certified Identity Theft Risk Management Consultant,
Harvard Benefits Consultant.
Top 10 reasons for this New Employee Benefit:
ID THEFT/ Family Pre-paid Legal Plans, all the benefits below, and more.
1. ID Theft grew 22% in 2008 according to FTC (Feb 2009) to 9.9 million; that's just the reported ID Theft events.MSNBC/ USA TODAY report 1 in 4 families have been affected by ID Theft; fewer than 40% know about it.Everyone knows someone who has been affected by ID Theft. Dan has been. How would you know about it? How do you protect yourself? Your employee benefit can help. Email Dan about how this benefit works.
2. The average person doesn't think they need a lawyer; the top 10% know they do.In the Commonwealth of KY, you need a WILL and/or Trust or DNR and other Legal documents. "That's gonna cost me, Right?" Wrong! Our great lawyers can provide you one for free. And depending on complexity, more complicated wills, trusts and other forms are nearly free or at a greatly reduced rate from your benefits.
3. "Someone's fooling with my Credit or my Name or my legal documents. I need to stop the problems and clear my name and keep my job and my money. What do I need to do? How much will it cost me?" The answer is nothing to both questions! It can take up to 600 hours (USA Today, FTC) to fix that, mostly during work hours. You can afford the great lawyers on our plan.Let our ID Theft Sheild Plan fix it for free! Ask Dan how this employee benefit works.
4. The average person doesn't think they can afford a lawyer; the top 10% can, the bottom 10% have Legal Aid. Our plan is for the 80% who may have only 1 legal issues/ year, some have 3+ legal issues per year. (ABA research) "My %$#% bill is wrong, and (dept store) customer service won't fix it for me. What can I legally do about it? Can anyone call / write them for me and fix this?" YES, at no cost to you! Dan had it happen to him; the Lawyer wrote them and in 2 weeks it was fixed. I didn't owe them a thing!! It didn't cost Dan any more. Ask Dan how affordable this benefit is.
5. "OK, I had a traffic ticket (could've been an accident) in NY. Maybe I was going fast. Can someone go to NY courts for me without charging me?" Yes they can.
Dan called his local attorney, they called a New York lawyer, who went to court for me.
He got the charge reduced, lessened the fine, no points reported.
No increase in insurance premium. No attorney time charges. Ask Dan how this benefit helps you.
6. "I started a new business and needed legal advice. How do I form my Company? What do I do about taxes? What about employees? Can someone do contract writing/review? Where can you get advice like that for free?" I get these questions constantly.
There are 102 reasons to protect your business with this benefit.
Let's get your business protected/advised/ and setup correctly. Let Dan show you how to get free advice/help from this benefit.
7. "Someone's says they're gonna sue me. Wish I had a Lawyer on my side, but I can't afford those huge retainers and hourly charges." - Let's get rid of those charges today, and you'll HAVE your own Lawyer. He/she can call/write them or defend you for $0 (zero) hourly rate for up to 60 court hours - (that's the 1st year; adds up to 300 court hours at 5 years!) A great benefit, if you are sued.
8. "I did my own 2008 taxes. IRS wrote me a letter.
Can I get a lawyer to go there with me? How about at no hourly charge?"
Yes on both counts. Ask Dan how this benefit defends you.
9. "My neighbor/ friend/ relative/ stranger/ business person is trying to cheat/sue me. Who can advise me of my rights and can they do it for free?" Yes, our lawyers will do that (as long as you're not involved in something criminal). You have no rights, if you don't know what they are.
Ask Dan about your benefits under this plan.
10. There are over 101 reasons nearly 2 million people use our ID Theft Legal benefit plans (see flyer attached). TOP lawyers/ legal network. Large benefits in 6 areas of legal issues., including Identity Theft Small monthly charge: Less than the cost of 1 lunch per week. One year is less than one month of the avg. health benefit cost. One use will pay for the entire year in legal fees avoided. And is less than one month of Medical plans.Dan has saved over $500.00 in legal fees this last 12 months alone over the plan cost.
Ask Dan how this benefit saves you time off the job, time spent dealing with personal issues and money.
The only problem is Personnel can't tell you of your state-approved benefits. Why?
1.They don't know about the benefits and how they help you! It's not on the website or in the benefits info.
2. State employees are using state-employed lawyers as personal lawyers, making the state liable. Isn't it illegal?
3. They don't know the Top 3 reasons people take time off have nothing to do with illness,
but involve personal, legal and family issues, that probably could be handled by their benefit lawyers.
Get the free info from Dan.
Dan Cassin, CITRMS, CLTDF
Go here to sign up: www.prepaidlegal.com/hub/dancassin
Author of "Creative Leadership Dynamics"& Leadership Team Development FacilitatorBusiness & Family Identity Theft Consultant
502-554-2397 email: dan@dancassin.com
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Traveling: You can lose your Identity!
San Antonio Hotels Involved
in Massive Credit Card Theft
Jan 31st 2009 @ 5:00PM
If you have stayed any nights in San Antonio, watch your credit card statements carefully.
Information from 17,000 guests is involved in a large scale fraud with stolen receipts from 3 different hotels, then used in an identity theft scam to make fraudulent purchases. "Up to this point, we have recovered 1,500 (receipts), but we're estimating 17,000 were compromised," Mark Bartlett, special agent in charge of U.S. Secret Service in San Antonio, told the San Antonio Express-News.
So far, 7 people have been indicted on charges of identity theft and the possession of equipment to make or alter credit cards. The crime was foisted by criminals who worked at these hotels, and information or copies of credit card receipts taken off premises with the purpose of using them for fraudulent purchases. Read more at my blog:
http://identitytheftdynamics.blogspot.com/
Authorities are declining to release the names of these hotels, pending their investigation, but the Express-News identified one as the Emily Morgan Hotel (shown above).
"The Emily Morgan Hotel is working with the U.S. Secret Service in their investigation," general manager Michelle Felton said in a prepared statement. "Since this is an ongoing investigation, we cannot comment on any specific details."Further investigation by members of the South Texas Regional Task Force shows that the stolen receipts were resold among people involved in other criminal acts.
"One of the things we see in these types of crimes is there is some sort of methamphetamine tie," Bartlett said. "We're seeing methamphetamine addicts forming groups to organize themselves to steal identities, distribute the documents and sell them or purchase goods with these identities."So, if you stayed in San Antonio, and used a credit card, be sure to keep an eye out for odd charges, and if you do happen to see something you did not authorize, contact your bank right away. In most cases, you won't be liable for these fraudulent charges, but you may have some paperwork involved in proving your case to police, credit card companies and insurance.What this means to you Personal and Business Travel is becoming more fraught with opportunities for ID theft. There are people who will find ways to access your accounts, violate your life. One person told me of going to a restaurant, and his friend was paying by credit card. This person just happenned to be in sight of the cash register and witnessed the waiter placing his friend's card on the shelf and using his phone/camera to take pictures of both sides of the card. He quickly called the manager and the waiter was fired and arrested. How about those people who did not know? Do not let your cards out of your sight. Call Dan at 502--554-2397 and he can help you protect your ID and cards.
in Massive Credit Card Theft
Jan 31st 2009 @ 5:00PM
If you have stayed any nights in San Antonio, watch your credit card statements carefully.
Information from 17,000 guests is involved in a large scale fraud with stolen receipts from 3 different hotels, then used in an identity theft scam to make fraudulent purchases. "Up to this point, we have recovered 1,500 (receipts), but we're estimating 17,000 were compromised," Mark Bartlett, special agent in charge of U.S. Secret Service in San Antonio, told the San Antonio Express-News.
So far, 7 people have been indicted on charges of identity theft and the possession of equipment to make or alter credit cards. The crime was foisted by criminals who worked at these hotels, and information or copies of credit card receipts taken off premises with the purpose of using them for fraudulent purchases. Read more at my blog:
http://identitytheftdynamics.blogspot.com/
Authorities are declining to release the names of these hotels, pending their investigation, but the Express-News identified one as the Emily Morgan Hotel (shown above).
"The Emily Morgan Hotel is working with the U.S. Secret Service in their investigation," general manager Michelle Felton said in a prepared statement. "Since this is an ongoing investigation, we cannot comment on any specific details."Further investigation by members of the South Texas Regional Task Force shows that the stolen receipts were resold among people involved in other criminal acts.
"One of the things we see in these types of crimes is there is some sort of methamphetamine tie," Bartlett said. "We're seeing methamphetamine addicts forming groups to organize themselves to steal identities, distribute the documents and sell them or purchase goods with these identities."So, if you stayed in San Antonio, and used a credit card, be sure to keep an eye out for odd charges, and if you do happen to see something you did not authorize, contact your bank right away. In most cases, you won't be liable for these fraudulent charges, but you may have some paperwork involved in proving your case to police, credit card companies and insurance.What this means to you Personal and Business Travel is becoming more fraught with opportunities for ID theft. There are people who will find ways to access your accounts, violate your life. One person told me of going to a restaurant, and his friend was paying by credit card. This person just happenned to be in sight of the cash register and witnessed the waiter placing his friend's card on the shelf and using his phone/camera to take pictures of both sides of the card. He quickly called the manager and the waiter was fired and arrested. How about those people who did not know? Do not let your cards out of your sight. Call Dan at 502--554-2397 and he can help you protect your ID and cards.
Think ID Theft & Shredding is all you need to know?
FOUR YEARS AGO a USAtoday article about shredders said, "Identity theft is the fastest-growing crime in the USA, according to the National Crime Prevention Council. About 7 million people (ed.,now nearly 10 million/ yr) had their identities stolen in the year ended July 2003, according to two studies done by Gartner Research and Harris Interactive. Each will spend an average of $1,495 and 600 hours getting his or her finances straightened out, according to the Identity Theft Resource Center. And that's not counting lawyers' fees."
So the laws regarding shredding, pulverizing, smashing, electronic wiping went into effect with the FACT Act of 2004. It states, "Employers must destroy information derived from a consumer credit report before discarding it." It became effective on June 1, 2005. Other acts such as Gramm-Leach-Bliley (GLB) and HIPAA (not just for the medical industry anymore), also require you to appropriately handle/destroy consumer info (and has been enlarged to include Employee and Vendor info) applies to any size business or any individual who has personally Identifiable. And there are penalties. I DIDN'T KNOW!!!
Shredding is good, but if Non-Public Information (NPI) or Personally Identifiable Information (PII) still gets out, there are penalties. According to NAID, and other legal sources:·Civil liability: Employees could be entitled to recover actual damages sustained if their identity is stolen as a result of your lack of sufficient protections. Or you could have to pay statutory damages of up to $1,000 per employee. There are state laws that could apply, too. ·Class-action lawsuits. If large numbers of employees or clients are affected, they may be able to bring class-action lawsuits and get punitive damages from employers. And there are NO statute of limitations here. ·Federal fines. The federal government could fine you up to $2,500 for each violation.·State fines. States can fine up to $1,000 for each violation.
Other laws, such as GLB allow fines up to $1,000,000.00 per incident, removal of managment and/or Leadership (just like the NCAA removes coaches &/or ADs)
This makes investing in a quality shredder - about $25 to $299 for a personal shredder to over $2,000 for an office or contracting with a shredder company- very worth it. Remember, these figures don't include lawyers fees; you may be responsible for both sides.
What does this mean to you? For Individuals: you cannot depend on trash collectors to properly dispose of sensitive info. SHRED NOW! You only need to shred docs containing your name and any personal info. So, if you get a magazine, only shred the page with your labeled address, unless the inside contains your info. However, if a Credit Card Company (CCC) sends you an application and you only shred the envelope or front page, be aware that sometimes CCCs print your info ON THE APP itself! Make sure you shred that, too
For Businesses: shredding is just one issue mandated by law. AND your insurance company may not protect you if you flout the laws. What about your people? Are they protected? Do you have NPI/PII policies and procedures in place? Are your people trained in Identifying ID Theft per FTC requirements? Have they been certified? Do you offer ID Theft Legal benefit plans? Or are you out of compliance with FTC regs? And unprotected from legal challenges? It does not cost much to get into compliance, it costs a lot, including possibly your freedom, to be out of compliance. Call Dan 502-554-2397 for free training.
So the laws regarding shredding, pulverizing, smashing, electronic wiping went into effect with the FACT Act of 2004. It states, "Employers must destroy information derived from a consumer credit report before discarding it." It became effective on June 1, 2005. Other acts such as Gramm-Leach-Bliley (GLB) and HIPAA (not just for the medical industry anymore), also require you to appropriately handle/destroy consumer info (and has been enlarged to include Employee and Vendor info) applies to any size business or any individual who has personally Identifiable. And there are penalties. I DIDN'T KNOW!!!
Shredding is good, but if Non-Public Information (NPI) or Personally Identifiable Information (PII) still gets out, there are penalties. According to NAID, and other legal sources:·Civil liability: Employees could be entitled to recover actual damages sustained if their identity is stolen as a result of your lack of sufficient protections. Or you could have to pay statutory damages of up to $1,000 per employee. There are state laws that could apply, too. ·Class-action lawsuits. If large numbers of employees or clients are affected, they may be able to bring class-action lawsuits and get punitive damages from employers. And there are NO statute of limitations here. ·Federal fines. The federal government could fine you up to $2,500 for each violation.·State fines. States can fine up to $1,000 for each violation.
Other laws, such as GLB allow fines up to $1,000,000.00 per incident, removal of managment and/or Leadership (just like the NCAA removes coaches &/or ADs)
This makes investing in a quality shredder - about $25 to $299 for a personal shredder to over $2,000 for an office or contracting with a shredder company- very worth it. Remember, these figures don't include lawyers fees; you may be responsible for both sides.
What does this mean to you? For Individuals: you cannot depend on trash collectors to properly dispose of sensitive info. SHRED NOW! You only need to shred docs containing your name and any personal info. So, if you get a magazine, only shred the page with your labeled address, unless the inside contains your info. However, if a Credit Card Company (CCC) sends you an application and you only shred the envelope or front page, be aware that sometimes CCCs print your info ON THE APP itself! Make sure you shred that, too
For Businesses: shredding is just one issue mandated by law. AND your insurance company may not protect you if you flout the laws. What about your people? Are they protected? Do you have NPI/PII policies and procedures in place? Are your people trained in Identifying ID Theft per FTC requirements? Have they been certified? Do you offer ID Theft Legal benefit plans? Or are you out of compliance with FTC regs? And unprotected from legal challenges? It does not cost much to get into compliance, it costs a lot, including possibly your freedom, to be out of compliance. Call Dan 502-554-2397 for free training.
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