Over the past few years, I’ve noticed a growing holiday trend. Certain friends and family members have started sending e-cards to me instead of the paper cards of yesteryear. With what I’ve been reading recently, I’m going to be extra cautious when opening up those holiday e-cards.  Identity thieves have developed a scam into trapping [...]

It is usually suggested that the following actions be taken when identity theft has been committed.  File an identity theft police report, file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, contact all creditors, and place a 90 day fraud alert on all three credit bureau reports.  Most of these steps are necessary to resolve a [...]

This number can be hard to digest, but, according to Javelin Strategy & Research, it’s estimated that more than 9 million people are victims of identity theft every year.  That is a significantly high number especially with how the economy has been.  Nowadays, people are so desperate for money that cash-motivated identity thieves are committing [...]

In this day and age, the safety of your personal information is at constant risk. In fact, identity thieves may be right under your nose without your knowledge. According to the Identity Theft Assistance Center (ITAC), for every five cases of identity theft, at least two victims knew the thief personally.  The effects of the [...]

I read an article about a medical receptionist who plead guilty for involvement in an identity theft scheme.  The receptionist had stolen bank and credit card information from 37 patients and received $200 to $500 for the information of each victim.  A doctor’s visit, which is supposed to be for regular checkups, is now becoming [...]

Dealing with the loss of a loved one is a difficult event for anyone to go through.  Not only is there the initial loss, but having to sort through personal things can be just as painful.  What can add to the pain is discovering that the dead person’s identity has been stolen. When someone dies, [...]

Have you ever come across those online ads with a picture of a puppy so cute you immediately want to take it home?  It’s as if the picture alone tempts you to buy the dog at any price. Well, you might want to reconsider that thought because identity thieves are using cute puppy ads as [...]

The first three comments to this post that share thoughts on how to handle telemarketer calls will receive a PMID Camelbak water bottle. I’m sure you have experienced this situation at one time or another.  You’re about to have dinner with your family, the phone rings and the caller ID shows “Private Caller.”  You try [...]

You meet an old acquaintance for a long overdue lunch and play catch up over food and drinks while having a great conversation about old times. When the server arrives with the bill, you have a friendly feud over who is paying. Your friend agrees to pay for the next one. Before leaving, you make [...]

Most of us reach out to each other through the various social forums such as FaceBook or MySpace.  This has been a wonderful way to reconnect with people or to keep each other posted about life’s events. If you currently engage in social networking, be cautious and screen what kinds of messages your friends are [...]