In the excitement of the moments surrounding one’s very first credit card, it is easy to forget that it takes years to establish good credit, but only seconds for it to be destroyed at the hands of an identity thief.  A compromised identity can be devastating not only to an individual, but to his or her future family unit as well.  A severely diminished borrowing ability can prohibit a dream neighborhood from being a reality, impact where one’s children go to school, and leave few options when it comes to emergency expenses.  And that grim outlook doesn’t even address saving for retirement. 

To use a bad metaphor, think of your retirement savings as a car that you’ll start driving when you’re 65; it’s a car that needs to last the rest of your life.  Would you leave that car alone, with the windows rolled down, doors unlocked, and key in the ignition?  Of course not!  But if your financial planning efforts don’t include protecting your identity, that’s essentially what you’re doing.

Later, when retirement comes and your income becomes more fixed, it may be easy to rationalize cutting the cost of an identity protection program.  But this would be the worst time to do so.  After all, you’ve spent years building your nest egg, seniors are known targets of identity thieves, ID theft will be constantly evolving and you may not keep up with the various approaches, and you’ll be in the worst position possible to make up any losses.  After all, there are grandchildren to cuddle and golf and bridge to play! 

So the lesson is this: from the very beginning of your financial life, and all the way through to the end, invest in an identity protection program.  Protecting your identity is not just about you.  A healthy and accurate identity from a credit perspective can shape the lives of you and your family members and provide comfort and peace of mind in your retirement years.

By Nikki Junker, Identity Theft Resource Center

Recently we’ve seen an influx of news on the amount of identity theft that has occurred involving the deceased.  The vast number of cases fall into a couple scenarios.  One way identity thieves are committing the crime is by harvesting information from those known to be deceased.  Another way is by creating synthetic identities which then become associated with a deceased person.  This is a terrifying prospect.  When a loved one passes away, the last thing we want to think about is if there will be credit cards opened in the future using their information.  That said, ignoring an increasingly common threat is not an option.  Below are a few ways to protect the identities of our deceased loved ones:

• Obtain at least 12 copies of the certified death certificate for your use in managing accounts.  In some cases, you will be able to use a photocopy, but some businesses will request an original.  Since many death records are public, a death certificate alone may not suffice.
• Immediately notify credit card companies, banks, stock brokers, loan/lien holders, and mortgage companies of the death.  The executor or surviving spouse will need to discuss all outstanding debts.  If you close the account, ask them to list it as: “Closed. Account holder is deceased.”  If there is a surviving spouse or other joint account holders, make sure to inform the company that the account needs to be listed in that surviving person’s name alone.  They may require a copy of the death certificate to do this, as well as permission from the survivor.
• Immediately contact the credit reporting agencies.  Request that the report be flagged with the following alert: “Deceased. Do not issue credit. If an application is made for credit, notify the following person(s) immediately: (list the next surviving relative, executor/trustee of the estate and/or local law enforcement agency- noting the relationship).
  • You will need to do this in writing and you will need to follow-up with a letter.  Include the following on all letters sent to credit issuers, credit reporting agencies, etc.: Name and SSN of deceased; last known address; last five years of addresses; date of birth; and, date of death.  To speed up processing, include all requested documentation in the first letter.
  • Send all mail as certified, return receipt requested.
• Contact all the CRAs and request a copy of the decedent’s credit report.  The report will let you know of any active credit cards that still need to be closed, or any pending collection notices.  Be sure to request all the contact information on accounts currently open in the name of the deceased (credit grantors, collection agencies, etc).  You will need to follow through with those entities until those accounts are closed.
• Keep copies of all correspondence, noting the date sent and any response(s) you receive.

You may also want to contact any organizations the deceased may have been affiliated with, professionally or personally, and make sure their death is noted.  Losing those close to us is a difficult experience and identity theft is not something that should add to the grief.

Mothers’ Day is upon us and extra appreciation is due to the women in our lives who seem to do it all. Between raising and feeding children, keeping the home clean and stocked, and maintaining a career – all while ferrying children to and from appointments and lessons… you name it, moms do it. (Don’t worry dads, you’ll get your day in June). In fact, in many American families, moms handle the finances, too.

But, despite appearance, moms aren’t superhuman; they too can fall victim to identity theft. A moment of distraction can easily lead to a lost wallet or stolen purse. And, when that happens, the real work begins. Hours will be spent on the phone, verifying identities and transactions, and closing accounts. The process of recovering from a lost or stolen wallet isn’t quick. And, unfortunately, damage from a lost or stolen wallet can be inflicted within minutes.

But, mothers can protect themselves and their families from a lot of worry and hassle by signing up for identity protection. In addition to offering personal identity and lost wallet protection, ProtectMyID’s ChildSecureSM – available as an addition to a standard ProtectMyID membership – helps mothers care for their families by checking for credit activity in their children’s names. And because child identity theft is becoming increasingly common, the protection and peace of mind that ChildSecure offers to families is invaluable.

There’s an old adage that goes something like, “help yourself before you help others”, meaning that when you are strong, you are in a better position to care for others. So, what better way to empower mom to be the best she can be? Treat mom to some peace of mind with ProtectMyID.

Happy Mothers’ Day! Thank you to all mothers for the work and dedication you give to your families!

 

Even though gas prices have topped $4 a gallon in many states, travelers should prepare for crowds as they head out on their summer trips. Gas prices remain a concern for travelers, but better economic news and pent-up demand are expected to keep popular tourism spots busy in the coming months.

To compensate for higher gas prices and ensure you have a great time on your vacation, our friends at AAA recommend the following budget-trimming tips:

Add free or low-cost activities to your itinerary.* Your destination’s local newspaper, as well as numerous event listing sites, such as zvents.com or your destination city’s website, are great resources to help you find out what’s happening locally during your visit.

If flying, try to carry-on luggage only. Most airlines now charge fees for checked luggage and that can add up when you have multiple travelers. How can you fit everything? One tip from TravelDudes.org is to bring old clothes that you’re willing to leave behind, giving you more room for souvenirs on your return. Elizabeth Harryman from Westways, the Auto Club of Southern California magazine, rolls her clothes in tissue paper to maximize space and reduce wrinkles.

Get there early and time the lines. Whenever you visit a popular tourist area or attraction, the crowds will be lightest early in the morning. If your vacation package/theme park ticket has the option of early attraction admission, use it. Time your meals to miss the crowds and consider that when most people are eating or watching a parade, ride lines may be shorter.

Play it safe on social media. Real-time broadcasts of the fact that your whole family is out-of-town could be an invitation for a home break-in. Save the vacation photo posts for when you return.

Max out your discounts.* Hotels, car rentals, meals, attractions and airline tickets eat up the biggest chunk of vacation spending. But, there are numerous budget booking sites, and retailers are increasingly offering low price guarantees.  Don’t pay retail if you can avoid it.

For road trips, bring along these little-known essentials. According to a recent poll of travel agents, the top little-known road trip “must haves” include: plastic bags for trash and laundry, a power adaptor to charge electronics while on the road, an extension cord for inconvenient hotel electrical outlets, photocopies of traveler IDs, laundry stain stick, dryer sheets for luggage, and travel-size umbrellas.

Make sure you don’t overpay for gas.* Price averages are different all over the country. Know what gas is going for and look for gas at or below your destination’s average. For those on extensive road trips, keep in mind that gas is at its most expensive just off the freeway.

Take a paper map. GPS systems can fail, and cell phones may not get service or could run out of power. In addition to being a reliable back-up, a paper map gives you the option to mark it up before your trip and use it as a fun family travel planning tool.

*AAA offers a multitude of services that can help members and non-members plan a budget-friendly trip. 

• Activities: AAA.com/TripTik lists major events by city.
• Discounts: Many AAA branches sell theme park and attraction tickets at member prices; visit AAA.com/discounts for more information. The AAA Discounts app provides a quick snapshot of savings in locations throughout the U.S. and Canada. And, AAA members have access to discounts through AAA Club Rewards and AAA Member Deals, which offer deep discounts on dining, shopping and services.
• Gas: FuelGaugeReport.AAA.com provides the current average price of gas at or near your destination city. TripTik and the TripTik Mobile app provide the option of mapping local gas stations with prices.

By Matt Davis, Victim Advisor at the Identity Theft Resource Center

So you’re getting hitched; it’s a time many consider to be both exciting and stressful. With so much planning and so many tasks to complete before walking down the aisle, one cringes at the thought of further burdening the bride-to-be. However for modern couples – or most commonly, for modern women – there is a new marriage-related issue to consider: the risk of identity theft.

There’s no correct answer to the question of whether you should change your name or if doing so increases the potential of identity theft. Keeping your maiden name may not eliminate the potential issue. If you don’t use your new “married name,” a crafty identity thief still might. While there’s no ideal solution, what is important is to be aware of how the name change process can increase your risk of identity theft. You’ll be changing important documents, like your Social Security card and driver’s license, and sharing personally identifying information with a multitude of entities – from credit issuers, your employer, your bank and others with whom you conduct business.

Another thing to note: in the modern age, hyphenating a maiden name with a new last name has become more popular. While it can be a great way to retain one’s identity or to appropriately label a newly created family, it also informs the world of what both your maiden and married names are. A commonly-used security prompt is to ask for a maiden name, so this practice could actually make one – or one’s offspring – more vulnerable to identity thieves.

Just something to keep in mind: if you decide to change your name, there are several things you can do to minimize the chances of becoming a victim of identity theft, including:

• Perform most of your identity-changing tasks in person. Walk in to the Social Security office with your marriage certificate. Don’t fax or email it, even if they allow you to.
• Call any and all credit issuers, banks, and other regular business and financial partners and inform them of the change. Some may need to see a marriage certificate before changing the name on your accounts.
• Check your credit within thirty days of your marriage just to make sure everything’s still looking normal. If you are concerned about the risks of identity theft, have the credit reporting agencies set up a 90 day fraud-alert for you.
• If you want protection but feel you’re too busy to constantly check up on your credit, consider a credit monitoring product. Most of these online solutions are simple, relatively inexpensive, and will provide peace of mind that your information won’t be tampered with without you finding out about it.

Another potential risk of marriage-related identity theft comes during a divorce. Community property laws, found in states like California, can complicate the separation of property and debt at time of divorce. Identity theft occurring between spouses is a far more muddled mess than in typical cases, and as you would expect, it is much more difficult to clean up. Make sure that you and your spouse have a detailed discussion about the protocols for opening new lines of credit before you get married.

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Facebook threats seem to be more prevalent than we had thought. Based on a growing number of reports about social networking and possible threats, this was a topic that we felt should be further explored. The survey sought to identify the types of threats we thought might be most common, based upon the experience of our victim advisors.

More than half (54%) of the survey participants indicated that they had been the target of an identity threat. Nearly 70% of those responding had been asked to visit a scam website through a private message. 60% had received spam through a private message or wall post. One in five respondents had been approached via chat and asked to visit another website. 15% had their account accessed without their permission, and 13.4% had been “socially engineered” to disclose their password or other sensitive information. Lastly, 14.2% indicated that someone had accessed their profile through the account of someone on their “Friends” list.

Clearly, the fact that more than half of the respondents had been targeted for an identity threat indicates that Facebook users are an attractive target for those who attempt to harvest personal information. No doubt some of these interlopers are just harassers, but just as surely some are those who want the information for purposes of identity theft.

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Reader, do any of these scenarios sound familiar? Have you been a target and, if so, how did you respond?

At ProtectMyID we feel it’s important to keep you, dear reader, updated about all things related to identity protection. And, we realize that being at the forefront of education requires being at the forefront of knowledge. Recently, the Identity Theft Resource Center performed the Facebook Social Media Survey. They sought to understand the mindset of consumers in relation to concerns about identity theft – in particular, financial identity theft – and the risks to your identity on social platforms. This week, we’re sharing some of the survey’s key findings.

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Over exposure of personal information, often from multiple sources, is one of the primary factors involved in identity theft cases.  Too much personal information can provide an identity thief with all of the necessary data to begin building an impersonation profile.  In other cases, this information can be used in “social engineering” exploits, allowing phishing scams or other fraud to occur.  This question was designed to find out what types of personal information are routinely posted on Facebook profiles.  

93% of the respondents indicated that their full name could be found on their Facebook profile or wall. Very few people (only 4%) have their home address listed on their Facebook profile.  Nearly 60% of those surveyed have the names of their family members listed on their profile and 33% of those surveyed have their current employer identified on their Facebook profile.  At a minimum, many of these profiles may provide a good starting point for a thief to begin creating an impersonation file.

Looking at the results in this question in relation to the results for Question 1 – Is your Facebook profile set to “private”?  – we find it likely that some percentage of these respondents do not have their profile set to private.  Even when set to “private” some of this information is made available to the general public.  When not set to private, all this information is available to anyone who seeks it. 

More than 1/3^rd of respondents incorrectly believe that the information on their Facebook profile cannot lead to financial identity theft.  Certainly some profiles have a wealth of information, and others are very sparse.  However, most of the personal information presented on a Facebook profile can be used to help build an impersonation profile. 

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Dear reader, is the information required to impersonate your personal profile available for all the public to see?

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Privacy settings on Facebook, and the difficulty in understanding their impact, have been the subject of several recent news articles and studies. The reason for ITRC interest on this issue is the recognition of potential exposure of personal information for consumers who have improper privacy settings. Setting the Facebook user profile to “private” is the most fundamental step in protecting user information from misuse.

The ITRC survey found that 14% of the respondents did not know what the privacy settings were on their Facebook profile, and an additional 16% did not have their profile set to “private.” In comparison, 71% of those surveyed had their Facebook profile set to “private”. In light of the greater awareness of social networking risks, it seems problematic that almost 3 in 10 users do not have profiles set to “private,” or are not sure of their settings.

Further, 63% of the survey respondents believed their information was only visible to friends if their profile was set to private. Unfortunately, this is false. This belief leaves users vulnerable to having their personal information exposed. Users may believe that their privacy settings are limiting the exposure of personal information, when in fact the information is still exposed due to incorrect privacy settings. 

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Dear reader, do you know the public / private status of your social networking accounts? Do you know who can find and see your information? Take some time today to confirm your privacy settings are right for you.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s website is a valuable resource. It has a lot of information about many different types of identity theft that we at ProtectMyID want to share with our readers. Once a month, we highlight a news announcement, article, alert, or other item from the FBI website about identity theft so you can learn more about how the crime is perpetrated.

Pharmacist Impersonator Charged with Mail Fraud, Identity Theft, and Money Laundering

ORLANDO, FL—United States Attorney Robert E. O’Neill announces the unsealing of a 15-count indictment charging Allen Gregory Schleicher, a/k/a Gregory Klonowski, (49, Ruskin) with 10 counts of mail fraud, four counts of money laundering, and one count of aggravated identity theft. If convicted, Schleicher faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison for each mail fraud charge, 10 years in federal prison for each money laundering charge, and two years in federal prison, consecutive to any other sentence, for the aggravated identity theft charge. The indictment also notifies Schleicher that the United States intends to forfeit the real property located at 1829 Raven Glen Drive, Ruskin, Florida, which is alleged to be traceable to proceeds of the offenses.

According to the indictment, in September 2000, Schleicher fraudulently obtained a pharmacist license from the Florida Department of Health by using the name, date of birth, Social Security number and pharmacy education of another individual (hereinafter referred to as “A.R.S.”). Between September 2000 and July 2009, Schleicher worked as a pharmacist in Central Florida. During that time, Schleicher submitted periodic renewals of the pharmacist license belonging to “A.R.S.” and received paychecks through the mail. Schleicher allegedly used the proceeds of his fraudulent conduct to purchase the property located at 1829 Raven Glen Drive, Ruskin, Florida.

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of the federal criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration with the assistance of the Florida Department of Health’s Division of Medical Quality Assurance. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Haas.

We’ve been talking about social media and identity theft at ProtectMyID for years and are glad that media outlets like the Wall Street Journal are now covering this topic, too. One recent WSJ piece on the aforementioned subject cited recent studies that show an increase in identity theft in 2011, noting that one of the factors is the vast wealth of information people share on their social media accounts. Note the plural use of accounts here. I have a personal story about how I was affected by one mistake on one social media account.

Like many people, I use multiple social media accounts for different purposes. There are the ubiquitous accounts, like Facebook, that help us keep up with our friends and family. There are others like LinkedIn, that help us stay connected to the people who matter in our professional sphere. Then there are blogs, forums, microblogs (think Twitter), and niche sites.

While those who are particularly conscious about identity theft make sure their often-accessed accounts have current privacy settings, there are often dormant, forgotten-about accounts in most people’s pasts; a generation one social account, an early attempt at a blog that is no longer updated, a once-popular but quickly eclipsed photo sharing site, the list goes on and on. Years ago, I created a blog as a way to help close friends and family keep up with the latest news about me and my family. The blog was not set to private and included far too much information that could be used by enterprising identity thieves. Only recently was reminded of this blog’s existence, so I took the necessary steps to protect my information.

Today, as the media shines its spotlight on social media as a petri dish for identity theft, be sure to take stock of all your social media accounts – present and past – and make the changes necessary to protect your identity.