An old form of Identity Theft is making a comeback. Prior to the rise of the internet, online commerce and phishing, Check Fraud was often chosen by Identity Thieves as a mean for tapping into unsuspecting consumers’ bank accounts. Check Fraud involved stealing or replicating a victim’s check, forging the victim’s signature, and providing a fake identification card if needed. Merchants became hesitant about accepting checks, and banks started issuing “Check Cards”, a bank issued identification card required for cashing or writing checks.
With the ultimate rise of the credit card, the internet, and online commerce, Identity Thieves shifted their focus to online Identity Theft. Such new medium provided Identity Thieves bigger rewards, better cover, and easier mode of operation.
As consumers are becoming better educated about online Identity Theft, and credit card companies are initiating better security and protection measures, it seems Check Fraud is making a comeback. New printing technology, and sophisticated mail theft schemes are luring Identity Thieves into their old methods… More…
As of November 1, 2007, the three National Credit Bureaus, Equifax, Transunion and Experian, enabled U.S. residents in all 50 U.S. states, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico to place a Credit Freeze / Credit Lock on their Credit Reports. Prior to such date, State Laws in 39 states made such Identity Theft protection tool available to those residents. Now, the three National Credit Bureaus have gone one step further, instituting a Voluntary Program to make such tool available to all, even in those States where no Credit Freeze laws are effective. Equifax has also followed Transunion’s lead, integrating such tool into its various Credit Monitoring products. Equifax’s new feature is now called Equifax Credit Report Control TM. More…
Are you at risk of becoming a victim of DNA Identity Theft? Some would question whether DNA Identity Theft is possible to start with. A recent informal online survey conducted by Gammawealth Strategy & Research, LLC, and published at www.CreditLock.com asked respondents whether they believed DNA Identity Theft is possible or not. The majority of respondents replied that it is possible: 68% said yes, while 31% said no.
DNA Identity Theft, also known as Genetic Identity Theft, is when a criminal uses your DNA genetic code either to make others believe he is you, or to create false whereabouts for you (such as being at a crime scene when you actually were not). Criminals can possibly use a hair, skin flake, urine sample, or even a breath, to decode your DNA, or to present such identifying trait where desired. More…
There is no doubt that Identity Theft is scary. Just imagine, a criminal can steal your identity, open new loan and credit accounts in your name, clean out your savings, ruin your credit history, and leave you seriously in debt, owing banks and credit card companies tens of thousands of dollars. This sounds like a nightmare, except that it is real, and it has happened to many. It is estimated that there are anywhere between 7 Million and 15 Million Identity Theft victims annually.
Wouldn’t it make sense if banks and credit card companies were required to contact you at a secure telephone number prior to issuing any new loans or credit cards in your name? Absolutely!!! That way, you can be assured that no loans are approved in your name without your own approval. There are some companies out there that are offering Identity Theft protection tools that essentially revolve around such idea, and are charging around $100 per year for such service. Guess what, this idea is nothing new, and it is known as Fraud Alerts. It has been mandated as your right under the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003, and best of all, Fraud Alerts is free! More…
According to several studies and surveys, anywhere between 7 Million and 15 Million American residents fall victim to Identity Theft annually. Such annual figures represent anywhere between 2.3% and 5% of the total population of the United States. Such large annual percentages imply that over a span of 40 years, or during one’s lifetime, it is almost a certainty that one would fall a victim of Identity Theft. Given such risk, and the disruptive and detrimental effects of becoming an Identity Theft victim, it is no wonder that 39 States, and the District of Columbia, have all passed Credit Freeze / Credit Lock laws More…
There have been several Mortgage related Identity Theft cases reported recently. In such cases, criminals stole various sensitive personal information from their victims, such as social security number and driver’s license, in order to qualify for mortgage loans. In one recent case, the Identity thief actually made timely monthly payments on the loan. The victim did not become aware of the situation until he received a refund check for closing costs of a mortgage that he had never requested! You cannot help but wonder: how many similar mortgage related Identity Theft cases remain undiscovered?
Through the end of 2008, it is estimated that as many as $1 Trillion in adjustable rate mortgages (ARM) will adjust for the first time. In October of 2007, it is estimated that More…
Despite substantial efforts to reduce Identity Theft, headlines continue to indicate that no major breakthrough has been achieved. Depending on the source, it is estimated that as many as 9 Million to 15 Million victims are affected annually. Such lack of progress is illustrated in the recent headline, “Identity Theft is increasing in Illinois, Montana, North Dakota” (link available at end of this article), Teya Jacobs, Associated Content, August 1, 2007. Given such lack of progress, those concerned about Identity Theft must be wondering: “are current Identity Theft Protection measures inadequate? ”
It is important to note that if Identity Theft Protection measures are not implemented, it is virtually impossible to test their effectiveness. It is also important to distinguish between preventive measures and detection measures. One of the most valuable preventive measures is the ability to lock down access to your Credit Report by placing a Credit Freeze. Many states have passed such Credit Freeze laws, including Illinois, Montana and North Dakota. Unfortunately, such states waited too long to pass such laws. Credit Freeze laws became effective in North Dakota and Montana on July 1, 2007. As for Illinois, such laws became effective on January 1, 2007. It is not possible to test the effectiveness of such newly enacted laws until additional time has elapsed.
In addition, residents need to take advantage of Credit Freeze laws in order to reduce Identity Theft. The Boston Globe reported on May 22, 2007 that according to Consumer Data Industry Association, only 50,000 people had ordered Credit Freezes ( “Group Says ID Theft Victims Seldom Freeze Credit Reports”, Ross Kerber - link available at end of this article). At that time, that represented only 0.03% of the population where such laws were effective, or 3 people for every 10,000 residents. Despite such low penetration rate, there is no question that the ability to lock down access to your credit report holds the key to Identity Theft Protection for the following reasons: More…
Identity Theft is a serious threat to all: from the rich and famous, to the ordinary citizens. The rich and famous can be subdivided into three categories: Famous, Super Famous, and Icons, with each category implying increased importance respectively (and increased risks). Famous artists (such as Jewel, Dire Straits, B52s) are often victims of Piracy. The Super famous are often victims of Piracy, as well as Impersonations (Michael Jackson, Oprah Winfrey, John McEnroe). Icons, can be victims of Piracy, Impersonations and Identity Theft (Beatles, Elvis Presley, J.K.Rowling). It is true that all three categories are exposed to all three threats, but risks certainly increase with fame.
J.K. Rowling is very familiar with Identity Theft. In many of her novels, her hero, Harry Potter, often falls a victim of Identity Theft, as written and scripted by J.K.Rowling herself; Harry Potter’s foes often disguise themselves as another character to fool Harry Potter and his allies. In the latest novel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows, J.K. Rowling presents as many as seven Harry Potters in a single scene during a midair fight (Harry Potter himself, and six disguised as Harry Potter - Identity Thieves).
Although in her novels J.K. Rowling is mostly successful in providing her heroes the tools and know-how to expose Identity Thieves, J.K. Rowling seems powerless to protect herself against Identity Theft. More…
Is the concept of DNA (Genetic) Identity Theft reality or fiction? If such concept is fiction now, there is no question that it will become reality in the future. Most of what you can possibly imagine, will one day become reality; it is only a matter of time. “Fiction-Fiction” is what we cannot even imagine today, and yet will become one day a reality. Obviously, we cannot provide examples of current “Fiction-Fiction”, but the Internet would have been “Fiction-Fiction” 1000 years ago.
Jules Verne, the French author who pioneered science-fiction (sorry Hollywood….) , dreamed about innovations considered impossible in his time. Submarines, air travel, space travel, and more were featured in his many books such as “Around The World in Eighty Days” and “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea.” None of such innovations actually existed in his day (he was born in 1828). Similarly, given the wide spread of Identity Theft, and the groundbreaking innovations in DNA research and cloning, DNA Identity Theft may already exist, and if not, will definitely exist in the future; not only will it exist, but it will also become a major problem. We do not need to prove such possibility, as long as we can imagine it…
How do consumers protect themselves against DNA Identity Theft? More…
By now, we all know that Identity Theft is the crime of the decade, claiming about 9 million victims and causing close to $50 Billion in damages every year. What is the reason for the surge in Identity Theft? In a recent informal poll/survey published at http://www.creditlock.com, visitors were asked: “What do you Believe is Primarily Responsible for the Spread of Identity Theft?” The survey was not interested in its visitors’ opinion of who is responsible, but it was rather interested in its visitors’ opinion of what is responsible. Such distinction is an important one; the poll/survey results can be used to suggest solutions, as opposed to laying blame. More…
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