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Blog / April 2007
How To Smoke Out Scam Artists Targeting Aggrieved
Apr 1, 2007 by Tom Fragala
Michelle recently blogged about this topic. And the WSJ Sunday has a story on how scammers target families of the recently deceased with tips on how to avoid it. Families in mourning have yet another burden to contend with in the...
Tips to Protect the Deceased's Identity
Apr 1, 2007 by Michelle Pastor
To add to Tom's blog about scammers stealing the identities of the deceased, here are some more tips from an id theft article in the Times-Picayune. Send copies of the death certificate to all three credit-reporting agencies, as well as...
A Mistake From The White House May Lead to Identity Theft
Apr 2, 2007 by Michelle Pastor
You can only do so much to prevent identity theft. Take this article from US News and World Report, for example. A mundane trip manifest of reporters who traveled to Latin America with President Bush has turned colossally controversial because...
The FTC Investigates Mystery Shopping Complaints
Apr 2, 2007 by Michelle Pastor
A while back I blogged about mystery shopping and all the scams that go along with it. It looks like the FTC is also leery of the scams associated with the industry. According to this FTC announcement, the FTC is charging multiple companies...
Stiffer Penalties for Identity Theft on the Elderly
Apr 3, 2007 by Michelle Pastor
Great news! Acccording to All Headline News Media Corp, Tallahassee, FL (AHN) - If you steal someone's identity in Florida, you may be charged with a third-degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison. But if you steal...
Right Versus Might: Brennan Law Wins Fisher v. Wells Fargo
Apr 8, 2007 by Tom Fragala
Recently, there was a court case worth noting. A married couple won in a credit damage case versus Wells Fargo Home Mortgage. Following a seven-day jury trial, a civil jury in Rancho Cucamonga has just ordered Wells Fargo Home Mortgage...
Vishing Is Now a Common Tool for ID Thieves
Apr 9, 2007 by Michelle Pastor
According to an earlier blog of mine, vishing is an effective way to steal a victim’s identity. Scammers can create any phone number to show up on caller ID, which creates a lot of new opportunities for identity theft. For...
Beware of ATM Scams
Apr 10, 2007 by Michelle Pastor
Some identity thieves will stand extremely close to you while you’re using your ATM card and watch as you put in your pin. If you become distracted after your PIN is entered and your ATM card is still in the...
eBay Buyers Beware - Even The Experienced Ones
Apr 11, 2007 by Michelle Pastor
I’m a big fan of Clark Howard – a consumer advocate with a nationally syndicated radio show. He’s alerting eBay buyers to a new scam that is successfully duping even experienced buyers. In his March newsletter, he explains how it’s done. Scammers build up...
Mystery Shopping Meets the Nigerian Scam
Apr 13, 2007 by Michelle Pastor
Just when I thought I had seen everything, it got worse! I've blogged on mystery shopping fraud and also nigerian money scams, but now to make matters worse, the two have combined to really take advantage of consumers! According to...
Medicare Scam
Apr 15, 2007 by Michelle Pastor
The elderly are targets of a scam in Iowa, according to KHQA 7 online, where the caller claims to represent Medicare and asks for personal information. Victims have been known to give social security and bank account numbers. Medicare doesn't...
Good Should Come From This Victim's Experience
Apr 16, 2007 by Michelle Pastor
There is an article on Myrtle Beach online that serves as a good reminder of just how much the victim goes through when an identity has been stolen. The thief opened credit card accounts in the victim’s name and paid the...
A Victim Again: Fraudulent Home Equity Check
Apr 17, 2007 by Tom Fragala
Not a good way start to the day. I got a call at work this morning (9am PDT) from someone claiming to be from the Wells Fargo fraud department. I have several accounts at Wells, including checking, mortgage and home equity...
Shouldn't the Victims Be Compensated?
Apr 19, 2007 by Michelle Pastor
An article appeared on the NetWork World website about a CVS Pharmacy in Texas facing fines for throwing valuable customer information into a dumpster behind the store. It’s not the first time it’s happened and it certainly won’t be the...
Update on My Recent Identity Theft
Apr 19, 2007 by Tom Fragala
I just updated the blog post about the fraud I suffered this week. The story gets worse....
Corporations Are Victims Too
Apr 21, 2007 by Michelle Pastor
With all the warnings to individuals about preventing identity theft, corporations don’t get much attention but they can be victims just as easily. Corporations make good targets when their financial information is easy to obtain and they don’t have a solid checks and...
More on Medical ID Theft
Apr 23, 2007 by Michelle Pastor
In a past I’ve blogged about medical identity theft and how it can become a very serious form of fraud if the thief using your medical insurance is treated for a serious health condition. Not only can the you be turned down for life insurance...
Quite a Slip Up: Lube Maker Feels Data Breach Pain
Apr 24, 2007 by Tom Fragala
This is what happens when a web developer doesn’t know what they are doing… More than 250,000 people's names and addresses are now naked on the web after the maker of a popular sexual lubricant called Astroglide accidentally exposed lists...
Waiters in 40 Restaurants Aided Identity Theft Ring
Apr 25, 2007 by Michelle Pastor
If you ate in a restaurant in Manhattan’s Chinatown, NY City, Florida, New Hampshire, New Jersey or Connecticut recently, check your credit card statement carefully because you may be a victim of credit card fraud. Waiters in 40 restaurants skimmed information from...
Credit Repair Scams
Apr 26, 2007 by Michelle Pastor
If you have negative marks on your credit, the thought of removing the information can sound really appealing. Before you pay a credit repair company to work its magic, beware of the way they do it. The most common strategy...
Beware of Calls from Collection Agencies
Apr 28, 2007 by Michelle Pastor
In Kansas, identity thieves are phishing for information by acting as collection agencies and calling to collect on an unpaid debt. When the victims deny that the account is theirs, the caller tells them to file a police report and...
You Can Never Hear This Too Often...Don't Accept Collect Calls From a Jail!
Apr 28, 2007 by Michelle Pastor
Inmates in one jail have come up with a plan to "gain control of the phone line to make long-distance and collect calls on the victim's dime", and I'm thinking it may be just a matter of time before inmates...
Car Dealership Loses Out to Identity Theft - Aided by Its Own Salesman
Apr 30, 2007 by Michelle Pastor
A used-car dealership was burned by one of its own salesmen recently. Evidently the salesman conspired with a man that bought two trucks from the dealership using a stolen identity. Unfortunately the dealership figures that there may be more fraudulent sales by the...