It could happen to You!

Yes, most people think ID Theft is just credit cards or financial but if someone commits a crime using your name, you could end up in jail like the gentleman in the story below.

Identity theft victim recalls night in jail

Michael Baird arrested on warrant for man who stole his ID.

Thursday, May 08, 2008

By TOM QUIGLEY

The Express-Times

FLEMINGTON | Michael Henry Baird can now add a new item to the list of outrageous incidents he's endured since the 2005 theft of his identity -- his first time in jail.

The Upper Mount Bethel Township resident said he's also looking for a good lawyer.

A Florida arrest warrant for a man who used Baird's identity led to the 29-year-old Baird's arrest by a Clinton Township police officer Monday.

"I explained to the officer on the scene what happened to me with the identity theft," Baird said. "Several more officers were called for backup."

..... Georgia authorities have charged Sean Vincent Zarate, a Northampton County native and former friend of Baird's, with stealing Baird's identity

(Full text at www.NJ.com)

We should all have friends like Mr. Baird. Actually a large number of ID thefts are done by family members as well.

Estimates are that every 2-4 seconds an Identity is compromised. Why take chances? Why not protect yourself and your loved ones with the best suite of services provided by the best NYSE companies in the field? Educate yourself and visit the shameless plug below or call me at (909) 208-3728!

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New Identity Theft law in Arizona

Arizona, California and Texas have a large number of ID theft with Social Security numbers due to illegal immigrants and their desire to work.

PHOENIX - Speaker Pro Tem Bob Robson's latest battle against identity theft was signed into state law April 16.

HB2587 requires creditors to verify a consumer's address before extending credit if the address differs from the one on record and verify the identity of a consumer if they do not use consumer credit reports.
"Identity theft is all too prevalent in Arizona and companies need to take every reasonable step to prevent this fraud," Robson, R-Chandler, said.
In addition, the governor also signed a bill Robson spent this session working on. The Senate bill, sponsored by Sen. Amanda Aguirre, allows Arizona residents to freeze and unfreeze their credit for just $5.
Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in the country, with Arizona leading in this disturbing

Estimates are that every 2-4 seconds an Identity is compromised. Why take chances? Why not protect yourself and your loved ones with the best suite of services provided by the best NYSE companies in the field? Educate yourself and visit the shameless plug below or call me at (909) 208-3728!

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Sex worker collared for multiple identity theft

This story from Japan, exhibits what I believe to be the most dangerous type of Identity Theft - Medical Identity Theft.

An employee of a Tokyo sex business has been arrested after he illegally obtained health insurance certificates in other people's names and used them to take out loans, police said.

Yuzo Watanabe, 34, the sex business worker from Toshima-ku, was arrested for fraud and forgery...

(Full Text at Mainichi Daily News)

Medical Identity Theft can actually kill you. If somebody uses your insurance and is tested for AIDs and positive, it could cost you a job or life insurance. But worst is if the person using your insurance has a different blood type and you are injured, unconscious and needed blood immediately and your record shows A+ but your B-.

Something to think about.

Debit card scams hit shoppers in tech-savvy valley

Should it be a surprise that the technology used in this ID Theft scam originated in "Silicone Valley"?

By Jessie Mangaliman and Mark Gomez
Mercury News

In the time it takes to pay for a bag of groceries or a tank of gas, thieves can empty your bank account. It happens when you swipe your debit card.

That's the hard lesson customers of a Silicon Valley gas station and grocery store have learned in recent weeks following two major cases of identity theft using stolen personal information from debit cards.

As the number of victims topped 200 Friday, and police warned to expect more, experts say the thefts underscore that even a tech-savvy region is hardly immune from a problem that is becoming all too common across the country.....

....It's unclear how, but police said the thieves may have swapped a debit-card-reading machine at one or more of the store's checkout stands, or installed small, easily hidden skimming devices that collect a shopper's card number and personal identification codes. The thieves then typically use the information to make new debit cards, often out of gift cards, old credit cards or any card with a magnetic strip...

...Lunardi's customers first began reporting the thefts Sunday. Cash withdrawals were reportedly made from ATMs in Southern California. Los Gatos police detective Dave Gravel said police are still trying to determine how much money was stolen.

(Full text at Mercury News.com)

My guess is very few of the over 200 victims had Identity Theft protection services because most people think "it can't happen to me" which is due to blissfull ignorance, a term coined by a Doctor at the University of Iowa. The less people know or understand about a problem, the less they fear it.

Estimates are that every 2-4 seconds an Identity is compromised. Why take chances? Why not protect yourself and your loved ones with the best suite of services provided by the best NYSE companies in the field? Educate yourself and visit the shameless plug below or call me at (909) 208-3728!

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City gets its 1st 'identity theft' case

When I first saw the article title I thought where in the world could this be? Actually since I work in the US and Canada, this was the continent I was thinking of. However, it still surprised me that this was the 1st case reported.

"The complainant, whose name was not disclosed by the cops, has alleged that an independent party had used his name and address as proof to open an account with one of the branches of a private bank in the city and transactions to the tune of around Rs 1 crore had taken place through it. " (Full Text at www.timesofindia.com)

A crore, according to Wikipeia and my math is right, is 10 million rupees which equals $246,736.49 U.S. If I messed up the calculation, someone let me know,

Personally, I'm surprised this isn't the first case investigated in India since we outsource so may telecommunications services there. I thought by now, we would have definitely had some reported Id Theft in the U.S. originating from India or Pakistan

New Web site teaches consumers and professionals about credit scores

The website videocreditscore.com has some nice videos to teach consumers about credit and their scores. However, the Identity Theft portion is a tad weak.

They offer True Credit which is a 3-Bureau monitoring which includes unlimited 3-in-1 Credit Reports & Scores for $14.95/month has a really nice user interface with its clean layout and it’s main advantage is that it features true tri-merged reports. This is useful as it allows you to see your 3 credit reports side-by-side. Personally, I don't know why a person would need unlimited reports and scores in a month. It won't change that often.

I would (I actually do) rather spend $15.95/month for Identity Theft Shield, or $12.95/month with a Legal plan to have continuous credit monitoring and protection before, during and after an ID theft. Kroll, Inc actually will place a licensed investigator on your case to handle the majority of work. Unless you would like to invest on average of 330 hours and over $1500 of your time and money to fix a problem of ID Theft.

Plus, Kroll will not only provide restoration for you but check national databases for any criminal activity in your name as well as a slew of other things. To learn more visit

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Oops, I missed this one!

In March, Legislators in the State of Washington addressed the issue of Identity Theft by passing bill SB5878 which requires police to file police reports for victims of identity theft to help them clear their names and also allows prosecutors to bring separate charges against an accused identity thief for each use of an individual's information. This bill reverses policy set in State v. Leyda (2006) where the Supreme Court held that a defendant can only be charged once—even when the ID is used multiple times.

Also,HB 2637 Promoting ID theft prosecutions allows records provided by out-of-state businesses to be authenticated by affidavit, rather than in person, in criminal cases to reduce time and expense in bringing ID theft prosecutions. (which is very low)

Both measures were supported by the Attorney General Rob McKenna. For more information, visit www.atg.wa.gov.

Canadian Banks join the Identity Theft fight!

The Canadian Bankers Association (CBA) representing its 54 member banks is joining in the Identity Theft fight by their submission on Bill C-27 an Act to amend the Criminal Code (identity theft and related misconduct).

It will create a new offence for identity theft and deal with related misconduct of unlawful possession and trafficking in "identity information.

A big hooray to our friends up in the "GREAT WHITE NORTH". Welcome aboard in our fight against ID Theft.

To view a copy of the submission click here. It is pdf format.

By the way, the product I offer, Identity Theft Shield. is available in 4 Provinces which includes Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia and Manitoba. If you want some info or a brochure, send me an email with a phone and address to contact you.

South Carolina Identity Theft Bill provides more consumer protection

Columbia, SC…..South Carolina consumers can do more to protect their identity now that the General Assembly passed and Governor Mark Sanford signed the “Financial Identity Fraud and Identity Theft Protection Act” on April 2, 2008. The Act provides much needed protection for consumers and is one of the most consumer-friendly and comprehensive bills of its kind in the nation.

A primary provision in the bill allows consumers to freeze and thaw their credit report at no charge. Any consumer may place a freeze on their report, including those wanting to take proactive measures to protect themselves against identity thieves or not wanting to receive more credit than they can financially handle. Businesses, however, have no need to worry about consumers not being able to make purchases as they choose. Thawing your credit only takes one phone call and 15 minutes. South Carolina is one of only two states in the country that provides this service to consumers free of charge. The Act also provides requirements in the area of credit report disputes that are similar to those in the Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act. Under the Financial Identity Fraud and Identity Theft Protection Act, credit reporting agencies must follow certain procedures when a consumer notifies it of an inaccurate or untimely item on their credit report. The consumer is also given the right to sue a credit reporting agency if it does not comply with the Act. This portion of the act will be effective December 31, 2008.

In addition to giving consumers more control with their credit, the bill also addresses identity theft concerns. According to the Act, organizations and businesses who maintain consumers’ personal information must now alert consumers when their personal information may have been compromised. Notice of the security breach must also be given to the Department if 1000 more South Carolina consumers were affected. The Department has been given the responsibility of ensuring consumer are being informed when their identity has been compromised internally or externally. This portion of the bill will be effective July 1, 2009.

The bill also requires all organizations and businesses collecting personal information to have measures for the safe disposal of material “in a manner that makes it unreadable or undecipherable.” The Department has been tasked to ensure this requirement is satisfied. This portion of the bill will also be effective July 1, 2009.

Other provisions of the Act include making identity theft a crime, prohibiting dumpster diving, putting restrictions on the use of social security numbers, and limiting the information on credit card receipts. For more information, contact the Public Information Division at 803.734.4190, toll free in SC at 1.800.922.1594, or online at http://www.scconsumer.gov

Welcome aboard South Carolina. No Lifelock needed now.

Payback for ID Theft

Can a new bill in Congress stem the tide of online fraud?

by Isabelle Groc

While Ray Adams was participating in an eBay auction, he received an e-mail asking him to update his account. It appeared to originate from eBay, so he provided his credit card number, Social Security number, phone, and address. When he realized he had fallen for a phishing e-mail, it was already too late....

According to a recent Gartner survey, in the 12 months ending August 2006 some 15 million Americans were victims of identity theft, a 50 -percent increase over 2003 Federal Trade Commission estimates of such frauds.

To address this growing problem, Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Arlen Specter (R-PA) recently introduced a bill, the Identity Theft Enforcement and Restitution Act, that gives victims the chance to seek restitution of costs incurred if anyone is convicted. The bill also expands the power of law enforcement agencies to deal with cases of identity theft.

To read the whole article click here.

Welcome to my Stop Id Theft Crime Blog

My name is Joe Nollet. I recently retired from Law Enforcement after 25 years and I am now a Certified Identity Theft Risk Management Specialist.

Since Identity Theft is the fastest growing crime in the US and Canada as well as some countries overseas, I will be posting articles related to ID Theft in the news as well as other information to help you protect yourself from becoming a victim of Identity Theft.