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Sat 20th Mar, 2010
Posted in Identity theft at 7:46 am by Robert Delapaz
The greatest news of the 20th century was the invention of the internet. The internet has ultimately changed most of our lives by making us capable of doing a myriad of things now. Through the internet we can connect with old friends or do other tasks such as shop online. But whenever we do those things, we have to supply personal information which we may find harmless but can be dangerous when the information falls to the wrong hands.
Our computers were made to store information. Every time that we access a website or download a movie, all of the details of that visit gets stored in our computer.
We do not really know about this because the files get stored in folders that aren’t in our visible from our desktop or my documents.
Let’s say you are drafting an application letter for a loan or what have you, when you are done with the file, you delete it straight up.
We can even go further as to remove them from the recycle bin. But especially when you are sharing the computer with other people, they can still retrieve that file from your hard disk.
I know that these things may be really scary but the solution s quite simple. All that you have to do is to install an evidence eraser software.
What an evidence eraser program does is to scan your entire system for files that you may want to remove that you have stored through years of computer usage.
After the program has finished scanning your system, it then proceeds to the removal of those files from their folders. To make you feel even more secured, the evidence eraser could even shred sub folders so that no file ever leaks out.
The evidence eraser can also check folders that become accessed when you browse the internet such as your web history and temp files and empty these folders of their contents too.
With the cases of identity theft on the rise, we really need to guard our identities more closely. When we prevent information from reaching other people, we safeguard our identities as well.
Stop. To find out about evidence eraser then take a look at my website. And read my miracle traffic bot review today.
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Thu 12th Nov, 2009
Posted in Identity theft at 10:07 am by Jed Totus
Finding the best San Antonio federal lawyer should be your primary concern if you want to win the case filed against you in a federal court. It is without a doubt that there are many lawyers in the state of Texas. However, not all of them have the experience and the expertise needed to represent you in a federal court. You need to be careful when deciding who should represent you in a case filed in federal court because the penalties in such courts can be harsh. Besides, it is also difficult to win a case in federal courts.
You should not expect all lawyers to master federal statues because state laws can be very different from federal laws in many areas. Much like doctors, lawyers also have their own specializations. To boost the chances of defendants in winning their cases in federal courts, a good San Antonio federal lawyer should be picked because he or she is well versed when it comes to the intricacies of federal statutes.
The length of jail terms and other penalties in a state court can be very different from that of federal courts. Because of this, it is prudent and beneficial for defendants to rely on the services of a San Antonio federal lawyer than on someone who is an expert only in state laws. Besides, a federal lawyer can provide defendants with different scenarios as well as possible penalties with regard to the cases filed against them in federal courts.
In the state of Texas, whatever your case is, you can be placed under community supervision. However, when it comes to federal cases, you will be slapped with at least a mandatory minimum sentence if found guilty. So that you will know what to expect if you lose your case, you need a federal lawyer to help you out.
In state courts across all Texas counties, a defendant is allowed to offer a presentation to the jury in hopes of convincing the members of the jury not to indict him. With a federal court, such a request will surely be refused. This means you will be represented by a lawyer all throughout the proceedings in a federal court.
Lastly, your chance of winning a federal court case is stronger if you let a San Antonio federal lawyer represent you in a federal case. So if you find yourself having a case filed in a federal court, do not settle for someone less than the best.
Learn more about San Antonio Federal Lawyers. For immediate assistance call 210-224-8200 after hours 210-334-7927. Stop by Shawn Brown’s site where you can find out all about Federal Lawyers in San Antonio and what it can do for you.
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Thu 15th Oct, 2009
Posted in Identity theft at 8:48 am by Jake M. Black
by Jake M. Black
Identity theft prevention can be achieved in just a few simple steps. Your personal and private information is very important and if someone should be using that information illegally then this can be very damaging and cause problems for many years. There are some simple steps you can take to ensure that your information is hard to access making it hard for others to access it.
The most popular stolen information is social security numbers, phone calling cards, debit card information and credit card information. Criminals still use the old trided and true method of going through trash to collect documents that contain your personal information. However those with a lot of experience with computers can hack their way into your system to obtain your information.
To stop individuals from obtaining your personal information you need to destroy and personal statements that contain any of your financial information. This means that before you throw out the statements or recycle them you need to rip them up or shred them. Shredding is the best as the document cannot be reassembled afterwards.
You should never carry around your social security card but keep it locked up in a safe and fire proof place. Other cards that have your social security number should also be kept safe. It is also important to not leave any type of paper trail so make sure you either take all of your ATM, and receipts with you or don’t request a receipt.
You only get one social security card and to keep this safe and protected it should be locked away in a fireproof place. You should never carry around your social security card. You also do not want to leave a paper trail and if you collect your ATM recipets, gas resipets etc. You need to destroy them or don’t get a receipt.
Always keep your credit cards on you and don’t let it out of your sight. If possible pay with cash when you can as any time you take your card out is the opportunity for someone to steal your number. Also make sure you know who is asking for your private and personal information. If someone calls from a bank make sure that their request is legitimate. If necessary you can contact the company yourself to ensure that they have requested that information.
You can significantly decrease the number of bogus requests your recieve over the phone by having your phone number put on a do not call list. It can also help to always be on the defensive and when individuals ask for your drivers license or social security number ask them if some other form of identification will do. Many times this information is not necessary.
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Tue 8th Apr, 2008
Posted in Bad Credit, Banking, Borrowing, Card fraud, Consumer Credit, Consumer debt, Credit Card, Credit record, Financial news, Fraud, Identity theft, Personal loans, Spending, UK Finance, Unsecured loans at 1:22 pm by Steve Smith
It has been revealed that Facebook users are putting themselves at serious risk of becoming an unwitting victim of ID theft. Even posting just a few private details on your Facebook page can give fraudsters enough information to cause serious damage.
Using the information that they have come across on people’s Facebook pages, fraudsters are able to open bank accounts and take out credit cards and personal loans in their victim’s name.
The warning was sounded by a BBC1 consumer show Watchdog. The show conducted an experiment in which they set up a fictional identity on Facebook. The Watchdog team then invited 100 random people to become friends with their newly created fictional character ‘Amba’.
35 of those invited to become Amba’s friend immediately accepted the request despite knowing nothing about her. By accepting, the victims allowed the fictional Watchdog character to view any private details that they had posted on their page.
Details which could easily be accessed included date of birth as well as hometown. The Watchdog team then used these details in order to obtain more private details about their victims from other publicly available websites.
With this information Watchdog then opened up an online bank account in their victims’ names as well as successfully applying for credit cards.
One of the victims, Scott Gould, stated that he was “very surprised” by what Watchdog managed to do despite having only the slightest bits of information about him.
Users of Facebook as well as all other social networking sights are advised to be very careful when posting their details. Fraudsters often leave a trail of bad debts behind them, in Your name. Not only is the onus on you to prove that you are not responsible, it is hard work correcting your damaged credit rating.
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Mon 1st Oct, 2007
Posted in Bad Credit, Borrowing, Card fraud, Consumer Credit, Consumer debt, Credit Card, Credit record, Fraud, Identity theft, Personal loans, UK Finance, Zero percent cards, mortgages at 1:28 pm by Steve Smith
Identity fraud is a growing concern in the UK with many Britons falling victim and costing the economy an estimated £1.7 billion a year. One way that people can fall victim is by leaving unused credit card accounts open. According to Apacs, at the end of 2006 31.5 million people in the UK held an average of 2 personal credit and charge cards. However, according to the research there are around one in three cards that are no longer active, which can cause concern for some. One reason why someone may no longer use a credit card account is because they originally opened the account to take advantage of the 0% interest on balance transfers and once the balance was paid off they never used the card because of the high interest rate, or because they transferred the balance over to another 0% credit card once the offer has expired. This means that there are many people who are moving their balances from one account to another account and often forgetting to close the account once it is no longer in use.
If you fail to cancel your cards once you stop using them you may end up forgetting that you ever had them. Often if your account has no activity you will most likely end up not receiving a statement to remind you of the account. So if someone gets a hold of your information and changes the billing address, you will easily miss that and fall victim to identity fraud. Once someone has your details they can easily go further and take out expensive personal loans or even mortgages in your name. Typically these fraudsters will very quickly default on payments, leaving the black marks on your credit record. Often the first you will know of the matter is when you yourself are turned down for loans or mortgages.
One way of protecting yourself is by checking your credit report, and if you find in-active accounts listed on your report, then you should close them the ensure you do not end up a victim of fraud.
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Mon 4th Jun, 2007
Posted in Banking, Borrowing, Card fraud, Consumer Credit, Financial news, Fraud, Identity theft, UK Finance at 11:23 am by Steve Smith
It has been announced that many banks will start to issue bank customers hand-held chip and pin card readers over the next six months as an attempt to cut back on online fraud. Because of the success of the chip and pin credit cards and debt cards on the High Street, big banks are hoping that these hand-help home devices will prevent online banking fraud from increasing.
The device is the size of a calculator and is relatively easy to use, as you simply insert your debit card into the hand-sized device. Once the card is inserted you then enter your unique eight-digit pin number into the bank’s website. The reader will generate a new number every time you insert your debit card, which you then use to access your online bank account. Because the device can generate up to nine million random numbers it makes it extremely difficult for fraudsters to access the online account.
Some of the first customers to be given these hand-held card readers are those customers who already have active online bank accounts. Barclays Bank has the biggest programme, with up to two million online users. They will start to send out the devices to 500,000 online customers starting in July. Other big banks, such as the Royal Bank of Scotland and NatWest will start issuing the devices this week to thousands of their online customers. Other banks, such as Halifax and Nationwide, intend to issue similar devices later this year.
It is hoped that these devices will not only beat fraud but also facilitate customers in managing their money. Customers will be able to act fast if they see that they have gone overdrawn and eventually clients may be able to apply for credit or other bank services online.
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Fri 18th May, 2007
Posted in Borrowing, Consumer Credit, Fraud, Identity theft, UK Finance at 10:37 am by Steve Smith
Identity theft is a crime where a criminal obtains your personal information such as your credit card numbers, bank information, address, and phone number or birth date. With this information the thief can then access your financial accounts, open accounts or apply for credit under your name and basically steal your identity. Identity theft is becoming a rising crime with many people falling victim. However, there are steps that you can take to reduce the chances of this crime happening to you. By understanding where an identity thief may obtain information, or how they obtain your personal information you can minimise the possibility of becoming a victim to identity theft.
Although different methods are used, some of the most common practices, or ways that criminals obtain your information is by digging through your bin. By digging through your trash, the thief is hoping to find a discarded bank statement, credit card bill or other pieces of mail that will have your personal information. That is why it is important that when you dispose of your statements or other documents that you shred or tear it up before tossing it into the bin.
Phishing is a technique that is done over the Internet via email. The criminal will pretend to be a representative from a financial institution and will send you emails regarding your account, stating that they have some issues with your account that need to be sorted out and they attach a link that will lead you to a website where you are able to fix the problem. However, when you log on to the website it will appear to be official, however it’s a total scam where they will ask you to verify your personal information which the thief can then use. Never respond to emails from a bank or credit card company, as they would never email you if they had any issues. A legitimate company would mail you or phone you regarding any problems.
By making yourself aware of some of these scams, you will protect yourself from falling victim to this increasing crime. You can search online for more information on how to protect yourself from these types of criminal acts.
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Tue 15th May, 2007
Posted in Borrowing, Consumer Credit, Consumer debt, Financial products, Fraud, Identity theft, Personal loans, UK Finance, interest rates, mortgages at 9:46 am by Steve Smith
The history of your finances will affect your chances of obtaining credit or a personal loan in the future. To help protect your financial future, one thing you can do is to check your credit report and improve it, as it is your credit report that many lenders review when determining whether or not they want to lend to you.
Your credit report is a personal history of your finances and will list information such as credit card payments, details of loans, mortgages, and your payment history on your accounts. A credit report will also confirm your current address and will specify what organisations have searched your credit report. With this information an organisation will then generate a credit score. With your financial information and your credit score, a lender will then decide whether or not they should lend to you and it will also help them determine what interest rate to give you.
As you are reviewing your own credit report and you notice anything unusual or suspicious on your credit report, then you will need to send a query report to one of the credit report agencies to investigate the matter. You can also contact them if you want to change or update any personal information.
Whenever you are searching around for credit, ask for a quotation before making a formal application. As lenders need to check your credit history to determine the amount they can lend you and the interest rate they will charge, make sure that they make a quotation search rather than a full credit application. If you have a number of credit application searches listed on your report, subsequent lenders may feel that you have applied for an unmanageable level or credit, or they may suspect fraud.
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Tue 13th Mar, 2007
Posted in Card fraud, Financial news, Fraud, Identity theft, UK Finance at 12:00 pm by Steve Smith
Con-artists cost the UK economy £13.9 billion a year in recent years, according to a report commissioned by the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) and was compiled in partnership with Professor Michael Levi of Cardiff University by analysing data from global reports and national surveys.”
However, the report continues to state that the true figures may be significantly higher than their report’s claims.
The report is the result of the year-long study that was presented to MPs and the attorney general Lord Goldsmith today, Mike Bowron, commissioner of police for the City of London.
Mr Bowron said: “. . . figure excludes some major areas of criminality, such as income tax and EU fraud, where statistics are simply not available”.
The police commissioner said that if today’s report included the missing estimates the total fraud costs would exceed £20 billion.
”To put this figure into perspective, such losses would pay for an additional 200,000 police officers or save every man, woman and child £330 per year,” he said.
“It used to be said ‘No one walks down the street in fear of being embezzled.’ Well increasingly they do. Whereas once the average Briton dreaded being burgled or having their car broken into, they are now worried about identity fraud, mass marketing scams and other forms of financial crime that have a serious impact on our lives.
“Long gone is the notion that fraud is a victimless crime,” Mr Bowron concluded.
Many victims of fraud are tricked by con-artists into giving them money. Others fall victim to identity theft. Both types of fraud can result in the victim losing thousands before they finally see the problem and take action.
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Thu 1st Mar, 2007
Posted in Card fraud, Financial news, Fraud, Identity theft, Online shopping, Spending, UK Finance at 12:08 pm by Steve Smith
KPMG, research accountancy firm, states that fraud has reached record levels last years. They claim that technology has helped crooked managers and hackers cheat both the government, industry, and individuals.
The number of fraud cases in court involving more than £100,000 increased to 277 in 2006, from 222 in 2005 said KPMG. This is the highest level since KPMG started its Forensics Fraud Barometer twenty years ago.
Statistics reveal some interesting facts. Company managers are behind 40 per cent of all fraud cases, totaling £837m.
“The figures produce a picture of a country where fraud is becoming worryingly deep-rooted,” said Jeremy Outen, a partner at KPMG’s forensics unit.
The government was the biggest target of fraudsters, with £312m lost through, tax evasion on items such as cigarettes and fuel.
Six cases last year accused NHS dentists of defrauding the government of nearly £3m.
Fraud in the financial sector reached £141m.
One gang, for example, used MP3 players to bug cash machines in bars, bingo halls or bowling alleys. They captured card details of victims as they withdrew cash. The cards were cloned to carry out fraudulent purchases worth more than £200,000, according to KPMG.
Many of the largest fraud rings are located in Russia like the e-bay gang who stole millions over a ten-year period.
Other popular scams that hit the average household includes emails asking for help to launder money, illegal lotteries, and fake bank emails asking for personal banking information.
The government warns all consumers to protect their consumer credit information, and to keep a sharp eye on their credit information.
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