The Identity Theft Shield
 
Identity theft is like heart surgery - it's not an area where you can afford to settle for second-best. This crime is intensely personal and intensely painful - and each case is as unique as the individual living through it.
 
What's more, failure to follow through on any one of the complex tasks and relationships that make up the identity restoration process can be disastrous for the victim. Victims of identity theft need one-on-one, start-to-finish guidance by a trained, dedicated expert - a personal advocate who understands every aspect of this crime and will ensure that every detail is handled with the care it deserves.  
 
* The Identity Theft Shield provides
An up-to-date credit report through Experian;
 
* A personal credit score calculated by an independent scoring service;
 
* A detailed analysis of your personal credit score;
 
* Continuous credit monitoring.
Plus, with the Identity Theft Shield, you'll receive prompt notice if the credit repository is notified by Experian that:
 
New accounts have been opened in your name;
 
Derogatory notations have been added to your credit report;
 
Public records have been added to your report;
 
Inquiries have been made against your report;
 
A change of address has been requested.
 
If you are a victim, if you have the Identity Theft Shield a trained expert will take the steps to restore your name and credit for you!
 
For More Information about pre paid legal protection, Contact:
Don Woolett
Independent Associate
PPLSI
(270)-723-5184
Identity Theft - How It Happens; How to Prevent It
 
Identity theft involves acquiring key pieces of someone's identifying information, such as name, address, date of birth, Social Security number, and mother's maiden name, in order to commit fraud.
 
With this information, a thief can do such things as take over the victim's financial accounts, open new bank accounts, purchase automobiles, apply for loans, credit cards, and Social Security benefits, rent apartments, and establish services with utility and phone companies. Of course, once this happens, the thief will empty out any cash available, will fail to pay for purchases (perhaps ruining the victim's credit history), and charges purchases to the victim.
 
Methods Identity Thieves use to acquire key pieces of personal information :
 
* Theft of your wallet, purse, or checkbook.
 
* Removing mail from your mailbox, either incoming or outgoing.
 
* Going through your trash.
 
* "Phishing" - Obtaining information by E-mail scams or fraudulent web sites (see this page).
 
* Hacking - Illegally gaining access to computer systems containing personal or financial data.
 
* Pretext Calling - Using false pretenses to obtain information via telephone.  
 
How to protect yourself from Identity Theft
 
Some of the things you can do to safeguard your finances and good name include:
 
Don't give out financial information or your Social Security number over the telephone unless you initiated the call and you know with whom you are dealing.
 
If you receive any telephone inquiries, such as those requesting you confirm or verify account information or verify a statement, contact your bank or the account holder directly, making the phone call yourself, to confirm that the inquiry is legitimate. VERY RARELY ARE SUCH REQUESTS LEGITIMATE!
 
Report lost or stolen checks immediately, so your bank can stop payment on the checks.
 
Sign your credit cards or debit cards immediately upon receipt.
 
Never loan your credit card to anyone, under any circumstances whatever.
 
Promptly report lost or stolen credit cards and debit/ATM cards.
 
When you receive new checks, always examine your order thoroughly to make sure that all the checks are accounted for. Contact your local bank branch to verify that your new check order was shipped if it does not arrive within 21 calendar days of placing the order.
 
Protect your new, current, and canceled checks. Always store checks in a safe place.
 
Safeguard your account numbers, debit card and ATM Personal Identification Numbers (PIN).
 
If at all possible, shred any receipts, financial statements, documents, or bank statements, including credit card bills, prior to disposing of them.
 
Remove incoming mail from your mailbox as soon after delivery as possible.
 
When mailing bills and credit card payments, take them to the post office personally or place them in a secure, official U.S. Postal Service collection box -- don't put them in your mailbox with the flag up: this is simply an advertisement to an identity thief that there is outgoing mail to steal!
 
Promptly notify your bank and other creditors when you have a change of address. Contact creditors if your regular monthly or quarterly bills do not arrive when expected.
 
Reconcile your banking statements immediately to assure your account activity is correct. Contact your branch bank if any unauthorized transactions have occurred. Consider signing up for  Internet Banking -- you will be able to monitor activity on your accounts "24/7" anywhere an Internet connection is available.
 
Never leave your check book, wallet, or other personal information unprotected -- even when you're at home! Workmen, contract laborers you may engage, or others who enter your house should not be able to gain access to your personal or financial information.
 
Never routinely carry important documents such as Social Security cards, passports, or birth certificates in your purse or wallet. Keep important documents in a safe place at home or in a safe deposit box at the bank. Only carry them when you need them.
 
In addition to the above precautions, you should review your credit report from the three major agencies at least annually to confirm there were no unauthorized credit inquiries made or accounts opened in your name. The major credit reporting agencies are:
 
Equifax: 1-800-685-1111
TransUnion: 1-800-836-8761
Experian: 1-888-397-3742
 
You may consider using one of the credit report monitoring services offered through these credit reporting agencies.
 
Consider calling Don Woolett at (270)723-5184 and signing up for ID Theft Shield through Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc.
 
Actions to take if you think you've been a victim of Identity Theft
 
If you think you've been a victim of identity theft, immediately contact the fraud division of the credit reporting companies and request that a "fraud alert" be placed in your file. Ask that no new credit be granted without your approval. The credit reporting agencies have agreed to notify one another when an individual places a fraud alert in his credit file. The individual need only call one of the credit reporting agencies; fraud Divisions for the major credit reporting agencies are:
 
Equifax: 1-800-525-6285
Experian: 1-888-397-3742
TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289
Notify the Social Security Administration by calling 1-800-772-1213 or visiting www.ssa.gov.
 
Notify any other grantors of credit, of the fraud, then file a police report. Note: in making these notifications, you should never send originals of your documentation -- always make copies!
 
Report the fraud to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) toll free at 1-877-438-4338 or TDD: 202-326-2502. The FTC is the clearinghouse for identity theft complaints. It offers information to help resolve financial problems that result from identity theft, and also provides an ID Theft Affidavit (http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/affidavit.pdf) that you should complete as soon as possible after you become aware of the fraud. Completing this affidavit can help protect you from responsibility for fraudulent charges on your accounts.
 
Remember -- keep detailed records of all events once you ascertain that your identity has been stolen. Include names, telephone numbers, and the date and time you made contact with individuals or companies requesting assistance in recovering your good name.
 
Where to go to obtain additional information on Identity Theft
 
The following companies and government agencies can provide more information about identity theft.
 
Credit Reporting Companies
Equifax: 1-800-525-6285
Experian: 1-888-397-3742
TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289
U.S. Government:
Federal Trade Commission Identity Theft Hotline:
1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338)
 
Social Security Administration Fraud Hotline:
1-800-269-0271
 
About the FTC and Consumer Protection
 
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish (bilingual counselors are available to take complaints), or to get free information on any of 150 consumer topics, call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357), or use the complaint form at http://www.ftc.gov/ftc/complaint.htm.
 
The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.
 
Telemarketers Required to Scrub Their Call Lists Every 31 Days Beginning January 1, 2005
 
Beginning January 1, 2005, the Federal Trade Commissions Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR) will require telemarketers to access the National Do Not Call Registry and purge newly-registered numbers from their call lists every 31 days. The TSR currently requires telemarketers to scrub their lists quarterly; the FTC amended the Rule to reflect this change in March 2004.
 
Monthly updates for telemarketers will be available at https://telemarketing.donotcall.gov at no cost. Telemarketers are required annually to renew their subscriptions to the National Do Not Call Registry at a fee of $40 per area code, with a maximum fee of $11,000 for any entity accessing 280 area codes or more. Entities may access the first five area codes of data for free. The Do Not Call Web site for telemarketers will inform them when their subscription account numbers (SANs) expire and give them renewal instructions.
 
To date, consumers have registered approximately 81 million telephone numbers on the National Do Not Call Registry (NDNCR). Consumers may register home and cell phone numbers by visiting www.donotcall.gov or by calling 1-888-382-1222 from the telephone number they wish to register. Despite rumors to the contrary, there is no deadline for registering with the NDNCR.
 
For the full list of FTC news releases, please visit http://www.ftc.gov/ftc/news.htm.
 
Is Someone Phishing for Your Information?
 
Internet scammers casting about for people's financial information have a new way to lure unsuspecting victims: they go "phishing." Phishing is a high-tech scam that uses spam to deceive consumers into disclosing their credit card numbers, bank account information, Social Security numbers, passwords, and other sensitive personal information.
 
According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), a common phishing scam involves emails that claim to be from regulations.gov, a Web site where consumers can participate in government rulemaking by submitting comments. The emails' subject lines typically read "Official information" or "Urgent information to all credit card holders!" The message's text claims, "Due to recent changes in Rules and Regulations, it is required by Law for all Internet users to identify themselves in compliance with CFR (Code of Federal Regulations) to create a secure and safer Internet community." The email includes a link to a Web site that mimics regulations.gov and asks readers to provide their personal and financial information.
 
In fact, there is no law requiring all Internet users to register with the government. And regulations.gov does NOT collect financial information or charge consumers a fee for submitting comments. Consumers who provide their financial information in response to an unsolicited email could be at risk of identity theft.
 
If you get an unsolicited email that claims to be from the federal government and asks for your information, do not respond. Send the spam to the FTC at spam@uce.gov so that it can be available to law enforcement.
 
Avoid emailing personal and financial information. If you get an unexpected email from a company or government agency asking for your personal information, contact the company or agency cited in the email using a telephone number you know to be genuine, or start a new Internet session and type in the Web address that you know is correct.
 
If you have recently shared your credit card or bank account information in response to an unsolicited email that claimed to be from regulations.gov, you should notify your credit card company or bank immediately and discuss whether you should cancel your accounts. In any event, you should carefully monitor your accounts. If you provided your Social Security number, you should contact one of the three national consumer reporting agencies, ask that a fraud alert be placed on your accounts and obtain copies of your credit reports. You also should visit the FTC's Identity Theft Web site (www.consumer.gov/idtheft) to file a complaint and learn more about how to minimize your risk of damage from identity theft.
 
Regulations.gov is operated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency in association with the Food and Drug Administration, the National Archives and Records Administration/Office of the Federal Register, and the Government Printing Office. The FTC and other federal agencies use the regulations.gov portal to receive comments from the public regarding proposed rules and regulations.
 
The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint or to get free information on consumer issues, visit www.ftc.gov or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.
 
 
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NOTE:  Any information or products offered on this site is not necessarily a complete and total encorsement of the product.  Also,  resources are for informational, educational, and illistrative purposes only and does not constitute the giving of legal advice, nor is meant to be a substitute for competent legal advice from a qualified attorney. Tthe ultimate decision to purchase a product, subscribe to an Identity Theft service, or engage the services of a qualified professional is a personal choice that should always be made by the consumer based upon their financial position, current circumstances, overall comfort level, individual risk factors, and/or the severity of the case