The Year In Identity Theft!
This is taken from my ID Theft Protection Newsletter which I will send out by e-blast on Monday:
This is the year end re-cap issue for my identity theft prevention newsletter. There was so much that happened this year including the T.J. Maxx scandal. It is now reported that the number of credit and debit cards breached increased from 45.7 million to 97 million. Unbelievable. Still think you’re immune to potential identity theft? Universities were also hit very hard. Can you imagine being a student and starting off your career in the workplace by having to state on employment applications that you have been a victim of identity theft and that the employer needs to be aware of it when your background check comes back?
Let me share with you that every time there’s an identity theft breach I jump for joy, because it just reinforces my point that we are in the middle of an epidemic and you need my services to curtail the damage! Let’s start locally. Last newsletter we had the EMT worker in Cabarrus who lost a computer that fell off his ambulance’s bumper when he drove away. That loss could have potentially put at risk 28,000 North Carolina residents’ medical history. And continuing to keep it close to home, as of a report of December 4, the Duke Law School’s website was illegally accessed putting at risk 1,400 people’s social security numbers.
And what about the United Kingdom? About half the population became victims of identity theft through the loss of computer disks which contained their bank account numbers. Will this have any affect on those of us who live in the United States? Yes and no. No, because it was contained to the UK, yes, because we need to look closely at the breach and learn from it to make sure that we cannot be affected in the same way. We need to watch how the UK government handles and responds to this outrage.
There’s a new law that allows consumers to freeze their credit. Sounds like a great idea at first, but do some research. You’ll need to unfreeze your credit in order to purchase a car or home, and consider that the lender is looking at you as a potential risk because the act of freezing your credit is sending out a message that you may have been an identity theft victim.
To close out this re-cap I, of course, want to wish everyone a healthy, happy and prosperous New Year and in that same vein, please consider beginning monitoring of your credit. I can set you up in 5 minutes with the Identity Theft Shield and the cost is only $12.95/month which covers you and your spouse (or significant other). At a minimum, request your free copy of your credit report and check it carefully. You can do that at www.annualcreditreport.com. Keep healthy and safe this holiday season and throughout 2008!
**********
To all my readers (Mom, Emily, Donald and Michael Owens!), please spread the message of love and peace in your every day conduct. I will try and do the same.
Sara Abrams
visit: Team National and shop!
USE OF ANY OF THE IMAGES IN THIS BLOG IS BY PERMISSION ONLY! THESE ARE COPY RIGHTED IMAGES AND NOT PUBLIC DOMAIN. Contact Sara Abrams at Abrams Media Group, Inc., 704-543-8843, abrams.sara@gmail.com. Thank you!
This is the year end re-cap issue for my identity theft prevention newsletter. There was so much that happened this year including the T.J. Maxx scandal. It is now reported that the number of credit and debit cards breached increased from 45.7 million to 97 million. Unbelievable. Still think you’re immune to potential identity theft? Universities were also hit very hard. Can you imagine being a student and starting off your career in the workplace by having to state on employment applications that you have been a victim of identity theft and that the employer needs to be aware of it when your background check comes back?
Let me share with you that every time there’s an identity theft breach I jump for joy, because it just reinforces my point that we are in the middle of an epidemic and you need my services to curtail the damage! Let’s start locally. Last newsletter we had the EMT worker in Cabarrus who lost a computer that fell off his ambulance’s bumper when he drove away. That loss could have potentially put at risk 28,000 North Carolina residents’ medical history. And continuing to keep it close to home, as of a report of December 4, the Duke Law School’s website was illegally accessed putting at risk 1,400 people’s social security numbers.
And what about the United Kingdom? About half the population became victims of identity theft through the loss of computer disks which contained their bank account numbers. Will this have any affect on those of us who live in the United States? Yes and no. No, because it was contained to the UK, yes, because we need to look closely at the breach and learn from it to make sure that we cannot be affected in the same way. We need to watch how the UK government handles and responds to this outrage.
There’s a new law that allows consumers to freeze their credit. Sounds like a great idea at first, but do some research. You’ll need to unfreeze your credit in order to purchase a car or home, and consider that the lender is looking at you as a potential risk because the act of freezing your credit is sending out a message that you may have been an identity theft victim.
To close out this re-cap I, of course, want to wish everyone a healthy, happy and prosperous New Year and in that same vein, please consider beginning monitoring of your credit. I can set you up in 5 minutes with the Identity Theft Shield and the cost is only $12.95/month which covers you and your spouse (or significant other). At a minimum, request your free copy of your credit report and check it carefully. You can do that at www.annualcreditreport.com. Keep healthy and safe this holiday season and throughout 2008!
**********
To all my readers (Mom, Emily, Donald and Michael Owens!), please spread the message of love and peace in your every day conduct. I will try and do the same.
Sara Abrams
visit: Team National and shop!
USE OF ANY OF THE IMAGES IN THIS BLOG IS BY PERMISSION ONLY! THESE ARE COPY RIGHTED IMAGES AND NOT PUBLIC DOMAIN. Contact Sara Abrams at Abrams Media Group, Inc., 704-543-8843, abrams.sara@gmail.com. Thank you!
posted by Sara Abrams @ 4:44 PM
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