Pizza anyone? OT

[Don Coatney]

Everything Norm said about identy theft will soon be true.

http://aclu.org/pizza/images/screen.swf

[48Dodger]

OMG that was incredible! I was laughing with a little fear in my heart...

48D

[BobT-47P15]

Speaking of theft, I heard a story yesterday about stolen checks.

One of our customers evidently put some payment checks out in their

rural type mailbox and flipped up the little red flag.....so the mail carrier

would pick them up. Well, the flag was a signal to thieves who took

those checks. The victims were told that crooks use some type

of liquid to erase the ink and remove writing from the checks....all

except the signature of the maker. Then they fill in their own name

and cash the check.....for whatever amount they make it.

So......don't put checks in your mailbox to be picked up....

[Don Coatney]

Speaking of theft, I heard a story yesterday about stolen checks.

One of our customers evidently put some payment checks out in their

rural type mailbox and flipped up the little red flag.....so the mail carrier

would pick them up. Well, the flag was a signal to thieves who took

those checks. The victims were told that crooks use some type

of liquid to erase the ink and remove writing from the checks....all

except the signature of the maker. Then they fill in their own name

and cash the check.....for whatever amount they make it.

So......don't put checks in your mailbox to be picked up....

That happened to me and my next door neighbor when I lived in California. I got a call from a department store asking if I wrote a check to so-and-so for big bucks. I said no and the guy ran out of the store and left the check. I was lucky but my neighbor was not. She got ripped off for a couple grand.

[steveplym]

My workplace started offering identity theft insurance this year. Reading things like this make me think it is well worth the money.

[Tony Cipponeri]

Hi All, My wife and I are signed up with Life Lock, it realy works. We have to give codes when we want credit. Even the utility company's can't give us credit without any problem. Tony C

[Merle Coggins]

I have identity theft coverage through my home owners insurance. My insurance agent told me about it a couple of years ago so I had him add it in. It was a very minor increase in my annual premium. I hope I never have to use it.

Merle

[greg g]

A few years ago we had several instances of people using my information to get credit cards, gas cards, utilities, etc. We found out about it when we started getting collection letters. In all these casses, the goods and services were purchased in teh NY city area. Queens borough in particular. Most were old stuff and had been truned over to collection agencies although some were still with the original grantor.

In each instance, I denied the charges, signed a affidavite that the accounts were obtained fraudulently, and i was not the originator or holder of the accounts.

I made a phone call to the Queens district attorneys office, after getting a letter bck from one of the collections agencies that they were incontact with someone there in relation to several dozen accounts for Eddie Bauer Caharge accounts.

I talked to an assistant DA, and she asked me several questions regarding how my name may have been linked to a new your city address. This happened int he late 80's and early 90's. In our discussion, I told her that I lived in Brooklyn, in 1969 and 70 while going to college.

She called back about three months later to tell me the case had been solved and all the outstanding debt had been removed from collection agencies records.

Apparently when I went to college, I visited the health service at the college several times. The service was provided througha contract with Brooklyn Medical Center. Some time in the 80's the records were transferred from paper to computer. This being well before the internet, apparently computer files were shared among all health car providers in the metropolitan area in an effort to improve medical service in emergencies.

At the time there were groups of Nigerians who were immigrating to the US. Apparently many got jobs on houskeeping staffs in NYC hospitals. According to the ADA. Some one in a hopsital left their computer on, and the records page open. Some savvy fellow did a data printout of the records which contiained names, addresses and social security numbers, and the started a business where they copied the pages into books and sold them to the other African immigrants coming to America. Those folks used this information to gain credit cards, telephones, electricity, cars, and other necissities and luxuries. Welcome to America,psssst wanna buy a credit history?????

We never paid a penny of our supposed debts, and haven't had a problem since however, this has been going on a lot longer than people are gennerally aware of. I do not share my SSn with any one other than the federal govt, and employers.

Even had a go around with the DMV last time I renewed my license. The clerck said he neede my SSN, I told him they already had it, he said it was gone from the record. I said that's fine with me, and stold him I respectfully decline to provide it due to privacy concerns. He said they couldn't resiiue with out it. Finally after discussion with the office supervisor, sevral phone calls to some under commissioner, the state finally admitted there was no real reason for them to have the number and that it was just a metter of routine proceedure. I told them it was part of my routine not to share my number any longer with any one who was not either payining into my account or paying me out of the account so I declined to provide it. Guess it is OK cause I have my license.

I have since requested that all my medical records have my number removed from computer records and blacked out on any paper records. This goes for dentists, clinincs, medical labs, x ray labs, insurance companies, etc. In NY they will by law have to have their records computerized within 2 years and it will be all out there for folks to hack into.

[T120]

..and when we become a "cashless" society in addition to ID theft those in business who supply questionable services will show up on our credit card statments as "special" pizza :

[Plymouthy Adams]

..................when...........I don't have any cash now!!!!!!!!!!!!

[T120]

I meant to end my comment with a smilie

[Frank Blackstone]

I have been advised by LEO, law enforcement officers, that in dealing with the legal documents I handle that may be altered then forged with a new name by removing the inked information with a solvent. Be advised and be safe, Frank