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02 Sep 09 - 10:48 PM (#2715120) Subject: BS: A New Identity Theft Checker From: JohnInKansas ConsumerMan: New tool to fight identity theft "Credit scores are designed to show how risky it is to do business with you. Identity scores help flag potential imposters attempting to illegally get goods, services or benefits by using someone else's personal information. "The ID Score was developed by ID Analytics of San Diego. For nearly a decade, the company has used its massive database to help banks, retailers, telecommunications companies, health care providers and government agencies prevent fraud. "ID Analytics is not exactly a household name. That's because most of us never deal with the company directly. But if you've purchased a wireless phone, have a credit card or applied for a retail charge card, there's a good chance the company analyzed the information on your application. "Now ID Analytics makes it possible for you to access their huge database to get your personal ID Score. The free service MyIDScore has only been available since May, so the site is still a well-kept secret. "I know it sounds crazy: a Web site that predicts the likelihood you've been victimized by an ID thief. But this service is real and the company is legitimate." End quote - more at the article The premise here is that Credit Bureaus only track certain kinds of information, but by examining whether someone is using your name (and other identity information) for purposes not tracked by the Bureaus, these people can predict whether someone (other than you) is using your name for things you don't know about. There is a link in the article that you can use to get "your ID Score" if you'd like to try it out. The source, MSNBC's "Consumer Man" has a reasonably trustworthy reputation, and I didn't see any obvious "gotchas" in the service described in the article. Whether this is something we really need is an open question. Useful info seems limited to those who actually have reason to suspect something is amiss. (The article isn't clear, but this appears to be a "US only" service, at least now.) Anybody got an opinion? John |
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02 Sep 09 - 11:00 PM (#2715126) Subject: RE: BS: A New Identity Theft Checker From: CarolC Here's another good resource for protection against identity theft... https://www.prepaidlegal.com/Multisite/Multisite?site=idt&assoc=caroldale www.legalally.com |
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22 Jul 10 - 09:36 AM (#2949769) Subject: RE: BS: A New Identity Theft Checker From: GUEST,Ed Has anyone any idea on how the law stands on identity theft ? I Googled my name, and some ass(most likely a pupil)has written scores of comments on forums using my name and giving my location expessing political views why off the mark for me. How do you get these removed ? I wrote to the sites and forums and nothing has been done as yet. |
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22 Jul 10 - 01:11 PM (#2949922) Subject: RE: BS: A New Identity Theft Checker From: Stilly River Sage Do you know who the pupil might be? It may be a two-tiered approach: getting the remarks removed, and convincing the student that he can be sued for his behavior. (And then figure out how he might be sued, so you can make the threat sound legitimate, even if you don't plan to sue.) SRS |
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22 Jul 10 - 01:14 PM (#2949924) Subject: RE: BS: A New Identity Theft Checker From: Q (Frank Staplin) Guest Ed, this can be a real problem, as it may affect your reputation and credit ratings. All I can suggest is get a lawyer to write letters to the forums threatening legal action. These may get more attention than personal letters. Any way of identifying the culprit? |