The highlights:

• Identity theft victims have the right to sue criminals for restitution
• Would no longer require a minimum $5000 in damages to file charges
• Installing spyware or malware on more than 10 computers would be considered a felony

It’s been an interesting road for this piece of legislation, but here’s to greater rights for identity theft victims!

Medical identity theft can be two different types of crime - strictly financial - where a thief tries to use your insurance to make false claims for procedures that you or anyone else never received.  The trickier, and more potentially dangerous scenario involves someone using your identity to obtain medical treatment.  Not only do you or your insurance company bear the financial burden for the care, but the tests and treatments done on this “phony you” become a part of your medical history, affecting your future care and ability to get insurance.  Depending on the care provider, it can be a chore to get this incorrect information removed from your medical records.

Take a look at the tips and know your rights and action items to help you or someone you know facing this problem.

In particular, the business community is expressing their fear over the fact that the government is allowing any content from these devices to be shared between “…other agencies & private groups for any reason.”

The dilemma for Congress currently is that they must review both sides of this policy. The first comes from the public, particularly “business travelers”, who say that this is privacy breach and a disruption to businesses. The second side is that this policy has taken effect in order to protect the country again terrorist attacks, which is an obvious threat that affects everyone.

Corporate risk managers have worried about potential breach of information from laptop seizures or information scans by US and foreign governments as their travelers cross borders.
 

Some points that bear repeating

• Credit monitoring can alert you to new accounts being opened in your name, but not for new charges placed on an existing account.
• If you’re very concerned about new accounts being opened in your name and do not plan to open any new lines of credit in the near future, then a security freeze is a much more secure way to prevent new fraudulent accounts from being opened in your name.
• A fraud alert does not freeze your credit but can be done for free by the consumer to provide a bit of extra protection.
• Look at service offerings to see if assistance services are included in the product.  Remember, monitoring services tell you what is happening, but if assistance services are not included, YOU will have to do the job of repairing your identity yourself.  It’s can be a complicated and frustrating job (believe us, we’ve got some experience in that!)

The base for this study is under the Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act of 2003 (FACT Act), which the FTC is using to analyze the remedies that are available to identity theft victims. The overall outcome expected from this study is that the FTC can learn more about  how to better enforce this and other laws that effect these victims and also to better educate both consumers and the reporting industry about their rights and responsibilities.

The President’s Identity Theft Task Force was a strong backer of the survey idea and they are taking the initiative to carry out the entire study.

Some legislators have caught on to the problem and are trying to push through changes.  In the meantime, be as careful as you can with your SSN and check your credit report throughout the year to make sure your identity really is yours.

A note on using foreign ATMs - use ATMs at an actual brick and mortar bank location instead of a stand-alone one when possible.  If your pin begins in a zero you may want to change it before you leave.  Some foreign ATMs don’t give that as an option.  Also, memorize your code as a number as some are not labeled with corresponding letters.

And if your ATM card is ever “eaten” by a machine, notify your bank right away so they can put a hold on any further transactions.  Another reason to bring a backup!

It’s the fourth day in a row that Washington, DC has displayed the atmospheric properties of a sauna turned up to maximum, so it seems appropriate to talk about summer travel. Over the next few days, Me & Me will share some of our favorite practical travel tips:

Tip #1 - Bring a Backup

Things get lost, forgotten, or nabbed by thieves. It happens, but it doesn’t have to derail your trip. Store a backup credit card and some cash in your hotel safe - this way if your wallet or purse is no where to be found, you’ll still have instant access to funds (keep your passport, travel documents, and other valuables in the safe while you’re at it).