Bad Credit Blog

What The Crooks Themselves Say About Identity Protection

By Dewey Kearney

Not many of us have the opportunity to ask a convicted felon what you can do to protect yourself from becoming a victim of identity theft . Someone I know had the opportunity recently - and knowing we had a website dedicated to bad credit, credit repair and identity protection asked me if I was interested in what they had to say. Was I, boy – and how! Right from the horses mouth, as they say.

The First Thing they all said was simple enough – SHRED everything that contains personal information. How simple and yet profound. And yet they said shredding alone isn’t enough, use a cross-shredder. I have one of those but suddenly realized how little I use it.

Shredding alone isn’t enough because a dedicated criminal sometimes can piece the items back together. I actually tried it and it isn’t easy but I was able to do it on a document. If I had a whole box of shredded items it would be much harder. The difference in price between the two types of shredders is just a small amount, well worth the investment.

Most of us don’t give a second thought about our trash but a good thief does. One man’s trash – another man’s treasure the old saying goes. Just because it’s gone from your home or apartment doesn’t mean it’s “gone forever.” A dedicated thief can make a good living from your trash if you aren’t diligent.

What Should You Shred? Anything that is of a personal nature. Bank statements, credit card offers, anything from a financial institution, insurance insurance bills. I have a reverse mortgage on my home and every month I receive an update. This has my name and account numbers that some smart crook could easily manipulate for their benefit.

Pre-approved credit card offers make you very vulnerable. They can use these to open an account in your name, then they put a change of address and you never know about it. Don’t believe this? It’s true and it happens all the time.

Another Tip: Use caution about putting outgoing bills in your mailbox. About a month ago the Arizona Republic ran an article about thefts occurring from mailboxes in Sun City Arizona. Sun City is a quiet retirement community of folks just wanting to live their lives in peace, and yet there was a rash of mailbox thefts there. Once the thief has your envelope they have your checking information, the account number from the place you were sending it, your current home address and many times your phone number. That’s enough information to start a whole new life for someone using your name. The Arizona Republic recommended that you take your mail to the post office yourself rather than chance leaving it unguarded in the box.

Another Tip. Guard your social security number. Never give it out unless you know to whom you are giving it. Don’t carry it on your person and never give it over the Internet.

One Final Tip: Register for identity protection through LifeLock. They are the nation’s leading credit protection agency. For around $30 a month you can guarantee that an identity thief will NEVER get your information. And LifeLock backs that up with a multi-million dollar guarantee. In fact, the owner of the company is so sure you can’t steal his identity I’ve actually heard him state his name and social security number over the radio! Signing up for LifeLock’s service is the single best thing you can do to protect your identity from being stolen.

If you use common sense you can prevent a lot of headaches that identity theft theft can cause.

What to do if you are already a victim? Well that’s another article. Be careful!

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YOU DO! Here’s How!

We hear words like credit score , bad credit, and credit cards every day, but if you are over 50 you remember a world without those things and we got by – somehow.

They are much more convenient than carrying wads of cash (not that I ever did) and it’s hard to imagine life without them. The credit card industry has evolved over the last 30 years, part of a long-term plan. And with the ease of using them now (just swipe and go!) it’s hard NOT to use one when you’re out shopping.

Since this is the world we live in you need to know how to get the most out of it by getting the best interest rates.

Here How:

In the world of plastic you must have a good credit rating. Life is hard enough without adding unnecessary headaches. Pull your credit regularly and make sure that there’s nothing on your report that shouldn’t be.

Pay all your creditors bills on time and it’s best if you keep your credit debt at 20% to 30% of your limit.

Be careful not to acquire too many cards. You should have no more than two or three. This will keep your debt manageable. Most of the time when people get into financial trouble it’s because they have too many cards.

If you follow step #2 you will begin to establish yourself as someone who can be trusted, something we all would like to be. Which means when you apply for larger debts, like a home or car , the lenders will give you a better interest rate.

Using your cards wisely will boost your credit score and also enable you to qualify for low interest cards as well.

Protect Your Major Purchases

Under the Fair Credit Billing Act of 1999 if you buy something that is damaged or defective with your credit card, you have the right to stop payment until it is made right. You need to make a good-faith effort to work things out. If you can’t solve the problem you can ask the company to investigate and solve the problem.

Note – if you used a debit card this law does not address that.

Using A Credit Card For Online Shopping Is Safer

The Fair Credit Billing Act also covers online purchases. Many people are still wary about shopping online. You don’t need to be. The industry has made a great effort to make online shopping safer and the sites that take credit cards use an encrypted method to make certain your numbers are safe. Of course we all know in this life nothing is certain except death and taxes, so theoretically it is not safe, but it is 99.9% safe – and that’s pretty safe.

Check your receipts the moment you receive your statement (just in case) for any errors.

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Medical Identity Theft Is On The Rise AS Health Care Desperation Leads To Crime

Although most identity theft cases in the United States involve credit cards and bank accounts, ID thieves are now engaging in medical fraud – falsely obtaining medical care using someone’s stolen identity – according to today’s Los Angeles Times.

After surgery on her shoulder last year, Lind Weaver, a 56-year-old retired schoolteacher, was billed for the amputation of her right foot. Refusing to pay the medical bill collectors, Weaver set about trying to prove that the surgery had obviously not been performed on her – since her foot was intact – which proved a more difficult task than recovering from simple credit card ID theft.

Experts say the rising costs of U.S. healthcare are driving medical identity fraud, and many victims are entirely unaware that their medical identity has been stolen unless they receive a hospital bill or an inquiry from their insurance provider. In addition to potentially damaging credit reports and affecting future job status – since many Fortune 500 companies require access to medical records when hiring or promoting – medical identity theft can also cause fatal future hospital errors. For example, Weaver suffered a heart attack in May, and when she awoke in the hospital two days later, a nurse asked her what drugs she was taking to treat her diabetes. Weaver did not suffer from diabetes – though the woman who stole her identity did – and diabetes patients receive different heart surgeries than patients without the disease.

However, even if health complications are avoided, medical identity fraud can lead to hellish legal ordeals. In the case of Salt Lake City resident Anndorie Sachs – whose ID was stolen and used when the thief delivered a baby that tested positive for methamphetamine – her four children were nearly taken from her by social workers, though she had not given birth for two years. Sachs’ case was only resolved after she hired a lawyer and went to the local media. However, when Sachs was admitted to the hospital for a kidney infection last year, the hospital records indicated the wrong blood type, which could have resulted in a fatal error.

Victims of medical identity theft find that clearing their names can be even more difficult than those clearing a traditional credit card ID theft, largely because of laws designed to protect patients’ medical records. Once a patient reveals to the hospital or doctor’s office that their medical records are somehow tied to someone else’s – even though that person is an identity thief – their records become much more difficult to access.

The U.S. House and Senate are currently working to pass bills that push wider use of electronic health records, which could potentially make it easier for medical identity theft victims to clear their names.

Ref: www.NaturalNews.com

For more credit help, please visit our site. We have been there and know how bad credit can affect everything, including your health. Take a look!

If you know someone struggling to quit smoking we found a great site that offers genuine  help. You can Quit!!

Here is a great site for some wonderful Christian articles, short stories, plays, family stories, Bible studies etc. Check it out.

Tax time is one of the most dreaded times for most Americans. Especially if you owe back taxes.

Many people think owning their own business would be a dream come true. I can tell you it is rewarding because for over 20 years I owned my own company and enjoyed it very much. But one thing most business owners fail to take into consideration is what the IRS politely calls the “self-employment tax,” which by another name is Social Security. That takes a big 15% bite out of every dollar of profit and if you fall behind on this its murder.

Failure to pay and underpayment of taxes are the two most common reasons people owe back taxes. Regardless of the reason, owing the government money can be very scary and is serious business. There is no easy fix but the sooner it is confronted and solved the better. The government does not like to wait for its’ money and sooner or later you may find that your bank account is seized and/or a lien is put against your assets (like your home).

The last year we were in business, before the economy tanked in the early 90’s, we got behind in our taxes. One day we received a call from a vendor who said our check had bounced. We knew we had money in our account so we called the bank. That’s when we found out that the IRS had frozen our account and taken all the money - and there was nothing we could do about it! Believe me, you don’t want to get yourself into this situation.

Note: If you think bankruptcy will solve your back taxes problems, it won’t. Bankruptcy is handled in federal courts and the IRS just won’t recognize bankruptcy as a legal way out of your tax problem.

So how does one go about repaying back taxes, especially if you don’t have the money to do so? Tax relief solutions do exist and will negotiate a tax repayment schedule and help you come up with a plan for future payments to keep the government from stepping in.

Tax Debt Relief Negotiations

The federal government would rather have a portion of what you owe in back taxes and clear the books than to leave it - and have it grow through penalties and interest - and never get anything. It is this that allows negotiating between the government and the taxpayer.

But it is better to have an experienced negotiator work towards resolving your back taxes than to try to do it yourself. You will come out better off by having a third-party negotiate for you.

Think you can’t afford this? Consider the option again; you will be far ahead even with the fee they charge. The IRS will not be looking out for your interest like your negotiator will, and from experience, the negotiator will know exactly how far the IRS will go.

Finding an expert in the field is a good first step towards paying off your back taxes and fixing the problem. If your problem isn’t handled right serious legal troubles are on the horizon. That’s why we did our research and we recommend wholeheartedly the CantPayIRS.com.

Ensuring The Problem Is Solved In The Future

After you have negotiated a structured payback of your back taxes, the next step in tax debt relief is planning for all future payments to be paid promptly and correctly.

The government is willing to work with a taxpayer the first time but the same problem again the next year and the next year won’t get a sympathetic ear. So this problem must be handled properly.

If you haven’t filed taxes in years or are seriously behind on your taxes it is imperative that you get the help you need NOW! Contact a specialist like CantPayIRS.com and get them started helping you fix your back tax issues right now.
Reference: http://positiveinsightsolutions.com/

For more credit help, please visit our site. We have been there and know how bad credit can affect everything, including your health. Take a look!

If you know someone struggling to quit smoking we found a great site that offers genuine  help. You can Quit!!

Here is a great site for some wonderful Christian articles, short stories, plays, family stories, Bible studies etc. Check it out.