I do my best to stay on top of new ID Theft Protection Plans, including enhancements/changes to current plans available. I cannot suggest to you highly enough, and as my intention is not to sound like a broken record, READ the policies of ID Theft Plans.

Having a $1 million guarantee really means this - you will need to restore your own identity!! These companies will “reimburse” you for your expenses; don’t forget to save those receipts!! Besides becoming a victim of ID Theft, you will now have to deal with the burden and frustration of restoring your own identity. These are resolution products, they do not and will not completely restore your identity for you!!

Let me ask you.... if someone is going to restore your identity for you, why would they offer to pay your salary for ‘x’ amount of weeks (usually 4 up to $500)?? Because YOU will be spending that time working to restore your own identity. Why are these companies telling you they will reimburse your costs/fees, because YOU will be restoring your own identities. I have personally spoken with victims who have told me it has taken months, to years and some still fighting this nightmare.

There is only one (1) company that I have found to date that will FULLY restore your identity while you go about your daily routine. Plus, they do this for minors also, not just place credit freezes on their credit reports. BTW, minors shouldn’t normally have a credit file. Click on the ID Theft Shield to the left and find out more.

Amazingly, the general public is still uninformed regarding the magnitude of dataloss in this country. Oil spills, Hollywood infidelity, sports figures taking drugs and partaking in illegal activity. The media sees these subjects as being more important than reporting on how the average person and company needs to protect your most valuable asset - Your Identity. To top things off, the general public thinks these subjects are more important and really, I believe, don’t want to hear the TRUTH about ID Theft. “Out of site - Out of mind”, “If I don’t know about, it can’t hurt me”, burying your head in the sand is not the protection you need, you need to protect yourself in the best possible way and that is through education and learning the various techniques to decrease your exposure to ID Theft.

Also, what confounds me, is the belief that Identity Theft is still financial in nature. Considering credit card ID Theft is only 16% with financial ID Theft hovering around a total of 26%. This is the easiest ID Theft to repair yet, other types of ID Theft are more devastating to yourself, your family and your business. Don’t be swayed by these huge guarantees, they won’t repay you for any losses you incur, these guarantees are simply ‘service’ guarantees - that’s it. Plus, as the consumer of these services, you are still responsible for the leg work in repairing your own identity and at the mercy of these companies to look out for your best interest. You can’t ‘monitor all the chat rooms online’ as some ID Theft plans boast, that’s virtually impossible!!

I suggest before you buy a heavily marketed, so-called ID Theft product or service, READ what it will do for you!! The vast majority ONLY addresses financial ID Theft. The public needs more.... much more protection than just financial ID Theft protection. Take a look at some of the current data breaches across the country. ID Thieves steal information in more than one way.

I know this post is a little harsh for some, although if you don’t take responsibility for your own identity, educate yourself, use some easily implemented and necessary steps to protect your own identity and the identity of those you care for. ID Theft IS NOT going to go away!!! Be Proactive - Take Charge - Protect Yourself.

Another step has been taken to increase the “Scary” scale of what can be done electronically that will cause havoc to your computer at home or in your business. A man has ‘captured’ a computer virus, implanted it into a chip and can now transfer this virus through an RFID reader. He used the same technology that is used to implant a chip into your pet for identification.

To further increase the “Scary” scale, this man implanted the infected chip into his hand so now.... it’s concealed and no one is the wiser of his intentions. Ladies and Gentlemen, this technology is here now!!! No longer will you read about it as a ‘concept’ or as a ‘potential threat’ - this ability is here now and has been demonstrated. This man captured the virus and implanted it as a demonstration of what CAN be done if someone had the ability. This was not done to be malicious or destructive in any way, only to prove a point. RFID technology has it’s place, although it may not be as secure as you think.

Once again, the FTC is delaying the enforcement of the Red Flag’s Rule six more months to December 1, 2010. Be sure to read the 3rd paragraph regarding Financial Institutions, if you didn’t already know - you’ll be surprised at what the FTC regards a Financial Institution http://ftc.gov/opa/2008/10/redflags.shtm.

I have talked with many companies and I have been told that if these regulations applied to them, they would have been told by either their insurance company or their attorney. WRONG!!! Many.... MANY people, companies and representatives for these companies are not aware of these regulations. The FTC has identified that over 50% of ID Theft is caused by employees. Whether they are disgruntled with their employer or have fallen on hard times and see the procurement and selling of PII (Personal Identifiable Information) & NPI (Non-Public Information) as a way to make money to support either themselves or their families.

If you didn’t know about these regulations and definitions, then your insurance company and/or attorney doesn’t know about them either. Don’t blame them..... the government is not sending out notices to every business informing them of what is required. Be proactive, take the bull by the horns and protect yourself, your company, your clients/customers and your employees.

If you would like to have additional information on how to fulfill many of the requirements of the Red Flag’s Rule and others, contact me for more information. We can assist at either No Cost or on a per employee cost at your choice.

WOW!!! Busy - Busy - Busy..... I have been giving ID Theft presentations to area groups and received a lot of positive feedback. As I mention, the american public IS NOT being told what ID Theft is which is evidenced through testimonials after my presentations.

I am frequently told the information I provide, provides a broader picture and understanding of the true face of ID Theft. No only regarding the types of ID Theft, but ID Theft protection plans as well. Don’t believe anyone that tells you they can “prevent” ID Theft, no one can!! Also, I reinforce the need for those that want ID Theft protection to ‘read your policy’; there are many types of ID Theft that are not covered and the bulk of repairing your identity fully lays on YOUR shoulders.

Next presentation is at the North Oak Community Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, June 3 @ 6:30p.