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So-Called “Free” Credit Reports May End Up Costing Consumers Money

November 6, 2009 12:10 by Tom Ahearn

An article in the New York Times, “A Free Credit Score Followed by a Monthly Bill”, points out the simple irony of a website called FreeCreditReport.com – best known for its entertaining television commercials featuring a band consisting of three slacker friends singing songs about ruined credit report scores while waiting tables dressed as pirates or performing at a Renaissance Faire – that may not actually be free and could charge customers $14.95 per month.

According to IMPORTANT INFORMATION on the FreeCreditReport.com website, when consumers order their free credit report they also begin a free trial membership with a credit report monitoring service and will be billed $14.95 every month if they don't cancel the membership within a 7-day trial period. The website also discloses that, “under a new Federal law” (the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act, or FACTA, of 2003), consumers have the right to receive a free copy of their credit report once every 12 months from each of the three nationwide consumer reporting companies – Experian (which owns FreeCreditReport.com), Equifax, and TransUnion – and to request their free annual credit reports consumers must go to www.AnnualCreditReport.com.

Even with information about free credit reports available, credit report monitoring services are approaching one billion dollars in sales with nine million people spending between $650 million to $700 million annually, according to the Times article. To end the confusion over free credit reports, the Times reports that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has tried for years to get Experian to follow disclosure requirements for its “free credit report” ads and even asked Experian to give it the FreeCreditReport.com URL, but to no avail. So the FTC created its own site at FreeCreditReport.gov that includes videos spoofing the FreeCreditReport.com commercials.

Most recently, Senator Charles E. Schumer (D - NY), issued a news release asking the FTC to force FreeCreditReport.com and other companies like it to give away the credit report before asking for customers’ credit card numbers to make clear to consumers that the sites intended to charge them for credit report monitoring and not to confirm their identification. The FTC also has proposed new rules to prevent deceptive marketing of so-called “free credit reports” by February 2010, the Times reports.

The bottom line? Consumers should never forget the Latin phrase Caveat emptor (“Let the buyer beware”) when making any kind of purchase. While – according to another old saying – there may be “no such thing as a free lunch,” there apparently is such a thing as a “free credit report” as long as you know where to get it (or remember to cancel your free trial membership in time).

Along with credit reports, consumers should also be aware of the contents of their criminal background checks. While most background check companies focus only on employers, MyBackgroundCheck.com – a pioneer in consumer requested background checks – allows individuals to perform “personal” background checks on themselves that help kept personal information is accurate, current, and secure. For more information on personal background checks, visit www.mybackgroundcheck.com, email info@mybackgroundcheck.com, or call 1-800-503-2364. To follow MyBackgroundCheck.com on Twitter, visit www.twitter.com/MyBackgroundChk.

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BBB Warns Jobseekers about Background Check Scams, Phishing, and Identity Theft

October 26, 2009 10:30 by Tom Ahearn

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is warning jobseekers to be cautious during their search for employment and to watch out for background check scams, phishing attacks, and identity theft

According to the BBB, with the national unemployment rate close to 10 percent, and 13 states experiencing unemployment rates in the double-digits, the threat of identity theft, phishing, and background check scams targeting job seekers is rising with unemployment rates because scammers are out to take advantage of the unemployed.

In a press release, the BBB warns jobseekers to beware of three scams in particular that could lead to lost money, missed opportunities, and identity theft.

  1. Job Offers Requiring Upfront Fees: Recently, job ads from a company in Florida claiming it needed 2,500 employees for their new headquarters asked applicants had to submit $24 to pay for a background check, money that was later discovered only went to the company’s owner. Similar schemes are appearing across the country.
  2. Job Placement Companies Making Promises They Can’t Deliver: Job placement companies, or headhunter firms, usually do NOT charge the job seekers but are paid by companies that need help filling positions. However, one Maryland company charged $195 and guaranteed it could find jobseekers work, but the jobseekers didn’t receive call backs, jobs, or refunds.
  3. Phishing Attacks By Fake Businesses To Commit Identity Theft: "Phishing" involves spam e-mails with job offers directing jobseekers to websites designed to solicit financial information for identity theft. The jobseekers may also find out they have been hired and immediately be asked for bank account or Social Security numbers.

In order to avoid identity theft or background check scams, the BBB advises jobseekers to be cautious when responding to unsolicited e-mails from supposed employers, fully research job placement companies, and not pay money to employers up front for services such as background checks without vetting the companies first.

To avoid background check scams and protect against identity theft, jobseekers may also want to perform "personal" background checks on themselves to make sure their personal information is current, accurate, and secure. While many background check firms only service employers, companies like MyBackgroundCheck.com – a pioneer in consumer requested background checks – offers "personal" background checks for individuals to use as jobseekers and consumers to use to protect against identity theft. Over one million individuals have purchased background checks through MyBackgroundCheck.com in the past year.

For more information about how jobseekers can use personal background checks to help prevent identity theft, visit www.mybackgroundcheck.com, email info@mybackgroundcheck.com, call 1-800-503-2364, and follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MyBackgroundChk.

tahearn@mybackgroundcheck.com

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Identity Theft Victim Jailed Twice Due to False Arrest, Once After Being Robbed

October 12, 2009 17:25 by Tom Ahearn

An article on Lexch.com – the website is based on the local Lexington, Nebraska newspaper, The Lexington Clipper-Herald – tells the story of an identity theft victim who ended up in jail twice for a crime he didn't commit, once after being robbed and calling the police for help.

According to the article, Joe Salazar, 38, of Omaha, Nebraska, recently spent a night in jail after calling the police to report a burglary at his home, and he also spent two weeks in jail – including last Christmas and New Year's Day – after being pulled over for speeding, all because the identity theft victim had an arrest warrant for failing to appear for sentencing in a drug case meant for an identity thief using his name.

Salazar believes the identity theft occurred after the unknown impostor stole his identification, date of birth, and Social Security number after he left his wallet behind at a restaurant years ago, the Clipper Herald reported, adding that a local prosecutor calls the identity theft one of the most extreme examples he has seen, one that has cost Salazar his good name, his time, and his freedom. Even worse than losing his freedom, according to the article, Salazar feared losing his job at a local manufacturing company because his bosses might not believe that he was in jail due to a case of identity theft.

Salazar's case of identity theft, although extreme, is much more common than most would think. According to Javelin Research, almost 10 million people in the U.S. suffered from identity theft and fraud in 2008, a rise of 22 percent from the previous year. With identity theft such a problem, many people have taken the situation into their own hands by ordering “personal” background checks on themselves to see the data contained in their public and private information. MyBackgroundCheck.com – a leading provider of background checks for individual consumers – helps people make sure that the personal information in their background checks is current, accurate, and safe from identity theft.

Over one million consumers have purchased background checks through MyBackgroundCheck.com. For more information on how “personal” background checks can help prevent identity theft, visit www.mybackgroundcheck.com, email info@mybackgroundcheck.com, or call 1-800-503-2364. Follow MyBackgroundCheck.com on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MyBackgroundChk.

tahearn@mybackgroundcheck.com

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CNN Report Tells Truth About False Background Checks; MyBackgroundCheck.com May Have Prevented Them

September 29, 2009 11:09 by Tom Ahearn

A recent breaking news video report from CNN’s Gerri Willis shows a woman describing how her husband’s dream job turned into a nightmare because of false information found on his pre-employment background check, a problem that “personal” background check provider MyBackgroundCheck.com may have prevented.

The woman – who asked that her identity be hidden in order to avoid further problems for her husband – told Willis that she was shocked to discover that her husband’s background check revealed two felony convictions – and the job offer was gone, even though the records belonged to another man with the same name and the same birthday as her husband.

According to CNN, the background check report came from ChoicePoint, one of the nation’s largest commercial data brokers that sell personal information obtained from public and private records to employers and law enforcement.

The case described in the CNN report is not unusual, as many background checks contain errors and inaccuracies. Robert Mather, CEO of MyBackgroundCheck.com, a leading provider of “personal” background checks that consumers can perform on themselves to keep their personal information current, claimed that a recent study showed that nearly one in five disputed background checks contained false information.

“Over one million people have purchased background checks through MyBackgroundCheck.com,” said Mather. “We empower individuals take control of their personal information and correct any mistakes before others, including potential employers, see them. We help people take a pro-active approach to the problem of mistakes on background checks, and help them avoid being the victim of identity theft and lost job opportunities.”

With an account from MyBackgroundCheck.com, jobseekers can make sure no errors or inaccuracies exist in their background checks and find out if they have been victimized by identity theft,” Mather added. “According to recent research, identity theft and fraud increased 22 percent in 2008, affecting nearly ten million Americans.”

In the CNN report, privacy advocate Lillie Coney from the Electronic Privacy Information Center said that most people have no clue what is included in data bases that can include incorrect and outdated information. “Let’s say there was an arrest based on faulty information and it was resolved and there was no conviction,” she explained to Gillis. “They still have that original arrest record that may be in a data based somewhere that is passed along repeatedly to people outside of your knowledge.”

Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), who has introduced legislation to make databases more accessible and more secure, told CNN’s Gillis he believes most consumers don’t know how exposed they are. “I want to know what is in my records,” Leahy said. “I want to know how to stop misinformation on records. And today people cannot do that.”

And while the woman in the CNN story says her husband ended up getting the job after ChoicePoint corrected the mistake, she is still concerned: “This will happen again,” she told Willis, especially if her husband ever needs a background check again if he changes jobs. “That record is out there.”

For more information on how consumers – including jobseekers – can use personal background checks to protect their personal information from errors, inaccuracies, and identity theft, please visit http://www.mybackgroundcheck.com/DontBeAVictim.

Follow MyBackgroundCheck.com on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MyBackgroundChk.

Related Blog: Can’t Get a Job? The Five Most Common Mistakes in Background Checks May Be Stopping You

tahearn@mybackgroundcheck.com

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Marine Corps Ban Social Networking Sites Like Facebook, MySpace & Twitter

August 12, 2009 10:19 by Tom Ahearn

Effective immediately, the U.S. Marine Corps has banned Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and other Social Networking Sites (SNS) from its networks for one year, according to a recently issued order.

Citing security concerns, the Marine Corps order defines SNS as “web-based services that allow communities of people to share common interests and/or experiences existing outside of Department of Defense (DOD)” that are a “haven for malicious actors and content and are particularly high risk due to information exposure, user generated content, and targeting by adversaries.”

Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter are singled out as examples of SNS in the issued order, which states that a social networking site by its very nature “creates a larger attack and exploitation window, exposes unnecessary information to adversaries, and provides an easy conduit for information leakage” that can elevate the risk of compromise.

While the banning of Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, or any other social networking site for a year may seem severe, those non-military individuals using social networking sites would be to wise to check if any of the security concerns of the Marine Corps could apply to their own personal and/or professional lives.

For example, “malicious actors and content” could easily apply to identity thieves and phishers who use “information exposure” by members of Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter that allow “targeting by adversaries.” Individuals who value their personal information and professional reputations should also be wary of web sites – including incredibly popular ones like Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter – that help create an “attack and exploitation window” to expose “information to adversaries” and enable “information leakage.”

While enjoying the obvious benefits of social networking, members of sites like Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter may want to protect themselves by keeping their guard up and being on the lookout for possible acts of identity theft and phishing (the criminally fraudulent attempt to acquire sensitive information in an electronic communication).

To help individuals protect their personal information online and off, MyBackgroundCheck.com offers "personal" background checks that keep sensitive data accurate, up-to-date, and secure by allowing people to run background checks on themselves. To learn more about personal background checks, visit www.mybackgroundcheck.com, email info@mybackgroundcheck.com, or call 1-800-503-2364. To follow MyBackgroundCheck.com on Twitter, visit www.twitter.com/MyBackgroundChk.

tahearn@mybackgroundcheck.com

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