From GovernmentExecutive: At a time when curbing identity theft is high on the Internal Revenue Service’s agenda, an Atlanta-based IRS employee has pleaded guilty to a stolen identity fraud scheme. The Justice Department announced on Thursday that IRS contact representative Stephanie Parker, based in Atlanta, admitted to at least five instances between September 2012 and March 2013 in which, ...read more

Your key fob is in your home. Your car is parked and locked on the driveway. You had installed the latest, greatest alarm system. At a hefty cost. What about daytime at the local mall. Is your car still safe? You guessed it . . .   From USAToday: DETROIT – Given that the best way to store your car keys at night is by putting them in a coffee can, what's an ex-FBI agent's advice to protect ...read more

  Do you regularly “cross-shred” your documents? Which documents should you shred? Take advantage of paper shredding events in your area. Dumpster diving is still alive and well. Read on from WWLP.com: “CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – It’s important to properly dispose of personal information so it doesn’t end up in the wrong hands. National Consumer Protection Week is designed to help people protect ...read more

It's that time of year again. Scamers are in full swing. You've read this information before but it pays to read again. From WHNT-TV: Tax time is in full swing, which means scammers are ready to steal your tax information and your refund, this is also known as tax identity theft. Tax identity theft happens when someone files a fake tax return using your personal information — like your Social ...read more

“ 'Tis the season for clicking away on our computers and mobile devices. Most of us will be online even more than usual in the coming weeks. Oh, look at that great sale! Click. The kids are soo cute with the antler hats, have to post them on Facebook. Click. Responding to the Evite for the holiday party. Click. All that information sharing also makes us more vulnerable to cybersecurity ...read more

Amazing, hackers can seemingly choose where, when, and how to strike. It seems that they can hack at will. I know quite a few Real Estate professionals in our area and wonder if this impacts there doing business. From ConsumerAffairs: "Buying a home can be a stressful, nerve-wracking experience under the best of circumstances. If you’re nearing closing on a new home, don’t let that stress make ...read more

Is your personal information 'personal'? This following story is the difference between having an identity theft MONITORING SERVICE like most services versus our identity theft RESTORATION SERVICE by the licensed investigators at Kroll and attorneys at LegalShield. Read this story, then contact me for more information. "I went to renew my drivers license in California and was told I couldn't ...read more

Let's keep an eye on this class action suit. I'm always amazed at how much money the attorneys walk away with. My wife was part of a $65M class action suit against LifeLock. Her check was for $19.82: Over one billion Yahoo users whose personal information was compromised due to a series of massive data breaches will get their day in court, according to a ruling passed down by U.S. District ...read more

It pays to read the fine print, or better yet, have an attorney do it for you. And remember, with a LegalShield plan document review is free as part of the monthly membership. From Mark Huffman of ConsumerAffairs: Wells Fargo has revealed that approximately 570,000 consumers who financed auto purchases through the bank may have been sold a collateral protection insurance (CPI) without their ...read more