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The American Psychiatric Association has not formally recognized the symptoms of being a victim of identity theft as meeting the standards for a PTSD diagnosis, but some psychiatrists believe that the symptoms are quite similar. The Identity Theft Recovery Center, the first organization to study the emotional impact of identity theft on victims, found that victims of identity theft suffer from symptoms resembling the symptoms of PTSD.

Generally when we hear of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD we think of service men and women returning from war or victims of crimes such as rape, repeated abuse or violent assaults. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a diagnosis recognized by the American Psychiatric Association and is applicable to "life-limb" threatening events. The American Psychiatric Association has not formally recognized the symptoms of being a victim of identity theft as meeting the standards for a PTSD diagnosis, but some psychiatrists believe that the symptoms are quite similar. The Identity Theft Recovery Center, the first organization to study the emotional impact of identity theft on victims, found that victims of identity theft suffer from symptoms resembling the symptoms of PTSD.

The Financial and Time Investments in Recovering from Identity Theft

-Victims of identity theft are left with an average of $1,884.00 of out of pocket expenses to clear up misinformation. These out of pocket expenses included postage, photocopying, childcare, travel, records, fees, legal help and investigators.

-It can take an average of 97 hours to resolve identity theft involving existing accounts.

-It can take an average of 231 hours to resolve identity theft involving new accounts.

-59% of victims say that it took up to a year to clear up the consequences of identity theft.

-14% say that it took up to two years.

-29% report that it took more than two years.

Dr. Charles Nelson, a psychologist who specializes in crime victims, finds that many victims of identity theft also suffer from socially and emotionally. Many victims reported strain in their relationships with significant others, stress within their family life. Some reported sleep disturbances and others shared that the crime was also affecting their children.

Dr. Nelson explains, "Although there is no direct physical injury in this crime, identity theft victims know all too well the psychological, emotional, social, and at times physical destructive swath of pain that has been cut through their lives."

Victims often used language to express how that felt that is strikingly resembles the language of a victim of assault or sexual assault including phrases such as "dirty, defiled, embarrassed, guilty, ashamed, an outcast, undeserving of assistance or having brought this crime upon myself."

Identity Theft Victims Symptoms are Similar to Those with PTSD:

Victims of identity theft described themselves as being:

-Annoyed
-Exhausted
-Too tired to fight
-Suicidal
-Angry
-Betrayed
-Unprotected by police or laws
-Deeply fearful for personal financial security
-Powerless
-Helpless

When the perpetrator of identity theft is a family member the emotional impact appears to be heavier. Dr. Nelson explains that the challenges resemble the challenges felt by those who are physically or repeatedly abused by family members as the victim is in a "self preservation vs. pleasing family members who take the side of the perpetrator." Many victims of identity theft crimes perpetrated by family members felt that family were unsupportive and were often torn regarding filing charges. Dr. Nelson feels that therapy is indicated in most of these cases.

If you or someone you know has experienced identity theft, do you agree or disagree with the comparison to PTSD?

Posted by Lisa Carey at 01:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Many of us have heard of the terms "cash cow," "Midas touch," and there is also the mythical goose that laid the golden eggs, but have you heard of a "Golden Cash Network?" You may think this is a new form of ATM machine but it is really a shopping mall for those looking for a quick and easy way to steal information, data and expand their spamming efforts through the use of bots and Trojans that make their way onto just about anyone's computer.

What is the Golden Cash Network?
This is a network that allows the unscrupulous the ability to "lease" "botnets comprised of thousands of compromised PCs to cyber criminals for custom malware spreading jobs," according to issue 2 of the Cybercrime Intelligence Report for 2009. On the homepage they have named themselves "Your money-making machine."

How does the Golden Cash Network work?
The process is easy and straight out of a B rated horror film with the use of "bots" and "zombies." Basically, cyber criminals create a bot to harvest information through fake websites. As these websites are accessed your computer is infected by Trojan viruses that report information back to the Golden Cash Network. These websites perform in zombie mode, gathering information through the use of malware, quite unaware that they are being accesses or used to access other computers. Other computers are infected through a file transfer protocol (FTP), which is sent to legitimate websites allowing these information harvesters access and control of legitimate sites. This allows for even more "zombies" that are simply sitting on legitimate websites and that are waiting to gather information.

According to the Crime Intelligence Report for 2009, over 100,000 legitimate domains, including some corporate, were identified as stolen and used for information harvesting and spamming.

How much did this "service" cost these criminals?
The cost of this service is between $5.00 and $100.00. That's quite an inexpensive "start up" amount for a new business of stealing information. Compromised PC's in western countries are more expensive.

The malware is then "recycled" and used by other customers allowing criminals to have a "collective" resource to turn to in order to collect your personal, financial and important information.

This network that laid the golden malware on many computers and websites was hosted in Texas, the registrant country is China and the "proxy" or main server that was used to distribute this malicious software was hosted in Russia.

What can be done to protect your computer?
Setting your antivirus controls to high, as well as using ones that detect harmful bots and malware can help. Many of these malicious viruses can be detected as is seen by a report on the Finjan's Malicious Code Research Center blog. Perform regular virus scans and be careful which websites you access. Be aware that links in email messages are the most common form of access to your computer.

For more information:

New malware appears everyday

Bot's Friend or Foe

Technical information on the Golden Cash Network is available on
Finjan's Malicious Code Research Center blog

Terms you should know:
Malware is actually a combination of terms, malicious and software. Malware is software that is specifically designed to cause harm to your computer systems. There are different types of malware, which include Trojans, Spyware and Viruses.

Bots: can be a type of malware that allows a hacker to take control of several computers at a time, effectively turning them into "robots" that accept commands from the computer hacker and work to spread bots to more and more computers. This type of computer virus can then be used to spread spam and commit various types of identity theft and other online fraud.

Information on the Golden Cash Network was originally posted on
CNET News

Posted by Lisa Carey at 12:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ten steps everyone should know to protect themselves from identity theft, credit card fraud, medical identity theft and additional crimes after their wallet or purse is stolen.

It's so easy. You left your purse in the cart turn your back to pick up carrots and your purse is gone. Or maybe your neighborhood is experiencing an increase in thefts from parked cars on the street or even in driveways. Or maybe your purse is stolen like my mother in laws was, with a hand that reached inside her car through the open window while sitting a red traffic signal and running. Whatever the reason, your purse is gone and with it your identity could be next.

What do you do now?

1. Contact your local police department and file a report.
2. Look around the immediate area, usually a purse snatching is a crime of opportunity and they often take what they can quickly and dump the purse, bag or wallet. Check the ground and near any business dumpsters. You never know what you may recover.
3. Make a list of what was in your purse; be sure to include your cell phone, check book, credit cards, even your membership cards to a local gym club or movie rental store like Blockbuster.
4. Using your list start contacting businesses immediately. The most important thing is to make sure to move quickly and hopefully stop the thief in their tracks.

Among those you should contact and report the theft to include: your bank as both your debit card and your checkbook has now been put at risk. Contact your credit card companies. Call your gym and get a new card and membership identification number. Stop in Blockbuster and make sure that you don't get stuck with unreturned game or movie charges on your credit card after the thieves load up on media that they never return. Contact your school or work not only to obtain replacement identification but also to protect your information, identity and privacy. Even your library card puts you at risk.

5. Get a new Driver's License; "cancel" the old one and hopefully your Social Security number was safe at home. If it was in your purse or wallet, visit the Social Security website to request a new card. Unfortunately you cannot get a new number except under very specific circumstances.
6. Contact your health and car insurance carrier and notify them of the theft and request new information. A health insurance card and Driver's License can get your thief a tummy tuck or breast enhancement all on your dime.
7. Change the locks on your doors and car. Your purse may have contained your main or your backup set of keys. With those keys and your Driver's License the thief will have access to your home and car. Contact the car dealership to see what changes can be made to your car locks.
8. Contact your cell phone company and ask that service is suspended. Trust me you won't enjoy the $400.00 cell phone bill that comes your way as it did for my babysitter. When you get your new phone they can reactivate your old number and SIM card so that you don't have to worry about changes.
9. Contact the three credit reporting agencies, Experian, Equifax, and Trans Union to place a fraud alert on your credit report. You really only need to contact one and the information can be shared. Once placed companies that attempt to obtain your credit information for any reason will be notified of the possibility of fraud.
10. Freeze your credit reports. By freezing your credit report no information can be provided without your permission. You can always remove the freeze. Some states may require a payment to either initiate the credit freeze or to lift it.

It is important to make sure you get all the report information before the officer leaves. This information will be needed at each and every stop along the way to protect you from identity theft, medical and credit card fraud. It can help you with your insurance claims, obtaining new documents and protecting your good name and credit. For now, it may be the most important document you have, in your new purse.

Posted by Lisa Carey at 12:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Finding information about an individual's personal life and wheareabouts used to be next to impossible. Even something as simple as verification of birthdates required a special visit to a government office or a trip to the hospital where the birth occurred. There were few other avenues available, and the necessary work to confirm these records led many to abandon the goal alltogether.

Times have changed and we now have the internet to help find information such as birth records, marriage records, death verifications, etc. Several web services provide this type of information and one that many will find very helpful is Civilrecords.org. This online service provides personal information that can be very beneficial for use in background checks by concerned citizens. Not only can one inquire on marriage status, place of birth, etc., but Civilrecords.org also provides legal background checks. This service informs you if an individual has declared bankruptcy, had a legal judgement against him/her, or has a court record of any kind.

The way Civilrecords.org works is simple. You start by inputting the first and last name of the individual you wish to search, followed by the state of residence. These fields are required and can not be left blank. If you know more information, like the city of residence, the middle initial, and/or the approximate age, these also can be entered and they can help to narrow down the search results. Once you have confirmed the person you are searching for, it is only a matter of confirming that you agree with the terms of service and then selecting a service option, which presently inlcudes an instant records check or a one- year unlimited search pass.

Cindy is concerned that her present boyfriend may already be married. She is also concerned that he isn't financially responsible and may have a summary judgment against him. She has pressed him for answers, but isn't completely sure he is telling the truth. What could he be hiding?

Jim wants to know if a co- worker in his office, Mike, has a criminal past. He has been working with Mike for years, but has some concerns and suspects Mike isn't telling the truth about his personal history. What if there is something criminal in Mike's record?

These are both valid concerns- one from the perspective of an individual citizen and another from the perspective of a business. With Civilrecords.org, a report is generated that utilizes information such as:

 Nationwide and State Criminal Records
 Federal and State Inmate Search
 Over 300 Million Criminal Files
 Address History and Property Records
 Sex Offender Database
 Arrests, Convictions, Misdemeanors, Felonies and DUI's
 Neighbors and Relatives
 Marital Status and Aliases
 Death Index and Date of Birth
 Phone Numbers

Civilrecords.org doesn't offer a free preview report, like some other sites. You can lookup names and locate someone, but you cannot preview an actual report without selecting one of the services and making a purchase. The cost of this service is presently set at $29.95 for an Instant Record Check, but customers can add $9.95 to this price and receive unlimited reports for a full year. There are no hidden charges and you are never billed again.

Civilrecords.org contains over one billion records. It offers unrestricted access to all of your search results; instant lookup and criminal reports; cross database searches; data from both public and private sources; and excellent customer support. The search function is user- friendly and very intuitive.

Finding court records and other personal data for individuals used to take so much time and effort, it often wasn't worth the trouble. But with Civilrecords.org, finding the truth is fast and efficient. It provides answers to many pressing questions without the hassle associated with making special trips to different government agencies.

Posted by Lisa Carey at 11:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sometimes the identity thief isn't just hacked into your computer but is actually hooked into your family circle. Sometimes it's even dear old Dad, or Grandpa. Find out about this father who will be winning no awards this Father's Day.

Every stolen identity isn't stolen by a teen Russian mafia gang, a bored cyber geek or a desperate Pizza Hut cash register employee. Sometimes identity theft happens really close to home. Sometimes the identity thief isn't just hacked into your computer but is actually hooked into your family circle. Sometimes it's even dear old Dad, or Grandpa.

Paul L. Kelly, who was formerly an Eau Claire County, Wisconsin district attorney, is now a convicted felon. Kelly was convicted of 35 out of 43 charges including identity theft, fraud and forgery. These were all charges in which his daughter, Kori Kelly, was the victim. More charges are pending on identity theft crimes against his grandson.

Paul Kelly's Identity Theft Crimes

-Forged a Power of Attorney for his daughter.
-Purchased a $7,500 car in his daughter's name.
-Purchased a $7,200 conversion van in his daughter's name.
-Took out a $128,000 mortgage in his daughter's name.
-Then he filed bankruptcy on his daughter's behalf.

Additional alleged crimes against his grandson, who was eight years old at the time, include using his grandson's social security number on a land loan application. Again, Kelly claimed to have power of attorney for his grandson, however, he claimed that his grandson was a 25 year-old construction worker. Kelly sweetened the fraud by bringing along forged W2 forms and a man posing as his grandson. The loan was ultimately denied because the man accompanying Kelly could never produce a picture I.D..

The number of counts of identity theft, fraud and forgery are so high because Kelly was charged with one count for each and every document forged in his efforts to acquire fraudulent loans.

Paul L. Kelly has a history of shady behavior. After acting as a district attorney from 1965 to 1968 Kelly was disbarred under accusations including:

-unprofessional conduct
-misusing clients funds
-filing false reports
-refusing to cooperate with an investigation

Kelly, who has also worked in private practice, chose to represent himself in these cases although his license was revoked in 1982 and has never been reinstated.

Presiding Barron County Judge James Babbit is ordering a pre-sentencing investigation and describes the Kelly case as "uniquely different."

How common is family identity theft?

According to a study called the "The Aftermath: 2007" by the Identity Theft Resource Center, in cases of child identity theft, over 50% of the time the identity theft crimes were perpetrated by a parent or step parent and another 18% of he cases were perpetrated by another family member. In 52% of the cases of family identity theft the victim claimed that the family member was an addict.

One survey respondent shared her desperation and frustration following being a victim of family identity theft:
"ID theft nearly ruined my life. The police will do nothing because he was my husband. I am still reeling from the financial losses. I lost my house, my savings and those of my children, good credit record, and my marriage. He should be in jail but no one does anything as he continues to approach others to victimize them!"

Victims of identity theft face many obstacles and emotions but when identity theft is committed by a family member, victims face additional hardships such as torn family relationships, lack of support for filing charges by all family members and family members who urge the victim to drop charges.

The Identity Theft Resource Center survey and the case of identity theft by former district attorney, father and grandfather, Paul L. Kelly reminds us that often we need to protect ourselves not just in the forest but in the family tree as well.

Posted by Lisa Carey at 01:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The latest and greatest round of ATM fraud in the United States and abroad. Find out how ATM fraud happens and what you can do to about it.

My use of my credit card was usually limited to online purchases until I learned that most gas stations were placing a "hold" of up to $75.00 on my debit card, which is tied to my checking account whenever I purchased gas. Now, I don't know about you, but I do not like my money being held hostage, especially after the transaction has been completed and I have driven away until whenever that particular gas stations accounting system releases their holds. Leaving my children in the car (or heaven forbid taking them in) while I go pay in advance to avoid the hold was not an option either so I started using my credit card. I felt that using my credit card for gas purchases was safer, my children were not alone, and I didn't need a receipt that could be accidently left for the next driver giving away important financial information. As long as I paid the bill off each month I was being responsible with my information as well as my finances.

But the new and improved methods for stealing your credit and debit just keep coming, and the most recent one involves ATM/Credit/Debit Machine fraud. In 2003 reports regarding ATM fraud included the use of telescopic cameras, card skimming devices that record from the card's magnetic strip. Quite possible the most notable ATM fraud in recent years includes real ATM machines where people made legitimate withdrawals never knowing that their ATM card information was being stolen and recorded. Over 21,000 accounts in Florida, California and New York were compromised using this fake ATM machines.

The latest round of ATM fraud in the United States involves credit and debit card use at the pumps. As people just like me use their credit card to avoid charges and pay at the pump because of children in the car, technology in the form of malware and skimmers are being used to collect and record ATM information to be used for fraud and identity theft. In Fresno, California deputies are warning of "skimmers" that are being installed both inside and outside ATM machines in order to collect credit card numbers, and then that information is used to make fraudulent purchases.

ATM fraud isn't just happening at the gas pump, or even just in the United States. Australia has had its share of instances of ATM fraud. On June 4th 2009, the WA News for Perth, Australia reports an investigation into ATM machines that were "compromised" during the period of February to June. Two suspects are currently under investigation.

In Eastern Europe malware programs have been discovered in use to steal credit card information from ATM's. According to security vendor Trustwave the malware is, " installed on ATMs running Microsoft's Windows XP operating system that records sensitive card details." This software can be used to collect credit card data from the back of the card as well as PIN (personal identification number), software is then used to encrypt the data and printed out on the ATM's own printer. "The malware contains advanced management functionality allowing the attacker to fully control the compromised ATM through a customized user interface built into the malware," Trustwave wrote.

What are some ways to avoid ATM fraud?
Deputies in Fresno, California suggest the following to keep your credit card information safe:
-go inside the store to make your purchases whenever possible
-get a receipt
-carefully check your statements each month
-if you discover a pump that appears unusual report it to the attendant
-report any discrepancies or oddities at ATM's to the authorities, don't count on the attendant to do it.

Posted by Lisa Carey at 12:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

It has been a very busy week for identity thieves as well as for the laws used to protect us from them.

Verizon Customers Beware of Emails Bearing Account Information News
Verizon Wireless customers may have recently received a phishing email scam message: that is one of two. However, both yield the same results, that of releasing your information to an unknown person. Verizon however, seems to be on top of the problem and has listed on their website Verizon Announcement, https://www.verizon.net/central/vzc.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=vzc_help_announcement&id=phishing_09_05 a copy of the email message you may receive as well as several different variations of it. The all yield the same result, releasing your:

* Username:
* Password:
* Date of Birth:
* Country or Territory:

Another version of the current Verizon Phishing scam simply provides a link to a site that you sign into, Of course that means you have now giving these thieves all they need to know about your Verizon account. Not only does this provide information to important account information but can also lead to Cell Phone Tapping: The Scary Truth about this Techno Crime.

Verizon customers, Report and delete this message.

Follow Up to Supreme Court Takes another Look at Federal Identity Theft Law
Just a few weeks ago we brought you information on a pending Supreme Court case regarding immigrants with illegal status and identity theft penalties. At that time, the Supreme Court was reviewing the law which permitted extending sentences to those who used fake identities to obtain employment, often with social security numbers that were not simply fake, they were someone else's.

The Law under Review:
The law is intended to punish identity thieves committing financial fraud has been used or threatened in immigration prosecutions in cases where the social security numbers used turn out to be actual social security numbers with owners.

Justice John Paul Stevens, just one of the justices concerned about the interpretation of the law by the government, said, "There's a basic problem here." He added, "You get an extra two years if it just so happens that the number you picked out of the air belonged to somebody else."

The federal government was not only adding additional time to sentences for immigrants using identities that were stolen, but also using these convictions as a means for deportation. The question is should someone who unknowingly uses a fake identity that in the end belongs to someone else be given harsher punishments than someone who simply uses a fake identity? Immigrants have no way of knowing that these identities that they purchase belong to someone else.

The Supreme Court agrees with defense attorneys that argue that there must be proof that the person charged with a crime (defendant) knew the social security number actually belonged to another person, in order to receive harsher penalties. They decided that if "a person is arrested for the federal crime of aggravated identity theft for possessing or using a fake social security card, the government must prove that the defendant knew the social security number belonged to another person."

As a result, if there is no proof that the thief was aware that the identity belongs to someone else, the punishment is less harsh. For example, if Uncle Joe applies for a credit card or job using your or your child's social security number that you gave him to set up a so called guardian account then his penalty would be more severe than someone who is simply using what they thought was a randomly generated Social Security number. After all he knew he was "borrowing" a current Social Security Number.

As identity theft and fraud becomes an ever increasing concern it is good to see that both companies and the law are making efforts to keep up with the increases in and new methods of phishing scams and financial frauds that take place daily with protection and punishment.

Posted by Lisa Carey at 02:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Do you use a GPS system? Have you activated it on your cell phone in case of emergencies? Maybe you use OnStar or other navigation systems for your car. Well, guess what, the police are using GPS too, and the next time they use it, it could be on you.

In May, 2009, a Wisconsin man experienced a violation of privacy that should concern anyone who has a basic level of respect for the U.S. Constitution. Judge Paul Lundsten, a District 4 Court of Appeals judge, ruled that Madison Police did not violate the U.S. Constitution's protection against unreasonable searches and seizures when they secretly attached a GPS system to Michael Sveum's car then retrieved it several days later, downloaded the information, and investigated the car's whereabouts. Sveum argued that this action was a violation of the Fourth Amendment but Judge Lundsten felt otherwise. He even ruled that actions like this could take place without a search warrant.

As expected, this action has raised many concerns about privacy rights and the overreaching arm of the law. Lundsten concluded that tracking someone's movements via GPS is no different from visual surveillance, which is a legal. It was also legal, according to Lundsten, for the police to secretly attach the GPS to Sveum's vehicle because they attached it to his car while it was parked in the driveway. A driveway is considered a public place, and therefore no violation of privacy had occurred.

Rulings like this raise many important questions about constitutional rights, the public safety, and how much power police should be granted in order to fulfill their duties. Should the police be given the power to spy on others without a warrant? Some would argue that law enforement already has the right to watch whomever they choose. However, does that mean we, as a society, should allow police the ability to secretly attach tracking devices to our vehicles? If this is legal, then what will come next? Civil rights activists worry that this is only the beginning because once we allow law enforcement the right to attach tracking devices to our vehicles, it is only a matter of time until they try to track us in other ways, including through the internet, on our person, and ultimately, inside our own homes.

Many worry that civil liberties and the right to privacy are going by the wayside and some fear that the United States Constitution is becoming a document of wishful thoughts rather than the supreme law that the Founding Fathers intended. Almost daily, we hear about the loss of rights we once took for granted, usually under the pretense of "safety", "public interest", or some other dubious claim.

There is another side to this issue, of course. Public safety, some will argue, is enhanced when we allow actions like this to take place. If we permit law enforcement to track the whereabouts of potentially dangerous criminals, then policemen might be able to prevent a serious crime from taking place. Warrants can take time to obtain and during the waiting period, a crime might take place that otherwise could have been prevented. Constitutionalists respond strongly to this way of thinking, pointing out that the basic rights of individuals should never be compromised for the gain of temporary safety. Corrupt law enforcement can create a phony safety concern, if necessary, and use it to violate individual rights. This concern isn't as far- fetched as it sounds and in many parts of the world, law enforcement and governing bodies have already used the premise of safety to justify erosion of basic rights. It has happened in other countries and it can happen in the United States, too.

Wanting to protect the public at large from dangerous criminals is one thing, but what if doing so involves surveillance and other violations of privacy? Where do we draw the line between public interest and the U.S. Constitution? Today, the issue involves a GPS, but it could be something far more serious tomorrow.

What do you think?

Posted by Lisa Carey at 11:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)