A Quick Look at How Identity Theft Protection Services Work to Protect Your Identity from Being Hijacked

With more and more major retailers being hit by hackers and major security flaws on the Internet, it goes without saying that identity theft is becoming more and more of a threat.

This also means that identity theft protection services are getting rather busy with singing people up for their services. But are identity theft protection services worth it? Let's begin by taking a look at what they offer.

How Identity Theft Protection Services Actually Protect You

The truth is, they can't actually protect you from getting your identity stolen. That's not how they work. They do not take preemptive measures to protect you from having your identity stolen. Full stop.

So here's a quick breakdown of what the do:

They Monitor your credit report: When identity thieves steal your personal information, they are generally doing it so they can either use your credit cards or open new credit cards or loans in your name. Any of that activity will show up on your credit report. If any activity looks suspicious, identity theft protection services will alert you immediately so you can handle the situation.

They Monitor your financials: Unusual activity on your credit report is a good indicator of identity theft, however, some instances of fraud can't be spotted by monitoring your credit report. Most identity theft protection services will monitor your other financials, including credit cards and your bank accounts, as well as search for loan or credit applications that are being filed in your name.

They Monitor your personal information: While monitoring your financials is a good start, there are other areas of your life where clues of identity theft might pop up. The best identity theft protection services will also monitor your social security number to make sure nobody is using it without your knowledge. Some other services will monitor public records and medical records, as well as monitor your driver's license number or look for address changes that you never authorized.

They Provide security software for your computer: Hacking is one of the major ways identity thieves steal personal information. Many of the top identity theft protection services will provide antivirus software for your computer to help safeguard against hacking. The software usually includes features like encrypted logins for banking sites and anti-key logging software.

Most of the top identity theft protection services all do the basic monitoring of your credit report, financials, social security number and public records, so any of the top services will do a good job of protecting you. Some go above and beyond to make sure you aren't a victim of identity theft. Did you know: 50% of the U.S. Adult Population have been hacked--and most of them don’t even know it! If you’re the kind of person that wants to prevent this from happening to you, and really don't want to fork out a monthly premium on identity theft protection services, then learn more on How to Get Identity Theft Protection Without Those Monthly Fees Here!

Cornelius Venturo
PrivacyMaxx Representative

White Collar Crime: Massive Identity Theft Ring STOPPED Bergen County & Philadelphia!

If you were unaware of how real the threat of white collar criminals encroaching on your identity, then this article will enlighten you on law enforcement crackdown on identity theft criminal rings. A task force made up of law enforcement officers in Bergen County and in Philadelphia compiled enough evidence to charge 20 people from New Jersey and Pennsylvania that used stolen IDs to open bank accounts and negotiate fraudulent and counterfeit checks, Bergen County Prosecutor John L. Molinelli said Wednesday.

Nine of the 20 suspects were arrested Tuesday after an investigation that lasted about a year, the prosecutor said.

Small business owners in Bergen County had been complaining to police about being victims of identity theft and fraud. Those complaints prompted authorities to begin looking at the activities of people in the two states.

The arrests were the result of a long-term investigation by members of the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office White Collar Crimes Unit under the direction of Chief Carmen Martino, Molinelli said.

The arrests were made by officers from the prosecutor's office and the Philadelphia Police Department's Major Crimes Unit/Economic Crimes Section under the direction of Captain Roland Lee.

Assisting were officers and agents from the United States Marshal's Fugitive Task Force and the Trenton, East Orange, Fairview, Cranford, Hillside, Evesham Township, Upper Darby, Pa., and Clifton Heights, Pa. police departments.

Last February, investigators arrested Miokar B. Wehye, 42, of Hillside.

The prosecutor said Wehye orchestrated an "elaborate fraudulent scheme to steal in excess of $100,000 from victims' bank accounts."

But that was only the beginning, Molinelli said.

Wehye's arrest "led police to a sophisticated ring of co-conspirators and fraud charges against 20 people in New Jersey and Pennsylvania," Molinelli said.

This week, police arrested nine people in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Arrest warrants were issued for 11 others, who remain at large. See published pictures of all the perpetrators here!

Did you know: 50% of the U.S. Adult Population have been hacked--and most of them don’t even know it! If you’re the kind of person that wants to prevent this from happening to you, then learn more on How to Get Identity Theft Protection Without Those Monthly Fees Here!

Cornelius Venturo
PrivacyMaxx Representative

How to Get Identity Theft Protection Without Those Monthly Fees

Most of us understand the dangers but how to go about stopping identity theft is another matter. Sure we can sign up with one of the credit monitoring companies that have sprung up over the last few years but what do they actually do for their monthly fee and are we supposed to just pay it for the rest of our lives?

Besides, all credit monitoring does is warn you when someone is trying to open a new line of credit in your name. They can't do a thing about the criminal who's online emptying the savings account you spent your life trying to fill.

Neither can they do anything to stop someone applying for a drivers license in your name as Todd Davis the CEO of Lifelock recently found out (at least 20 criminals have used his social security number to illegally obtain a license).

A fraud alert can't stop someone using your good name to get a job and then rob their new employer or use your name for medical insurance scams.

Don't get me wrong, a fraud alert is a useful tool and this identity theft protection product will show you exactly how to set one up in around 2 minutes and 100% free, it's just that they are limited in their effectiveness and are in no way the silver bullet Lifelock claimed they were before a U.S. District Judge told them they were acting illegally by setting them up on behalf of their customers (you can set up your own, just not employ someone to do it for you). Did you know: 50% of the U.S. Adult Population have been hacked--and most of them don’t even know it! Don't let it happen to you. Learn more on How to Get Identity Theft Protection Without Those Monthly Fees Here!

Cornelius Venturo
PrivacyMaxx Representative

Identity Theft Protection Products: Wise Investment Or Waste Of Money?

While reading an article by Nick Clements on Forbes, it dawned on me that aside from downloading an app like BillGuard to lower cost, if you want the highest level of protection for the lowest cost, you might want to consider a service such as PrivacyMaxx. To help you weigh your options before you decide where to go for your identity theft protection, read the full article here.

You will discover that for $9.99 a month, or $83.88 a year if you pay all at once, you receive BillGuard Ultimate. This product, avails all three bureaus for monitoring daily for changes. You will also be given access to a US-based recovery agent to manage the entire process should your identity be compromised. A $1 million insurance policy is available as well. In addition to these protections, BillGuard has a few other innovative services. You can link your credit cards and debit cards to the app and it will monitor all of your transactions. And when you enable the geolocation features on your phone, you will be at the cutting edge of fraud prevention. For instance, when BillGuard sees that you are in New York, but a gas station charge is being attempted in Los Angeles, you would be alerted. And so in answer to the question "Identity Theft Products: Wise Investment Or Waste Of Money?" Well, I'd say they can be a pretty wise investment. However, as you'll probably have read in Nick Clements' article, you can Get Identity Theft Protection Without Those Monthly Fees if you're bold enough to get inside an identity thief's mind to discover what makes them tick. And you're going to be amazed to discover that, first and foremost, identity thieves are incredibly lazy. All they've ever wanted for their detestable existence is an easy life. So without further ado, find out how to deter identity theft for absolutely free for the rest of your life right here!

Cornelius Venturo
PrivacyMaxx Representative

Identity Theft Examples: Culprit Worth $4 Million Steals Credit Card in Parking Lot to Spend on Pizza

If you thought you’d heard it all, wait until you find out how low even the wealthiest people in our community can stoop with this eye-popping identity theft example coming right up. Harrun Majeed, a 14-year Navy veteran working toward a degree at a community college, drove out to the local Publix supermarket to buy his son a birthday cake. When he got home, he realized he had dropped his credit card somewhere along the way, and immediately got on the phone with his bank to report the loss and cancel the card. The bank informed Majeed that his card had already been used to purchase two pizzas from a restaurant in the same shopping center as the Publix, for a total of about $40. Obviously, the card he had dropped in the parking lot had been picked up by somebody who’d instantly splashed out on pizzas in celebration of their good fortune. Majeed called the police as soon as he got off the phone to report the fraud, and the cops drove out to the restaurant to find that, incredibly, the culprit was still there, waiting for the pizzas he had ordered.

You’re going to be amazed to find that the thief in question was Dr. Richard Ludwig, a dentist who

was in town for his son's baseball tournament. Not only did Ludwig have a personal net worth of between three to four million dollars, he had $250 cash in his wallet at the time of his arrest for using someone else's credit card to buy two large pizzas for $40. And what a cheek, he even had the audacity to sign the credit card slip with his own name. I wonder if you’ve realized that, judging from this identity theft example, practically anyone can be an identity thief in the lurking when you least expect it. If you’re the kind of person that wants to prevent identity theft happening to you, then getting some kind of protection is exactly what you’re looking for. Did you know: 50% of the U.S. Adult Population have been hacked--and most of them don’t even know it! Don't let it happen to you. Learn more Here!

Cornelius Venturo
PrivacyMaxx Representative

Identity Theft Examples: Roommate Arrested On Prostitution Charges Turns Out to Be Identity Thief

If you were wondering what identity theft examples there are to convince you that not only is identity theft one of the most widely committed crimes on the planet, it affects millions of people every year in varying degrees of severity, ranging from a few unwanted pizzas on your credit card bill to landing on an international watch list for political assassins. The more elaborate these schemes are, the stranger and more unpredictable the consequences. It makes us want to cancel all our credit cards, forfeit all our licenses and live in a hole in the earth with pillowcases full of cash, perhaps with our only means of survival, boiled tree roots and stale urine.

I’m sure you’re going to agree that living with a roommate is almost always tough. What you save on rent and groceries you may well lose on a little time on your own. Not to mention, the scary fact that there’s another person who has the keys to your house and knows exactly when you sleep. The following identity theft example will undoubtedly send shockwaves through your system.

Brittany Ossenfort thought she was past all that, and with good reason. She and her roommate, Michelle, had met through mutual friends (which is like the center tile of "Please Don't Be a Creepy Murderer" bingo), and became good friends themselves. Sure, Brittany thought it was a bit strange when Michelle started to dress like her, and had her hair dyed and styled to match Brittany's. And when Michelle got a matching tattoo on her hand, yes, a few alarm bells were probably clanging around somewhere in the back of Brittany's mind, sort of like when you get an emoticon-filled picture comment from a stranger on Facebook whose profile image is him cleaning a knife. Still, their friendship and cohabitation continued on undaunted for a year.

That all changed when Brittany Ossenfort got a call at work asking her to bail Brittany Ossenfort out

of jail. Brittany briefly entertained the idea that she might be Timecopping herself, but tossed that out the window when investigators did some actual investigating and discovered that the "Brittany Ossenfort" in custody was actually Michelle, who had been arrested on prostitution charges and had given Brittany's name and information to the police. Even more sleuthing by these crackerjack investigators uncovered the fact that Michelle's real name was Richard Phillips.

Michelle/Richard was a transgender woman who had been living as a woman for as long as Brittany had known her. Unfortunately, even after her identity was cleared up and the police were able to agree that the real Brittany was not, in fact, the person they had arrested, Brittany's name could not be removed from the arrest record. Apparently, once an inmate is booked into a facility, whatever name that person is booked under cannot be changed or amended for any reason, even if they had their identity stolen, or had been Timecopped. Luckily, Brittany has paperwork that she can carry around with her at all times should she ever get stopped by the police. I wonder if you’ve realized how easily your life can change, with your identity assumed by somebody else. If you’re the kind of person that wants to prevent identity theft from happening to you, then beware of what is going on and learn from what has happened to others. Did you know: 50% of the U.S. Adult Population have been hacked--and most of them don’t even know it! Don't let it happen to you. Learn more Here!

Cornelius Venturo
PrivacyMaxx Representative

How to Prevent Identity Theft – Beware of Cunning Perpetrator, Zeus

If you want to know how to prevent identity theft, then it would help to know a little bit about what malicious malware is out there so that you’re aware of some facts about identity theft. In this article, we will take a look at Trojan horse malware package ZeuS (otherwise known as Zbot) that runs on versions of Microsoft Windows. Capable of carrying out many malicious and criminal tasks, it is often used to steal banking information by man-in-the-browser keystroke logging and form grabbing. Also used to install CryptoLocker ransomware, Zeus is spread mainly through drive-by downloads and phishing schemes. The virus was first identified in July 2007 when it was used to steal information from the United States Department of Transportation, and it became more widespread in March 2009. A security company called Prevx discovered in June 2009, that Zeus had compromised over 74,000 FTP accounts on websites ranging from Bank of America, NASA, Monster.com, ABC, Oracle, Play.com, Cisco, Amazon, and BusinessWeek.

As the Zeus malware hides itself using stealth techniques, the more difficult it is to detect. Even with up-to-date antivirus and other security software.  You’re going to be surprised to find that, it is considered the primary reason why the Zeus malware has become the largest botnet on the Internet, with an estimated 3.6 million PCs infected in the USA alone. Some security experts are advising that businesses continue to offer training to users to teach them to refrain from clicking on hostile or suspicious links in emails or Web sites, and to keep antivirus protection up to date. Since antivirus software generally does not claim to reliably prevent infection, it is important that identity theft information is distributed widely on the internet to ensure that consumers have some knowledge on what to look out for. With statements from the likes of Browser Protection saying it can prevent "some infection attempts," it would make perfect sense to be aware of the fundamental basics of how to prevent identity theft.

Announced by the FBI in October 2010, hackers in Eastern Europe had managed to infect computers around the world using Zeus. Distributed in an email, the virus targeted individuals at businesses and municipalities. When the email was opened the Trojan software installed itself on the victims computer, secretly capturing passwords, account numbers, and other data used to log into online banking accounts. It is no-wonder then that the hackers then used this information to take over the bank accounts of their victims and to make unauthorized transfers amounting to thousands of dollars at a time, often routing the funds to other accounts controlled by a network of money mules who are paid hefty commissions to facilitate these illegal transactions. Recruited from overseas, many of the US-based money mules created bank accounts using fake identifications and once the money was in the accounts, they would either wire it back to their bosses in Eastern Europe, or withdraw it in cash to smuggle out of the United States.

Having stolen seventy million US dollars, more than a hundred people were arrested on charges of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and money laundering, comprising over 90 individuals in the US, and the others in the UK and Ukraine.

Arrested in Atlanta, Georgia, USA in 2013, Hamza Bendelladj was said to be the mastermind behind Zeus. Charged with several counts of wire fraud and computer fraud and abuse, he was accused of operating SpyEye botnets—a bot functionally similar to ZeuS. He is said to have developed, marketed and sold various versions of the SpyEye virus and component parts on the Internet, and allowed cybercriminals to customize their purchases to include tailor-made methods of obtaining financial information from their victims. It was also alleged that Bendelladj advertised SpyEye on Internet forums devoted to cyber crime and operated Command and Control servers. If you’re the kind of person that sees sense in knowing how to prevent identity theft, then I’m sure you’ll agree that digging up some useful identity theft information will be exactly what you need to do.

There are six types of Identity Theft:

• New Account Fraud
• Account Takeover Fraud
• Criminal Identity Theft
• Medical Identity Theft
• Identity Cloning
• Commercial Identity Theft

Don't wait till it's too late! Find out more Here!


Cornelius Venturo
PrivacyMaxx Representative