Updated Articles and Resources

By Jake Stroup, About.com Guide

The Federal Trade Commission Created: Wednesday, October 06, 2010 Updated: Thursday, May 09, 2013
If you are an identity theft victim, you will end up talking with someone in the FTC. But they do more than collect information – they help consumers fight back against identity theft.
Victim Resources Created: Wednesday, May 12, 2010 Updated: Thursday, May 09, 2013
Although not an exhaustive list of agencies, this article will give identity theft victims a launchpad to getting help with identity theft.
Contacting Your State Bar Association Created: Wednesday, April 14, 2010 Updated: Thursday, May 09, 2013
Links for all 50 state bar associations
Tax and Wage Fraud Nearly Half of All Identity Theft Created: Tuesday, April 30, 2013 Updated: Tuesday, April 30, 2013
The Consumer Sentinel Network 2012 Identity Theft report paints a picture of the government itself being under attack by identity thieves.
The IRS Trains Employees They Don't Need Warrants for Your Email Created: Tuesday, April 30, 2013 Updated: Tuesday, April 30, 2013
When I read the headline that the IRS said they didn't need warrants to get my email, I thought it was from The Onion. Imagine my surprise when I realized it was actually from CNet...
The High-Tech Privacy Battle Created: Tuesday, April 30, 2013 Updated: Tuesday, April 30, 2013
The realistic outlook on privacy laws (and privacy in general) is pretty bleak. The changing face of privacy may be something you haven't had to directly confront yet, but it may be only a matter o...
Next Generation Identification Created: Tuesday, April 30, 2013 Updated: Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Obviously as technology advances it will be used by law enforcement to catch bad guys, but privacy-minded organizations are concerned when the FBI ignores legal requests for information.
HIPAA and NY Gun Confiscations Created: Tuesday, April 30, 2013 Updated: Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Alternative press reported a story of New York gun owners being ordered to surrender their weapons, seemingly because they were prescribed medication by their doctor. HIPAA comes up immediately in ...
SNOPA 2013 - A Good Idea Created: Tuesday, April 30, 2013 Updated: Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Some bills that go through Congress just *ought* to get resubmitted. SNOPA (Social Networking Online Privacy Act) is one of my personal favorites.
Some Thoughts on CISPA Created: Tuesday, April 30, 2013 Updated: Tuesday, April 30, 2013
While the political lines don't always polarize, the political debates that surround legislation often glosses over the real issues. What has really been the heart of the debate over CISPA (the Cyb...
Identity Theft: Legal Results May Vary Created: Tuesday, April 30, 2013 Updated: Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Business identity theft continues to challenge banking relationships, causing ripples across the government pond. But cases that don't go to trial don't set precidents...
FCRA Created: Sunday, February 26, 2012 Updated: Saturday, April 27, 2013
The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) gives identity theft victims specific rights when it comes to recovering from identity theft - rights that most businesses still try to take from the victim.
Reporting Identity Theft to the Police Created: Thursday, February 23, 2012 Updated: Saturday, April 27, 2013
Reporting identity theft to the police is the first step in recovering if you are a victim. There are some specific issues you want to be aware of when you are trying to get an identity theft polic...
Schools and Biometric Tracking Created: Monday, November 26, 2012 Updated: Saturday, April 27, 2013
Biometrics have been presented as the answer to identity theft, but the technology brings with it certain privacy issues that have many up-in-arms.
E-mail Privacy Under Fire Created: Friday, November 30, 2012 Updated: Saturday, April 27, 2013
Federal legislation could give police access to your private email even without a warrant.
GPS and Your Privacy Created: Friday, April 06, 2012 Updated: Saturday, April 27, 2013
The US Supreme Courts decision in a recent case involving GPS may have ruled in favor of the defendant, but published opinion gives broad license to law enforcement when it comes to your cell phone.
Banks Against Businesses Created: Thursday, August 11, 2011 Updated: Saturday, April 27, 2013
A closer look at judgments handed down in two major cases, (Experi-Metal v. Comerica and Patco v. Ocean Bank) points to a vast difference between the Red Flags Rule, (a regulation that supposedly f...
Target Marketing Created: Monday, May 21, 2012 Updated: Saturday, April 27, 2013
Shopper "rewards" programs can give you discounts at the checkout, but in the personal information is being collected for target marketing.
The Medical Information Bureau Created: Wednesday, November 30, 2011 Updated: Saturday, April 27, 2013
The Medical Information Bureau (MIB) is often cited as a potential threat of medical identity theft, but this is not precisely accurate.
Identity Protection Created: Thursday, February 25, 2010 Updated: Saturday, April 27, 2013
Many companies make bold claims that they will "protect your identity", or even "prevent identity theft". It's important to know how to evaluate identity theft protection programs to make an inform...
Tax Time Identity Theft – IRS Form 8821 Created: Sunday, March 31, 2013 Updated: Sunday, March 31, 2013
Social security identity theft often shows up around this time of year, in the form of tax fraud. IRS Form 8821 could provide you an early warning in the event someone is trying to file for your ta...
StingRays – Listening to Your Cell Phone Created: Friday, March 29, 2013 Updated: Friday, March 29, 2013
You may think your cell phone conversations are private, but the US Justice Department is arguing quite the opposite. And while the debate is raging, law enforcement officers are using a device ca...
Google Glass and Privacy Created: Thursday, March 28, 2013 Updated: Thursday, March 28, 2013
Google Glass promises to help merge technology seamlessly into our daily lives. Some are concerned that we will lose even more privacy, but an argument could also be made that the new toy could sub...
Drones, WiFi, and Your Privacy Created: Thursday, March 28, 2013 Updated: Thursday, March 28, 2013
EPIC (the Electronic Privacy Information Center) has helped bring to light some interesting information concerning our government's use of drones in the United States.
GPS, Search Warrants and Your Privacy Created: Wednesday, March 27, 2013 Updated: Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Debate continues in American courts about whether or not the 4th amendment applies to GPS information. The short version is that law enforcement does not want to get a search warrant to track you.
License Plate Recognition Systems and Privacy Created: Tuesday, March 26, 2013 Updated: Tuesday, March 26, 2013
License plate recognition (LPR) is back in the spotlight as EPIC releases documents detailing how law enforcement agencies collect and share their information.
Should Consumers Absorb the Cost of a Data Breach? Created: Thursday, February 28, 2013 Updated: Thursday, February 28, 2013
Identity theft and data breaches are in the news everywhere these days. But sometimes I wonder about the conclusions that they reach.
7 Tips from the 2012 Javelin Identity Theft Report Created: Thursday, February 28, 2013 Updated: Thursday, February 28, 2013
Javelin's 2012 Identity Theft Report includes 7 tips for consumers to help protect themselves from identity theft.
Javelin Identity Theft Report a Mixed Bag of News Created: Thursday, February 28, 2013 Updated: Thursday, February 28, 2013
I always look forward to this report being released - Javelin has been keeping an eye on these numbers for over a decade now.
Cutting Down on Child Identity Theft Created: Thursday, February 28, 2013 Updated: Thursday, February 28, 2013
Just because an organization (even a school) asks for your child's social security number does not mean you have to give it out.
Social Security and Illegal Immigration Created: Thursday, February 28, 2013 Updated: Thursday, February 28, 2013
Illegal immigration has a dramatic impact in the realm of social security identity theft, and this problem is all but ignored in political arenas.
Identity Theft and Illegal Immigration Created: Thursday, February 28, 2013 Updated: Thursday, February 28, 2013
Local impact of social security identity theft is often driven by illegal immigration.

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