Go Ahead and Steal My Identity – My Credit Is Bad Anyhow

Someone actually said this to me the other day and I had to sit down and give them a quick and dirty lesson in ID Theft. Although it sounds funny, most people are under the false impression that identity theft is not a problem to those with bad or mediocre credit. Well ladies and gentlemen, I am here to let you know that “This aint Kansas anymore Dorothy”
Instead of giving a boatload of statistics on which types of identity theft are most prevalent, I’ll save that for a more editorial style blog at a later date, I would like to give you a few scenarios that could occur if you take the stand that your mediocre or bad credit keeps you out of the realm of having your identity stolen.
Scenario One: Your credit is horrendous, but you have a decent job with medical benefits for you and your family. This sounds relatively innocuous and serene right? Well, take this scenario and add a little medical identity theft. Now in one case, the thief gets your medical card and goes to a local doctor’s office and gets a prescription filled for oxycontin. Then another and another and another and another at different medical facilities. Now they go out and hit the club with some friends and sell some of them. WOOPS!!! One of those sales was to an undercover police officer. (Extreme case right?) Now they ask where they got them. Hmmmm..don’t all of the prescriptions have YOUR name on them? OK, that was too drastic. Let’s say the thief goes to the emergency room and it is found out that they are diabetic. Well, they get an insulin prescription and low and behold, YOU are now a diabetic. Go to the hospital in any kind of unconscious state and … You guessed it, you’re going to get insulin! Sound drastic? Well it happens.
Scenario Two: Your credit is mediocre but you have a driver’s license. Another relatively mild sounding affair correct? Well your friendly neighborhood thief gets a few speeding tickets and low and behold, YOU are now a scofflaw subject to arrest when stopped for ANYTHING. “Excuse me officer, I didn’t know my tail light was broken…Huh? What do you mean step out of the vehicle?” I make it sound kind of funny but these things happen. One man was jailed for three days because he had an argument with his girlfriend and the police ran his ID and found that he was wanted for possession of a controlled substance, trafficking in narcotics and quite a few speeding tickets. All because someone stole his license and had decided rather than go to jail they’d give someone else up instead. Let’s be for real people, we may not think these things can happen, but they can and will. When it comes to identity theft, it’s not IF it can happen, it’s only a matter of time until WHEN it happens.
I know it’s scary, but the best thing is to be covered. Not just credit, but Social Security, Medical, Driver’s License AND Criminal. The service I market through my business offers all these coverages for less than you can imagine. In addition, it includes access to a SYSTEM of provider law FIRMS…..in case you need an attorney. What more can I say besides, contact me for any additional information you might need.

Be Careful, Be Safe,
William D. Calloway Jr., CITRMS

Just What IS CITRMS?

Recently I was asked a very pertinent question. "What does CITRMS stand for. Well, to put things in perspective, we have to look at the spate of problems that have been occurring with identity theft and the new laws that have been enacted to protect, NO ONE CAN PREVENT IT, and restore our identities in this day and age.
CITRMS, is the designation that one receives as a Certified Identity Theft Risk Management Specialist. C I T R M S. It certifies that the person has undergone a rigorous training with reference to the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act, Fair Credit Reporting Act and the newly issued Red Flag Rules. If you want more information on these I urge you to visit the Federal Trade Commission website here for FACTA and FCRA. Visit here for information on the Red Flag Rules. The Institute of Fraud Risk Management conducts these trainings, which I must say are eye opening, to give professionals a better understanding of what exactly these laws are, and how to best protect our clients, and business associates from being victimized by data breaches such as these just from 2008. Many have been put at a false sense of security by their financial institutions whereby, they are told that any fraudulent charges will be taken care of, well, if you do not report them in 90 days, you may be responsible for THE ENTIRE AMOUNT!! (check with your financial institution to get details) Others have been lulled into a sense of security by advertisements saying “We will prevent identity theft”, that statement is impossible. Identity theft is NOT, I REPEAT NOT, solely financial. Here are some examples of identity theft that have absolutely nothing to do with finances This has been a 17 year nightmare, this is 1 SS#, 17 states and 81 ILLEGALS, how about a 3 MONTH OLD BABY with a work related back injury? I can list many others but the blog will get longer…smile
So my answer to you is this, CITRMS, stands for Certified Identity Theft Risk Management Specialist. Even though it is a mouthful, it can best be said that CITRMS stands for protecting my clients, business and family, with a program that is only offered by my company, and cannot be replicated anywhere else in the marketplace.
Do not be fooled, there are other identity theft companies that tout themselves as being able to prevent ID theft, but I emphatically state they cannot. One service even had it’s CEO become a victim. Mayor Blumberg even became a victim. I say all of this to say that any person in this digital age needs protection, before, during and after an ID Theft event. To add to this, if it happens, you need an attorney. This man sure needs one.
For more information you can email me or just leave a comment below….

Take care and be safe out there,
Mr. William D. Calloway Jr., CITRMS