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<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<> Internet Scambusters (tm) The #1 Publication on Internet Fraud http://www.scambusters.org By Scambusters Audri, Jim, Floyd and Pete Issue #283 May 14, 2008 <>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<>~<> Note 1: Easily change your subscription information by clicking the link at the very bottom of this newsletter. Note 2: Please share this newsletter with 3 or 4 of your friends or colleagues who you think will benefit from it. Hi Scamdex, Today we have two Snippets for you: - Credit Card Liability: What's in Your Wallet? - To Catch an ID Thief, One Victim Did It Herself The first Snippet explains what you need to know about your liability if your credit card, debit card or ATM card is stolen or lost. Understanding what you need to do -- and when -- is important. The second story is truly outrageous, and shows (among other things) why new laws are needed to deal with identity thieves. Before we get started, why don't you take a look at this week's issue of Scamlines -- What's New in Scams? -- here. http://www.scambusters.org/scamlines/8.html Next, we suggest you visit last week's most popular articles from our other websites: Children Need to Be Protected From Identity Theft Too http://www.identitytheftfixes.com/has_your_child_been_the_victim_of_identity_theft.html Photo Gifts: Simple and Fabulous http://www.photosharingnuggets.com/2008/03/photo-gifts-simple-and-fabulous.html What You Need to Know About Lawn Care Services http://www.consumersavvytips.org/are_lawn_care_services_worth_the_price.html These 4 Graduation Gifts Aim to Please http://www.wowgiftideas.com/4_great_graduation_gifts_for_2008.html Time to get going... <>~<>~<><>~<>~<><>~<>~<><>~<>~<><>~<>~<><>~<>~<><>~<>~<><>~<> Credit Card Liability: What's in Your Wallet? <>~<>~<><>~<>~<><>~<>~<><>~<>~<><>~<>~<><>~<>~<><>~<>~<><>~<> Most of you know that if your credit card is ever lost or stolen, you're only liable for up to $50 in fraudulent charges. But did you also know that you could be liable for LESS money, under certain circumstances? And did you know that this liability law does NOT apply to debit cards? According to the Federal Trade Commission, The Fair Credit Billing Act guarantees that... "your maximum liability under federal law for unauthorized use of your credit card is $50." But, if you report the loss of your credit card BEFORE fraudulent charges are made, you cannot be held responsible for ANY of those charges -- in other words, you owe nothing. Here's another fact most people don't know: "Also, if the loss involves your credit card number, but not the card itself, you have no liability for unauthorized use." http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/atmcard.shtm Plus, if you're a good customer, your credit card company will often waive the $50 liability. That's the good news. Now here's the bad news. If your DEBIT card is lost or stolen, your liability is just $50, but ONLY if you report the loss/theft within two days after you realize your card is missing. And, if you neglect to notify your bank that your debit card has "gone missing" within 60 days after your bank statement containing the unauthorized use is mailed to you, you could lose EVERYTHING in your checking and overdraft accounts. Also, even if you're not ultimately responsible for the debit card losses, if the theft results in your checking account being emptied out and that causes your checks to bounce, you may still be liable for the fees. To protect yourself against fraudulent charges on your debit card, contact your financial institution to learn about their liability policies. A few debit card issuers offer better protection than the federal government. For example, some debit card issuers offer consumers "zero liability" in cases of fraud, theft or unauthorized usage, as long as the cardholder reports the problem within two business days after discovery. And, if it takes longer than two days, these cardholders are only liable for a maximum of $50 in charges. To paraphrase a popular TV commercial, it pays to know "what's in your wallet." <>~<>~<><>~<>~<><>~<>~<><>~<>~<><>~<>~<><>~<>~<><>~<> To Catch an ID Thief, One Victim Did It Herself <>~<>~<><>~<>~<><>~<>~<><>~<>~<><>~<>~<><>~<>~<><>~<> The following true story is about how an identity thief named Maria Nelson stole the identity of Karen Lodrick of San Francisco -- and then was apprehended by Karen Lodrick. Important: We do NOT recommend trying to catch an identity thief yourself -- in the unlikely event that you ever spot one. Here's what happened... In November 2006, Maria Nelson obtained a master key to the mailboxes in Karen Lodrick's building, and stole several letters. One bank statement included Karen's Social Security number, and another letter contained the PIN numbers for Karen's credit/debit cards. (NOTE: It's common for identity thieves to acquire personal and financial information by stealing victims' mail. It's uncommon, however, for thieves to obtain mailbox keys.) Although Karen's bank informed her of suspicious activity on her account, it then gave her the runaround, making her come in three times over the course of several months to review photos of Nelson using her debit cards at their ATMs. Each time Karen reviewed photos, she dealt with different bank employees -- all of whom denied that she'd ever scanned the security photos before. About six months after the theft, Karen was waiting in a Starbucks when she saw something she recognized -- the coat of the woman she'd seen in all of those bank security photos. Ironically, Karen was in the coffee shop waiting for her bank branch to open. The branch had called Karen the previous day to inform her that she'd left her driver's license there (in reality, a clever forgery most likely left by Nelson), and apparently, she and the identity thief were both preparing to retrieve it. Upon recognizing Nelson, Karen took matters into her own hands. After calling 911 to let them know what was happening, she followed Nelson all over town. Karen's hot pursuit eventually unnerved Nelson enough that she hailed a cab, but Karen talked the cabbie into refusing to give Nelson a ride. Karen tried to get Nelson to stay with her until police arrived, but Nelson said she couldn't -- she was already on probation! The chase continued, and at one point Nelson tossed away a wallet. When Karen retrieved it, she found it was full of credit cards, debit cards and a Social Security card -- all in her name. The chase finally ended after 45 minutes in a dark parking garage. Still on the phone with the 911 operator, Karen asked for police backup. When he arrived, the officer found Nelson crouching behind a car, smoking a cigarette. Nelson evenually "pleaded guilty to one felony count of using another person's identification fraudulently," reports SFGate.com, and was sentenced to the 44 days she'd already served in county jail and three years' probation. "Nelson also was ordered to make restitution in an amount to be determined by the court and to stay away from Lodrick. "Lodrick, who made a statement at sentencing, was dissatisfied. 'I can't believe it,' she said. 'I went through six months of hell, and she's going to get probation? She was on probation when she victimized me. Obviously, probation's not helping.'" You can read the entire story here. http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/06/15/MNG77QG0G11.DTL Conclusion: We're sharing this story with you because it illustrates many different points, including how difficult it can be to work with banks and other financial institutions if your identity is ever stolen, and how new laws are desperately needed to deal with identity thieves. To find out more about preventing, recognizing and recovering from identity theft, visit the Scambusters Identity Theft Information Center. http://www.scambusters.org/identitytheft.html That's a wrap for this issue. Wishing you a great week! - Please Check Out These Offers - They Keep Scambusters Free - - - - - - We Highly Recommend All of These Products - - - - - ----------==========**********O**********==========---------- "Exclusive Car Buying Guide Exposes Insider Secrets and Turns Auto Sales Industry Upside Down... Saving You Up To $5,000 On Your New Or Used Car!" How you can pay less for your new or used car and avoid the typical car buying blunders almost everyone makes: ex-dealership manager tells all... Peter Humleker, the ex-general manager of a popular new car dealership, exposes the best-kept "insider secrets" on how to outsmart any car salesman and stop him from shamelessly siphoning money out of your pockets... In fact, he can help you become a shrewd car-buying expert in just a couple of hours! Here's what two readers have to say about Peter's book: "Greetings, Peter. Well, I went over your ebook and bought a Nissan Altima 3.5 SL for $250 under invoice. And the dealer's invoice was less than the other figures I saw on the Internet... Please accept my heartfelt thanks for your publication. It saved me thousands of my after tax dollars." -- Walter G. Aiello, Ph.D., Manager, Network and Information Services, Duke University Medical Center ... "I was a former Finance Manager in the car business and got your book mostly out of curiosity. I was pretty surprised when I read your section on the Finance Department! You certainly didn't hold anything back. "You exposed every scam in existence plus some I never even knew about. Everyone who reads your book is going to thank you for saving them a lot of money. -- Jerry Goettig, Former Finance Manager, Southern California This is a great time to buy a car or truck -- but only if you know the truth about how NOT to get taken and how to get a great deal. Visit now for details: http://scambusters.org/a/cartips.html ----------==========**********O**********==========---------- ----------==========**********O**********==========---------- Are Credit Problems Driving You Crazy? One of the biggest causes of stress and unhappiness in most people's lives is money -- especially when your debt keeps rising and the bills never stop. In no time flat, you can be buried in extra debt just from credit card interest charges and service fees alone! But no matter how deeply in debt you are, there still is hope. An amazing, eye-opening ebook now reveals everything you need to know to protect, improve and restore your credit -- without lawyers, bankruptcy or costly "credit repair" services. Discover the full story now at: http://scambusters.org/a/credit.html ----------==========**********O**********==========---------- ----------==========**********O**********==========---------- Small Business Owners: Exactly What You Need to Know to Succeed in Any Economy Worried about high gas prices and how deeply they'll affect your profits? Got a plan in place in case the economy heads south? Want a foolproof way to boost sales without boosting costs, no matter what the economy is like? Discover how a handful of savvy small business owners are banking big profits by doing what you're not -- even when the economy is down. Get the full story at: http://scambusters.org/a/rich.html ----------==========**********O**********==========---------- ===== About Internet Scambusters - Administrivia Copyright (c) Audri and Jim Lanford. All rights reserved. To subscribe, visit: http://www.scambusters.org/ To remove yourself or change address options visit: http://www.aweber.com/z/r/?TAwMjEyctMzsDKyMjAystEa0zMws7OyMDA== (you might have to copy and paste it into your browser) This will take you off the Scambusters list. To send us feedback, do NOT click 'Reply.' Instead, please use our Feedback Form located at: http://www.scambusters.org/feedback.html The information we have on file is: Your name: Scamdex Your email: mark@scamdex.com Please do not send vacation notices or other autoresponders to us. This may take you off the Scambusters list. Scambusters is a public service from Jim and Audri Lanford. Since Scambusters is a public service and we receive thousands of emails, we cannot answer individual emails. 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