Identity Theft

In 2009, Identity Theft was the #1 consumer complaint with more than 1.3 million victims. This accounts for 21% of the total complaints.

source: Federal Trade Commission {www.ftc.gov}

Yesterday I received an odd call from someone saying they "...work in the back office of a law firm and needed contact information for my 'Attorney of Record' for a case filed against me for an unpaid loan."

HUH?

He recited my name, home address, and telephone number and advised this was all on record as the person who applied for the loan through "PayDayUSA", a paperless loan company. He even provided me with a Case File number but when I pressed to verify that I was the correct person; he advised he couldn't share any other information with me. There was a significant language barrier too as his accent was thick and I could also hear a great deal of background noise with personal cells ringing, other people talking; it wasn't very professional.

But here's the tricky part: he never asked for personal information other than "my Attorney of Record" contact information. He advised they already have my Social Security Number on file as it was required for the loan.

I advised that if PayDayUSA was paperless, then he should have my e-mail address on file. The address he provided had a questionable domain and I haven't been able to find it Online since the call.

And NO, I never provided him any information at all and was stern in advising that he couldn't validate that he was a verifiable company and not a " Phisher"; and told him that he never provided any information he couldn't easily find on the Internet or in the White Pages. He stayed on the phone surprisingly and said something to effect that he'd write in my file that I was "uncooperative."

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My problem now is that I don't know if:

1) This "back office of a law firm" is simply phishing for information

OR

2) Perhaps someone really did apply for an Online loan using my identity.

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What I did:

1. Immediately I went to the Federal Trade Commission Website to find information on obtaining my free credit reports www.ftc.gov/freereports Did you know that there is only ONE Website that the government authorizes for free credit reports? It's www.annualcreditreport.com . We've probably all seen those Free Credit Report Websites...I'm glad I checked the government Website first to find the authorized site!
2. I'm ashamed to say I've never exercised my right to the free annual report until yesterday. But I pulled 2 of the 3 reports Online {for some reason Equifax must be requested via mail}. After obtaining my Credit Reports, I reviewed my accounts and didn't see any suspicious activity or negative credit items; I also reviewed the credit inquiries as well.
3. I called Equifax and placed a Fraud Alert on my account for an extra add of protection against identity theft. This will remain in place for 90 days and then I'll continue to review my credit to ensure there's nothing suspicious. Did you know you only have to call one of the 3 credit reporting companies {for instance, when I notified Equifax, they automatically alert Experian AND TransUnion for me- yay!}
4. I also called my personal Bank to place additional security measures; I advised them of the call and had to go in-person to make arrangements but it was well worth the trip.
5. If you have other lines of credit open, make sure to alert them and monitor them frequently. I'm personally conservative about opening any line of credit anyway...but for my identity protection, I'll leave it at that!

Make sure to visit the FTC's Website and links on Identity Theft: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/consumers/index.html Their mantra is to- Deter Detect Defend I've visited the site years before and regularly practice the methods to minimize my risk of identity theft...and apparently it's still an issue I have to deal with.

From my personal assessment "The Morning After", I believe this to have been a Phishing Phone Call. I specifically asked to speak with a supervisor in the firm and was advised that they would call me back; it hasn't happened yet... My credit history remains the same and I also didn't see any suspicious credit inquiries on my reports, nor did I see any odd activity with my personal Bank.

So for now, I'm thankful for conservative financial practices, shredding documents {especiallly after taxes & ridding of obsolete docs}, a watchful eye, and financial institutions who add alerts additional forms of protection and free credit reports!

If you have any additional tips, please feel free to add.

Next Room to Furnish

YAY- thankfully I'm receiving a refund this year! With a new dependent, plus job loss last year, I was pleased when I completed my return, but then realized, "Wait, that's MY money anyway!" But I digress... {hehe}

I've decided I'll go ahead and fix up the back deck as it's been neglected for almost 3 years. It'd be nice to have furniture out there...for Baby M to eventually destroy of course.

The original back deck, boring, naked, and needing some personality- 3 years ago.

The back deck today: not much different as it's still boring, naked, and needing personality. At least I installed some wrought iron flower planters on the rails. {well also I've had 4 trees removed for safety, but you can't really tell much from the dense forest that is my backyard}

So, where to start?

I was really impressed with Home Depot's Martha Stewart line. I first saw these outdoor sets in-store and the cushions are very comfortable, the metal structures seemed sound, and I was happy that they offered free shipping for purchasing Online.

Martha Stewart Fireside Set {$500}

Martha Stewart Chat Set {$400}

And then I searched for Walmart's offerings. They have a Better Homes and Gardens line which looks better aesthetically, but I honestly couldn't tell the quality difference in-person.

Seaside Garden 6-piece set {$474}

Sand Dune 4-piece set {$250}
Rattan 5-piece set {$218}

International Caravan 4-piece Settee Set {$318}

If it were purely by price, I'd choose one of the WalMart offerings BUT I'd like to select something with both quality and a good price. {oh and after reading reviews, many of the WalMart sets use the plastic bands for seating rather than keeping everything the same metal material-BOO!} Target has a great Smith & Hawken line, but their prices are actually quite a bit more than Home Depot's.

Deck Challenges:

• I need to invest in easy-to-keep furniture...or really no-maintenance furniture. Teak would be pretty, but I'm thinking metal for easy spray down
• I have a small toddling child who will indeed enjoy moving everything around. So I'd prefer furniture of substantial weight {to discourage rearranging} and am maybe thinking Wrought Iron but this could change
• Speaking of my small toddling child, it might be nice to keep the adult furniture somewhat small to midsized so Baby M can have some room to play on the back deck too
• With the constant fall of neon dust {pollen}, I'll need to budget for outdoor cushion storage {plus this will preserve the cushions longer}

What do YOU think? Tips or Suggestions? Recommendations?

Ho Ho Ho Green Giant

The Green Giant sells us packaged frozen vegetables, telling us this is a fresh, healthy way to fill our nutritional needs for an often unappreciated food group. General Mills even commercializes the brand in a way to caricaturize an actual vegetable, appealing to both children and mothers alike. The Giant is tall, strong, and healthy because he's eating his fill of veggies...the Green Giant brand. When in reality, it's vegetables that are processed from their original form losing nutritional value for the sake of convenience. It's not that they're entirely bad for you, but Green Giant doesn't necessarily disclose the negative aspect of joining Team Green.

Again, overall the Jolly Green Giant is for good...it's just that FRESH would be best.

I'm convinced that's what the IRS is...a Jolly Green Giant. Overall, their primary purpose is to collect tax payers dollars (our income) and infuse these monies into government spending to pay for things we all commonly use. However, they try to mask under this charade of a good, healthy form but nonetheless they're a green money-grubbing government institution that hides the fact that incomes are taxed in great disparity AND are often wasted through the inefficiencies of our bureaucratic system.

So this year, did you see any GREEN or did the Jolly Giant take you by surprise?

Render unto Caesar

Tomorrow is TAX DAY

(insert Jaws theme music)

How late did you wait?

After much delay, I stayed up until 4am Saturday night/Sunday morning getting those silly Tax Forms completed and filed. I must put in a plug for Turbo Tax, which insanely made my preparation easier:

It's always a relief after they're filed!

TAXES: yet another reason why even those who "don't care about politics" should take an interest in this voting year!

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"Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." Matthew 22:21