The whole purpose of this email is to get your PII.

Danger: NEVER give your drivers license and/or passport

Notice: no unsubscribe link

LakeExpo.com

CAMDENTON, Mo. — With the number of victims of identity theft continuing to increase, the laws regarding document destruction are becoming more and more stringent; the liability and legal requirements involved are a lot greater than some businesses may be aware of.

Lake Area Industries, a local organization dedicated to offering the developmentally disabled meaningful employment, offers a document-shredding service to helps local businesses protect themselves and their clients from identify theft. LAI points out identity theft often occurs simply by the collection of papers containing sensitive information that are thrown in the trash rather than shredded.

Through an ongoing pick up contract with LAI, businesses are provided with a secured bin to dispose of sensitive documents and are able to arrange pick up times that best meet their needs.

Since 1983, Lake Area Industries, Inc. has been providing meaningful employment for individuals with disabilities, providing them daily challenges and support to reach their greatest potential. LAI also partners with and supports other non-profit organizations, in an effort to help others in the Lake Area.To learn more about Lake Area Industries contact 573-346-7934 or find them on Facebook.

Better Business Bureau advises filing tax returns early to lessen chances of ID theft
Better Business Bureau
POSTED: 01/27/2016 08:06:33 AM MST

Better Business Bureau Serving Northern Colorado and Wyoming is encouraging taxpayers to file early this tax season to protect themselves from income tax fraud, now the most common form of identity theft reported to the Federal Trade Commission in the last five years.

Most victims are unaware their identity has been stolen until they file their return and discover that a return already has been filed using their Social Security Number. In some cases, the IRS may send the victim a letter informing the victim that it has identified a suspicious return using their SSN.

Signs that you are an income tax theft victim include:

– More than one tax return filed using your SSN.

– You owe additional tax, refund offset or have had collection actions taken against you for a year you did not file a tax return.

– IRS records indicate you received wages or other income from an employer for whom you did not work.

How can you prevent becoming a victim of tax identity fraud? Your BBB offers these tips:

File now if you can– This is not always possible for everyone, because many are waiting for their W2 paperwork; however, the sooner you file the better.

Use a business you trust– Check out tax professionals at bbb.org before making an appointment for the first time.

File electronically– If a refund is due, you can get your refund in less than a month by filing electronically and requesting that your refund be deposited directly into your account.

Use ID theft prevention measures– Do not carry your Social Security card and don’t provide the number to a business or organization just because they ask for it. In addition, don’t carry your Medicare card unless you’re going to a doctor for the first time.

Check your credit report– Request your free credit report at annualcreditreport.com or by calling 877-322-8228. You will be asked for your Social Security number and date of birth for authentication purposes.

If your Social Security number is compromised and you know or suspect you are a victim of tax-related identity theft, the IRS recommends:

– Responding immediately to any IRS notice; call the number provided or, if instructed, go to IDVerify.irs.gov.

– Completing IRS Form 14039, Identity Theft Affidavit, if your return is rejected because of a duplicate filing under your SSN or you are instructed to do so. Use a fillable form at IRS.gov, then attach the form to your return and mail according to instructions.

– Continuing to pay your taxes and file your tax return until the problem is resolved.

For more consumer tips and information, go to bbb.org.

If you ever find yourself the victim of identity theft I have good news and bad news. The good news is that since this type of fraud is happening more and more often, the process of putting things back together has improved a little. Can you imagine what it was like to prove someone had stolen your identity and try to clear your name back when it was still relatively unheard of? The bad news is that even though it may be a little easier today to reestablish your good financial name, it can still be a huge hassle. In this article I will give you some tips of the steps you need to take to get your records and credit cleared up. One of the best things you can do to get things cleared up as soon as possible is to act quickly. The second most important thing is to keep careful records. Document everything: everyone you speak to about this issue as well as dates and times of the conversations, keep copies of any letters you send or receive during this "clean up" process. Other than those tips, here are the specific things you should do: 1. No matter what has alerted you to a problem, as soon as you see something is wrong immediately contact all three credit bureaus: Trans Union, Experian and Equifax. Make sure they understand that your information has been compromised, explain in detail what has happened and request a fraud alert is placed on your reports. This fraud alert should make it impossible for anyone to open up a line of credit using your information. Ask how long this fraud alert will stay in effect. It may only be for a few months but you may be able to have the time frame extended beyond that point. 2. If any of your existing credit cards are lost you should also contact all your credit card companies and let them know what has happened. They will probably cancel all your cards and reissue new ones to you. 3. Contact your bank to see what, if any, steps they think you should take. Opening a bank account in your name or even having someone add themselves to your account and then cleaning you out are very real scenarios. Your bank should be able to tell you what you, or they, can do and what safeguards can be put in place to protect your existing accounts. 4. And last, but definitely not least, contact your local police department and file a report. This can help out later when you are trying to put things back together again. It may also be important if the thief is ever caught. The bottom line is this: do everything you can do to prevent yourself from becoming a victim in the first place. And if you ever find that despite your best efforts someone has succeeded in stealing your identity be willing to take the time to get it sorted out. Never be afraid to ask questions, get the names and titles of the people you are dealing with and make a timeline. Keep all records and stay calm. This too shall pass. These tips can make it easier to get everything back to normal if you ever become the victim of identity theft. Richard Moyer is the Owner of http://WebcastSource.com. Check us out anytime for marketing tips and a free subscription to our cutting edge newsletter.

If you find yourself asking the question "identity stolen what to do?" then this article can help. I will go over some of the basic things you should do to minimize the impact of a stolen identity on your financial life. I will also go over some simple things you can do to spot the identity theft as early as possible. The sooner the theft is detected the more you can do to keep the damage to a minimum. So, here are the steps to take that will allow you to spot trouble right away: 1. You are legally allowed one free credit report from each of the three credit bureaus once a year. If you spread out when you get the report to one from one bureau every 3 months or so, you can spread it out for a year. This is a great tactic and will enable you to keep an eye on your reports all year long. Remember though that not all reports will have the same information. If you spot anything that doesn’t look right contact that particular bureau as soon as possible. This could very well be the first sign that someone has stolen your identity. 2. If you have some credit cards that are getting close to expiring but you haven’t received your new ones yet, this could be a sign that someone has stolen the new cards. It’s not uncommon for them to take them right out of your mailbox. If this happens contact the credit card company immediately. Also carefully read over all your credit card statements every month. If you see any unusual transactions contact the company right away. 3. If you receive a letter from the post office read it. Don’t ignore it. The post office will contact you at the address they have for you to notify you that someone has requested a change of address. This is a common ploy used by thieves: they will simply redirect your mail to themselves so they can search through your mail at their leisure. If you spot any of these issues it’s a good bet someone has stolen your identity and is trying to cash in. If that happens, or if your wallet is lost, do the following right away: 1. Contact all 3 credit bureaus and explain what has happened. Tell them you want a fraud report attached to your credit report. That way the thieves can’t open new lines of credit in your name. 2. Next, contact your bank as well as all the companies you have credit with. Tell them what has happened so they can monitor your accounts. Another common tactic is the thieves will add themselves to your account then once they are listed as one of the account holders, they will clean you out. 3. Contact your local police department as well as the FBI. You want to file a report and establish a time line. This will help protect you from the damage the crooks do. These are all just very basic steps, your local law enforcement agency, bank or credit bureau may well have more information for you. Do what they tell you to do. Also, make sure you keep careful and detailed records of every step in the process. Hopefully these tips will answer the question "identity stolen what to do"? Richard Moyer is the Owner of http://WebcastSource.com. Check us out anytime for marketing tips and a free subscription to our cutting edge newsletter.