The Identity Theft Quiz

March 6th, 2008

The Identity Theft Quiz

You may think your identity is perfectly safe and that identity and credit card theft could only happen to someone else, but take a few minutes to answer this Identity Theft Quiz, and see how safe your money and identity really is. Each answer is worth between 1 and 5 points, which you can tabulate at the end of the quiz to see how well your identity is truly protected:

1) What is your primary method of disposal for personal finance information?

A) For the most part, I tear the information up, and then dispose of it.
B) I tear some of the information and shred some of it before I dispose of it.
C) I use a cross-cut shredder to destroy my documents every time, before disposing of them.

2) What method do you use for disposal of unsolicited, pre-approved credit card direct mailing information?

A) I simply dispose of them in the garbage can.
B) I always destroy them in some fashion - either I tear them up, or I shred them.
C) I always use a cross-cut paper shredder before I dispose of them.

3) What method do you use to discard other personal information like bank statements, pay stubs, credit card bills, cancelled checks or utility bills?

A) I generally tear the information up and then dispose of it
B) Sometimes I tear the information up, and sometimes I shred it.
C) I always use a cross-cut paper shredder before I dispose of any of these materials.

4) When do you check your credit report by any of the major credit bureaus?

A) I’ve never checked my credit report
B) I have checked my credit card before, but its been over a year
C) In the past year, I have checked my credit report

5) Upon receiving financial statements of any kind (credit card bills, checking accounts, utility bills), do you thoroughly review these statements for any errors?

A) I really don’t review my financial statements regularly at all.
B) I review my financial statements whenever I can get to it, but not monthly.
C) I review my financial statements as soon as I receive them, every month.

6) Where do you get you own personal mail?

A) I use an unlocked mailbox that’s right in front of my house.
B) My mailbox is lockable, but I don’t always lock it.
C) I’ve made sure I have a locked or secure mailbox/PO Box for all my mail

7) What method do you use to send outgoing mail?

A) I always leave my mail in my own, unlocked home mailbox
B) I will either leave it in my own, unlocked mailbox with the flag up, or occasionally drop it off at a secured mail drop box.
C) I only drop my mail in a locked mailbox, or US Mail collection box.

8) Do you ever carry your Social Security card in your purse or wallet?

A) I do carry my Social Security card with me on a regular basis.
B) I don’t always carry my Social Security card, but sometimes I travel with it.
C) I never bring my Social Security card with me. I store it in a safe place.

9) Is your Social Security number included on any personal information you carry with you? (Checks, ID cards, health-insurance or prescription drug cards)

A) I really couldn’t say. I haven’t noticed.
B) My social security number is on several of my ID or insurance cards.
C) No, I don’t have my social security number on anything that can be found on my person.

You can calculate your score using the following key: A=1, B=3, C=5. A score of less than 20 means that you might be at real risk for identity theft. A score of 20-37 means that you have begun taking the right steps but you can still improve. A score of 38-45 means that you are doing the right things to protect your identity. However, you still need to be careful because it only takes one piece of information to end up the wrong hands to result in your identity being stolen

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Identity Theft Prevention Tactics

March 6th, 2008
We’ve all heard the horror stories about identity theft, but is it really likely to happen to you? According to the non-profit Identity Theft Resource Center, everyone has a chance of becoming a victim. You can greatly decrease the risks by following a few simple tactics to make yourself virtually identity theft proof.

It’s just common sense that you shouldn’t carry around your social security card or bank PIN number in your wallet, and that you should lock up or shred any financially sensitive documents like credit card or bank statements. Yet, criminals are still able to gain access to these key pieces of personal identifying information and use them for their own illegal gain. Contrary to popular belief, the majority of identity theft does not start online. It comes from stolen mail, dumpster diving, and lost or stolen wallets.

Armed with your personal information (your name, address, birth date, etc.), the thief can commit check or credit card fraud, and even obtain a loan in your name. When the financial institution checks the personal information against the data at a national credit bureau, it sees no problem. The data the thief provided matches the official records.

Here’s how you can defend against basic identity theft, where the criminal steals your identity and then uses it to open a new credit account for their personal gain. Place an “Initial Fraud Alert” on all three of your credit reports (TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian). This can only be done if you feel your personal information has been compromised. The Initial Fraud Alert requires that lending institutions call you at the phone number listed on your credit report to confirm any new transactions. That should stop a thief from getting money in your name, but unfortunately the Initial Fraud Alert only lasts for 90 days.

Another form of identity theft is credit hijacking. That is when the criminal steals your identity in order to use your existing credit accounts. In order to protect against credit hijacking, many online merchants now use “Address Verification Service.” This security feature only approves credit card transactions for merchandise that is shipped to the same address as your credit card billing address. So far, so good. Until the thief calls up the bank, posing as you, and changes your billing address. An excellent defense against this scam is to establish a personal security code with all your bank accounts and credit cards. This code is a unique group of numbers and letters that you create, and then give to the financial institutions. Now when the thief tries to hijack your credit, the bank will ask for the personal security code, and he’ll be stopped cold. Of course, it’s critical that you keep this code truly secure.

In summary, if you establish an Initial Fraud Alert and a personal security code, you’ll be protected against the most common forms of identity theft. If a thief tries to open a new credit account in your name, the financial institution will call you for approval. And if the criminal tries to hijack your credit by changing your mailing address, the financial institution will ask for your personal security code. Game over.

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Easy Identity Theft Prevention

March 6th, 2008
Chances are you or someone you know have experienced some form of identity theft. The Federal Trade Commission estimates that as many as 9 million Americans have their identities stolen each year. The crime takes many forms. Identity theft may rent an apartment, obtain a credit card, or establish a telephone account in your name. You may not find out about the theft until you review your credit report or a credit card statement and notice charges you didn’t make-or worse yet, until you’re contacted by a debt collector. This article will give you some easy steps you can take right now to help prevent your financial identity from being stolen.

Step #1: Carefully review all your monthly bills. The thief might start small, charging a low value item to your credit card just to see if it will get through. If you identify the invalid charge immediately, and notify your financial institution, further illegal charges will be blocked. But give the thief a month or two, and the charges may run into the thousands, and will be much more difficult to get erased.

Step #2: Shred your personal identifying information. Every time the mail arrives, it probably brings some bill or offer of credit that contains personal information about you. Many people simply toss it in the trash or the recycle box. Some ID theft criminals have made a lucrative career out of “dumpster diving.” They rummage through the trash or recycle containers and pull out the mail with your personal identifying information. Then they piece together enough data to hijack your identity. Be sure to keep an eye out for printed “checks” that seem to arrive with every credit card bill. They deserve a good “shredding;” not only do ID thieves love to get their hands on them, but the high interest rate the credit card companies charge when you use the checks is bad news.

Step #3: Request your credit report. You are entitled to a free copy of your credit report once a year. Take advantage of this opportunity. Not only might you spot a fraudulent account set up in your name by an ID thief, but there may be other inaccurate information in your credit report that you should get deleted. Go to annualcreditreport.com to request a copy of your report from each of the three major credit bureaus. If you space out your requests every few months, you can cover the entire year at no charge.

Step #4: Secure your personal identifying information. This step is so simple, it’s surprising that some people still don’t take it. Do not carry items like your social security card in your wallet. Imagine how happy a thief would be to find not only your credit cards, drivers license, and ATM card in your wallet, but also a list of your PIN numbers and your social security number. Hello, Honolulu! This thief is going on vacation!

Identity theft is serious. While some identity theft victims can resolve their problems quickly, others spend hundreds of dollars and many weeks repairing damage to their good name and credit record. Follow the easy steps listed in this article now, and reduce the chances that you will join the thousands of victims of ID theft..

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Identity Theft Insurance

March 6th, 2008
As a result of increasing levels of identity theft, and identity theft related crimes, many companies are now offering new services to their clients to help protect them should such a thing occur. One of the most effective and useful services being provided is Identity theft insurance.

The way in which it works is, if your personal data or information is stolen, companies that could be affected by this, that you have insurance for, will allow for the insurance itself to cover the monetary costs that the crime could cause. The costs that it will cover includes things such as legal fees for defending yourself should the crime go to court and also the costs of telephone calls reporting the incident to various companies. Not only that, but it can also cover the costs of stamps and materials used to report the incident by post.

If loans, mortgages and finance or credit has been applied for in your name, and rejected, there are occasionally fees involved due to the rejection. Companies very often charge for the letters informing you of the rejected application etc. The identity theft insurance that you take out can cover these fees. It can also cover for any monetary loss in the case of wages where time has had to have been taken off to deal with the identity theft - days taken to report the incident, court appearances etc.

Identity theft insurance is good because although you may think that this crime may not happen to you, whether you are extremely careful with your details or not, it still can happen and the question you need to ask yourself is, would you be able to survive having to pay all of the above things, should it happen? Legal fees, for one, are very expensive and obviously you will want a good attorney to defend your case. Everything costs money, and it is not fair for you to lose out because of a crime committed by someone else, but you do have to pay for the amount of protection that you would need. Obviously, different levels of covered costs differing amounts of money. You get the service you pay for. Some policies only cover against monetary lost in the way of credit card payments that have not been authorized by you. Others will include all of the above. Fee’s vary and you might want to spend some time working out which of the insurance policies will be the best one for you.

Identity theft insurance works in the same way as home insurance or life insurance does. You will have to pay a monthly fee, and this amount depends on the type of cover you want. A lot of the policies work in conjunction with your credit report and alert you if any changes have been made, for example, credit card or loan applications. If you do not pay your insurance, you will not be covered, and you may want to read the fine print to ensure that you are getting the best cover for you.

There are many companies that now offer identity theft insurance, and the key is to shop around for the one that you think would be best for you. There are a lot of websites that can compare these sorts of details for you and provide you with the company that offers a policy that best suits both your need and your budget.

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Credit Cards Online By: Jim Slobodzian

March 5th, 2008

Credit Cards

ARTICLE: Credit Cards Online - Where do you Start?

WORDS: 566

You have permission to use this article for electronic or print distribution provided the credit box at the bottom is attached. A courtesy notice of publication would be appreciated. Thank you

Sincerely,

Jim Slobodzian
Enroute.ca eMoney Guide

********************************

Credit Cards Online - Where to Start?

Are you thinking of changing credit cards or looking for a new one? Where do you start to look when comparing credit cards? Let’s talk about where we compare credit cards services and prices online.

If you are still in the “shopping” phase of comparing different cards and their fees, go to this site http://www.qksrv.net/click-972887-804595 where cardoffers.com provides a great service with credit card reviews and comparisons.

For an information packed portal that provides a good cross section of emoney information, visit www.bankrate.com Their credit card search section allows you to pick your priorities (cost, features, etc.) and then it will provide you with a comparison of cards, including fees! http://www.bankrate.com/brm/rate/cc_home.asp

Become Debt Free in Less than 4 years
If you want an objective opinion, we can look at the Gomez consumer ratings of course. They rank the top 20 Internet credit card sites according to different features, and have a tool that lets you pick two different cards to compare ratings side-by-side.

http://www.gomez.com/scorecards/index.asp?topcat_id=73&subSect=finance

Here are the latest Gomez rankings for credit cards . Top Internet Credit Card Sites for Q1 2002 ranked by Overall Score.

Firm

Score
1. Citibank (review) 5.61 2. American Express (review) 5.58 3. Direct Merchants Bank (review) 5.10 4. GM Card (review) 5.05 5. Bank of America (review) 4.98 6. Juniper (review) 4.84 7. First National (review) 4.80 8. Household Bank (review) 4.80 9. Nextcard (review) 4.80 10. National City Bank (review) 4.58 11. J.P. Morgan Chase (review) 4.57 12. Discover Card (review) 4.52 13. Fleet (review) 4.51 14. MBNA (review) 4.37 15. Wells Fargo (review) 4.26 16. Virtual Bank (review) 3.99 17. Capital One (review) 3.76 18. First USA (review) 3.74 19. Providian (review) 3.43 20. U.S. Bancorp (review) 3.29 (Source: Gomez.com)
Highest score = 10
Lowest score = 0 (A firm with a 10 for Overall Cost provides services at the lowest cost)

I know there are thousands of credit card sites out there and I won’t burden you with that many links, but here are two that might come in handy if you are traveling. They are ATM locator sites if you need quick cash from your cards.

Mastercard or Cirrus -

http://www.mastercard.com/cardholderservices/atm

Visa or Plus - http://visaatm.infonow.net/bin/findNow?CLIENT_ID=VISA

The use of credit cards is a convenience that a little common sense will make sure we don’t abuse.

First, pay off your monthly balance - every month! If you can’t pay off your balance, that is a good sign that you are simply living beyond your means and spending more than you earn. Eventually it will catch up to you and you will find yourself in financial troubles. By paying your complete balance you make sure that your spending stays in line and you don’t incur any expensive interest charges.

Secondly, be smart with your card #’s. When you buy online ensure that your transactions are secure - reputable sites will state right up front and through the buying process what kind of security and secure transactions they conduct. Don’t send your card # with expiry date written in an email. You never know who will be reading the email in future, and once that email is sent it is gone forever (and so is your credit card information)!
Also watch your statements to ensure your card wasn’t billed for something you didn’t buy. Credit card fraud is a huge industry.

Become Debt Free in Less than 4 years
And be sure you are operating proper firewall software on your computer to prevent hackers from scanning your “clipboard” or hard disk files for credit card #’s.

Let’s all be careful with our card numbers so that we don’t get added to the statistics!

* * * * * * * * * *

Jim Slobodzian is the author of “How to Manage Your Money Online and Save” your guide to personal finance online. Jim publishes the eMoney Guide providing weekly news and tips on online. Download your copy of the eMoney Guide now at http://www.enroute.ca mailto:money@enroute.ca Copyright (c) 2002 Enroute.ca All rights reserved.

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Credit Cards And Loans - So Many Options - So Little Time By: Jeff

March 5th, 2008

Credit Cards

Pritchard
Credit Cards and Loans sounds like just two things, but in actuality, it is dozens of things. Due to a combination of user preferences, lifestyles, and marketing ideas, there are dozens of different types of credit cards out there. Because of the wide variety of things people need money for and the wide variety of ways to collateralize a loan, there are dozens and dozens of different types of loans out there.

Because of the huge variety of different types of credit cards and loans, you need a really big web site to find out about all of them. If you go off in search of a new credit card, how do you know you’re getting the best deal or even the best type of card for your lifestyle? Sure, you want a card that offers you some sort of a reward, but if you are a soccer mom, do you really need airline miles, or would a card that provides discounts on gas be a better deal for you?


Maybe you are a business owner and your cash flow is getting a little bit tight. You might have thought your only recourse was to get a lousy rate on yet another business credit card. Have you considered one of the many types of factoring that can provide you with quick cash at reasonable rates? What about venture capital to take your business to the next level?


Become Debt Free in Less than 4 years

No matter what sort of money you are looking for, you owe it to yourself to get educated on the possibilities and the caveats for that particular type of loan or credit. At http://www.creditcards-and-loans.com, we have all the info and all the offers you are looking for…and perhaps quite a few you never thought of.

About the Author

Jeff Pritchard is a successful online entrepreneur with several successful
websites. His most recent site provides tons of information for those in search of credit cards and loans:
Credit Cards And Loans

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Credit Card Tips: How to combine credit cards to earn maximu By: Nick Lian

March 4th, 2008

Credit Cards

Before we look at how to best combine cash rebate credit cards to maximize the cash rebates you can earn, it is very
important to understand the different types of cash rebate credit cards available and
also how the type of purchases you make is defined and segmented in this market.

Types of Cash Rebate Credit Cards

The first type of cash back credit card is what we call the “basic no-frills” cash
rebate credit card. These pay the standard 1% cash rebate on your spending.

The second type is what we call the “everyday purchase” cash rebate credit card. They pay
more than 1% rebate on “everyday purchases”, which in most cases is defined as purchases
made at standalone supermarkets, drugstores and gas stations (Discount outlets are
excluded). They will pay 1% rebate on “other purchases”.

Then there are “tiered rebate” cash back credit cards. These cards pay more than 1% on
all purchases after your annual spending exceeds a certain amount. Some credit cards
require that you carry a balance to earn “maximum rebates”. Spending below the threshold
level will earn less than 1% rebates. Some tiered rebate credit cards also pay
different rebates for “everyday purchases” and “other purchases”.

Understanding “Everyday Purchases” and “Other Purchases”

The key to maximizing the rebates you can earn from cash back credit cards is to realize
that your spending can be split into “everyday purchases” and “other purchases”. Just to
recap, “everyday purchases” in most cases is defined as purchases at standalone
supermarkets, gas stations and drugstores (discount stores are excluded). If you
have just a basic, no-frills cash rebate credit card, all you can earn is 1% rebate.
You can improve this by getting a “everyday purchase” cash rebate credit card and earn
more than 1% on your “everyday purchases”.

Become Debt Free in Less than 4 years
Many people do not like tiered rebate cash back credit cards because of its complicated
tiered rebate formula. You have to spend above a certain amount to earn the maximum rebates.
In some cases, you have to carry a balance to earn maximum rebates. However, tiered
rebate credit cards have something that neither a “basic no-frills” or “everyday purchase”
cash back credit card has. It allows you to earn more than 1% rebate on “other purchases”.

Combine “everyday purchase” and “tiered” cash rebate credit cards

Hence, the best strategy to earn the most rebates is to combine an “everyday purchase”
cash rebate credit card and a “tiered rebate” credit card. The strategy would be to charge your
“everyday purchases” to the “everyday purchase” cash back credit card (earn more than
1% rebate) and charge the rest of your “other purchases” to the tiered rebate card.
Once you exceed the annual spending threshold on the tiered rebate card, you will earn
more than 1% rebate on your “other purchases”. This combination allows you to maximize
your rebates for both your “everyday purchases” and “other purchases”.

This strategy requires that you charge quite a bit to your credit cards. It will not work for those who spend only up
to around $10,000 to $15,000 a year because with most tiered rebate credit cards, you probably need to
spend above $6,000 to earn maximum rebates. Any annual spending below that amount
will only earn you less than 1%. Hence, you need to charge about $15,000
to your tiered rebate card to earn more than 1% rebate on your total spending. You also
have to be diligent in using your cards at the right places and monitoring your rebates.

You can read more about cash rebate credit cards and strategies and our recommended
cash back credit cards at our
cash rebate credit card
, credit card strategy
or Editor’s Choice of Best Credit Cards page.

About the Author

Nick Lian
Owner of Credit Card Reviews and Tips, a credit card site which writes independent and unbiased reviews and provides tips and strategies to help those looking for a credit card.

Leave Comment » | Posted in Credit Cards

The Importance Of Having A Website

March 3rd, 2008

In the beginning of the Internet, not many people created their own website for the simple fact that the Internet wasn’t that popular back in the days. As time passed by, the Internet gained more and more popularity and in the present the number of Internet users is simply incredible not to mention that the numbers are still climbing.

This is why having a website can help you and your business; having a website is the best marketing tool available in the present at a reasonable price. Why is it the best? The answer is quite simple, due to the fact that on a recent study, 1,244,449,601 Internet users were registered. If this doesn’t convince you, here are some reasons why you/your business should own a website:

1. Don’t let competition eliminate you – other companies already own a website so it is advisable to have your own website otherwise your competitors will “steal” your customers although maybe your products are better;

2. Customers/potential customers are on the look – as I have mentioned in the second paragraph, more than 1 billion people are using the Internet, many of them are searching for some products that you have to offer;

3. Business promotion – having a website will offer you 24 hour / 7 days a week world-wide business promotion;

4. Easy accessible online products – customers prefer purchasing products online for the fact that it will take less time, the prices are lower in comparison to the prices regular shops impose ( as a matter of fact, it is estimated that it costs 8 times more to sell a product from a regular shop in comparison to the Internet ) and we all want to purchase products at the lowest price possible;

5. Advertising – Owing a website has many benefits in the advertising area: you can have many pages of detailed information regarding your company and the products your company has to offer not to mention that changes can be made very easily ( price changes, products availability changes and similar things );

6. Money – having a website will save you a great deal of money for the following reasons: lower printing costs - less printed brochures & letters; lower postage costs – the e-mail service is a cheaper distribution method; lower advertising costs – your website will be online every single day at an affordable price.

These are only a few of the reasons why you should own a website for your business, I have stated only the most important ones, the ones that are critical for a growing business and let’s face it, all business owners want their business to keep growing so why not do it fast and easy using online promotion.

The morale of the story is : whether you are a small business owner, entrepreneur, inventor, author, artist, musician/band, you need a website. Nowadays more and more people are searching the Internet to find products, information about products and other similar issues. If you aren’t active online your competitors will surely have more success due to the fact that you will remain anonymous although you might have a better offer than your competitors but they make a statement on-line which is determinant; in fewer words, Internet = promotion & advertising = success.

About the Author:

Written by Sean Doering, Creative Director of the Toronto web design company LinxSmart. They can be found at www.linxsmart.com.

Leave Comment » | Posted in e-Business

Internet Dating Scams

March 3rd, 2008

There are a great many quite legitimate dating service websites that allow members to establish online relationships. Often, these online friendships blossom into genuine long-term relationships. An increasing number of people have found life-partners via relationships started online.

Sadly however, scammers have managed to effectively exploit this trend to further their own nefarious ends. Many people around the world have been duped into sending money to Internet fraudsters posing as would-be girlfriends or boyfriends.

A typical Internet dating scam goes like this:

  1. A person registers at an online dating service and creates a profile. The profile will include information, and possibly a photograph, of the person along with a way for interested people to make contact.
  2. In due course, a scammer contacts the person posing as someone interested in exploring a possible romantic relationship.
  3. The victim responds and the pair begins corresponding regularly. They may soon bypass the dating service contact system and start communicating directly, usually via email.
  4. Over time, the scammer will slowly earn the trust of the victim. He or she may discuss family, jobs and other details designed to make the correspondent seem like a real person who is genuinely interested in the victim. Photographs may be exchanged. However, the “person” that the victim thinks he or she is corresponding with, is likely to be purely an invention of the scammer. Photographs may not even show the real sender. The victim’s apparent love interest may look completely different to the person in the photograph and, in reality, may not even be the same gender.
  5. After the scammer has established the illusion of a genuine and meaningful relationship, he or she will begin asking the victim for money. For example. the scammer may claim that he or she wants to meet in person and ask the victim to send money for an airfare so that a meeting can take place. Or the scammer may claim that there has been a family medical emergency and request financial assistance. The scammer may use a variety of excuses to entice the victim to send funds.
  6. If the victim complies and sends money, he or she will probably receive further such requests. With his or her judgement clouded by a burgeoning love for the scammer’s imaginary character, he or she may continue to send money.
  7. Finally, the victim will come to realize that he or she has been duped, perhaps after waiting fruitlessly at the airport for a “lover” who, will, of course, never arrive.
  8. Meanwhile, the scammer pockets the money and moves on to the next victim. In fact, the scammer may be stringing along several victims simultaneously.

In many cases, the victim will not only have lost out financially, but will also be left broken-hearted and thoroughly disillusioned. These scammers tend to pray on victims that may be especially lonely, shy or isolated and therefore more vulnerable.

There are a number of variations on the same basic scam. In some cases the scammers may be the one to create a profile on a dating site and wait for a potential victim to contact them. Typically, the profile will include a photograph of a very attractive young woman who will have no trouble attracting would-be suitors.

In other cases, the scammers may simply send out random unsolicited emails professing a desire to begin a relationship in the hope that some gullible recipients will favourably respond. Alternatively, they may strike up a conversation with a potential victim via an Internet chat room.

In some variations of the scam, the fraudsters may not ask for money directly. Instead, they may ask their victim to cash money orders or cheques and wire them the proceeds. The money orders or cheques will turn out to be fake or stolen and the victim will be left out of pocket and possibly held responsible for receiving stolen funds. The scammers may also try to trick victims into revealing sensitive information such as credit card numbers.

If you begin corresponding with a person with a view to a possible romantic relationship, remain cautious even if the relationship seems to be progressing very well. These scammers are very skilled at building trust and know how to make vulnerable victims fall in love with them. Regardless of the strength of your feelings towards a correspondent, you should view any requests for money as highly suspicious. If you do suspect a scam, you may be able to find information on a dating blacklist website such as the Russian women dating scam list . These sites publish information and photographs of known dating scammers. Internet dating scammers often used the same names, family details and cover stories in multiple dating scams. Therefore, you may be able to expose a scam by conducting Internet searches on the names used by the scammers or key phrases from their emails.

References:
Moscow US Embassy: Internet Dating Scams
Russian Dating Scams
Seduced into scams: Online lovers often duped
Russian women dating scam list

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Share Your Experiences.com Scam

March 3rd, 2008

Summary:
Has someone filed an “experience request” about you on “Share Your Experiences.com”?

Status:
Probably not!

Example:(Submitted, June 2004) ######This is not commercial email.######

A user is attempting to share experiences and opinions about you via our website.

The purpose of this email is to inform you that a posting has been made about you at our website. This is email is not commercial in nature.

If this email message was delivered to your spam or bulk email folder please notify your ISP or spam filtering company regarding this mistake on their part.

To view postings about you click here:

[LINK REMOVED]

Our Identity Protection System is a simple system in which this website sends email messages to the Experience Request author on your behalf, and vice versa. This website will never reveal the identity of the Experience Request author to you, nor will it reveal your identity to the author of the Experience Request.

The Experience Request author will receive your message in an email sent from our website. He/she can then respond to your message via our website by clicking a custom link that appears in the email.

Communication then continues back and forth via our Identity Protection System until one party or the other provides other contact means (phone number, etc.).

IMPORTANT - To add this email address to our Do Not Email List click here:

[LINK REMOVED]

Regards,

SYEC Support

SYEC Support Department

Commentary:
Submissions indicate that a new wave of these scam emails has been hitting inboxes.

Basically, the emails are just a hook to entice people to sign up for the company’s dubious “service”. The emails claim that “A user is attempting to share experiences and opinions about you via our website.”

If you access the website via the link provided, you can view an “Experience Request” that lists some vague details. It may state that the user has information about you, but does not say what this information actually is. In order to gain more information, you need to use the “Identity Protection System” to contact the supposed user. However, to access the “Identity Protection System”, you need to pay for a “Premium” membership.

Even after you fork out money to sign up for the service, it appears that the only way you can really find out what someone was supposed to have said about you is by using this completely anonymous “Identity Protection System”. Apparently, the real identity of the author of the request is not revealed to you even if you are a premium subscriber. According to the site, “sharing of experience and opinions at this website occurs via direct, private email communication between two members using our Identity Protection System”. Thus, anybody could have filed an “Experience Request”, including the owners of the website, and there is no evidence that the user actually does have further information about you at all. In any case, anonymous “information” such as this is hardly worth procuring and certainly not worth paying for. What’s more, in order to access the alleged information, you are dependant on the author’s willingness to send it to you via the site’s anonymous email system. In other words, you end up paying for a service that provides little more than a means of communicating with an unknown user.

There have been quite a few websites that offer almost identical services, including several “Word Of Mouth” sites. The sites are very similar in functionality and style, and I strongly suspect that the same people operate them all.

In short, this is just another grubby little scam that preys on our natural curiosity. These emails should go directly to the deleted item folder where they belong.

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