Wouldn’t is be wiser and safer to know how vulnerable you are to identity theft before the theft occurs? Too many ID theft programs only help you after you are a victim.

Copyright (c) 2008 Ed Opperman

(What is Identity Theft and How to Avoid It)

O.K., I’ll protect myself from identity theft; but first I have to know what it is. So, what exactly is identity (ID) theft?

Succinctly put, it is the crime of obtaining your personal and / or financial information (i.e. name, address, Social Security number, credit card information, bank information, etc.) to assume your identity to either commit a criminal act, fraudulently secure credit or services, make purchases or secure money while impersonating you.

The Federal Trade Commission is still closely watching Microsoft for giving its software users a free Internet Browser and yet it did nothing when AOL attempted to give away free Internet service. Of course, we know that is below cost, "dumping" and cannot possibly be allowed, whereas, the free Microsoft Brower was already paid for in R and D and costs them nothing to give it to you along with whatever Operating System you purchased.

The Federal Trade Commission is serious about the Privacy of Consumers and has enlisted the help of a young up and coming from inside their organization. All Government Agencies will need to consider promoting someone who knows the ropes of their agencies to the high position - CPO or Chief Privacy Officer.

In doing this they should scrutinize the person for this position be going through all their records and public service. They must check to see that the individual promoted has not embellished previous cases, doctored declarations or falsified government cases or reports. Indeed, we need people for these positions who do not have personal agendas and are not politically active with one political party. We do not need abuse of power to reign in any agency of our Federal Government.

As you may have heard, the FTC recently reached a significant settlement with an adware firm by the name of Zango. So, what are the lessons learned from the settlement?

The FTC and Zango Settlement Regarding Adware

According to FTC filings, Zango was a rather prolific adware firm. From 2002 to 2005, Zango distributed its adware product to the huge number of Internet users without their knowledge according to the FTC. The product was placed on the computers of individuals when they went to download free games, screensavers and such. On top of this, the FTC alleged that Zango and its affiliates placed the programs on computers in such a way that it was difficult to both find and remove them.

In the wake of the mammoth study of mortgage disclosures released in mid-June by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the real estate industry is actively analyzing the new forms and the FTC’s conclusions about what needs changing. But the opinions on the study and what it could mean for RESPA reform are unsurprisingly varied. Paul Schieber of Blank Rome LLP perhaps said it best when he observed, “To be honest, any new form is probably going to be an improvement, but no form will satisfy everyone.”

Brokers pleased

Marc Savitt, vice president and president-elect of the National Association of Mortgage Brokers (NAMB), was very pleased with the FTC’s findings.