SECURITY SEEKER......................................................................................SPRING 2002

Fall 2003

This email newsletter can be seen in its entirety at URSecure.com.
Welcome to the Fall edition of The Security Seeker Newsletter. The Seeker is published exclusively for security-minded consumers and is viewable solely on the Internet. For the best in security advice, statistics and stories, seek the Security Seeker. If you find this email interesting, forward it to a friend and keep your friends secure, too!

FEATURE: Are you an easy ID theft target?

If you're wondering whether or not someone can steal your identity, the answer is unequivocally yes — and quite easily, too. The question is, are you an easy target? Read on and find out.

Identity theft happens when someone co-opts your name, Social Security number, driver's license number or e-mail address then uses it fraudulently or criminally. These thieves can get your personal information in many ways. For example, they might send you a spam e-mail message asking for verification of credit or account information. It is also quite simple to get Social Security numbers from the Internet.

Identity information routinely consists of three elements: what you know, such as passwords and PIN (personal identification) numbers; what you have, such as credit or debit cards; and what you are, for example, your photograph, signature or fingerprint. Once criminals have this vital information, they can impersonate you, obtain credit cards, transfer money out of your bank account, buy goods or worse.

You need to take matters into your own hands. First, become educated and aware of the issues. Second, take proactive protective measures. ID theft can happen to anyone, with potentially severe consequences.

Internet: Friend or Foe?
There's no doubt about it, electronic communications and the Internet have given us unprecedented convenience and personal enrichment. However, these benefits can come with a severe price. The open nature of the Internet can facilitate ID theft and fraud. If you're not careful and you become affected the impact on your life can be overwhelming and long-term. In fact, according to the FTC, it usually takes up to 14 months for a victim even to become aware of the crime.

Spam: A tool of the ID theft trade
Law-enforcement officials and security experts advise that spam is often used to target unsuspecting consumers and lure them to "official looking" Web sites — such as a billing center for an online service provider or the front page of a mortgage information form. When users enter passwords, Social Security or credit-card numbers, the information can be taken, used or sold by identity thieves.

Minimize your risk: Don't be an easy target
"While the risk of fraud and ID theft are every bit as real in the physical world, the newer online risks are growing rapidly. People must learn how to recognize and protect themselves through a combination of education and technology," say experts at security-protection company McAfee, a division of Santa Clara, Calif.-based Network Associates.

In addition to checking your credit history and reporting inaccuracies, McAfee experts suggest the following guidelines that are endorsed by law-enforcement and regulatory agencies:

Never purchase e-mail-advertised products.
Aside from encouraging the spammers, this also proliferates your e-mail address and any personal-identifiable information to other spammers, such as name, address, phone number, credit-card numbers and more.

Always protect your personal information.
Only share your credit card, Social Security number or other personal information when making purchases from a company or financial institution that you know and trust.

Never respond to requests for personal information via e-mail.
You will never be asked for a password, credit card or social security number from a legitimate source via e-mail. Beware of official-looking notices that require you to "give up" your personal information or face dire consequences.

Verify every transaction.
If a Web site address looks different from the name of the organization that you're dealing with, or if you have any concern whatsoever about your transaction, look for a phone number on the Web site and contact the organization to verify that it is valid. Do not do business with any organization that doesn't clearly identify itself on its Web site, including providing a physical address and phone number.

Beware of get-rich-quick schemes.
If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Never pay "up front" for loans or credit.
Legitimate lenders never "guarantee" a loan or credit card before you apply.

Refrain from replying to a spam e-mail at all — even to ask to be removed. Legitimate companies will remove your e-mail address as requested, but disreputable senders use this as validation that your e-mail address is, in fact, "live." They can then sell your address to others. A better response is to forward spam e-mail to the Federal Trade Commission at uce@ftc.gov.

Set up a separate "public" e-mail address for use online.
Use a separate, free e-mail address for online subscriptions or participation in newsgroups, contests or other purposes.

Use an e-mail filter to help eliminate unwanted spam.
Secure your computer against other risks, such as viruses, hackers, etc.

Protect Yourself By Protecting Your Privacy

It’s probably no news to you that your most personal and private information is available to almost anyone through credit bureaus, marketing databases and now, the Internet (related feature above).

While the prospect of credit card scams and identification theft are real, they are probably less of a threat to criminals whom you may already be telling where you work, where your kids go to school and where you live. Here are a few tips to help you lower your profile.

Almost 75% of rape victims are somehow acquainted with the rapist. The rapist might be a friend of a friend, a co-worker of your husband, or someone as innocent-looking as the clerk at the corner video rental store. Perhaps you work at a bank or have a fancy title like Vice President or Managing Director at work. There is some lowlife out there that thinks you have something worth taking.

If you were a bad guy and you wanted to hurt somebody, you’d want to know where they live, where they work, where they keep their valuables and, maybe, even where their kids go to school. The key to keeping your family safe is to deny the enemy the intelligence he (and it is almost always ‘he’) needs.

The following tips are designed to lower your profile:

l Rent a mailbox and use it exclusively for all your correspondence, subscriptions, bills and packages. Use this address for your checks, on your drivers’ license, on your utility bills, on your warranty registration cards – everything.

l Get an unlisted phone; While you’re at it, get the Caller I.D. feature.

l Don’t display your company parking pass on your dash when driving about town.

l Put dark tint on your car windows.

l As proud as you are, refrain from putting those bumper stickers on your car that say, "My Kid is a Superstar at Whipplethorpe Middle School".

l Speaking of bumper stickers, they say quite a bit about you. If you saw one that said "Practice Random Acts of Kindness" you would have a certain impression of the driver. Different for sure from a driver that displayed, "Driver Only Carries $20 in Ammunition". Either extreme is likely to target you. The first one targets you as a victim, the second one as a challenge.

l The same goes for the cute vanity license plates. Forget them, they make you stand out.

l Don’t allow local newspaper, magazine or TV reporters to do profiles on you, your kids, your art collection, or your husband's treasured antique Parker-Hale fowling piece.

l Keep your garage door down and your curtains drawn.

Again, the best thing you can do right now is take your full name and home address off of your checks and your drivers license. Use the mailbox address instead!

Sometimes you might be more valuable than you think. A very unusual kidnapping took place in the Southwest that targeted a family that owned a print shop. That’s strange you say, but the key to this crime was the family’s print shop owned a very, very sophisticated color copier -- a machine the bad guys felt could further their counterfeiting careers.

So lower your profile and make yourself a hard target for those criminals out there looking for easy pickings.

Supplement Safety: How Protected is the Consumer?

You read about a dietary supplement from its advertising brochure or the information on its container and you assume it must be factual. After all our government does have guidelines and wouldn't let manufacturers intentionally deceive consumers. But think again. That may be true for the labels on foods you purchase, prescription or over the counter drugs you buy, but it is not necessarily true for dietary supplements.

The FDA regulates dietary supplements under a different set of regulations than those covering "conventional" foods and drug products. Consider the following to help you distinguish hype from evidence-based science.

Ask yourself: Does it sound too good to be true?
Do the claims for the product seem exaggerated or unrealistic? Are there simplistic conclusions being drawn from a complex study to sell a product? While the Web can be a valuable source of accurate, reliable information, it also has a wealth of misinformation that may not be obvious. Nonsensical lingo can sound very convincing. Also, be skeptical about anecdotal information from persons who have no formal training in nutrition or botanicals, or from personal testimonials (e.g. from store employees, friends, or online chat rooms and message boards) about incredible benefits or results obtained from using a product. Question these people on their training and knowledge in nutrition or medicine.
Think twice about chasing the latest headline.
Sound health advice is generally based on a body of research, not a single study. Be wary of results claiming a "quick fix" that depart from previous research and scientific beliefs. Keep in mind science does not proceed by dramatic breakthroughs, but by taking many small steps, slowly building towards a consensus. Furthermore, news stories, about the latest scientific study, especially those on TV or radio, are often too brief to include important details that may apply to you or allow you to make an informed decision.
Contact the manufacturer for more information about the
specific product that you are purchasing.
If you cannot tell whether the product you are purchasing meets the same standards as those used in the research studies you read about, check with the manufacturer or distributor. Ask to speak to someone who can address your questions, some of which may include:
What information does the firm have to substantiate the
claims made for the product?
Be aware that sometimes firms supply so-called "proof" of their claims by citing undocumented reports from satisfied consumers, or "internal" graphs and charts that could be mistaken for evidence-based research. Ask yourself:

Does the firm have information to share about tests it has conducted on the safety or efficacy of the ingredients in the product?

Does the firm have a quality control system in place to determine if the product actually contains what is stated on the label and is free of contaminants?

Has the firm received any adverse events reports from consumers using their products?

NOTE: You may obtain more information on how FDA regulates dietary supplements and on the manufacturers' responsibilities for the products they market at http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/ds-faq.html

Fire Safety at Service Stations

Static electricity is a big problem in the winter months. It can even cause a fire in your car’s gas tank while you are refueling. The Petroleum Equipment Institute (PEI) is working on a campaign to try to make people aware of fires as a result of static electricity at gas pumps. They have researched 150 cases of these fires. The results indicate:

l Almost all cases involved the person getting back in their vehicle while the nozzle was still pumping gas, when finished and they went back to pull the nozzle out the fire started, as a result of static.

l It is the vapors that come out of the gas that cause the fire, when connected with static charges.

l There were 29 fires where the vehicle was reentered and the nozzle was touched during refueling from a variety of makes and models, some resulting in extensive damage to the vehicle, to the station, and to the customer.

l Seventeen fires occurred before, during or immediately after the gas cap was removed and before fueling began.

According to the PEI, static electricity-related fires at retail gasoline outlets are extremely unusual, but in rare circumstances, these incidents have caused a few injuries and property damage.

Here are some safety guidelines on vehicle refueling:

l Always turn your vehicle engine off while refueling. A spark from the engine can cause gasoline vapors to ignite.

l Never smoke, light matches or use lighters while refueling.

l Do not get back into your vehicle during refueling -- even when using the nozzle's automatic hold-open latch. If you must reenter your vehicle, discharge the static electricity buildup when you get out by touching the outside metal portion of your vehicle, away from the filling point, before attempting to remove the nozzle.

l To avoid gasoline spills, do not over fill or top off your vehicle fuel tank. The fuel dispenser will shut off automatically when the tank is full.

l Use only the hold-open latch provided on the gasoline pump. Never jam or force the hold-open latch open by using some other object such as the gas cap.

l Use gasoline as a motor fuel only. Never use gasoline to wash your hands or as a cleaning solvent.

l Never allow children to operate the pump.

The Petroleum Equipment Institute and other companies have posted safety related
information regarding this issue at http://www.pei.org. Once there, click in the center of the screen on the "Stop Static" icon.

Security Success Stories

Our Operators Provide Excellent Customer Service!

An EMERgency 24 operator called to verify validity of a burglar alarm at a bank in Fort Worth Texas. The teller told the operator to send the police and she immediately dispatched. The police arrived and caught the bank robber!

And that's another success story from your central station.

Do you have a success story you would like to share with your central station and other security minded people! Send us an email and let us know!

CONTACT INFORMATION

The Security Seeker is a customer service publication designed for security-minded consumers. If you have any questions or suggestions of how we might better service your security needs or have a success story you would like to submit for consideration, please contact Editor Tia Harrison at (773) 725-0222 or (800) 827-3624, ext. 6033. Visit our web site: www.ursecure.com.