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Debix Identity Protection Network Newsletter
February 2012
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IN THIS ISSUE:
>>> Guard Your Information While Traveling
>>> Debix Customer Valerie Victimized by a Close Friend
>>> The IRS is Cracking Down on Identity Theft

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Passport Fraud Could Lead to Identity Theft
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A US passport is one of the most important identification documents
in the United States, and are extremely valuable to those illegally
seeking citizenship or criminals attempting to change or conceal
their identity, commit financial fraud, or smuggle drugs.

Criminals often use stolen identities to create fake US passports.
The three most common schemes to secure original passports through
fraudulent means are stealing identities, counterfeiting identities
and using true identities with counterfeited citizenship documents.
The third can be achieved by obtaining an authentic Social Security
number, which allows counterfeiter to apply for a US passport. An
investigative reporter for eTurboNews demonstrated how remarkably
easy this crime is to commit by using the Social Security number of a
man who died in 1965, a fake New York birth certificate and a fake
Florida driver’s license. He received a passport four days later.
In a second attempt, the investigator used a 5-year-old boy’s SSN,
but identified himself as 53 years old on the passport application.
He received that passport seven days later.

Keeping your passport safe is key to avoid becoming a victim of
passport fraud. The only times you need to present the original copy
of your passport is at border crossings, airports, hotels, or at the
request of a police officer. In most other cases it is sufficient to
remember the number and expiration date, or to have a copy of the
original passport on hand. While traveling, for example, this means
locking your original passport in your hotel safe. Most hotels have
lock boxes that their guest can use. The worst places to leave your
passport are in bags or backpacks as they are very vulnerable when
left unattended. Money belts or a thin pouch that can be worn
underneath clothing are good alternatives to keep your passport safe.

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Your account may be expired. Renew Today -
www.debix.com/renew/[EMAIL_ADDRESS],[PID] Or Call 866-747-5214
between 9am-5pm Central.
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Customer Story: Valerie Victimized by a Close Friend
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Debix customer Valerie is well educated with an advanced degree and
works as a counselor/mediator with people in tough situations, often,
victims of crime. Yet, she became the victim of a con artist who
earned her trust. As a person with disabilities, Valerie requires an
assistant, and the man she hired nearly 5 years ago to help her and
to care for her elderly father, someone she eventually became
romantically involved with, ultimately took advantage of his access
to personal and financial information and stole from her.

Her suspicions were first aroused when she borrowed her partner’s
car and found 1099 forms inside that indicated he was receiving
dividends from life insurance policies in her father's name. Acting
on a gut feeling that something more serious might be going on, she
went to the bank to check on her trust accounts. Her hunch turned
out to be correct. The man she once trusted was not only profiting
from her father’s life insurance policies but also had removed her
from the trust she depended on to supplement her income and inserted
himself. Valerie would soon learn he had already taken $3,000 from
the account.

The discovery marked the beginning of a two-year period that left her
frustrated and furious. She said the bank confirmed they had no
paperwork on file to explain the change to her account and yet, "They
did absolutely nothing. They gave me the runaround.” Eventually
the bank closed the case regarding her dispute without refunding the
$3,000 or returning the account to Valerie’s name. Next, she sought
the help of the Florida Department of Children and Family (DCF), an
agency tasked with protecting the vulnerable. The DCF investigation
also ended without resolution, as did the attempt to get help from
law enforcement.

After this, Valerie became depressed and the fight to regain what had
been wrongfully taken from her was all consuming. When she thought
it could not get any worse, she discovered another trust was possibly
compromised. Around this time, Valerie enrolled in Debix, gave us a
call, and was connected to investigator, Aaron.

Valerie said he listened to her story and committed to take the case
as far as he could. "To hear someone was finally on my side meant
everything. I had lost control of my inheritance and felt like I
lost my good name as well because the people I reached out to for
help were looking at me like I was a nut job.” Valerie says Aaron
provided a solution that resulted in the bank refunding her money and
the trust being reinstated in her name – all within a two-week
period.

Now Valerie says, "If history could be re-written, I would call Debix
first. I could have avoided all I went through over the last two
years and we may have had a shot at getting law enforcement to go
after the thief.” She continues. ”Debix is so much more than
insurance - it's personalized, Debix is watching out for you.”
Valerie has the highest praise for her investigator. "Aaron was the
first professional I spoke to who was invested in helping me and
providing his full support. His diligence gave me confidence,
restored my faith and got my money back.”


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Your account may be expired. Renew Today -
www.debix.com/renew/[EMAIL_ADDRESS],[PID] Or Call 866-747-5214
between 9am-5pm Central.
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File Early to Keep Your Return Safe
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Tax season is upon us, meaning not only do you have to deal with
filling out your tax returns, you have to keep your information safe
from identity thieves.

The Internal Revenue Service has admitted in the past that thieves
have been able to file electronic tax returns using other people’s
identities to get large refunds. The Treasury Inspector General for
Tax Administration, which has oversight over the IRS, said last year
that more than 580,000 taxpayers had been affected by identity theft.

One big reason why, according to a Miami Herald story: Scammers are
exploiting a weakness in the IRS electronic filing system, because
the agency does not match filers’ tax returns to W-2 income forms
filed by employers until months after the filing season ends in
April. That means the IRS is not scrutinizing fabricated documents
before it issues refunds to thieves.

But the IRS is cracking down. On January 31, they announced the
results of a massive national crackdown, arresting 105 people in 23
states for refund fraud and identity theft. They also visited 150
money-service businesses in nine locations nationwide to make sure
they weren’t aiding and abetting these crimes, and is currently
auditing 250 check-cashing operations. The high-risk areas identified
by the IRS as hotbeds for refund fraud and tax-related identity theft
are Atlanta, Birmingham, Ala., Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York,
Phoenix, Tampa and Washington, D.C.

The IRS also has new rules in place to combat identity theft. For a
taxpayer who has been identified by the IRS as a previous victim of
tax identity theft, a series of filters are now used to determine
whether a return is legitimate. When the IRS receives a return for a
past victim, that return is matched against these filters before
automatic processing to help the IRS determine whether the return is
valid or fraudulent.

Because the IRS now requires most 2011 tax returns to be filed
electronically, a return will be kicked out of the normal IRS process
if it fails to pass through any of the filters, and then manually
reviewed and verified by IRS personnel before processing. This will
cause a delay in the processing of the return, but better to make
sure the right tax refund amount goes to the right person.

If you have been a victim of tax identity theft, you should have
received a letter from the IRS giving you a six-digit Identity
Protection PIN, an authenticator that must appear on your 2011 tax
return. This safeguard means your tax return will be processed in a
timely manner. If your return doesn’t have that PIN, it will be
rejected and you’ll have to file a paper return, meaning
substantial delays in processing your return. If you and your spouse
both receive the IP PIN letters, provide both sets; the IP PIN of the
taxpayer whose name appears first on the return will be used.

The IRS just created a new section on its website dedicated to
identity theft, including how to contact its Identity Protection
Specialized Unit if you’ve come across tax-related identity theft.

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Protect Your Family with Debix! -
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Or Call 866-747-5214 between 9am-5pm Central.
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