What includes trains, planes, and automobiles? Answer . . . my upcoming vacation! I'm going to tell you all about it soon but let's just say - it's mostly trains!

Recently I was scammed by someone who wanted to purchase a quantity of my Ultimate Caregiver's Success Systems. I was happy for the sale but as the scam started to play out, I caught on and fortunately, it didn't end up costing me anything. But it has made me even more cautious and angry -- especially toward those who scam the elderly. That's why I was so glad to receive information from Ken Onaitis, Director, Police Relations & Elder Abuse at the Carter Burden Center for the Aging about a website called the Identity Theft Resource Center. For more valuable information, please read the article below.

Until next week . . . Carpe diem!

PS> Have you listened to my teleseminar "The 13 Steps to Successfully Resolve Your Eldercare Issues & Finally Get a Good Night's Sleep!"? If not, I urge you to go to http://tinyurl.com/lxo4h7.

AS AN ELDERCARE PROVIDER . . .

If you found something that told you WHAT to do and HOW to do it, you'd buy it . . . right?

Well . . . . That's what The Ultimate Caregiver's Success System
is all about!

The Ultimate Caregiver's Success System includes The Ultimate Caregiver's Success GUIDE which has checklists, examples . . . all kinds of information -- that makes the process easy to understand and more importantly, easy to be successful. In addition, the System includes 8 CDs -- 6 seminars, 1 CD of all the forms in the book, and 1 CD with my rolodex of resources.

Please click here to THE ULTIMATE CAREGIVERS SUCCESS SYSTEM and see what I'm so excited about!

ARTICLE: Is Anyone Safe from Identity Theft?

In reality, the answer is no.

There is a trail of personal identifying information (PII) which we leave out there - from birth to death. We continually provide that information through all the various legitimate requests we receive, ranging from our first school and job records to credit cards, home mortgage applications, and medical records

What is PII? According to federal law (Identity Theft & Assumption Deterrence Act), 'means of identification' is defined as: "any name or number that may be used, alone or in conjunction with any other information, to identify a specific individual, including any:

a) name, social security number, date of birth, official State or government issued driver's license or identification number, alien registration number, government passport number, employer or taxpayer identification number;

b) unique biometric data, such as fingerprint, voice print, retina or iris image, or other unique physical representation;

c) unique electronic identification number, address, or routing code, or;

d) telecommunication identifying information or access device.

The most readily recognized forms of PII are name, Social Security Number, date of birth, driver's license number, and birth certificate. However, it is clear that other types of identifiers, particularly when used in combination, may also qualify as PII. The many forms of PII, along with our prolific use of PII in our daily activities, make clear why we do not control our personal information.

The question now is: who is the identity thief and how do they access your information?

Unfortunately, there is no clear profile of an identity thief. They may be a member of organized crime, a drug user, an employee, someone in a desperate situation, or even a friend or relative. They can be young or old. They are both opportunists, as well as career criminals who carefully plan the crime. Either will take a given opportunity to use your information for personal gain. Whether it's financial, criminal, government benefit, or medical fraud, the identity thief is using available personal information to commit identity theft. Although there is no clear profile of an identity thief, the damage to his victims is very clear, and sometimes extensive.

The many low tech methods by which thieves gain access to our information include dumpsters outside a doctor's office, the wallet pick-pocketed in a crowded mall, the tax documents stolen from an unlocked mail box or by a shoulder surfer at the bank. A telephone solicitation, while also a low tech method, is an area where consumers do have control over information provided. These areas of vulnerability leave our PII easily exposed to the identity thief.

Much is made of the availability of PII on the internet. High tech methods include "phishing" and other scams designed to lure you into providing your personal information. Lack of the necessary security measures on computers often puts PII at high risk of being breached by hackers. In addition, company data, including personal PII, may be accessed internally or externally by thieves determined to retrieve this information for fraudulent purposes.

The sources of information for use by these thieves are innumerable. The point is we are all vulnerable to identity theft and need to be aware that our personal information is not completely under our control. The risk of our personal identifying information being exposed, and possibly used for fraud or identity theft, will continue to be a systemic problem if left unaddressed. Identity theft is an ever-expanding crime and brazen criminals find a multitude of ways to use fraudulent information.

In the second part of this series, ITRC will take a look at proactive steps for the consumer. These will include government mandated programs (free), and other products and services currently available that enable consumers to regain some control over use of their personal identifying information. Sign up here for the ITRC newsletter.

Identity Theft Resource Center (www.idtheftcenter.org; (888) 400-5530 toll-free no-cost victim assistance.

Upcoming Live Seminars

For information about how to attend an AgeWiseLiving seminar and upcoming dates and locations, please go to Seminars.