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About Per
Mar
Contact Us
CORPORATE
OFFICE
Per Mar Security
Services
Per Mar Centre
1910 East Kimberly
Rd
Davenport, IA
52807
Tel#
1-800-4-PERMAR (737627)
Fax # 563-359-6700
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Identity Theft On the
Decline?
[more...]
Employers Verify Workers'
Social Security Numbers Faster
[more...]
Senator Dianne Feinstein
Proposes Three More Privacy Bills
[more...]
New Device Delivers Alcohol
Without the Liquid
[more...]
Courts Punch Holes in Company
Body-Piercing Policy [more...]
MapQuest
it!
[more...]
Delays in Software Sharing
Upgrade Cumbersome for FBI
[more...]
Smile This Time: Your
Drivers' License is Going to be Seen a Lot More
Often!
[more...] |
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Bad
News for the Privacy Crowd |
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Identity
theft on the decline? Tell me it is not so. According to a new
study, identity theft may actually be on the decline. In a report
released late last month, it seems that while identity theft
continues to afflict millions of U.S.
consumers, the number of victims is declining. According to James
Van Dyke of Javelin Inc., a research firm that conducted the study,
about 9.3 million Americans were victims of the crime last year.
According to the Federal Trade Commission10.1 million consumers had
been victimized in 2003. Still one in every 31 consumers were
victims last year. The report however, holds another surprise.
Contrary to popular wisdom and the ceaseless waxing of privacy
advocates, using the Internet may be a consumer's best
fraud-fighting tool. In fact, the study suggests that the Internet
has gotten a bad rap and the risk it poses to consumers may be
grossly exaggerated. "The very thing consumers are most afraid of is
actually the thing that makes [them] safer," said Van Dyke. Those
who noticed the fraud quickly by viewing their accounts online
usually were able cut their losses, Van Dyke said. The study also
showed that consumers who spot fraud online suffer an average theft
of only about $500 while consumers who spot the problem by other
means suffer average losses closer to $4,500.
The study also
suggests personal data is most often stolen offline-from an employer
or trash bin. Only 12 percent of the victims in the study reported
they believed their information was stolen electronically. Stolen or
lost wallets, checkbooks, and mail remain the principal mechanisms
by which thieves obtain the identities of others. FTC attorney Lois
Greisman said, "The crime is not growing." Greisman concluded,
"We're seeing a leveling off and that's where you're going to see
your first signs of improvement. I'd like to say this is a positive
signal."
All this spells bad news for privacy advocates and
headline grabbing legislators searching for excuses to eliminate our
access to public records. For more than a decade, federal and state
governments have embraced the elimination of access to public
records at all levels. Under the false banner of privacy protection
the war against identity theft has resulted in little more than
closing access to government records that were once in the public
domain. Fraud investigators have long known that most identity
thieves do not use public records or computers to steal identities.
Thieves do not need to steal someone's identity in order to commit a
crime. All they need is to be creative enough to fabricate a
nine-digit number that does not begin with an eight and nine (the Social
Security Administration does not issue SSNs starting with an
eight or nine) and select a date of birth other than their own.
Viola! A new identity. Fighting ID theft by eliminating access to
public records is like attempting to stop telephone fraud by
eliminating the public's access to telephones. Wouldn't it make more
sense to just enforce existing law and punish the criminals?
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Employers
Verify Workers' Social Security Numbers Faster |
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Verifying
workers' Social Security numbers is not required for most employers.
However, the practice is gaining acceptance and has proven helpful
in identifying undocumented workers and people to who use false
identities. To help employers do a better job, the Social Security
Administration will soon allow employers to verify if SSNs provided
by their employees match the SSA's records by going online at www.SSA.gov. Companies
checking on ten or fewer workers will be served instantly. Larger
requests will have to be scheduled and take a day to process.
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Senator
Dianne Feinstein Proposes Three More Privacy
Bills |
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California
Senator Dianne Feinstein last month introduced three new privacy
bills. One of them appears identical to a bill she introduced last
year which would restrict non-government use of SSNs. However, some
states have already begun to realize curbing the use of SSNs can be
costly to many employers. Recent states' rush to put a stop to
identity theft by barring the use of SSNs on drivers' licenses and
other state issued documents possess potential recordkeeping
problems for both employers and states. Utah, Ohio
and New
York dropped SSNs on unemployment insurance
claims forms filed by ex-employees, leaving companies with no way to
track or challenge claims. Some firms were able to get exemptions,
but more problems are likely as more states and the feds follow suit
and further restrict the use of SSNs.
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Fact: :
Computer crimes accounted for only 11.6 percent of all identity
fraud in 2004 in which the cause was known. Half of those crimes
stemmed from spyware, software that surreptitiously tracks users
online or secretly loads monitoring software on the consumer's
computer.
Source: Javelin Strategy
& Research |
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New
Device Delivers Alcohol Without the Liquid |
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A new
device from England provides alcohol
consumers a new way to enjoy their favorite beverage. The device, Alcohol With Out
Liquid (AWOL) enables the inhalation of oxygen combined with
alcohol vapor. Spirit Partners, Inc. of New
York recently acquired the exclusive license to market
the AWOL technology in the United States. The AWOL
device consists of two simple components: an oxygen generator and a
hand-held vaporizer. Tubes from the generator attach to the
vaporizer. The user selects his favorite distilled spirit, and pours
into the vaporizer. Oxygen mixes with the alcohol producing a mist,
which is inhaled through the mouth or nose. Resultantly, alcohol
enters the bloodstream through the lungs rather than the stomach.
Once the alcohol enters the bloodstream, it affects the body in the
same way as drinking alcohol. Additionally, the alcohol leaves the
body in the same manner as if it had been consumed by drinking.
The manufacturer claims that when used responsibly, AWOL
poses no greater risk to the consumer than consuming alcohol in the
traditional way. Lawmakers are not convinced. State Senator Bob
Hagedorn of Colorado says, "An AWOL device is
to alcohol what a crack pipe is to cocaine." The senator has
proposed a bill that would ban sale, purchase or use of the device
in Colorado. Others are concerned as
well. Because the device is available in both a commercial and
individual user configuration, some college and university
administrators have expressed concern of the devices finding their
way onto campus and in the hands of students under the age of 21.
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Courts
Punch Holes in Company Body-Piercing Policy |
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Attempting
to manage the appearance of workers in the public view, some
employers have established anti-body piercing policies. Employee
suits charging discrimination based on personal appearance-tattoos,
dreadlocks, religious symbols, and body-piercings are on the rise.
While most courts have ruled that employers have the right to set
standards for employee appearance, compromise is safer. Costco
Wholesale's offer to let a store cashier cover her pierced eyebrow
with a bandage won the court approval. Domino's Pizza allowed a Sikh
to substitute its standard cap with turban and its logo also won.
Best advice: Compromise if possible. Zero tolerance policies are
rarely enforceable and often generate employee ill will.
According to the TSA, there is an estimated 12.5 million
tons of air cargo transported per year, 2.8 million tons on
passenger planes. The remaining 9.7 million tons of freight is being
shipped in cargo planes.
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Travel
Tip: More
airline travelers are reporting lost or stolen notebook computers
while passing through security. The TSA says that passengers often
confuse their computer with that of some else's and do not realize
it until they attempt to use it. Best advice: affix asset tags or
high-visibility labels identifying you or your organization on the
underside of the computer. When passing through security place the
computer on the x-ray conveyor upside down (labels facing up) to
make it more easily identifiable as yours. What's more, well-marked
valuables tend to disappear less frequently than those with no
markings. |
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MapQuest
it! |
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MapQuest became a
verb before Google. The small Denver,
Colorado firm and its fifty or so
employees, produce driving directions for over 45 million
direction-challenged users a month. Avid users, however, know that
on rare occasions the directions are not accurate and that small
mapping mistakes can create big frustrations. To avoid frustrating
your customers, MapQuest the route from your local airport to your
office and see if the directions are accurate. If not, contact
MapQuest and report the error. Sources tell us the folks at MapQuest
appreciate the input and are quick to make corrections.
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Quote
of the Month: "Failure
is often nothing more than a resting place on the road to success."
Anonymous
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Delays
in Software Sharing Upgrade Cumbersome for FBI |
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Four years
and millions of dollars ago the FBI embarked on an ambitious plan to
update its antiquated computer systems and overhaul its
international data system intended to help it better share files on
terrorism and criminal cases. Now, however, FBI Director Robert
Mueller is reporting that the plan may have been too ambitious:
"We're not where we wanted to be at this time with the final phase."
The problem appears to be with the software, called Virtual Case
File, which has been under development since June of 2001. Because
of the problems, the FBI has asked a different contractor to
determine how much of the software can be salvaged and which
additional programs will be necessary. Mueller also reported that
additional software will be necessary to help the FBI "meet our
responsibilities to our country more efficiently."
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Smile
This Time: Your Drivers' License is Going to be Seen a Lot More
Often! |
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Your
drivers' license isn't just the go-ahead to drive anymore. To buy a
drink or get on a plane, that state issued card is required, but its
responsibilities are about to get a lot bigger. A federal
intelligence overhaul that became law in December 2004 aims to close
loopholes for identity fraud (such as those used by 9/11 terrorists)
by standardizing drivers' licenses so they can be read by machines,
contain uniform data, verified for accuracy, and prevent forgeries.
But privacy advocates claim the new federal guidelines will create a
federal identification card and let the government track the
whereabouts of innocent people. States can make the decision to opt
out of adhering to the regulations, but those licenses would in
effect be useless for any federal purpose, including getting on a
plane. The specifics of the law, such as biometric measures
(fingerprints, etc.) and bar codes have yet to be decided. Stay
tuned to see if - or when - you'll need a new picture!
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