Winter Advisory - Check Your ID

A few days ago it finally occured to me that cold weather was on the way whether I was ready or not so I set about to check all the things on the car that I have capability and knowledge about. It's a short list.

Windshield wipers ok. Ditto the oil. Tires still fat and round. But how about the radiator? The water level appeared to be several inches lower than recommended so I picked up a container of antifreeze and drove back to my apartment. The old dishcloth in the trunk worked fine to open the now slightly warm cover. My car key broke open the little foil seal. Now to just check the directions and pour, right? That's where I hit a snag.

I know the men reading this are rolling their eyes about now but I am remembering an incident from years ago when I joined up with the Literacy League. One of the first questions was why we felt we'd be good teachers to people who couldn't speak a lick of English. My confident answer was:

Because learning to read is simple if you just have a little patience.

The class leader smiled, handed me a book in Russian, sat back in her chair and said, "Read that to me. And I'm patient, so take all the time you need."

Point taken.

So I'm looking at the antifreeze in several languages and none of them were clear, including the English version. A neighbor passed by and I asked, "Do I just pour this in? Just like this?"

He wrinkled his brow, leaned deep into the car and said nodded, "Yeah, looks right. Try not to spill any though, it's lethal to dogs." Then walked away.

I tried not to focus on the splash seeping into my hand or the Mexican groundskeeper who was watching on intently from a few yards away. Just as I tipped the edge, he shouted and came running over.

"Agua! Agua! Agua!"

I stopped mid-tilt and placed the container into his reaching hands, where he pointed to the words in Spanish and then in English, MIX WITH WATER.

And suddenly there it was, clear as a bell.

I don't know what damage may have been caused if I'd simply 'guesstimated' the directions but am truly thankful someone nearby was well-versed in car matters, no matter the national origin or native tongue.

The land registries are that way no matter where you live in America. There are almost as many directions and software companies representing them as there are counties online. Over time, we've become well-read in most of them and that's why we offer to check your records for free. Because frankly, it takes longer to see which one your county is using and then explain it all to you, but if that's what you prefer we'll be happy to do that, too.

Whether you want to check your own records or want us to do it, we're here for you and will promptly let you know if and what your county is broadcasting to the world. Just send an email to: FindMyID@mindspring.com

In addition to understanding land registry lingo, we're patient souls.

www.FindMyID.com

Darwin Deason, I have a confession ...

ATTN:
DARWIN DEASON, Founder
Affiliated Computer Services, Inc.
Dallas, Texas

January 23, 2007

Dear Darwin,

I have a confession to make. I found your social security number online.

The confession part, and I'm not proud to admit this, is that I actually debated on whether to post it online because after all, it is "public record" and I know how you feel about those blessed public records. Sanctity and all that. Fast and easy, instant access, worldwide!

But what's important to me and what's important to you seem to be worlds apart. It would have been easy to throw you under the bus just to watch your people (and I'm fairly certain you have 'people') bolt into action to protect you and your assets. See, I don't have People. ( Imagine what I could accomplish with People!) Neither does the rest of the world. For most folks, we're it; the only shield of protection to guarantee their records aren't exposed to the world. Of course today I worked just for you and all for free. When's the last time that happened?

Speaking of a shield between ordinary people and danger, did you know that our law enforcement community is also exposed? The same folks who have to go out to work every day with a gun on their hip now have to worry about one of the prior arrests showing up at their home. We're all so forward-thinking that one of our commissioners, when made aware of that situation here in Charlotte, said he would have to think long and hard before making exceptions even for the police department. (Dang. Hope he doesn't have to call in soon.)

But back to the confession. It's true, when I began searching it was with hope that I would find identifying information that may make you stop and think. An unexpected thing happened, though. It made me just as sad to see your life exposed as the hundreds of other folks without even a fraction of your wealth. I actually worried that some nut may come after you like the one who killed Rebecca Shaeffer after a private investigator found her address through the digitized DMV records. Or the one who stalked and killed Amy Boyer after a databroker found her information online.

Have you been to any of the big box office supply stores lately? You can pick up a pack of deeds in there for less than ten dollars. Anyone with a computer can go home, copy and paste your signature on the dotted line (found copies of that, too), record it, and you would end up asking permission to go in your own house to argue with them. Sounds crazy, doesn't it? But it's happening all over. Oklahoma, Florida, Ohio, even Canada. James and Paula Cooke found themselves locked out of their $300,000 home in Denton County, Texas. The thieves who stole their home may have found everything they needed on the county website. Mrs Cooke's maiden name (the home was in her maiden name), her driver's license number and signature were available, all courtesy of services your company provides the county.

The information found in your documents could have made my life a lot easier, I gotta tell you, Darwin. As you can imagine, my name isn't exactly revered in the title industry any more and orders are slow as molasses. But with your information (or one of your wives' - did I mention I found theirs, too?) I could have ordered any number of credit cards, jewelry, more computers, driven out of a showroom with a shiny new Benz (the Chevy really is on it's last leg), and all while wearing that copper colored sweater I've been dreaming of with the black seed pearls.

But I didn't. Because it isn't the right thing to do. The right thing to do is create a super-highway that's equally responsible. You're a smart man with a world of influence. You could do such a thing and be hailed as the Patriot of the Century. Won't you at least think about it? In the meantime, send me a note and I'll be happy to check your records free of charge, same as we do for every other American every day. Or, you could ask your People to start searching and maybe, just maybe the state where I found them will have passed a redaction law by then and allow you to remove the offending information. Then again, it may be too late. Jeb Bush redacted his from a county website but today, the number can be found on websites all over the world.

Love,
Jan
ps - Do you know anything about using eBay?

www.FindMyID.com

Down the River with Darwin Deason

Affiliated Computer Services, Inc. (ACS) founder Darwin Deason is at it again and if you're honorable Average Joe who thinks this news must have nothing to do with you or your life, think again.

Billionaire Deason amassed his fortune by selling you down the river; from the organization and trade of personal information. Your information. Medical records, land records, health records, any records. If it affects your life, he has it. Why does this bother me and why should you care? Because it includes your land records and every bit of personal information they contain. And maybe especially because Deason couldn't have bought that information if your local register of deeds or clerk of court hadn't facilitated the sale.

Since attracting the attention of federal prosecutors recently in a stock option scandal, we can only hope Deason will experience a little discomfort at having his personal papers scrutinized by strangers, something he's spent a career and subjected the rest of America to for years.

Deason isn't the only questionable character in this story. How about the local folks who pleaded for your vote last election with promises of safeguarding your personal records? Don't they deserve at least a phone call or visit next trip into town to ask what the heck they were thinking by selling your signature, social security number, and home address?

News for Public Officials editor, David Bloys, tells of more than one example of elected officials receiving gifts of cash, and other perks in exchange for selling your records in bulk or placing them online.

Fort Bend County Clerk Dianne Wilson has been imaging county records for more than 10 years and openly admits to regularly selling her citizens' records. One transaction of approximately 15 to 20 million records was sold to a company called Red Vision for just $2,000. Paper copies of those same documents would cost $1 a page, and still costs $1 a page to the local citizen who walks in off the street.

Bloys said Wilson is infamous nationwide for her Internet posting of public documents and even more so for the bulk sale of those documents, including documents with sensitive data to companies that, in turn, realize huge profits by selling the records to anyone who asks.

Wilson said she has no apologies for her decision to make the records available, and said medical data is not made public through her office. But when told about medical information of a family member of hers obtained through the county clerk's Web site, she had no response.

Clark (Las Vegas, NV) County Recorder, Frances Deane sold over 30 years worth of real estate documents for thousands of dollars and used the cash to pay her bills and purchase a plasma television, according to her arrest warrant. Deane was charged with 19 felony counts that include misconduct of a public officer, fraudulent appropriation of property, theft and unlawful commissions, personal profit and compensation of public officers.

Deane pocketed at least $44,000 from the sales of county-owned documents and never reported an additional $10,000 in campaign contributions. According to Las Vegas title agents, title companies pay $1.5 million to gain access to the amount of information Deane sold.

And former Jackson County, Mississippi Chancery Clerk, Lynn Presley has recently been released from prison after completing 84 months of his 10-year prison sentence for embezzling county funds in the late 1990s. According to federal prosecutors, Presley was the recipient of a kickback, valued at $60,000, in exchange for providing the county's former chief land appraiser a contract with Florida-based Mainline Corporation. The contract was to digitize and place county land records on a database.

A handful of states in the past year have released cryptic redaction forms that citizens must complete on their own listing information they want redacted, but they must also list the document source and where, within the body of the document, that sensitive information can be located. There is no time frame for redacting this information and few people are even aware of the ability to do so. When asked how many citizens had requested to redact their personal information from documents in Cabarrus County, NC, Register of Deeds Linda McAbee smiled and answered, "Besides me? One."

What does all of this have to do with Darwin Deason? There aren't any sellers if nobody's buying, and Deason has deep pockets.

Legend has it Deason's farmer father gave him $50 at high school graduation and Deason immediately used it to set out and make his way in the world. In light that $50 investment, he would have attained a more honorable legacy to have stayed on the farm and viewed the world from the back side of a mule.

www.FindMyID.com

Your Sins Will Find You Out

That was a gentle moral warning my grandmother was fond of quoting, meaning no matter how clever, secret, or private you consider your misdeeds, at some point they will come to light. She was right. Read on.

Affiliated Computer Services, Inc. (ACS) is a worldwide data management company whose contracts include county clerk offices across America, meaning those land documents you've been recording at your local courthouse have now been fed into ACS computers worldwide.

Cook County, IL, officials suspended contract talks with ACS this past Wednesday after learning of its connection to a criminal investigation at the Las Vegas public hospital.

Commissioner Roberto Maldonado (D-Chicago) voted against the deal after learning about problems the company had in North Carolina with a government contract. (ACS had a five-year, $171 million contract to install and operate a Medicaid claims system for North Carolina that resulted in multiple unscheduled negotiations.)

"I have said since last summer that the track record of this company is not the best, to say the least," Maldonado said. And Commissioner Larry Suffredin (D-Evanston) said he would now have "serious concerns" about using ACS for the revenue contract.

In other ACS news, on January 12 of this year they agreed to pay Delta Air Lines more than $7.5 million dollars in cash to settle disputes arising from ACS's performance on a contract to provide the bankrupt airline with human resource support.

And last November, ACS reported the theft of a laptop from it's Denver facility, offering a $10,000 reward for its return. ACS claims that the machine was stolen from a secure facility, under camera surveillance, behind two key-carded doors.

If ACS is truly concerned about security, maybe they should reconsider outsourcing and the planned construction of a 65,000 sq ft facility in Jamaica, their second there, which they staff with locals.

A slowdown in outsourcing isn't likely to happen, according to a press release announcing ACS the proud sponsor of the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals (IAOP), who met in Dallas last Tuesday.

Michael F. Corbett, IAOP's chairman, opened the meeting by stating, "The Dallas chapter will help to improve the outcomes companies achieve through outsourcing by advancing outsourcing as a top profession for the 21st century."

Gee, thanks, ACS.

In separate news, First American Title Insurance Company announced Tuesday that its Lenders Advantage Division has completed development of TitleSmart(TM) -- a new technology that delivers insured title commitments in less than 60 seconds. Now where would they have gotten enough documents to .. nah, couldn't be. Could it?

Anyone have any questions you'd like to ask your local county government?

If you're concerned about ID Theft, security breach, or even outsourcing, get in touch with us at www.FindMyID.com

We keep a watchful eye on county records and websites. Someone sure needs to.

www.FindMyID.com

Thank You For Coming. Now Beat It!

Remember those little circular diagrams from science class? They had arrows that pointed the way to a never-ending circle of life. I'd like to introduce you to the Circle of Title Companies and unfortunately, will be using the same diagram.

Now I'll admit that I don't fully understand this complicated cycle but that isn't important to the story because even a child can understand what I'm about to tell you and any child can tell you it's wrong. Title companies are big business in America - and abroad, now that they've begun outsourcing your most intimate information.

Suppose you decide to buy a home. You complete all the paperwork and submit it and eventually, it lands on the desk of a title company employee. They process that paperwork and you get the loan and they insure that the loan or title to the property is authentic. So what happens to your intimate information? It must be safe, right? After all, it had your home address, signature, social security number, the name of your bank, and heck, your wife even signed with her maiden name included! Nope. It isn't secure.

The paperwork is recorded at your local register of deeds office and more than likely, they have established a business relationship with a data imaging company, for a profit. So not only does your local elected official place your full document image online for the world to see but so does the data imaging company, with your local clerk's blessing.

First American is one of the largest, if not the largest, title companies in America. But their business decision to utilize Data Tree certainly does not serve the best interest of Americans, who are their greatest source of business. In 1998, they purchased Data Tree, a database management and document imaging company.

"First American Data Tree is the nation's leading provider of online public land records and property data, offering a database of over 3 billion recorded property documents nationwide."

Now I put that in the form of a quote because it is. It comes straight from First American's proud website. Did you notice they boast over 3 billion recorded documents online, any time? One of those documents is probably yours.

This past weekend, the National Association of Land Title Examiners and Abstractors (NALTEA) met in San Diego for their annual winter conference. Their members are the folks who search the dusty courthouses, in person, to make sure your property is free and clear of defect before you buy. In a press release dated April 27, 2006, NALTEA publicly expressed "grave concerns" and opposed "the online publication of the public records due to the sensitive information the records often contain".

As a guest at the NALTEA conference this past weekend, First American Data Tree countered that concern by stating that they do everything they can to remain compliant with county recorders and will remove its public record data from the internet if the county recorders choose to remove access to their online databases.

Well now, let's just see about that.

According to their own website, they cover Oneida County in New York. After outrage by local citizens, the Oneida county clerk was ousted in the last election and replaced by Sandra DePerno, who promised to dismantle the online county websites. Within a week of her election, it was done.

So why is Oneida County still available on the First American Data Tree website, which was checked again just five minutes ago?

This is a classic case of big business biting the hand that feeds it. Welcoming you as a customer, then shoving you out the door to the world online. Taking your money, requiring you to purchase their insurance, then placing your most sensitive information out there for the world to view, and profit from it all.

Don't let them get away with it!

Write to Oneida County Clerk Sandra DePerno first to thank her for a job well done and a promise kept! Then ask her to remind Data Tree of their promise to remove that information. DePerno kept her promise. Make Data Tree keep theirs.

You can write to Ms. DePerno at:

countyclerk@ocgov.net

And if you'd like for us to check your records, visit www.findMyID.com

Unlike First American Data Tree, we're concerned about your privacy, and there is never a charge for our services.

Who is Charles J Hynes?

The best District Attorney in America, that's who.

This man will stop at nothing to catch a thief, save a truant kid on the street, or assist an elderly citizen. Located in King's County (Brooklyn), NY, DA Hynes employs techniques old, new, unique, and sometimes downright funny in his constant quest for justice. The war on crime may not be over, but Hynes is closing in fast.

I first learned of DA Hynes while looking into real estate fraud cases such as the following. On December 20, 2006 Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes announced the indictment of a married couple for stealing total ownership of a home they co-owned with an elderly Holocaust survivor and his wife who narrowly escaped Hitler’s Germany in 1938. The theft was accomplished by a forged deed and other forged documents.

"This is another example of the real estate fraud epidemic that is plaguing the city and especially Brooklyn," said District Attorney Hynes.

On December 28, 2006 Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes announced the indictment of three men charged with stealing an elderly Brooklyn woman’s home while she lay dying of cancer. The defendants are charged with forging documents to give defendant Russell Pitt power of attorney over a building owned by the woman at 39 Herkimer Street in Bedford-Stuyvesant. The woman died in 2005.

On July 10, 2006 Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes and Department of Investigation Commissioner Rose Gill Hearn announced the indictment of Brooklyn Democratic Assemblywoman Diane Gordon on charges that she sought a $500,000 single-family home as a bribe from a Brooklyn contractor.

"This type of influence peddling by Assemblywoman Gordon is the worst possible betrayal to the voters who elected her and who expected her to represent them fairly," said DA Hynes. "Nobody is above the law; in fact, public officials should be held to a higher standard."

(Amen, brother. Now to convince clerks and registrars who are displaying and selling our land records all over the world.)

DA Hynes isn't only involved in halting real estate-related crime. Last year he held an interfaith memorial prayer service for child abuse victims, noting that all communities and people are affected by child abuse.

"Let this interfaith worship service be an opportunity for us all to now come together as one community, to remember and to pray for those most vulnerable our children," said DA Hynes. "Child abuse impacts all of us."

Hynes is also noted for creating YCP (Youth and Congregations in Partnership), a community-based early intervention program for Brooklyn’s court-involved and at-risk youths, ages 13 to 22. The program is a collaboration between the District Attorney’s Office and the Brooklyn religious community and includes social workers, churches, and community service providers. In 2006, Hynes proudly attended the graduation of 46 members.

Let's end on a positive note, such as Hynes' announcement of the arraignment of Steven Vassal on a 42-count indictment charging him with practicing veterinary medicine without a license or training and treating 14 animals, including performing numerous surgeries.

Vassal was arrested in February, after an undercover investigation by the Brooklyn DA’s Office, which employed Detective Fred the Cat, a nine-month-old kitten deputized to work on the case.

Hynes' website has an entire section devoted to Identity Theft with tips in general and more specifically to real estate transactions. To learn more about DA Hynes, visit his website by going to: www.brooklynda.org

Lastly, the best possible headline regarding a man such as Hynes:

KINGS COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY CHARLES J. HYNES SWORN IN FOR FIFTH TERM


www.FindMyID.com

Get in touch. We still check records free of charge.

Anatomy of ID Theft

Research earlier tonight took me on an unplanned scavenger hunt. It began after seeing Emory University's recent computer theft that placed nearly 40,000 cancer patients at risk for ID theft. The information was stored on a computer at Electronic Registry Systems, a business contractor for Emory Healthcare. I wondered about Electronic Registry System; who they are and more importantly, where they are. After all, a lot of our data employment has been outsourced and a quote that haunts me is one by Peter Gregory, Chief Security Strategist with VantagePoint:

"In this, the Information Age, a country like India could disconnect itself from the Internet and hold America hostage--a provocative action that would be tantamount to an act of war."

Take a look at the words of security expert Ron Solecki, as quoted on ITtoolbox Groups and 'Computer Theft and the Victims'. Mr. Solecki bases IT Security on 3 aspects:

Integrity
Availability
Confidentiality

Solecki goes on to list the following:

People. They cause security vulnerabilities and they take
advantage of the security vulnerabilities and other people.

Application. If the network is not designed securely, it will bleed out confidential information to anyone who asks.

Physical. Even if everything else is done correctly, if you have
your server located under the receptionists desk at the front door, anyone can walk in, unplug it, and walk out.

Policy & Procedure (& Enforcement). If everything else is
secured, if there is no policy saying people can and can't do certain
things, then data is going to leak.

And now the news from India, when this past December 27th, thieves fled with two laptops, nine AMDs, four motherboards, five LCDs, 20 DVD combo drive, two DVD RW, eight RAM, two Intel 2.8 Dual Core and hard disk 80GB SATA. To give you an idea of how such a security breach is viewed there, read the words of the computer shop owner.

“When we got to know about the incident we immediately rushed to the nearest police station to file an FIR. But forget about expecting any action, we did not even receive any kind of support from the police. They came to my shop to take a round but could only create a scene and nothing else,” lamented Saurabh Sharma, MD, Gayatri Computers.

Reading all of the above and applying it to our thousands of unguarded county websites as well as data registries such as Emory's, is enough to make one tremble. And it certainly should be.

Lack of integrity. Around the clock, worldwide availability. No policy, no procedure, and lack of enforcement even where there are laws established to protect from identity theft - and that list is miniscule.

Until America requires integrity in security and the citizens demand accountability, FindMyID will continue to search those free-flowing records to let you know what's available online about your family. It's a finger in the dike, but it's better than nothing.

www.FindMyID.com

Home Stolen - Twice!

A Kentucky couple's home was stolen twice before they even knew about it. Until the retired couple began receiving mail for a man they'd never heard of, there was no indication anything was amiss. Then their bank called.

A fraud investigator from the bank informed them that there had been two new deeds recorded on their home. Unlike a man in Canada recently who was barred from entering his own home without 'permission' from the home thief, this couple was free to stay in the home while things were cleared up.

It should come as no surprise that Security Expert David Bloys of wwwFindMyID.com was able to quickly and easily find this couple's personal information online on their own county websites. Everything needed to commit such a crime, free of charge, and at the courtesy of their own local, elected, officials.

Agent Paul Johnson of the Lousiville, Kentucky branch of the Secret Service said the case illustrates how easy it is to commit such fraud.

"We think that there is a serious problem with mortgage fraud, and there's definitely a problem with identity theft," Agent Johnson said.

Don't wait until you're a victim. Get in touch with me or David Bloys by sending an email to findmyid@mindspring.com We'll check your records free of charge and send a detailed report back to you, along with suggestions on how to remove the information from public - worldwide - view.

www.FindMyID.com