All of us seem to have a smart phone these days. We have pictures, documents, mobile wallets and if it goes south, hacked, lost…your life will seem to be over. So start thinking about the active precautions you need to take..NOW!

1. Install a VPN  – virtual private network – there are many choices out there along with discounts
2. Install an ad blocker. Some VPN’s  do that automatically
3. Activate your screen lock
4. Always check permissions with addition of new app’s
5. Activate remote device locator
6. Activate auto back-up
7. Activate 2-factor authentication
8. Turn on encryption
9. Install antivirus
10. Make sure to use different passwords for different accounts (password manager)

Security today has to be first and foremost in your mind. Often you are sing your own device at work. What will happen if your or your company information is compromised. Who is to be blamed? Can it affect your job? If a breach occurs because of your device what are the consequences. Mobile technology has made our lives more interesting, often easier, but also a challenge in keep information safe and secure.

For further information and other updates contact Linda at 310-831-4400 or watch for her regular Twitter updates!

Are There Employee Criminal Background Check Laws?

Yes! They vary by state, but the Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) set national standards for performing an employee criminal background check. The law only applies to an employee criminal background check conducted by a consumer reporting agency, which is a firm that administers the employee criminal background check on your behalf. If you decide to perform an employee criminal background check in-house, make sure you follow your state’s background check laws carefully. Remember: Employees have rights, too!

According to the FCRA, some information cannot be reported in an employee criminal background check:

• Accounts in collection longer than seven years
• Paid tax liens beyond seven years
• Bankruptcies after ten years
• Arrest records, civil suits, and civil judgments after seven years

Linda Vincent, Founder of The Identity Advocate, is dedicated to helping consumers and businesses keep their identities safe. This article first appeared in the newsletter provided by The Identity Advocate.

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Department of Justice

A Southern California man who ran a durable medical equipment (DME) supply company has been found guilty by a federal jury in Los Angeles for his role in a $1.5 million Medicare fraud scheme.

Acting Assistant Attorney General David A. O’Neil of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney André Birotte Jr. of the Central District of California, Assistant Director in Charge Bill Lewis of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office and Special Agent in Charge Glenn R. Ferry of the Los Angeles Region of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) made the announcement.

Vahe Tahmasian, 36, of Glendale, Calif., was found guilty on March 21, 2014, in U.S. District Court in the Central District of California of one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, six counts of health care fraud and six counts of aggravated identity theft.   Sentencing is set for June 9, 2014.

The evidence introduced at trial showed that between April 2009 and February 2011, Tahmasian operated a Medicare fraud scheme at Orthomed Appliance Inc. (Orthomed), a DME supply company in West Hollywood, Calif.   Tahmasian and his co-conspirator, Eric Mkhitarian, purchased Orthomed from the previous owners and put the company in the name of a straw owner.   The defendant and his co-conspirator then stole the personal identifying information of Medicare beneficiaries and doctors in the company’s patient files and used that information to submit a large volume of fraudulent claims to Medicare.   The evidence showed that during a three-month period in late 2010, Tahmasian submitted more than $1.2 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare for services that were never prescribed by a physician and never provided to the Medicare beneficiaries.   Tahmasian and his co-conspirator then took out more than $622,000 in cash from the company over a six-week period in early 2011.   The evidence at trial showed that Tahmasian used a fake California driver’s license during the course of the fraudulent scheme.   Tahmasian submitted a total of $1,584,640 in claims to Medicare and received approximately $994,036 on those claims.

Mkhitarian, Tahmasian’s alleged co-conspirator, remains a fugitive.

The case was investigated by the FBI and the Los Angeles Region of HHS-OIG and brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, under the supervision of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant Chief Benton Curtis and Trial Attorney Alexander Porter of the Fraud Section.

Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, now operating in nine cities across the country, has charged more than 1,700 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $5.5 billion.   In addition, HHS’s Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, is taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.

To learn more about the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT), go to: www.stopmedicarefraud.gov .

Your smartphone does double-duty as a wallet and personal computer, holding everything from family photos to sensitive office data. Digital pickpockets and old school thieves can take advantage of this and steal everything in one fell swoop. However, with the right tools, you can keep all of your smartphone data safe and secure.

NQ Mobile Vault

Whether you are protecting your private data from a thief or a nosy partner, NQ Mobile Vault is an important part of your privacy efforts. Priced around $20 per year, this service for iPhones and Androids uses bank-level encryption methods to keep sensitive texts, contacts, call logs, and photos in a hidden vault. With this tool, you can have a secure chat away from Facebook, or you can set a four-digit code to protect any apps that need an extra layer of protection from prying eyes.

Spread the Risk

Instead of keeping everything important on your smartphone, move some of your accounts to a tablet. Companies like T-Mobile include tablets in their telecommunication plans. You are much less likely to lose a Nexus 7 than you are to leave a smartphone lying around. However, keep in mind that you need to protect your tablets just as aggressively as you do your smartphones, and most of the methods listed here can be used for tablets as well as smartphones.

Virtual Private Network

If you use your smartphone over a public Wi-Fi, any hacker on that network can lift your passwords and usernames as well as any text that you transmit. You can avoid this by sticking with your phone’s data plan and accessing what you need over 4G. However, that can get expensive.

Express VPN enables you to save on data charges and use shared Wi-Fi safely via a VPN (virtual private network). For less than $9 per month, VPN Express will encrypt everything that you transmit over your phone, making it impossible for anyone to track you and giving you peace of mind when using public Wi-Fi.

FaceLock Pro

The FaceLock Pro app for Android and iOs devices won’t unlock anything unless it sees your face. Based on powerful face identification software, FaceLock Pro can be used to protect your entire phone or just your most sensitive apps. Unless your twin steals your phone, this app will keep thieves at bay.

Fido Anti-Theft

Better than a guard dog, this free app works with Android and iOs devices. If anyone swipes your phone, you can set off an audible alarm using this app. If the thief is in earshot, the alarm will alert you to the location of the phone, and if that tactic fails, Fido can remotely lock or wipe out your phone. As an added bonus, Fido scans each app that you download, keeping your phone safe from malware, spyware, and other malicious content.

Last Word

In addition to the fancy apps listed above, CTIA, The Wireless Association, reminds you to make sure that you don’t overlook the basics. Lock your phone with a hard-to-guess password; be aware of your surroundings, and guard your phone as if it is your wallet. Finally, save everything in a second secure spot like a cloud, external hard drive, or a PC to ensure that even if something is lost, you can reclaim it. Connect with Linda at the Identity Advocate for more educational opportunities. 310-8310-4400

One of the Tax Division’s highest priorities is prosecuting people who use stolen identities to steal money from the United States Treasury by filing fake tax returns that claim tax refunds. Working to stop Stolen Identity Refund Fraud, or SIRF, is vital because these schemes threaten to disrupt the orderly administration of the income tax system for hundreds of thousands of law abiding taxpayers and to cost the United States Treasury billions of dollars.

SIRF crimes are complicated to prosecute because they are often perpetrated by large criminal enterprises with individuals at all stages of the scheme: those who steal the Social Security Numbers (SSN) and personal identifying information, those who file false returns with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), those who facilitate obtaining the refunds, and the masterminds who promote the schemes. These criminal enterprises are able to exploit the speed and relative anonymity of highly automated systems for storing personal information, preparing and filing tax returns electronically, and generating income tax refunds quickly—often in the form of electronic payments.

Identities used in SIRF crimes may be stolen from anywhere. SIRF criminals have used social security numbers stolen from institutions such as hospitals, nursing homes, and public death lists, thereby exploiting some of the most vulnerable members of our communities—the elderly, the infirm, grieving families. However, everyone with a social security number is potentially vulnerable to having their identity stolen. According to the IRS, from 2008 through May of 2012, the Service has identified more than 550,000 taxpayers who have had their identities stolen for the purpose of claiming false refunds in their names.

Click here to read the entire article: http://www.justice.gov/tax/Stolen_Identity_Refund_Fraud.htm

The Tax Division has had considerable success in SIRF prosecutions, which have generated long sentences for those convicted of SIRF crimes. This page contains links to articles, websites, and press releases with information on how the Justice Department and IRS are dealing with SIRF crimes, guidance for citizens whose identities have been stolen and used to file false tax returns, and efforts of the Justice Department to prosecute these crimes – Kathryn Keneally, Assistant Attorney General for the Tax Division   Press Release Announcing SIRF Enforcement Initiative

Connect with Linda at 310-831-4400 or at info@theidentityadvocate.com to mobilize your efforts of protection and recovery when it happens to you!

Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Michael B. Steinbach, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, Manuel Orosa, Chief, City of Miami Police Department (MPD), and José A. Gonzalez, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), announce that Malinsky Bazile, 28, of North Miami Beach, was sentenced today for his participation in a stolen identity tax refund scheme. Bazile was sentenced to 144 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $140,000.

Bazile was convicted by a jury of one count of fraudulent use of unauthorized devices, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1029(a)(2), four counts of aggravated identity theft, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1028A(a)(1), one count of exceeding authorized access to a protected computer, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1030(a)(4), and one count of possession of fifteen or more unauthorized access devices, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1029(a)(3).

According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, the defendant operated an identity theft tax refund scheme from January 2012 to October 2012. During that period, the defendant, while employed as a City of Miami Police Officer, used his access to the Florida driver’s license database to steal the personal identity information of approximately seven hundred middle-aged women with common last names throughout the State of Florida. Using those identities, the defendant filed false and fraudulent tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service seeking refunds payable to pre-paid debit cards. The defendant was captured on multiple bank ATM videos withdrawing money from pre-paid debit cards loaded with fraudulent tax refund proceeds. FBI and MPD conducted a search at the defendant’s residence and found ledgers in a safe filled with hundreds of people’s identities and several pre-paid debit card containers. The defendant admitted to FBI and MPD that he made between $130,000 to $140,000 from the fraud scheme in 2011 and 2012.

Mr. Ferrer commended the FBI, MPD, and IRS-CI for their work on the case. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael N. Berger and Peter Forand.

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A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.

Further questions on protection from identity theft or obtaining a fully managed recovery program connect with Linda at 310-831-4400.

Thinking about social media and all those pictures, places and friends?

Thinking about your cell phones, smart phones, app’s connecting in unsecured WiFI spots?

Thinking about all those emails and who they are from and the responses needed?

Thinking about Yahoo news groups, and who do your really know?

Thinking about what you are  posting on Facebook,  like how about those vacation pictures, and the geo-tagging that lets the criminal element know you aren’t home?

And how about those dating sites? Finding scammers there too…

Awareness: Are you thinking about it? It  has got to be first and foremost in your mind.

Connect with the Identity Advocate, learn how to protect yourself, and your family and your business. Email Linda@theidentityadvocate.com or call her at 310-831-4400