The Red Flag Policy Protects Consumers and Businesses

ID theft affects an estimated nine million individuals each year according to the Federal Trade Commission. It can destroy your credit and your life and it can take years to recover from it. ID theft can be a random act or can be a profession for criminals preying on the unsuspecting consumer. ID theft rings are a widespread problem that is sweeping the nation and wreaking havoc on individuals, businesses, financial institutions and law enforcement.

Most victims don't have the slightest clue as to how the criminal even got their identity and credit information in the first place. The only way consumers can fight back against identity theft is to take steps to protect themselves. Businesses must also do their part to stop this extensive crime. The Federal Trade Commission issued a Red Flag Policy that mandates most businesses to participate in the effort to prevent identity theft and the source of personal information. The Red Flag Policy requires financial institutions and certain types of creditors to implement an identity theft prevention program.

As of November 1, 2009, all creditors are required to create and implement an identity theft policy, also known as a Red Flag Policy. This policy ensures you are protected as a business, your clients are protected as consumers, and you are compliant with the law. The Red Flag Policy is enforced by the Federal Trade Commission and other regulatory agencies.

The implementation of the Red Flag mandate content is at the discretion of each business and will obviously differ for different companies based on the unique elements which make up that business. There are specific requirements, however, that must be included in the Red Flag Policy. There must be procedures to identify and detect warning signs for potential identity theft (a.k.a. red flags). The policy must also include procedures for how to respond to those warning signs to prevent identity theft. The policy also requires that the identity theft protection program be implemented into day-to-day operations including training. Staff should be trained on how to spot the red flags for identity theft and how to react to them.

The program must also contain a detailed process for updating the policy. Businesses that deal with customers via phone and through the internet are more susceptible to identify theft and fraud and must identify the best way to prevent it. Electronic identity theft is a huge concern and involves significant steps to ensure computer security. Larger companies that have independent branches must take extra precautions to protect sensitive and confidential information.

Many times, and this is why the Red Flag Policy is so critical, identity theft will occur internally. Companies must take the necessary steps to ensure confidential information is secure and locked up in a manner where it would only be accessible to authorized individuals. Every policy should have a program administrator that would be responsible for overseeing the program. It does not need to be burdensome for a company to have to design and implement an information protection program as the Red Flag Policy is intended to protect not only consumers, but the businesses who can incur substantial losses.

Drivers License Identity Theft

Just imagine driving home one evening from your day at work and you are being pulled over by Law enforcement for a faulty tail light on your vehicle. You hand your information with the officer and he then runs a routine check on the state database while he begins to write-up a Fix-It ticket. After a few minutes he walks up to you and asks you to step out of your vehicle and place your hands on the car. At that point you find yourself being handcuffed and arrested for Failure to appear in court for several violations that includes a DUI.
You've never had a DUI in your life and you tell the officer that it's a mistake but the information on your drivers' license matches exactly to the information on the bench warrant from the court. And the reality sets in that you are going to jail. The next day you finally get an attorney to finally get a chance to prove that you are not the person they are looking for even though you are an exact match. Now you have to prove that you're not YOU! How crazy is that?

But that's not Me
This scenario occurs more often than you think as Drivers License Identity Thieves capitalizes on the weakness in the system that allows access to other forms of identification such as birth certificates and other government issued ID's. And Get ready to pay higher insurance rates because driving related charges that are unsuspectingly included on your driving record make your insurance rates go up as soon as the insurance company gets wind of the points that have been accrued.
Now lets include the time, anguish and the attorney fees to try to mitigate the damages because you have been named in a felonious violation that you did not commit.

What else can they do to me?
Identity theft thieves, who are only limited by their creativity, can also utilize your information for other things such as medical services. This is an area that has been getting a lot of press lately as Medical ID Theft has increased by 5%over this year.
Studies have shown that there have been as many as a quarter to half a million people, that have already been victimized by medical ID theft in past years. These numbers are probably low due to the fact that, like most forms of ID theft, can go undetected for months or even years.
The thief's utilization of your medical insurance can contaminate your medical files that include their information and not yours. Do you think that would ruin your day if there was a drug or medication that your are allergic to was shown on your chart that you've taken.

Correcting Medical Records can be a nightmare
Errors on medical files are one of the hardest things to detect as well as correct. If your medical record has erroneous and inaccurate information there is often no practical way to correct it. When Insurance companies and medical facilities access a database that has been falsified with corrupt information it can be close to impossible, if not impossible to correct them at all.
At your next visit to your doctor take a few minutes to check your record with your doctor and look for any discrepancies. If anything it should give you a little peace of mind to know that your records are intact.

CSA 2010 Commercial Driving Laws

Reducing your exposure to CSA 2010 is one of the most dramatic changes in the commercial driving industry that has come around in decades.

At this time, points are given for the seven "Deadly" sins, which include:

• Unsafe Driving...
• Log Book Violation...
• Driver Fitness...
• Controlled Substances and Alcohol...
• Vehicle maintenance...
• Improper Loading and Crash Indicator...
• Fatigued Driving...
• Log Book and Unsafe Driving carry the some of the highest points possible.

The purpose of CSA 2010 is to measure the impact of the rules and laws for the commercial drivers of the trucking industry. What was found was that those that were just "exposed" to DOT violations, no matter how trivial, are far more likely to get cited for violations being uncovered at weigh station inspections than in the past. The most dramatic example is that the likelihood of a driver "exposed" to this improved version of SafeStats were far more likely to receive a violation and points on their record, even when it came to simple correctable violations.

CSA 2010 points for drivers are based upon roadside inspections. With that being said, tickets issued by a Non-DOT certified officer, does not impact CSA 2010. Which means that if you receive a violation from a roadside inspection, whether or not a citation is issued, points are still indicated on the report.

This is a tough regulation for the trucking industry. It has been mentioned that the industry estimates for CSA 2010 will effectively remove 175,000 to 250,000 drivers from the road at any given time for suspensions or violations. Because of this regulation, legal representation is almost a necessity now and in the future.

The whole CSA 2010 point system is set up to bypass the courts, judges and lawyers. So with that in mind trying to dispute the points that have been issued would be difficult at best in most cases. However, if a driver receives a ticket, disputes it and gets acquitted then he has a better chance of challenging the points. This is where legal representation is paramount to keeping you on the road.

The CSA 2010 point system scores on both the driver and the company. The compliancy scores from 0 - 100, with zero being the best, as mentioned are given to both the driver and the company. And so while the Government emphasizes that no one will lose their license due to CSA 2010 points, the company's score, which is based on the score of its drivers, he would almost certainly be let go. If this happens, the company AND the driver still retain the points that they have accrued. This information will be available to any future employers which could be advantageous or detrimental to you when searching for employment.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6266773

Single Mom Legal Help

It is quite important for single moms to know where they can get legal help with regard do different issues affecting their children. Legal help for single mothers is essential and it has assisted a lot of single moms get relief by being supported by their husbands. In most of the cases the mother undergoes a lot of problems where the husband leaves her without even thinking of how she is going to bring up the children. Legal help will ensure that the single moms rights are well articulated and respected. The situation becomes even worse where the mom does not have a job and therefore, she doesn't have a means of supporting the kids. This is the reason why it becomes quite imperative for her to seek legal help for single mothers. They should know that they are entitled to child support from the other party. The biological father of the child must support the mother in bringing up the children.

The legal help for single mothers is also quite important in deciding who should have the custody of the children. The mother in most cases will be granted right to have custody of the child provided she is in a position to bring up the child. The mother will be better placed to bring up the child in many circumstances. If the father wants to have the custody of the kids legal help will require him to prove beyond any reasonable doubt that the mother is not in a position to bring up the child. The level of proof is that of beyond any shadow of doubt. When the custody is granted to the mother then the father will be required to support the mother financially. In many situations however, the legal help for single mothers is important since she will be advised to seek a court order requiring the husband to be paying the support fund without failing.

Legal help has been there for quite sometime after a lot of single mothers were denied what was legally theirs by the father of their children. The legal help has as a result assisted many mothers and has remained quite determined in ensuring that whenever a single mother requires any service she can provoke their assistance anytime. Depending with the level of the relationship the mother may as well be entitled to a portion of the family property. The legal help will ensure that the mothers have legal understanding of what they should do to ensure that they get a share of the matrimonial property.

Legal help for single mothers will also ensure that the mother can be in a position to claim to be provided with housing. This is very important since many single mothers were simply housewives and depended wholly on their husbands. The legal help will give mothers an insight on how they should provoke court action with regard to claiming to be provided with housing. The single mother is therefore, playing a very important role in ensuring that single mothers know their rights and are able to fight for them.

Legal Aid For Parents

Legal aid is available for parents who have been through divorce, lost a loved one or unexpected separations due to domestic conflict.Being a father comes with its responsibility that a person must bear in mind to help them successful families. For a father who is trying to give their children the best, despite lacking a mother figure in the home can still mange to get that by seeking the many single father legal aid that have been made available. Some have been made available by the government and other by non-governmental organizations that have felt the concern to offer this help.

Health is very important to any family not only in guarding the parent but the children as well. Legal aid ensures that they have access to proper health at all times. Considering that the cost of medical care is constantly rising, there are many places that these people can go and they will be given consideration on grounds they are single parents. This help is readily made accessible to them and little may be required before they are enrolled in these programs.

Aid is also available for parents who want advise concerning raising their children in the right ways. It may also be for a father who wants to protect the custody of their children following a recent divorce. There are many attorneys who provide these services specifically for single father legal aid assistance. This can be a great channel to use when the father desire to retain the right to be with their children. In the past after a divorce case it is the mother that always ended up taking the children custody. But in recent times the trend has been reversed and more dads are seeking these single father legal aid assistance and many have benefited from them.

At other times a single father may be faced with an unemployment problem, which can affect their survival. Single father legal aid is available to such dads who are going through this tough stage in their lives. They can approach any attorney who can urge their case in court and prevent the landlords from chasing them from their homes. This can give one time to find another source of income and resume back to their normal lives later on. Single father legal aid is available to any person who may require the aid. There are no requirements but if at all they are it is little before one is given the help.

Lastly, nurturing a child is one of the toughest tasks any parent can ever undertake, but with the right assistance it is easy. It helps the child grow up well and simplifies this tough job to many parents. Single father legal aid is available for dads who want to learn how to nurture their children and instill good morals to them. This single father legal aid offer useful advice and educational practices that a father can use to improve their families. Single father legal aid is the right path to choose for any parent who cares of their children.