How To Guard Against Identity Theft

by BOB CUMMINS

How to guard against identity theft is one of the most searched for terms online today. Crime statistics show the reason for this, is the alarming ongoing increase of personal ID stealing every day, not just in the U.S., but worldwide. You cannot pick up a newspaper, watch or listen to the radio and T. V. news programs without hearing of someone being ripped off by these thieves. As you continue to read, you will discover some very simple steps which you can take to avoid becoming one of those statistics.

You may not be aware of this but some company’s make hundreds of thousands of dollars a year selling your personal information. That's right your name, address and phone number are sold to telemarketing companies, insurance companies, credit card companies, to name just a few. That’s why so many people get a lot of junk mail and unsolicited preapproved/prescreened credit card and insurance offers. One of the simplest steps you can take to prevent this is to read through these preapproved/prescreened credit card or insurance offers and look for the opt-out instructions. By following these instructions you will stop getting these preapproved/prescreened offers. Talking about a simple step to prevent I. D. theft, the next one may well be the simplest of all.

On a daily basis you receive junk mail from various vendors and especially credit card companies. It is very easy for you to look at the outside envelope and determine its junk mail and drop it in the trash. You have just made a big mistake. From now on take the step of cutting up or shredding junk mail that has your name, address, social security number and all other forms of your personal information listed.

Another simple tip for how to guard against identity theft is avoid using your mail box to mail bills around the first of the month. Experienced identity thieves know they can steal your check which will provide them with not only your address, your credit card number, bank account number and possibly your social security number. To avoid this opportunity for the thieves to steal, drop your bills in the nearest official government mail box or post office. In addition, if you are computer savvy, many banks make it easy and free to pay your bills on line.

Because of the multiple ways to steal someone's personal information it can be difficult to be 100% safe. Common sense and following the above, how to guard against identity theft, tips can go a long way in preventing you from becoming one of the 8 million victims of I.D. theft.

For more information about identity theft visit http://identity-theft.resourcesandinfo.net web site dedicated to providing tips on identity theft prevention and identity theft protection.

Thinking About Conducting a Business Background Investigation?

by KARISSA CAMPBELL

There are many different reasons for one to conduct a business background investigation. Background checks are very basic and essential techniques in investigations. In fact, a well performed background investigation can either make or break a case.

Need to know the facts about an individual, business, or other entity? Here is a list of just some of the reasons for conducting a background investigation:

• Hiring a nanny for your children. For your child(ren)’s well being and safety, it is important to know if your new nanny has had a record of child abuse or abduction. • Hiring an employee. It may be in the best interest of your company to find out if your potential new employee has been truthful about everything on his or her application. • Obtaining a new client. Dependent on what type of business you are in, it may be beneficial to learn if your new client is a worthy one to add to your roster. • Find the truth about the plaintiff. If you are the defendant in a court case, it may be worthwhile to hire a Connecticut private investigator or private investigator from another state to assist you with determining if the plaintiff is being fraudulent. • Buying a business. It is crucial to know if the business you are considering purchasing is being sued or has been sued, and/or if it has liens against it. • Knowing the judge. A professional and qualified private investigator can find out for you any biases that the pressing judge over your case may have. • Taking on a new business partner. Can you really trust this person? To be safe, a private investigator can get you all the information you need to decide if this person is the right one to start – or continue – a business with.

When hiring a Connecticut private investigator for a professional background investigation, you can learn many things about your subject, such as a correct name and any aliases used; a correct company name and its subsidiaries (if any); correct addresses, phone numbers, social security numbers, etc.; current and previous employers; any criminal convictions; civil litigation history; information on assets and liabilities; any prior judgments and liens; automobile/vehicle ownership information; automobile driving records; personal property and real estate tax information; necessary information on neighbors, spouses, business partners, friends or relatives; credit history (a written consent is required); and much more.

With all the errors that can occur by conducting your own business background investigation, it is imperative to find a qualified private investigator. If your case goes to court, and you want to be taken seriously, it is better to have a professional on hand than it is to go about the investigation yourself. In addition, many states forbid persons from looking into the reputation or activities of another person or business as an ordinary course in their business, unless that person is a licensed private investigator, attorney, or works in law enforcement.

Even if your background check is just for your nanny or new tenant, be careful because there may be restrictions. If any laws are violated, any information you retrieve about a person could be deemed inadmissible in a court of law. Be sure to always consult the laws in your state.

Connecticut Private Investigator Jack Luty specializes in business background investigations, among many other investigational services. Private Investigator Luty is licensed by the State of Connecticut, bonded and fully insured in conducting his business since 1999. Contact him today at 860-886-1701 or at http://www.classociatespi.com

Does divorce alienate you from your kids?

by DAVID PRESTON

Having been through a divorce with two daughters I can emphatically say that "alienating an ex" can be common practice for some parents. Unfortunately, an active alienation can be taking place with your kids and you may not even recognize what's happening. The first step is being able to recognize what is happening to your children and how it affects their behavior towards you.

Signs to look for include: 1. Your ex says the children should decide about visitation with you when the court order says there is no choice. (You have visitation rights.) 2. Your ex relates the reasons for the divorce to the kids in detail. This is usually done to lay the blame on one parent and is very effective at making the kids think they are going through this because of you! This is very painful for the child and is usually done under the guise of "being honest and upfront" with the child. 3. Refusing to let the kids transport their own property between residences. If one parent really can't afford what the other one can, it's immediate alienation to the child. 4. Not providing access to extracurricular activities. How are you suppossed to show up at a school play when you didn't know about it? This is very damaging to the child. 5. Scheduling or setting up temptations that interfere with visitation times.

Those are just some of the most common alienation techniques employed by custodial parents. My ex actually wanted me to pay the taxes on her vehicle and told me "the girls want to know when you're going to pay it so they can see you." The court order stated that we were each solely responsible for our own vehicles. I wound up calling the cops and having them escort me to pick up my daughters. The officer explained to her that although he couldn't arrest her for the infraction he could make a report for me to submit to the judge for a contempt hearing. She gave me my visitation after a yelling match with the officer. This is just an example to show how the alienation process can work. I would have been the "bad guy" because I didn't think enough of my kids to do what mom said so I could see them. They felt bad about the visit from the officer but I explained to them that the judge said I can spend my time with them regardless of what is going on between your mother and I.

Parental alienation is a real and growing threat to the welfare of your relationship with your kids. Speak to your attorney if you feel you have been or currently are a victim of Parental Alienation Syndrome before it's too late. There are remedies, but you have to act fast in order to stop any further damage.

How to Contest a Will

by DAVID FAGAN

A last will is a legal document that determines the distribution of a person's estate, which includes assets, upon his/her demise. A last will and testament must be filed with your local courthouse and legally approved for it to be valid. You are free to leave your estate to anybody you want according to most state laws. You are free to leave your money, and property to charity even if you wanted. Doing so though may cause your legal heirs to try and contest your will.

Beneficiaries sometimes contest a will because they’re not happy with the size of their share or may feel left out of the beneficiary list all together. Whatever the reason, many wills are subject to contesting; this is especially true with larger estates and large sums of cash.

Contesting a will is simply a formal objection against the validity of a will in which you don't believe the will reflects the actual intent of the testator. Wills are contested on the grounds that the testator lacked the ability/capacity, was mentally disabled or intoxicated, delusional, or a subject of partial influence.

When contesting a will on the basis of the capacity of the testator then consider if the testator was above the age of 18 since minors are termed incapable. Litigation usually is about incapacity of testator due to senility, dementia and insanity or any such defects which render him/her unable to form a proper will. Although, the state recognizes that capacity to form a will is present if three conditions exist. These conditions are that the testator knows the value and extent of his property, which his family are legal heirs of and how they treated him in his lifetime. This legal test is relevant because dissatisfied heirs ( complainant ) who expected a larger share should have to come up with the burden of proof that establishes the incapacity of the testator. Often times it’s hard to prove someone was mentally unable to have the capacity to write a will.

Besides these conditions, there are a few minor technical details that could be contested. If there is a mistake on the will it can then be contested and proved invalid. Common mistakes are that beneficiaries sometimes sign as witnesses, and another common mistake is when the signatures are not in order. Property value could also not be calculated correctly, which could cause a will to be contested. The names of the beneficiaries may be wrongly identified on the will, or the dates maybe wrongly marked. There are many minor details that could be contested.

'How to Contest a Will' has been brought to you by Legal Forms Bank .Biz a leading provider of legal forms online. We provide everything you need to simply file a Last Will and Testament, a Legal Name Change, and much more.

Why People Fear A Background Check

by MARK REARDON

There are many reasons why someone may fear having a background check done on their past. Generally, these checks are to determine whether or not someone is worthy of being hired for employment. Gaining employment for some people can be a hard enough task as it is let along having to submit to a check. This may be because of little or no formal education, little work experience, or just the fact that they are competing against others who are just as qualified, if not more qualified, then they are. Unemployment rates have been on the rise for years but are this because there are not enough jobs available? Or could it be that more employers will use a background check on potential employees, see one small negative mark on their record, and automatically cast them off as a risk to the company?

Even the smallest of bad marks could keep someone from gaining proper employment, even if it was a mistake in their past that happened so many years ago. Often times, these mistakes occurred because of young age and credit reports often reflect the damage left behind by divorces and such. Sometimes, there are situations where what is on a background check of an individual, does not truly define that person’s character or liability to the company. There are many people getting jobs who come back with a totally clean background check only to find out later that they do steal, but just hasn’t gotten caught yet.

Also, many people fear credit reports being pulled, as terms of getting a job, as it could reflect credit damage done by someone else. There is also the possibility that there is something on their credit report that was not a cause of their own actions, but yet a case of fraud, which happens to millions of people. Most of the time this is caused by third party fraud and sometimes it is the fault of the credit-reporting agency as they filed something on a person, under the wrong social security number. Typing in the social security number off by even one digit can destroy an innocent person’s credit.

And when you do not get a job after undergoing a background check, the employer never informs you as to why exactly you were not hired. They will not call you to explain what they saw on your credit or background check. So, you may never have a chance to defend yourself in regards to a mistake from your past or fraud on your credit report. You simply do not get the job. This is one of the reasons so many people, even with clean records, fear a background check, as you never know what is going to come back from it.

What You Can Do To Protect Yourself

You generally will have an interview with your potential employer before they submit you to a background check, as you will have to sign papers giving them permission to do the search. In that interview is your moment to explain anything in your past that may have a chance of coming up on the search. While it can be embarrassing to talk about such things, they will find out anyways and that interview is your only chance to give your side of the story. Sometimes, good and honest people can end up with a bad mark just by being in the wrong place at the wrong time. So speak up in the interview before they do the background check. This may help them in determining that you are still worthy of employment as you were upfront and honest about your past and gave explanations for it.

Also, if the interview goes well and you do not believe that there is anything at all on your record, it would not hurt to ask that if they find anything unusual on your background check, to please inform you so you can further investigate it. This will allow your potential employer the chance to believe that you don’t have any record and there may have actually been a mistake. Doing so may allow you to be alerted and possibly given a chance to prove the mistake or get the error on your background checked fixed. By taking these precautions, you can cut down on the anxiety caused by a background check and give yourself a better chance at getting hired. Mark Reardon is the author of this article and publisher of Calindareview at http://www.calindareview.com This is a resource site for doing background checks and investigations on US based individuals and companies.

Company Formation Agent; Experts in Company Formation

by RYAN GRAFF

Not all people are experts in the same field; nor one person is skilled in all areas. This is the age of expertise; if one person excels in one field then the other shine at the other field. Thus, company formation agents are experts in incorporating companies. No one else can do it better than them. They do it in easier manner and at quicker speed than any one else. Some of them do it online; so, it takes very little time to wrap up the process.

Company formation agents are well-aware of the processes involved in incorporating a new company. They have thorough knowledge of what all documents are needed in forming a company and how to ready them in correct format and order. They also know it well as to how to apply for company formation so that the application does not get rejected. The skill of the people involved and the experience they have make sure that the company is formed quickly and properly.

With the company formation agents, not only it is easy to form a company; rather, they also make room for saving some money. If a businessman goes to form his company all by his own, he may have to spend money in places and on the things that the company formation agent may avoid. So, taking service from an agent may prove to be a better option than forming the company personally.

If the whole world is getting benefited by the fastest means of communication, the Internet then why the company formation agents remain outside its arena. Taking advantage of modern information technology, agents now offer online company formation service. Forming a company in this way is easier than the other ways. The process of company formation gets over very quickly. This is also hassle free process as everything is done online.

About the Author: The Author is an experienced writer presently writing on topic like offshore company formation for taking business services to form a limited company in the UK.

The Myths about Claiming Compensation

by CAROLYN CLAYTON

There are many myths around how to make a compensation claim and how to go about it, and therefore so many people are afraid to even consider making a claim when they should as they are not only suffering from their injuries caused by the accident but also the loss of earnings and medical costs they are having to pay.

I will consider the myths in which put people off in making a compensation claim these are as follows:

Compensation Claims are Complex and Take a Long Time – if there is no issues with who is liable then the case will take around 8-12 months which isn’t a long time. If the liability is disputed the case will take longer as well as serious injury cases. At the start of the claim you will need to fill out quite a lot of paperwork but once that’s done your solicitor will take care of other things and try and make the claim successful with little hassle and delay.

You have to go to Court to Claim Compensation – most compensations claims are actually settled out of court and long before a court case is necessary. Everyone knows it’s cheaper to settle out of court and it also saves time for everyone. Only around 4% of compensation claims reach court for settlement.

Compensation Claims take Years to Settle – most compensation claims take around 8 to 12 months and therefore under a year. If there are problems within the case around liability then the case may take a couple of years.

The Law Protects Big Companies – in the UK the laws that are in place protect the public more than the companies. The UK is one of the most compassionate and considerate in the world. Maintenance of roads, vehicles and work environments are all closely watched under Health & Safety Regulations.

All of the Solicitors are Out to Get What They Want with Hidden Charges – solicitors easily get a bad name with bad press surrounding them from radio to papers to news channels. But solicitors are one of the best professionals which are regulated in the UK. There are always bad press saying that solicitors hide charges especially with the basis of No Win No Fee. In 2000 the legislation of No Win No Fee came into play which solicitors will work on your case for free in England and Wales.

Making a Claim Against your Employer will get you Sacked – there are many accidents each year that happen at work but many don’t claim as they believe they will be sacked if they do. An employer cannot sack you on the grounds that you are claiming against them; if they do you should claim for unfair dismissal. The law protects workers who have been with the employer for over 12 months.

You Cannot Obtain Medical Treatment whilst Claiming Compensation – this is just silly, if you have injuries they need to be looked at and cared for so they heal up as quickly as possible. The other party’s insurers may require to see you through your recovery process so they themselves can see the injuries you have. The quicker you receive treatment the quicker you are likely to respond and recover from your injuries.

I hope this had put your mind at rest and made you think clearly about claiming compensation if you have suffered injuries mentally or physically from an accident that wasn’t your fault. Whatever the injuries may be you have a legal and civil right to claim compensation. Jene Pedder is the Webmaster of Accident Consult who specialise in Making a Compensation Claim.