Google just launched its Brand New Privacy Policy over the last month putting you at even more risk. Under this new policy Google is linking all the company’s platforms together and ties these platforms to your user profiles. Now why would Google (The Big G) do something like this? It all comes down to $$$The Big Green$$$.

Once Google connects all the platforms together under one profile, they can easily become more profitable by targeting specific advertisements customized for you based on your search results. Let’s just say for an example that you are here in Florida and you do a Google search on Disney World and then you watch a video on Youtube (which Google owns), then all of a sudden Google suggest you watch a video on Sea World which is located in the same town.

Brilliant! Google wins by making money from the Sea Worlds’ advertising budget and then Sea World wins because after you go to Disney, you’ll probably go to Sea World.

Google claims it collects information from its users to provide better services to all of their users. Whether it is figuring out where you live or something even more complex like which ads you find useful or even the people your follow online, The Big G knows you better than your best friend or even your spouse!

Many privacy advocates and/or competitors claim that Google is violating users’ privacy. European Union authorities say these new privacy rules breach European law. The EU is mainly concerned by things like Google linking the data in your web history with data in your Gmail account, as well as the fact that it links your location to your data.

**IMPORTANT** Read more…

If you were a Victim Of Identity Theft, What Would You Do? I read an article titled “To Catch an Identity Thief” and it got me thinking what people would do if this happened to them. After reading this post, ask yourself if you were a victim of identity theft like the lady mentioned below, what would you do?

The article was about a lady named Karen Lodrick and her life was a living hell after becoming a victim of identity theft. Because of our business I hear a lot of people say stupid things like “they can have my identity.” Really? This has to be one of the dumbest statements because they don’t truly understand how devastating being a victim of this crime can be to them and their families.

Karen ordered a latte at Starbucks while waiting nervously for the bank on San Francisco’s Market Street to open. She had been anxious and distracted of late but couldn’t help noticing the scruffy looking pair standing next to her: a tall man wearing a navy baseball jacket and a large woman in jeans and Gucci glasses, carrying a brown suede coat and a Prada wallet. The woman looked vaguely familiar. That coat. A cold tingle of fear ran through Karen as she took it all in. The distinctive faux-fur trim along its edges looked as unkempt as the woman who held it. And then BINGO she knew. Karen’s ID had been stolen five months before. Her bank account had been emptied, and her life sent reeling out of control. The coat she was looking at was the same one she’d seen in the bank surveillance tape, worn by the woman who’d stolen Karen’s ID.

The day before, Karen’s bank had called after Read more…

Now days Seventeen Dollars ($17) doesn’t buy you a whole lot in this weak economy. Seventeen dollars can buy you and your spouse two tickets to a movie theater, one good steak at a nice restaurant (not including the tip) or about 5 gallons of gasoline for your car.

The above are just a few examples of what seventeen dollars ($17) can buy you and they may be great, but they do not provide you peace of mind for you and/or your family.

Okay, I know what you are thinking and that’s fine. You are probably asking yourself what is Dave trying to sell me now, right?

Well, how about peace of mind so that you and your family can live your life worry-free,every day, every night, now and forever.

Today you don’t receive a lot of value for only $17, but let me share with you what we feel is the Best Under-Priced Product on the Market Today!!!

Many of you know that we represent LegalShield, but do you truly understand the value of this wonderful service?

For as low as ONLY $17 per month, LegalShield gives you the ability to talk to an attorney on any matter without worrying about high hourly costs. For one flat monthly fee, you can access legal advice, no matter how traumatic or trivial the issue. That’s why under the protection of LegalShield you and your family can live your life worry-free, every day, every night, now and forever.

The most common response I get when I talk to someone about our service is Read more…

Almost everyone has seen how the Grinch Stole Christmas, but have you ever thought about how the Grinch might steal your identity during Christmas? Many times when we think about Identity Theft (IDT) being financial identity theft, but just remember that there are other forms of IDT and financial IDT only makes up about 24% of these cases.

AnyWho, (Get it? You know the Who’s in the movie from Whoville?) I crack myself up!

Seriously, it is once again that time of year when you are making plans to visit relatives, host festive get-togethers, and, of course, hit the stores (or computer) for some shopping. Unfortunately, the flurry of activity that goes hand-in-hand with the holidays presents a prime opportunity for a data thief to practice their trade. With that in mind, put the protection of sensitive personal information at the top of your holiday to-do list.

Please read the following tips and make sure you put these practices into action this year before it becomes an issue for you or your family.

Remember what Benjamin Franklin said: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

We work exclusively with Kroll’s Investigators and they offer some of the following tips that can help you keep their sensitive information safe during this happy holiday season.

Tip #1: Practice safe shopping in stores

- Before you hit the stores, take stock of what you bring along with you in your purse/wallet. Remove unnecessary key identity components. Make a list of what remains so you’ll know what is missing if your purse/wallet is lost or stolen.

- Consider your preferred method of payment—each has pros and cons. Generally, from a theft standpoint, credit cards are safer because, unlike debit cards, you usually have more protection against fraudulent charges. Cash is another option, but while you will not have to worry about personal identifiers, it will be gone for good if stolen. Be very careful with checkbooks, as stolen checks can give the thief access to your checking account.

Tip #2: Practice safe shopping online

- Never use Read more…

As I write this post today I was just informed that a good old high school buddy was tragically killed in a car accident last night.  So this post is dedicated to my good friend Terry Richert (1964 – 2011).

Life can be blessing or life can be miserable, but only you can decide what life you want to live!

The first thing that came to my mind when I heard the news was that we are the same age and in the blink of an eye, everything we know as reality can be taken away from us at anytime. I truly believe that most of us really think we are going to live forever and we don’t want to imagine that it could be all over tomorrow.

This post isn’t intended to bum you out, but bear with me as I will get to some good stuff within the next 20 pages

The second thing I thought of was, “I wonder if he had completed his Last Will and Testament.” Weird thought right? Well maybe not. It’s just part of who we are and one of the benefits we offer as part of our service plans in LegalShield. I guess that just comes to my mind as an occupational hazard. I can’t tell you how many people I talk to on a weekly basis that don’t have a Last Will and Testament, a Trust and/or their Living Wills (7 out of 10 American’s don’t have wills) in place, but most are not willing to do anything about it.

I sat down with someone last week that didn’t have any sort of wills or trusts in place and he mentioned that he saw a lot of value in our service plan and that he thought it was really reasonably priced, but he wasn’t willing to make a modest month to month payment.

Are you kidding me! People are totally COO-COO and have really screwed up priorities!

They’ll go to the store and spend $20 on a useless item that they don’t need. They buy things and/or training’s online that they’ll never implement and the list goes on, but they won’t take care of their loved one’s if something were to happen to them?

I thought to myself

Read more…