| Protecting your identity is a smart thing to do
D ecember is Identity Theft Prevention and Awareness Month. According to the February 2007 Identity Fraud Survey Report issued by Javelin Strategy & Research, identity theft affected approximately 8.4 million people. The estimated loss to business and individual victims was $43.9 billion. Often, ID theft victims don't even realize their identity was stolen. They may find out when a creditor or collection agency calls or a credit card is declined. To help consumers protect their identity, a number of credit monitoring and insurance protection programs are available. But, are these products right for you? Most experts recommend that you obtain a copy of your credit report at least once a year from each of the three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion) to ensure accuracy and to look for signs of ID theft.
Nationalists earmark 2010 for referendum on independence
He also downplays suggestions an independent Scotland would back an elected head of state. "I cannot imagine the circumstances in which there would be a vote on the current monarch in her lifetime," he says. The SNP leader's timetable for a referendum may be set in his own mind, but it is does not automatically follow that the parliament will give Scots a vote on independence. SALMOND'S most likely coalition partners, the LibDems, are opposed to a referendum and say they will not budge on the issue. One senior LibDem told the Sunday Herald that the party might reverse their opposition if independence and more powers for Holyrood, the LibDem policy, were both on the ballot. Could Salmond live with a multi-option referendum, rather than one simply on independence? "They the LibDems would have to say that to me under appropriate circumstances," he says, opening the door to such a possibility.
Rudy crosses the Russert crucible
Screwed up that line." The audience of students of Southern New Hampshire University laughed. The old guy was trying to please. They appreciated it. Over the next hour, he spoke on a number of issues, passionately making the case for the current military policy in Iraq, speaking about the dangers of global warming and pledging to fix Medicare and Social Security for the younger generation. He said he supported federal stem cell research, despite his pro-life beliefs, wanted to increase government aide for college, and said he would have made the genocide in Darfur "a higher priority" than President Bush. At another point, when asked how he would have governed differently than President Bush, McCain said that he would have called the nation to public service after the attacks of Sept.
Government says ID theft down but report is disputed
A government survey released this week questions the conventional wisdom that identity theft is a growing problem in the U.S. But don't toss out your shredder just yet. Consumer advocates are not convinced the Federal Trade Commission numbers are accurate, though they do agree on a key point highlighted in a footnote of the agency's report: the difficulty in coming up with a reliable assessment of the problem. An estimated 8.3 million Americans over the age of 18 were victims of identity theft in 2005, according to an analysis of a phone survey released Tuesday by the FTC. That represented a decline of about 16 percent from an estimated 9.9 million victims in 2003, when the agency last conducted its survey. While the FTC's identity theft survey is broad, the agency acknowledged in a footnote that its conclusion is not "statistically significant" because the sample size was too small.
Facebook and MySpace Attacks Exploded During 2007
Since 2007 represented a huge success for social networking services, such as MySpace and Facebook, the attackers have adapted their techniques and targeted their attempts to the users connected to these websites. Security company MessageLabs rolled out .
Symantec Warns of Clever New Hacks
While Internet criminals have many targets, social networks are becoming more popular venues for attack, according to Symantec's latest Internet Security Threat Report. Social networks are valuable to attackers because they provide access to a large number of people, many of whom trust the sites and their security, according to Symantec. .
Downspout program could cost Toronto $65M
Toronto council voted Tuesday night to cancel a program in which the city paid to disconnect the downspouts of homes from the sewer system. But because of the publicity over the ending of the program, about 50,000 people joined the waiting list before it was cancelled. It costs about $1,300 to disconnect a home's downspouts — and with the massive waiting list it could cost the city $65 million to cover everyone who signed up. The city's budget for downspout disconnections next year is just $3.5 million. The city's water manager Lou Di Gironimo says water rates would have to jump another 10 per cent a year to pay the entire cost of the disconnection program. The city is trying to eliminate downspouts that send rainwater into the sewers and overwhelm water treatment plants, causing untreated sewage to spill into Lake Ontario.
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