Other posts related to fraud
Express Scripts + Identity Theft = EPIC FAIL
Lincoln Adams | September 23, 2009 @ 9:21 pmSo I get a letter in the mail last Monday, real bland looking envelope, looks like it might have come from my credit card company.
I open it up and it reads:
As we publicly reported last fall, Express Scripts, the company that administers (or previously administered) your prescription-drug benefit, received a letter in October 2008 from an unknown person or persons trying to extort money by threatening to expose millions of our member records. We immediately notified the FBI, and an investigation is ongoing.
I am contacting you because the FBI recently received additional information and as a result we learned that the unauthorized access to information included your name, social security number and date of birth and may also include prescription information. Although details regarding the situation are limited and we are unaware at this time of any actual misuse of your information, we believe it is important to notify you. We continue to investigate this matter and will further advise you if we become aware that your information has been misused.
My first thought was, “What in the flipping flip is Express Scripts???”, because prior to today, I had never heard of them. I did some googling and only found barebones info that indicated they were the third largest prescription benefit manager (PBM) in the US. Apparently my health insurance uses them (or used to at least), which would explain why I had gotten such a letter.
So I’m only now being told that crucially personal information about me had been STOLEN, 11 months later after the fact? Seriously?
I thought it had to be a scam, yet it turns out such a thing did apparently happen, since it had been reported by the NY Times (which explains why no one seems to know about it.) The letter also indicated that they set up a support site with more info and what I could do if I became a victim of identity theft, and that through them I would be able to use the services of a fraud prevention company called Knoll should I end up becoming a victim of identity fraud.
So basically I have to twiddle my thumbs and wait around to see if I eventually get butt boinked by the perpetrators who stole my ID. Great plan guys! First you scare me to death with this letter, and then tell me to adopt the wait and see approach, meanwhile somewhere out there some dude named Ivan Uvgunstoffgard is at this very moment placing a $50,000 order for a Mercedes using a newly minted gold card with my name on it. That’s just great.
Oh but wait, it gets better.
Because apparently, when the initial breach first occurred, only 75 names had been confirmed stolen, but recently it seems the number was much, much larger than that. A letter was also sent to New Hampshire AG indicating that almost 2000 people in that state alone have had their info stolen as well. I seriously doubt “millions” of records had been stolen, but this data breach was definitely bigger than earlier reported. They must have had some idea of the scope and who was at risk, so it would have been nice to have been apprised of this LAST YEAR when it happened, instead of waiting until it was actually confirmed that my info was included in the theft before notifying me.
Even though they did publicly report it, it seems they’re still trying to be low key about it all, so please allow me to help them out on this by SCREAMING AT THE TOP OF MY LUNGS TO ALL WHO CAN HEAR:
WARNING, WARNING, IF YOUR HEALTH INSURANCE/EMPLOYER USES EXPRESS SCRIPTS, YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION MAY HAVE BEEN STOLEN
Sigh. On the upside, I had gotten my credit reports and scores from the three major credit agencies last July, months after the data breach, so if my info bad been misused during that time it would have showed up then. Still, I signed up for LifeLock as a precuationary measure (maybe I’ll send the bill Express Scripts too). After taking a harder look at what LifeLock had to offer, I’m surprised I didn’t sign up for it sooner, especially since I got a 20% discount and will only pay $8 a month for the year. 8 bucks a month for some peace of mind is a no-brainer, especially after getting a letter like this.
But just in case, I’m working on establishing a new alternative identity under the name Vincent Spankypants, a venture capitalist who owns various multi-million dollar properties around the US, including a favorite in Aspen, Colorado, where he can sometimes be found snuggling with a Ukranian blonde and roasting marshmellows by the fireplace. Totally believable identity if you ask me. 
Tags: express scripts, extortion, fraud, health insurance, identity theft, letter, lifelock, prescription drug benefit, social security number, stolen
Categories: Tangled Webs
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Loading ...Yes, The Election IS in God’s Hands
Lincoln Adams | October 26, 2008 @ 10:26 pmSarah Palin is right, the election for the U.S. Presidency IS in God’s hands after all. Oh, you thought it was in the hands of millions of U.S. voters? Well, yes it. And no, it isn’t.
We do have free will, but it ends where God’s sovereignty begins. If His hand is in this election, His Spirit is able to move the hearts of the people to vote one way or the other. The Bible credits Him for building up nations and for tearing them down, democracy or not, and ultimately, just as so many nations have been before it, the future of our country is in His hands.
If Obama wins, I believe he will be the instrument by which God begins judgment on this nation for its grievous sins, beginning with the Christian church. If McCain wins, I believe we will have been granted a miraculous reprieve from judgment, perhaps in part because of the remnant of God’s people who have even now refused to bow down to Baal and have prayed fervently for a stay of execution. But whether it’s McCain or Obama, God’s will WILL be done. He will work, and “who shall let it?” (Isaiah 43:13)
In light of this truth, it makes me wonder: what if, in spite of a half-billion dollar campaign, in spite of massive voter fraud, in spite of polls predicting landslides and demoralizing the opposition, in spite of a dominating mass media machine that has been completely in his tank, in spite of a world population that overwhelmingly supports him, in spite of an economic crisis that has caused people to blame the wrong villains, Obama still loses?
In the face of such insurmountable odds, will we give God the glory for it? Will even the non-Christians marvel and admit the “finger of God” has been in this? Or wil lthey rationalize with excuses and claims of racial bias?
Or what if Obama wins, devastating the followers of movements such as Lou Engle’s The Call? Will they take it as proof that God does not hear their prayers and subsequently fall away to bitterness and apostasy? Or will they recognize the folly of their ways and repent, recognizing that in order for a nation to be restored, the church itself must be restored first?
These are interesting times we live in indeed. But whether we face judgment or a stay of execution, I am convinced that those who belong to the Lord will lack for nothing even in the darkest of times. They will not be forsaken, nor their seed begging bread. One thousand may fall at their side, but it shall not come near them. While the world of Egypt is plagued, the people of God will remain safe in Goshen. This is the heritage of the servants of God, and their righteousness shall always be of Him.
Now, if I can just get a girlfriend… 
Tags: apostasy, bible, campaign, christian, Christians, church, country, economic crisis, election, fraud, God, judgment, lord, lou engle, mass media, media, nation, prayer, prayers, presidency, reprieve, sarah palin, Spirit, vote, voters
Categories: Politics and Poker
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LifeLock Gets Picked
Lincoln Adams | May 22, 2008 @ 3:17 pm
Tee hee… 
…Lifelock customers in Maryland, New Jersey and West Virginia are suing Davis, claiming his service didn’t work as promised and he knew it wouldn’t, because the service had failed even him.
Attorney David Paris said he found records of other people applying for or receiving driver’s licenses at least 20 times using Davis’ Social Security number, though some of the applications may have been rejected because data in them didn’t match what the Social Security Administration had on file.
Davis acknowledged in an interview with The Associated Press that his stunt has led to at least 87 instances in which people have tried to steal his identity, and one succeeded: a guy in Texas who duped an online payday loan operation last year into giving him $500 using Davis’ Social Security number. (Source: Wired News)
I really have no comment other than to say there really is no such thing as security, and greedy lawyers totally suck the big one.
Tags: fraud, identity theft, lawsuit, lifelock, security
Categories: News Fit To Blog
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Say Reverend, About That Rolls Royce…
Lincoln Adams | November 7, 2007 @ 8:00 amAbout flipping time:
Acting on tips about preachers who ride in Rolls Royces and have purportedly paid $30,000 for a conference table, the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee said Tuesday he’s investigating the finances of six well-known TV ministers. Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa said those under scrutiny include faith healer Benny Hinn, Georgia megachurch pastor Creflo Dollar and one of the nation’s best known female preachers, Joyce Meyer. Grassley sent letters to the half-dozen Christian media ministries earlier this week requesting answers by Dec. 6 about their expenses, executive compensation and amenities, including use of fancy cars and private jets. In a statement, Grassley said he was acting on complaints from the public and news coverage of the organizations. Hat Tip: Casey’s Critical Thinking
Remember the days when Christians used to be intelligent, discerning people who weren’t be easily fooled by fraudulent ministries and hucksters peddling the spiritual equivalent of snake oil?
Me neither.
Tags: amenities, apostate, benny hinn, casey, christian, Christians, chuck grassley, critical thinking, executive compensation, faith healer, finances, fraud, hucksters, joyce meyer, megachurch, ministries, preachers, scrutiny, senate, senate finance committee, snake oil
Categories: Christians Gone Wild
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