An investigative news report for Philadelphia exposed the story of Nicole Landen, whom the Social Security Administration falsely declared dead and mistakenly placed her on the Death Master File. Consumer Protection Attorney Jim Francis explained that Social Security errors are not easy to fix, especially once the credit reporting agencies are notified. Once someone is
Are you a victim of identity theft? Or do you suspect you may be? With historic data breaches making headlines in recent years, such as at Equifax and Marriott International, millions of consumers around the world are at risk of their information being exposed. Fortunately, you can take extra steps to protect your information and
Community Legal Services of Mid-Florida (CLSMF) provides civil legal aid to help low-income people access information, receive legal assistance and representation, and to know and understand their rights. Because of this mission, CLSMF receives Cy Pres and court settlement funds. These funds come from the settlements of class-action suits and are distributed to organizations that
Marriott International experienced a breach of its Starwood guest reservation database that exposed the personal information of up to 500 million people. This incident is considered one of the largest data breaches in the hotel industry. If your information was exposed in the Marriott Starwood data breach, or you suspect it was exposed, learn what
With recent reports of data breaches at Facebook and Google Plus, the general public is now calling on major social media networks to redefine how they collect and use the information that’s published on a user’s profile. Many users are now realizing how easy it is for identity theft through social networking to occur. How
It’s a regular weekday evening. You’re sitting down for home-cooked dinner after a long day at work. And just as you’re about to take your first bite, the phone rings. It’s a telemarketer trying to sell you on some whosit or whatsit. You angrily hang up, resenting that their phone calls interrupt your evening. Again.
Fraud in the Family Identity theft among family members, also known as “familiar fraud,” is unfortunately a common source of how someone’s identity is stolen. In 2014, approximately 550,000 victims of identity theft and fraud said it was done by someone they knew. Sometimes it’s a matter of unauthorized credit card charges by a family
When you apply for a job, the potential employer will want to know how your history makes you the best fit for the position. In the interview, you’ll explain how your past employment and education have prepared you for this new job based on the application’s criteria. Before making the decision to hire you, the
In October 2018, Mark Mailman of Francis Mailman Soumilas, P.C. was awarded the 2018 Consumer Attorney of the Year award from the National Association of Consumer Advocates (NACA). NACA is a nationwide organization of more than 1,500 consumer attorneys and advocates who represent the victims of abusive and fraudulent business practices. The 2018 Consumer Advocacy
After tragedy strikes or during the holiday season, you may feel inclined to donate to a charity that you want to support. Scammers know that people will be more determined to donate to charities at this time, and so they create fake charities in order to feed off the generosity of others. They will then