Getting Bit By A Scammer The Truth About Pet Scams Scam Posted on June 22, 2022 Puppy Scams and Fraud You’ve been contemplating getting a new furry family member. Especially with the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s all too tempting not to hop on your laptop and start looking for the perfect addition to your family. Whether it’s a puppy, kitten, or exotic bird – animal companions help relieve the stress and loneliness of spending long periods of time at home. Pets make our home, a home. And scammers will go to great lengths to take advantage of that. Prepare to dive deep into the truth about pet scams, what to look out for when adopting a pet online, how to avoid being scammed, and what to do if you have been scammed. I will also provide solutions on how to keep your pet safe in cases of emergency, such as losing your pet. Let’s jump into it! Shopping for pets online can be more convenient than looking for one in your area. The options are limitless, and you can find your favorite breed from the comfort of your home. Whether it’s your first pet, or you’re looking to get your pet a new friend, searching for the perfect one online has become so simple. And these days, we can purchase just about anything online – from houses to cars, and of course, all sorts of pets. Pet scammers Pet scammers know what they’re doing, and they know how to hook you. With adorable photos and heart-warming stories of animals looking for forever homes, they can easily tempt you to adopt a pet while making you pay for vaccinations and shipping and other necessities. The Covid-19 pandemic has increased the problem of scams, as many people in isolation crave a companion to keep them company. During the first year of the pandemic, pet adoptions online increased up to 70 percent, making it easier than ever for scammers to trick you into adopting a pet and steal your money. In the following year, the number increased drastically and resulted in the loss of millions of dollars due to online pet scams. With pet scams becoming more and more frequent, legitimate internet pet sites and shelters have been losing business due to customer’s fear of being scammed. What Is A Pet Scam? Before really getting into it, what makes a pet scam a scam? One of the most common pet scams include nonexistent animals for sale by private sellers or illegitimate pet adoption websites offering pets for sale, and usually, for “really good deals”. Unfortunately, there is no pet and the entire process is a scam seeking to get your money. Scammers will often come up with excuses to collect money from the buyer, involving ridiculous charges for creates, food, and other travel necessities. Before you realize you’ve been scammed it’s too late and you may be out thousands of dollars with nothing to show for it but a broken heart. Another common scam does in fact involve a pet. Some sellers will purposely sell you sick pets, such as dogs with kennel cough or giardia, which is transmissible to humans. Pets will show up sick or have behavioral problems and show aggression which was obviously not mentioned in the advertisement. There have been reports of exotic birds with diseases sold for hundreds of dollars. Most illnesses are life-threatening without immediate treatment, and you’ll not only be left with a chunk of money out of your account, but a dying pet as well. BongoBongo Casino Kenya is a vibrant and exciting online gaming platform that has quickly gained popularity among players in Kenya. This casino offers a wide array of games that cater to different preferences, including slots, table games, and live dealer experiences. With its user-friendly interface and captivating graphics, BongoBongo Casino brings the thrill of a physical casino right to your device. 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Sadly, no one thinks they will fall for a scam and lose thousands of dollars until it eventually happens to them. Where’s My Pet? Unfortunately, there are many different pet scams out there. And some are harder to pick out than others. Some scans promise you a free puppy seeking a forever home, but require you to pay shipping and vaccinations. Sounds like a good deal, right? And it may sound even more believable if it’s coming from a puppy mill or shelter. Scammers are creative, and will come up with any excuse to distract you from the idea of being scammed. They’ll make sure to say the right things, and often will tell you what you want to hear. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Scammers may tell you that your puppy is stuck at the airport due to customs complications, and before you know it, they’re asking to pay the airport fees. Only for you to end up with money out of your pocket, and no pet. Not only does it affect your bank account, but it affects your feelings too. When purchasing a pet online, we spend time, money and energy into getting everything set up. We anticipate our new furry friend – it’s an emotional investment. If you’re a fan of thrilling online games, the Kenyan Crash Game hosted on Pakakumi is a must-try. With its engaging gameplay and user-friendly interface, it’s no wonder that many players are flocking to register and login. To get started, simply visit the Pakakumi website, where you can create an account in a few easy steps. This ensures that you can access all the exciting features and benefits the game has to offer. Once you have registered, logging in is a breeze. You can dive right into the action and experience the adrenaline rush that comes with trying to outsmart the game. To make the process even smoother, you may want to check out the step-by-step guide available at https://pakakumilogin.co.ke/. Here, you’ll find helpful tips and tricks that can enhance your gaming experience. Don’t miss out on the excitement; join the thousands of players enjoying the best Kenyan Crash Game today! Scammers are aware of who they’re targeting, and love to prey on kindhearted dog lovers. Ultimately, all it takes is the perfect picture of an animal longing for a home and a short sob story for someone to click “adopt” and enter their payment details. The two most common dogs used for scamming are English bulldogs and Yorkshire terriers as they are popular breeds. Scammers love to trick you into thinking you’ve found a deal you can’t refuse. Red Flags and Warning Signs Learning about the red flags when it comes to animal scams is crucial. There are techniques scammers use to trap you into believing you’ve found the perfect pet, with the perfect deal. By learning about the common tactics scammers use to trick you and steal your money, you avoid having it ever happen to you. Poorly written emails Scammers love to copy and paste. They’re too busy trying to scam you to worry about language and grammar errors. No phone number Scammers don’t accidentally provide little information. A seller should provide you with all of their contact information, if they don’t, make sure to ask for it. Keep in mind that scammers don’t enjoy confrontation, so if the seller avoids your emails or calls, that’s not a good sign. Emotional threats Money will be a scammer’s first priority. And a scammer will try to make you feel bad if you don’t choose to follow through with the adoption process. Getting a pet is a big decision, you should never feel pressured into it. Limited payment options Legitimate breeders and shelters have basic forms of payment. If you only get one option for payment, that could potentially be a red flag. Bear in mind that the top fraudulent payment options include Western Union and MoneyGram. Don’t agree to wire money for a pet purchase or through a prepaid debit card. Insist on using a credit card, that way you’ll have purchase protection and a way to back out of the transaction if something goes wrong. Be wary of a long distance seller You should have no problem finding your perfect pet around your area. Don’t fall for free pets If it sounds too good to be true, it’s probably because it is. It’s very unlikely to find the English Setter of your dreams for free. Listings on Craigslist, social media, websites or sponsored links on internet searches Scammers copy legitimate websites to fool victims and post whatever they think will work to successfully scam you. How To Adopt A Pet Online Without Getting Scammed Doing your research is the number one thing to do when purchasing a pet through a breeder or seller. If you can’t seem to find anything on the breeder or seller, such as real reviews and contact information, look somewhere else. Don’t bother trying to dig deeper, reputable breeders remain transparent. Don’t let that cute picture distract you. Everything you need to know and see should be on the page, so if it’s not, run the other direction. You can also reverse search the images of the animals on the online posts and ads. Scammers typically reuse images frequently. Meet the seller or arrange a video chat. Meeting the seller helps you determine their knowledge, and you may even be able to meet your potential new furry friend. If the seller can’t tell you much it’s a warning sign that they’re not legitimate. A seller may refuse wanting to meet with you due to covid-19 regulations. In this case, you could insist on meeting them and your potential pet online through video chat. How A Pet Scam Works Pet scammers would usually target buyers in different countries to eliminate the chances of the potential buyer wanting to come for a visit. Pet scams are not a new problem, and although they’ve skyrocketed since the pandemic, they’ve always been an issue. According to the US Better Business Bureau, up to 80 percent of all sponsored advertising links to pet websites were created by scammers to advertise their websites. Scammers will tell you that they must use a pet delivery agency, such as an airline. And they may also demand fees for vaccinations or other final “needs”. The strategies used in pet scams continue to evolve, just like every other scam out there. Scammers require payments through untraceable platforms such as Zelle, Google Pay, Cashapp, Venmo and Apple Pay. If you’ve realized that you’ve been scammed, contact the company or bank that issued the credit or debit card and inform them of the fraudulent charge. You could possibly get the transaction reversed and get your money back, but it’s not always the case. It’s important to report the seller, to ensure that it doesn’t happen to anyone else. If you come across a potential scammer – report them. Protect Your Pet At All Costs Along with the fear of getting pet-scammed, losing a pet is just, if not more terrifying. And unfortunately, it happens all the time. On average, 10 million pets are lost in the US each year, and most of them end up in the nation’s animal shelters. Over 80 percent of pets are never found or reunited with their rightful owner. FOUND ME has come up with an innovative solution for helping owners get their lost pets back. A dog tag consisting of a QR code and linked to an IOS or Android app is just the solution. When a lost dog roams around the streets, the first thing people do is look at their collar hoping to find any useful information. In most cases, the phone number or address is old and no longer in use. With the FOUND ME tag, any good samaritan can scan the QR code and contact the owner and up to 5 additional contacts through an automated and secure chat. No information about your whereabouts will be released. Securing your pet with a FOUND ME QR code tag can increase the chances of a good samaritan getting in contact with you or one of your other emergency contacts before a scammer does. To learn more about FOUND ME and how you protect your beloved pets, visit https://foundme.com for more information. About us We are all at risk of losing the people pets and valuables that mean the most to us. FOUND ME was created as a global solution to tamper this risk and provide peace of mind. We exist to protect everyone and everything important in our customer’s lives. Subscribe for content And special offers Sign up now to find out when we launch I agree to the Terms and Conditions provided by Found Me. By completing this form, I give consent to Found Me to send me SMS text messages and emails. Message frequency varies. Standard message and data rates may apply. Text STOP to opt out, reply HELP for help. 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How Car Rental Companies Take You For a Ride Scam Posted on June 15, 2022 The car rental industry has greatly flourished in the past two or three decades, thanks to a massive boost in tourism and the convenience of getting a well-maintained car for a couple of days. Whether you need to travel between states or move around on your own, renting a car is one of the best options. However, not all car rental companies are in it to serve you. Some are more concerned about what’s in it for them rather than what they can do for the customer. Most of the time, customers are oblivious that their car rental invoice has a few extra dollars in them, or they avail unnecessary features to jack up the rental rates. Therefore, you should understand how car rental companies try to make an extra buck by being dishonest. This article will discuss how car rental companies literally “take you for a ride” by forcing you to pay extra and causing you major inconvenience in most cases. Car Rental Companies and Their Tricks Everyone has moments with car rental companies – waiting hours and hours for shuttles, being forced to upgrade, condescending counter staff, etc. However, these things are just routine, and some companies take things to a whole new level with their trickery. Let’s look at things you need to beware of if you ever need to rent a car. Offering Extremely Low Upfront Fares This method is adopted by nearly all the car rental companies out there, and it involves advertising the lowest fares for an entry-level or ‘mini’ category car. These cars are sufficient for up to three people, and car rental companies will set a very low upfront rate on them, which would compel you to visit their office and book it. However, as soon as you ask for a particular car, you will find that it is unavailable. Even if you have pre-booked it through the app or a call, the counter personnel will casually state how the car has been sold out for days due to the “high demand.” When you ask for the next best option, you pay at least three times the original figure because of an unbelievably expensive and unnecessary upgrade. When you protest, the staff will respond with the classic, “There’s nothing we can do about it,” when you protest. Now, you can do one of two things: either you will have to go to another car rental company by taking a cab and spending extra money, or you will give up and pay the new fare. Since you are already at the office, you wouldn’t want to keep toiling for a car. Imposing Hefty Insurance Add-Ons Another trick car rental companies use to pressure the customer into paying for an exorbitant car insurance policy along with their invoice, even if they already have insurance coverage. When you are booking a car, the staff will tell you that buying insurance is mandatory or that you will have to pay thousands of dollars in damages if anything happens to the car. Eventually, you will buy the insurance add-on, and your car rental fare will skyrocket. If you refuse to avail any of these bogus insurance policies, the car rental companies will force you to make a hefty deposit to rent the car. These add-ons can cost as much as $30 per day, taking your per-day rental cost to another level. The worst part is that the insurance rarely helps you when in trouble. Many customers complain that the tire got blown, and they had to pay to get the car towed and the tire replaced. Car rental agents know which problems exist in the car, and insurance don’t cover it. Claiming Pre-Existing Damage Some car rental companies are known to keep poorly maintained cars in their fleet, and you can identify this by the scratches and chipped paint that is only visible upon a closer inspection. Since most people are in a hurry and need the car, they sign the form stating that the car is in immaculate condition when it is being rented out to them. However, when you return the car, the staff will pounce on you like a hungry cat and start pointing up the chip in the windshield, the scratch on the fender, the broken trunk lock, and much more. Once you state that these didn’t happen on your watch, they will pull out the form you signed and blame you for the damages. Next, they will claim extra money for the damages you have supposedly caused. If you refuse to claim responsibility for the damages and don’t pay them, they will call the collections department, and you will have to deal with a new set of more unprofessional people than the last. Then, they will try to force you to pay by involving a third party, i.e., a lawyer. One way to avoid this problem is to make a video while the agent is showing you the car, and don’t sign anything before you check the car properly. Higher Toll Charges Several states in the US have replaced toll booths with the E-Zpass system, which automatically deducts money from the vehicle owners when the car passes through a toll. Car rental companies use this system to their advantage as well. You might be aware that the toll fares for each state are also different, and if you travel interstate, you might have to pay a different fare. However, car rental companies won’t tell you the toll charges when you rented the car. Rather, they would impose a heavy surcharge on you several times higher than the actual toll amounts. For instance, if you had paid a $30 toll when you rented the car, they might charge you up to $100 as a surcharge. Gas Top-Up Scams Car rental companies give you cars with a full gas tank and require you to return them fully. Otherwise, you are charged a heavy amount that costs twice or thrice the amount it takes to top up the car at a gas station. If you are in a hurry and forget to refuel the car before returning it, you expose yourself to heavy gas fees that you could easily avoid. While booking the vehicle, the agent might also trick you into prepaying the gas fees so that you don’t have to worry about refueling the car before returning it. However, this is a major scam, and it costs you much more than you think. If you think of it, the car’s tank won’t be empty when you return, meaning that it has at least a few dollars worth of gas. You are paying them through the nose for not having to refuel the car, but you are ‘rewarding’ them with the remaining fuel that you paid exorbitantly for. Then, they will sell off the gas you left in the car to the next customer in the prepay option, and the company will end up saving hundreds of dollars this way while also increasing their profits. Interstate Travel Surcharges Almost all car rental companies advertise unlimited traveling and no restrictions for interstate traveling. Due to this, many people prefer renting a car when traveling between different states. However, since nobody reads the fine print, they fail to realize that the company might have a different fare calculation system when your car touches the interstate border. What’s more mind-boggling is that not even the car rental agent handling your case will tell you about this. They will conveniently leave it out of the conversation. As a result, you think you can travel to another state without paying any extra fare. However, when the time comes to return the car, you find that the invoice shows a 5-6x amount than the estimated fare. Naturally, you have to pay it because their policies “clearly” mentioned it. Strange Return Policies Some dubious and shady car rental companies go the extra mile to scam people and ensure that the customer looks as guilty as possible. Some customers report that they booked a car from a less-known or shady car rental company due to a lack of options. However, they have conveyed a bizarre or unusual return policy that left them scratching their heads. For instance, one customer said that the company told him to park the car at a daily parking spot at the airport and leave the car keys and rental booking ticket. The company can take the car and hide it for a while. Later, it can claim that the vehicle has been stolen and go after the customer to pay a stolen vehicle fee, which might be equivalent to the price of a low-end car. The “Credit Cards Only” Policy While this might not be a scam, most car rental companies hate debit cards, meaning they only allow you to book your rental car with a credit card. One major reason for this is that they aren’t willing to trust that you have enough money in your account to book the vehicle for the specified time. Moreover, they believe that a person can easily book a car for one day, pay the fare, and take off for a couple of days. Then, they might have no way to charge the extra days’ fare from them. So, even if you are an honest and upstanding citizen with a million dollars in your bank account, you still can’t book a rental car with a debit card, and if you have no credit card, you can forget about getting a car. Losing Car Keys Usually, most car rental companies give you two car keys attached with a braided wire, so you won’t think about separating them. The trick behind this is that if you lose the keys accidentally. You have to get the car towing service and also pay for keys. If the car has a key fob, you might end up paying hundreds of dollars for it. Thankfully, there is a way to evade this scam. FOUND ME has developed smart tags and labels linked to the FOUND ME app. Place a tag on your rental car keys, and in case of loss and someone finds it. They could simply scan the QR code on the tag with their phone immediately with a confidential chat with you to arrange the return. If you are interested in learning more about FOUND ME’s easy-to-use technology, simply visit our online platform FOUND ME. This concludes our guide on how car rental companies take you for a ride. Don’t get into scams by the smiling and pretty faces that greet you when you walk into their office. If you are aware of scams, you will be more firm with them. It is impertinent to mention that not all car rental companies scam you like – especially renowned global companies. You are more likely to experience these incidents when traveling within or outside the country. About us We are all at risk of losing the people pets and valuables that mean the most to us. FOUND ME was created as a global solution to tamper this risk and provide peace of mind. We exist to protect everyone and everything important in our customer’s lives. Subscribe for content And special offers Sign up now to find out when we launch I agree to the Terms and Conditions provided by Found Me. By completing this form, I give consent to Found Me to send me SMS text messages and emails. Message frequency varies. Standard message and data rates may apply. Text STOP to opt out, reply HELP for help. You can unsubscribe at any time Leave this field empty if you're human: Follow us Try us out
Taxi Scammers Are Doing Much More Than Taking You For A Ride Taxi Scams, And How To Avoid It Happening To You Scam Posted on June 7, 2022 What Are Taxi Scams Most licensed taxi drivers are honest, hard workers who strive to earn a living. However, the dishonest drivers out there have developed some clever tactics into scamming us from our money. These dishonest drivers overcharge, add additional fees, take longer routes, provide incorrect change, and even steal your belongings, such as your credit card. The best way to avoid falling victim to these kinds of scams is by learning to recognize the common taxi scams. Along with taxi scams, forgetting stuff is just as common and can be a great surprise to your driver at the end of the day. Thankfully, there are ways around this, and good samaritans may be able to return your belongings before a driver notices what’s been left behind. Here, you learn everything you need to know from what scams look like, how to avoid them, and how to increase your chances of reuniting with something you left behind before it’s too late. A Scam You Won’t Forget You’ve just arrived in New York. You wave your hand calling for a taxi, and within seconds a car with a taxi sign stops before you. Naturally, you get in the taxi and tell the driver where you’d like to go. As you arrive at your destination, the driver tells you that he only accepts cards, he gives his hand out waiting for you to hand him your credit or debit card. Left with no other choice, you trustfully hand him your card and start gathering your things in hope of not leaving anything behind. He asks you to enter your pin and observes you as you do. Anticipating to get out of the car, he hands you a card and you shove in your purse and grab your things thanking the driver. Little do you know he’s handed you the wrong card and you’ve just fallen victim to fraud. Days go by and you get a call from your bank telling you there’s been suspicious activity on your card. You begin to sweat and panic. Everything starts adding up in your mind and before you know it, it’s too late. A chunk of money is gone from your bank account and you have nobody but yourself to blame. Fake taxis have become more and more popular. By telling clients they only accept cards and insisting the tap function doesn’t work on the machine, these scammers have managed to memorize your pin, take your card, or even take a discrete picture of it. And just like that, you have become a victim of fraud. There are tons of stories about this kind of thing happening. And more often than not, drivers get away with it. Over time, scammers have learned different techniques for stealing your money, and they do it when you’re off guard. Most Common Taxi Scams Traveling can be tiring, and when we have one thing in mind which is getting to our destination, we forget that there are people out there with bad intentions. We are very vulnerable in taxis, especially when we’re in a foreign country, we don’t speak the language and we’re unfamiliar with the currency. Tourists have become a walking target for scammers and fake taxi drivers, and they’ll do just about anything to get your money. One of the most common taxi scams is the broken machine scam. Typically, when arriving at our destination, we waste no time getting out of the car. It’s one of the main reasons we forget things in the car. From water bottles, to phones, keys, and sometimes even backpacks. It’s easy to take advantage of someone anticipating to get out of the car and go on with their day as we are less observative and more careless. The Intention of Scamming You In places like New York, rides are priced at a flat rate which is a reassuring sign. I’ve always enjoyed that about the city. But what happens if the meter is broken? It’s not uncommon for a meter to experience malfunctions but this excuse is becoming overused for the simple intention of scamming you. Agreeing on a price before leaving your destination may be a good idea but the driver can always up the price significantly due to uncalculated traffic. Another very commonly used tactic to scam people are scenic routes. Taxi drivers are pros when determining whether or not you’re a tourist. From the way you’re dressed to the amount of luggage you have. They won’t hesitate to take a longer route with more traffic congestion. Initiating small talk with them and letting them know you’re very familiar with the area, even if you’re not, may be a way to outsmart them and make them think twice before taking you on a much longer trip than needed. Another red flag to keep an eye out for is no change. A driver working all day should have enough change for you, but simply telling a customer they are out of change usually results in much higher tips. This sneaky trick usually works, and it’s worked on me more times than I can remember. Again, anticipating to get out of the car and gather your belongings, you’re left with no choice but to give more than you should and go on with your day. How To Avoid Taxi Scams A smart way to avoid taxi scams is by tracking your own route and taking note of your experiences. Taxi drivers are much less likely to take you on a significantly longer trip if they are aware you are tracking their every turn through the maps on your phone. If you’re hesitant whether you’re headed in the right direction, ask the driver. Your driver may feel less confident scamming you if you’re fully invested in the ride and where you’re going. Writing down your driver’s name and license number can also help you report a problem if anything does happen. Fake taxis Fake taxis, also known as unlicensed taxis are more common than you think. However, there are ways to determine whether or not a taxi is licensed or not such as looking for medallions or certificates proving that the taxi is in fact licensed and legit. Before getting into a taxi, ask the driver if they accept card payments. If they don’t, that can be considered a red flag suggesting. They are not licensed taxi drivers and rather freelance taxi drivers which love to scam tourists. When asking a taxi driver payment questions, the best thing to do is agree on a price. If you can’t seem to come to an agreement, walk away and find another cab. Scammers will try to pressure you into getting in the car while being vague about pricing and other simple questions you may be asking, such as credit card machines or asking if they have changed for a certain amount of money. Being wary of the fact that taxi drivers target people at airports and train stations. You need to plan ahead to avoid the unnecessary stress of being taxi scams. If you’re traveling in a different country and are not familiar with the language and currency, do your research and calculate how much you should be paying before handing over your money. Being Forgetful In A Taxi If you’ve never forgotten something in a taxi, you’re one of the lucky ones. It happens all too often, especially when you’re rushing to catch a flight. Leaving anything behind is frustrating, especially when it’s something as valuable as a pair of keys or your wallet. I’ve come across forgotten belongings but have never been successful in returning them. Thankfully, there is a solution that could help avoid this type of issue. The issue of losing something and feeling helpless to track it down. The feeling of finding something and feeling hopeless to return it. FOUND ME for your help FOUND ME tackles these kinds of problems with a simple QR code that’s adaptive to everything. Meaning you can put a tag on pretty much anything, from wallets to phones, to QR code stickers on wallets. Even the prescription glasses you love so much yet seem to consistently leave behind. By tagging your valuables, a finder can simply scan the code with a camera icon on their phone. They can connect to you, regardless of where you are or what language you speak. FOUND ME is innovative, and it will translate the finder’s language into yours and vice versa. Most drivers don’t come across forgotten belongings until the end of their shift. So your chances of a good samaritan coming across one of your belongings is very likely. FOUND ME makes it a positive experience for both finder and owner. But being able to help both return and reunite with a belonging. By labeling your belongings, you’re protecting the things you care about most but seem to subconsciously leave behind. To learn more about FOUND ME and everything it has to offer. Visit http://foundme.com and start ensuring the protection of your valuables. About us We are all at risk of losing the people pets and valuables that mean the most to us. FOUND ME was created as a global solution to tamper this risk and provide peace of mind. We exist to protect everyone and everything important in our customer’s lives. Subscribe for content And special offers Sign up now to find out when we launch I agree to the Terms and Conditions provided by Found Me. By completing this form, I give consent to Found Me to send me SMS text messages and emails. Message frequency varies. Standard message and data rates may apply. Text STOP to opt out, reply HELP for help. You can unsubscribe at any time Leave this field empty if you're human: Follow us Try us out
What Is Identity Theft? What are the Signs and How to Prevent It? Scam Posted on May 12, 2022 In 2021, nearly 50 million Americans fell victim to identity theft, and it caused losses amounting to $56 billion. Identity theft has become one of the biggest threats to people’s financial security over the past few years. There are new ways of doing the deed nowadays. Out of the figure mentioned above, $13 billion got stolen through traditional methods. Criminals and cybercriminals stole credit and debit cards, banking account details, social security numbers, and other personally identifiable information from people. The remaining $43 billion was stolen through advanced identify theft scams and fraud, where cybercriminals used different methods to extract personally identifiable information directly from the consumers. As we speak, someone is preparing a phishing email or creating a fake banking website to steal the banking details of thousands of people. This article talks about identity theft in detail and discusses how you can detect and prevent it from happening to you and others. What is Identity Theft? Identity theft is nothing new – it has been around for several decades, and it continues to evolve into other forms with the help of technology. Identity theft occurs when someone steals someone’s personal information to commit fraud or forgery. For instance, if someone has access to your credit card number, date of expiry, and CVV number, they can max it out by performing fraudulent transactions in no time at all. This is a common example of identity theft. Keep in mind that even if a friend uses your phone to dial 911 and pretends to be you. It can be considered identity theft, especially if their actions cause inconvenience, discomfort, or harm to someone. There are several different types of ID theft, so let’s look at some of them below. Financial Identity Theft Financial identity theft occurs when an individual uses the personal data of another individual for financial exploitation. It is one of the most common types of identity theft, such as the credit card fraud we have highlighted above. Furthermore, there are various forms of financial identity theft, including the following: Using one’s credit card information to buy something online – Everyone shops online nowadays, so it becomes easier for cybercriminals to use the stolen information to order goods amounting to thousands of dollars. It became highly prevalent during the COVID-19 pandemic. Stealing funds from one’s bank account – Criminals can siphon off money from your banking account by stealing the credentials to your internet banking account or smartphone app. They can steal anywhere between a couple hundred to a thousand dollars. If they do the same to dozens of users, the losses amount to millions of dollars. Using one’s identity to open new financial accounts – If a person gets their hands on your Social Security Number and other personally identifiable information, they can easily open new accounts in your name, which they can use. Moreover, they might even open a new line of credit, i.e., get a credit card issued, the bill of which will be sent to you. Medical Identity Theft Medical identity theft occurs when a person impersonates another person to avail of healthcare services. Although this is less common, it can be quite serious. Moreover, you might not even know about it. Some of the forms of medical identity theft include: Using one’s identity to get drug prescriptions – Most drugs are only available if one shows up with a prescription, but a person can get caught while getting the doctor to prescribe something. Therefore, they can impersonate another person identity and get the doctor to prescribe drugs. Using one’s identity to avail of medical services. Another way one can exploit another person is by stealing their identity and gaining access to medical services, especially ones they wouldn’t have to pay for. For instance, if you have health insurance and don’t need to pay when you get different checkups and tests done, another person might steal your identity and avail of all this for free. They can even get expensive surgeries, and you have to pay the bill. Using one’s identity to get medical equipment or devices – A person can also steal your identity if they know you are about to receive certain medical equipment or devices, such as a pacemaker, wheelchair, hearing aid, etc. Fraudsters do this to get their healthcare and medical needs satisfied for free. When the payment time comes, you will receive all the bills and invoices. No matter how much you try to explain that you didn’t buy something or didn’t get a particular test done, you have to pay. Criminal Identity Theft Criminal identity theft is another common type of identity theft, and it happens when a person commits a crime and is arrested but uses someone else’s name instead of theirs. They can do this with the help of a fake or stolen ID that they show to the police. This identity theft is also difficult to detect until it is too late. You usually find out when the following happens: You receive a summons for a court hearing – If a person uses your ID to get away with unpaid parking tickets or other types of fines, the courts will issue a summons in your name. The court issues a warrant for your arrest – Shockingly, you might find out about the fraud when the police show up at your doorstep or stop your car on the street, taking you into custody for not appearing at a court hearing. You are listed as a criminal alias – Even if the police know that the criminal has used a fake or stolen ID, they might register your name and details as an alias for the criminal. Whenever someone initiates a background check, it would show them a criminal record in your name, and you might lose out on a job or house. Like these examples, there are several other examples and types of identity theft that you can read about. How to Detect Identity Theft? Now that you have a clearer idea of identity theft, it is time to see how you can detect it. Nine out of ten times, you won’t find out about the crime until you experience a loss. However, you can always observe the signs and try to nip the problem in the bud. Here are some of the tips you can follow. Receiving a Fraud Alert Most financial institutions have advanced security protocols to detect and notify you against data breaches or hacking attempts. For instance, if your credit card information for a transaction some thousand miles away, the bank has the right to block the transaction and call you. You can immediately ask them to block your credit card or locate the exact location of the fraud. Noticing Spikes in Your Credit Score Most people don’t check their credit score that often unless they need to take out a line of credit or lease something. You should check it from time to time because if someone has stolen your identity and taken out a line of credit, it will cause your credit score to go up. If you see it go up suddenly, you can request a credit report from the major credit bureaus and determine when the scammer availed the extra credit line. To check your credit score periodically, you can get in touch with these credit agencies: TransUnion Equifax Experian A Denied Credit Card or Loan Application Suppose you apply for a credit card or loan, and your application gets rejected based on bad credit or any overdue payments. In that case, this is a red flag, and you should contact the relevant financial institutions immediately. If you are sure there is no valid reason for your request to be denied, make sure to conduct a credit check and find out the reason for the rejection. Getting Calls for Payments, You Don’t Know About If you ever receive a call requiring you to make a payment you know nothing about, it can mean someone is firing a shot in the dark and looking to exploit your naivety, or someone has taken out a loan in your name and isn’t paying it back. In both cases, you should be on your guard. You Receive Strangers’ Mail in Your Mailbox One way of identity theft is to use a fake name and a random address that is real. If you are receiving mail from a person you don’t know; the chances are that somebody has used your address with their bank or hospital so that they can get away with their fraud. You Get Unknown Tax Transcripts If you are getting a tax transcript you never requested, or the IRS disapproves of your e-filing, someone might have used your identity and tax records for their gain. You can immediately call the IRS and contact their fraud alert department. How to Prevent Identity Theft? If you are wary about the steps in the previous section, you might be able to stop the losses caused due to identity fraud before it is too late. Plus, there are some measures you can take proactively, such as: Freezing Your Credit You can call one of the three credit agencies and request them to guide you on how to freeze your credit. Once you do this, no one can take out a line of credit on your name. Concealing Your Social Security Number You never know when someone is lurking around, their eyes peeled on your Social Security card. Make sure that the number is always hidden. Research About Phishing You can read about phishing and its use for identity theft to protect yourself. Using Strong Passwords Nowadays, nearly all online accounts require the use of lowercase and uppercase letters, special characters, and numbers while setting up a password. Using Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) Two-Factor Authentication is a must-have in today’s digital age. Whenever you or someone else tries to log in to an account with your credentials, 2FA will require a unique one-time pin (OTP) sent to your phone number or email address. Shredding Documents with Your Personal Information You can shred documents with your personal information if not in use, particularly if you have a lot of people walking around in your home or office. Monitoring Your Financial and Medical History Regularly It is always good to check your financial and medical history for any discrepancies, i.e., any transactions or medical procedures you didn’t initiate. These steps can go a long way towards protecting you from identity theft. However, cybercriminals come up with new ways of stealing people’s identities and using them for their gain. When it comes to your sensitive personal information, you have FOUND ME for your help. It is an advanced and robust solution that keeps your name, number, address, and other details safe. It helps first responders and other personnel access your information without revealing it to others. FOUND ME offers many identification devices, like wristbands, necklaces, labels, or tags that have your personal information embedded in them. This information is secure in their database. If you have a medical emergency, i.e., an accident, any first responder or passerby can scan your identifier. They can send a notification to your emergency contacts while also sharing your location. The person attending to you can also chat with your emergency contact. They can tell them that you are being treated or the ambulance is on its way. First responders also get access to your important medical information. They can use to save your life while your sensitive data is still safe. FOUND ME uses the same encryption technology that credit card companies use to secure their cardholders’ data. Moreover, you can easily block your identifier if you lose it. You can use it to protect yourself, your family, friends, and even your precious belongings. You can find out more about FOUND ME here. About us We are all at risk of losing the people pets and valuables that mean the most to us. FOUND ME was created as a global solution to tamper this risk and provide peace of mind. We exist to protect everyone and everything important in our customer’s lives. Subscribe for content And special offers Sign up now to find out when we launch I agree to the Terms and Conditions provided by Found Me. By completing this form, I give consent to Found Me to send me SMS text messages and emails. Message frequency varies. Standard message and data rates may apply. Text STOP to opt out, reply HELP for help. You can unsubscribe at any time Leave this field empty if you're human: Follow us Try us out
Inflight Scams, Thefts and Lost Items – How can you avoid them when you are on a plane? Objects Scam Travel Posted on May 3, 2022 Whenever you think of pickpockets overseas, you might picture a train station, a bus, a tourist spot, and a city that is bustling. Here are some places which are high-risk areas to be aware of. However, there’s a new place emerging as a hunting ground for opportunistic thieves, and costing unlucky travelers. This blog provides information about these Inflight Scams. Thefts in aircraft are usually expensive, upsetting, and are becoming more common. Travel-weary passengers are easy targets for thieves during a flight, during mid flight naps, and during toilet breaks. These are ideal times for thieves to steal. Moreover, they know that most passengers carry cash or electronic devices like a laptop, camera, or phone onboard. It becomes easy for them to target you while being on a plane. As a passenger, how can you protect your property and avoid becoming a victim of inflight theft? You will learn about in-flight risks, how to protect your valuables, and how to recover them if you misplace them. How Safe Is Your Carry-On Bag On Plane? Mostl travelers keep valuables in their carry-on bags while traveling. Carrying the essentials, such as a passport, cash, cards, phone, and clothing suitable for the weather, is essential. It can be a challenge to keep these items safe until you reach your destination, especially when you are traveling alone. Inflight Theft can ruin your trip. Evidence suggests that even the overhead baggage bins on planes are not the safest places to store your belongings. The Reality of Inflight Scams Inflight scams are an example of opportunity theft. Absolute Software reported that 24% of travel-related thefts occurred in the air. Theft of property is not limited to aircraft. While going through security, it’s easy to become a victim of an Inflight scam. The luggage is going through the screening process, but you are at the metal detector and your laptop is not visible. Sharing The Real Story Shannalee Sharbonneau and her husband were flying from Amsterdam to Johannesburg to celebrate their anniversary and had booked a safari in South Africa. After seeing a bracelet in the Duty Free inflight magazine, her husband offered it to her as a gift for their anniversary. Shannalee didn’t notice that the flight attendant who sold the jewelry popped the American Express card into her apron and was gone for a few minutes. Following their arrival in Johannesburg, the couple went on safari for ten days without cell phone service or Wi-Fi. The couple returned home to discover that their card had been charged thousands of dollars. The fraudsters also hacked the linked bank account and transferred thousands of dollars from it. AMEX informed her that it was a sophisticated con, probably the work of a ring that cracked the encryption with software. We don’t know if Sharbonneau’s experience is reported or not. Check story details at The Reality of In-Flight Theft Founder of airfarewatchdog.com, George Hobica, says: airplane theft is more common than people think. It’s common for passengers to lower their guard on a plane, assuming that they’re in a confined space and nothing can be taken from them. The reality is, this is not always the case. Few Inflight Risks For Your Luggage Nevertheless, there are a few inflight risks that passengers should be aware of to protect their valuables. Leaving Your Bags Unlocked We tend to forget that overhead compartments are the shared spaces, and that your fellow passengers have access to them throughout the flight. For this reason, you must keep your bag locked at all times. While Sleeping Sleeping on a flight will enable you to arrive rested at your destination, as well as feeling like the flight was shorter than it actually is. Unfortunately, this can also lead to theft of your belongings. So please lock your bags and keep passports, cash, and other small items with you or in under-shirt fanny packs. While Using the Bathroom When you visit the bathroom, do you place your expensive item on your plane seat? Many people leave their carryon bags unlocked when they take a toilet break. This gives thieves another opportunity to target you. Whenever possible, take smaller items such as phones with you to the bathroom. Never leave valuables unattended. Even if you are taking a quick 2 minute break to use the restroom, you should lock larger items like laptops and tablets in your carry-on bag. As an alternative, you could ask a fellow passenger to keep an eye on them. Getting Off The Plane The second the seatbelt sign comes off, passengers rush to get off the plane, creating another opportunity for thieves as the aisles will get crowded. Keep your carry-on in front of you until you are ready to walk off the plane. Please make sure nothing is left on or under the seat or the seat pocket. How You Can Protect Your Belongings With FOUND ME? A fellow passenger, flight attendant, or cleaning crew may find a lost item. If there is no contact information or way to identify the owner, it can be challenging to return the item to its owner. FOUND ME comes to the rescue here. FOUND ME is a global, affordable system of tags, labels, bracelets, and necklaces that help you remain connected with everyone and everything you love in case you lose them. Our application linked to our tags simplifies the return process and increases your chances of being reunited with lost property.. FOUND ME tags or labels can be attached to anything you would hate to lose, like a passport, tablet, headphones, purse, wallet, or any object you wouldn’t want to lose. As soon as the item is found and scanned, you will receive a push notification, SMS, or email. By avoiding the sharing of personal information like your name, phone number, address or email, FOUND ME tags protect your privacy and reduce your risk of being targeted for a scam or identity theft. Visit www.foundme.com to learn more about FOUND ME and everything it has to offer for the protection of your belongings. If you have also been the victim of inflight scams, or have any stories about inflight scams or airport theft, we’d love to hear from you! Drop us a line at info@foundme.com. We’ll share it in a future blog post. We won’t reveal your identity without your permission, and we won’t use this information for any other purpose other than to guide audience members about thefts and how they can prevent becoming victims. About us We are all at risk of losing the people pets and valuables that mean the most to us. FOUND ME was created as a global solution to tamper this risk and provide peace of mind. We exist to protect everyone and everything important in our customer’s lives. Subscribe for content And special offers Sign up now to find out when we launch I agree to the Terms and Conditions provided by Found Me. By completing this form, I give consent to Found Me to send me SMS text messages and emails. Message frequency varies. Standard message and data rates may apply. Text STOP to opt out, reply HELP for help. You can unsubscribe at any time Leave this field empty if you're human: Follow us Try us out
How to Find a Lost Outdoor Cat: Make Your Search More Efficient Pets Posted on April 20, 2022 Cats are curious animals. Whether your cat is an indoor cat or an outdoor cat, losing a cat is always something we anticipate happening at least once. Most of the time, cats aren’t trying to run away, they seem to adventure off and can’t find their way back home. How to find a lost outdoor cat: Make your search easy with us. If you have lost your cat or you’re afraid of losing your cat, you’re in the right place. By following a couple of tips and tricks, as well as learning to look smarter, you’ll find that your chances of reuniting with your cat are much likelier. The first thing you want to do when looking for your cat is to make sure he or she is missing. As we all know, cats enjoy dark and confined places, such as under the bed, in the closet, or even in your basement. So, it’s important to make sure that your cat isn’t just napping somewhere ignoring you. How to Find a Lost Outdoor Cat? Once you have determined that your cat is missing, it’s time to take action. It’s important to let your neighbors, friends, and family know that your cat is missing. Contacting animal shelters and vets is also a great idea. Most cats have microchips, and if someone finds your missing cat, they may bring your cat to the shelter or vet for that reason. Keep in mind that the more people who know about your missing cat, the more likely they are to keep an eye out for a cat on the road or in their backyard. After letting people know about your missing cat, you’ll want to start creating awareness on social media. Especially for people who have lost cats and know the terrifying feeling, they’ll want to help you. Cats are quick and can travel from house to house very quickly. Your cat may make it to the other side of town. By creating social media posts and putting up posters near your house where your cat, it will enable people who don’t even know you to contact you if they come across your cat. How Losing a Cat Makes Us Feel: The Psychology Behind Losing a Cat Losing anything is frustrating and irritating. However, losing something that relies on us for food, water and shelter is a different story. It’s normal to feel an overwhelming amount of guilt when you lose your cat. But make sure you don’t waste any time and begin the search for your cat. Cats alter their behavior when they mourn similarly to the way people do. They become depressed and may experience decreased appetite or the urge to play. Considering cats can live up to 13 years, it’s inevitable to get attached to them. A pet symbolizes a best friend and companion, they become part of your family and daily routine in life. A pet is capable of changing your life by bringing you monumental happiness. They help teach you responsibility, patience, kindness, and discipline. The death of a pet can be extremely painful and difficult to cope with, but it is a part of life. However, losing a pet without knowing its whereabouts can be worse. Lost Cat Behavior: Why Your Cat Got Lost There are three specific types of lost cat behavior. The first cats who typically get lost are indoor-only cats who happen to find their way outside. This can happen to anyone and is very common. Just by forgetting to shut the front door or close the bathroom window, your cat can easily get curious and wander off. If your cat is an indoor cat, the outdoors is a completely new environment to them. The cars, people, and loud noises depending on where you live can easily frighten your cat and put their fight or flight response into action. If your cat is in fight mode, it will likely run until it finds somewhere safe to rest. Usually, somewhere where there are not a lot of people or loud noises, and there is shelter and hopefully a puddle of water from the rain. If your cat goes into flight mode, it will likely just stand there and wait for somebody to approach them. This is not usually the case, however, considering cats are fearful animals and don’t usually trust anybody but their owners. When cats are in an environment that they are not adapted to, the cat is most likely going to hide in silence and avoid meowing. This is because cats are territorial and their primary protective measure against predators is to hide in silence somewhere where they can see the predator, but the predator can’t see them. If a cat were to meow, it would give up its hiding spot and location. What do you need to know about Cat’s behavior? Keep in mind that your cat’s behavior has nothing to do with whether or not your cat loves and trusts you, it has to do with the fact that your cat is frightened by the immediate change of environment and doesn’t know how to cope with it quite yet. The second type of cats that typically get lost is displaced outdoor access cats. This happens when the cat is chased out of its known territory. For instance, if your cat is chased by another cat, or dog, or if it is panicked by thunderstorms or fireworks. It’s important to know that cats will bolt when they are afraid and uncomfortable or feel threatened. Displacement of outdoor cats can also happen when a cat is being transported to another location and accidentally escapes. They can escape by finding a way out of their carrier or jumping out of your arms. The third category of cats that happen to get lost the most is lost outdoor access cats. This means that your cat is used to the outdoors. When an outdoor cat disappears, it means that something happened to the cat that interrupted its routine or behavior of coming home. This can be anything, from fear to curiosity. Different characteristics related to lost cats There are also different categories and characteristics related to your lost cat’s behavior that may help you understand why your cat has disappeared. The first thing that may explain why your cat has run off is depending on whether your cat has been feeling trapped. Although cats enjoy small spaces to sleep in, they don’t like being forced to go anywhere. A second characteristic that could have to do with your missing cat is if it was feeling injured or sick. Most cats tend to suffer in silence and when they feel unwell, they are put into a conflicting uncomfortable position that can make them feel the urge to run away. Statistics About Lost Cats A study was conducted by the University of Queensland in Australia to determine statistics about lost cats. The study showed: The first method that was most successful in recovering a lost cat was conducting a physical search of the area The average distance found for missing outdoor access cats was 315 meters (approximately a 17-house radius from the owner’s house) The average distance found for how far cats traveled for displaced/escaped indoor-only cats was much less, only 50 meters and a 2 and a half house radius Survey result for How to Find a Lost Outdoor Cat? The search concludes that the physical search for a missing cat is most helpful. Social media posts are important however receiving permission from your neighbor to search their property is critical. It is up to you as the owner of your missing cat to conduct this kind of search. If you are not fit to search this. Hire a pet detective directory that can help you in conducting a methodical search. It’s important however to face every possible outcome that your cat has possibly gone through. Although awful to think about, your cat could have been stolen or killed by a predator. this happens less frequently, it does happen, and it is something to think about. If your cat is exotic, it is most likely to be stolen considering its uniqueness. Increasing the Odds of Someone Finding and Returning Your Cat Losing a cat will never be a comfortable experience. And although some tips and tricks can help you search for your cat more efficiently. There is a way that someone can find your cat and return it to you safely. With FOUND ME, a QR code attached to your cat’s collar will encourage people to scan it and be brought to a chat with you. There, you will be able to confirm that it’s your cat. You can also discuss ways to meet regardless of where you are or what language you speak. FOUND ME can translate your conversation. Both you and the finder can share their GPS location to simplify the return. FOUND ME strives to protect everything and everyone that you love. You can update the QR code via the FOUND ME app easily. You have all the important information about your pet, such as vaccines, medication, and much more. FOUND ME will also help you provide a poster about your cat that you can print from your phone. You can quickly let others know about how to find a lost outdoor cat. Visit our website FOUND ME to learn more about our products! About us We are all at risk of losing the people pets and valuables that mean the most to us. FOUND ME was created as a global solution to tamper this risk and provide peace of mind. We exist to protect everyone and everything important in our customer’s lives. Subscribe for content And special offers Sign up now to find out when we launch I agree to the Terms and Conditions provided by Found Me. By completing this form, I give consent to Found Me to send me SMS text messages and emails. Message frequency varies. Standard message and data rates may apply. Text STOP to opt out, reply HELP for help. 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When A Drone Lands on Your Property: Here’s What You Need to Know Objects Posted on April 12, 2022 Have you ever been in your backyard and witnessed a drone land in front of you? It’s a breath-taking experience, especially if you’re not familiar with the drone. It may seem like a tiny spaceship landing on your property and the first thing that will probably come to mind is, what do I do about it? If you are familiar with the drone, you’ve maybe heard some of the stories online about people using drones to spy on others, for instance, a crazy ex invading privacy keen to know about the whereabouts and doings of their ex-partner. Even FOUND ME can guide you about the missing drone. If you’re curious to know if that’s the case for you, you’re in the right place. This article will cover unexpected mechanical failures, such as battery issues, electronic failure, motor and propeller malfunction, loss of control, forced landing due to low battery, using drones to spy, and finally, what to do if a drone lands on your property. First thing when a drone lands on your property The first thing you want to do if a drone lands on your property is trying to communicate with the owner of the drone. This will help you determine whether it’s just some kid who doesn’t know how to land a drone, or if it’s someone trying to invade your privacy and spy on you. If you’ve read one too many horror stories about spying drones and you are hesitant about contacting the owner, it’s important that you notify the police and explain your situation. In case you are unsure of how to contact the owner, then keep the drone safe with you until the owner tracks and locates the drone. If the drone experienced a hash fall, the owner would face complications with the GPS tracking system. However, there are some ways you can ensure somebody finds your drone and returns it to you with very little complication. Use of Drone The drone is one of the sleekest modern world inventions yet and has made its way into many commercial and domestic projects such as photography, small package delivery, videography for events, and even data collections. The uses of the drone are increasing as the drone progressively upgrades year by year. The drone has become such a popular gift that children are now playing with drones and will often fail to judge the right position of the device resulting in the flying device falling from the sky and landing on other properties. A drone flies in the sky with the help of a remote controller and a computer device. The drone contains components such as propellers, a GPS, sensors, and of course a camera able to record and provide live footage from a bird’s eye viewpoint. Although drones are a very reliable device, they can run into some complications. One of the most common complications of the drone is the propellers. When the air pressure, altitude, or sudden weather changes, the drone’s chances of crashing and falling increase. Increasing the Chances of Someone Finding and Returning Your Missing Drone Protect the Things You Love- missing drone When a drone falls, depending on the fall and the impact of the crash, the GPS can damage and cause further complications for you. Without the GPS and a proper signal, you will not be able to locate or track your missing drone. That’s where FOUND ME becomes handy. FOUND ME is a company designed to protect your valuable belongings, even your pets, children, and vulnerable loved ones. A simple QR code labeled onto your drone will encourage a finder to scan it and be directly taken to an automated and secure chat with you, the owner. I’m sure we’ve all experienced the frustration of finding something and wanting to return it but not knowing how to. FOUND ME’s goal is to reunite your lost belongings, from keys, laptops, wallets, apple watches, Airpods to credit cards, prescription glasses, and pretty much anything that has significant value to you. Personally, I’ve found prescription glasses and keys on the floor and always felt helpless imagining the stress the owner of these belongings is going through. To learn more about FOUND ME and protecting the things you value, visit FOUND ME. Privacy Rights When Drones Land on Your Property: Hobby vs. Commercial Drones There are two types of drone uses commercial and hobby. Commercial drones: Have a few more rules and they require certification You can fly it over 400 feet and go around certain buildings off-limits with a federal waiver You can fly it at night with a waiver Hobby drones: Cannot be flown more than 400 feet in the air Can be flown at night if they have lights to help them determine how high up they are as well as their location Essentially, drones can fly over your home and property. The Federal Aviation Administration controls the air above your home and property. It is even legal to record a person in their backyard, property owners do not have an expectation of privacy when they are in the open, even if it’s in their backyards. Learning the difference between a hobby and commercial drones will help you determine which one has landed or crashed onto your property. Click here to learn more about privacy rights and commercial and hobby drones. If you are interested in learning more about how to protect your drone or locate your missing drone visit FOUND ME. Contact us for any queries at info@foundme.com. About us We are all at risk of losing the people pets and valuables that mean the most to us. FOUND ME was created as a global solution to tamper this risk and provide peace of mind. We exist to protect everyone and everything important in our customer’s lives. Subscribe for content And special offers Sign up now to find out when we launch I agree to the Terms and Conditions provided by Found Me. By completing this form, I give consent to Found Me to send me SMS text messages and emails. Message frequency varies. Standard message and data rates may apply. Text STOP to opt out, reply HELP for help. You can unsubscribe at any time Leave this field empty if you're human: Follow us Try us out
How to Protect Important Documents and Medical Information Medical People Posted on February 14, 2022 The threat of financial fraud and identity theft looms large in our day-to-day. There are exposes on credit card fraud and email phishing scams. In comparison, how to protect important documents and medical information receives far less attention and investigation. Yet, medical identity theft and fraud are far too common and incredibly costly – and it is necessary for everyone to pinpoint the ways we could better safeguard medical information. Why Should You Protect Medical Information? Medical identity theft is steadily increasing in the United States, and the need to protect medical information is more urgent than ever before. While similar to financial theft, medical identity theft is the intentional theft of identity information, such as Social Security Number, Medicaid and Medicare information, and medical records, to receive fraudulent medical care. There are a number of ways to commit medical fraud, including fraudulent billing schemes, submission to insurance companies for procedures not performed, and misrepresenting the type of services provided. There are health care schemes each year uncovers that implicate consumers, doctors, nurses, insurance companies, and others in the fraudulent activity. However, medical identity theft specifically requires the use of false personal information to acquire services or insurance benefits belonging to another person. Over time medical identities became more valuable. Identity Force, a fraud detection and alert system, estimates that medical information is 20 to 50 times more valuable than financial personal information. Medical information often contains all personal identification information in a single record, not just one or two markers. For example, credit card fraud is usually the theft of a person’s credit card number, name on the card, and expiration date. A medical record can have an address, full name, other names, payment information, Social Security Number, other ID numbers, place of employment, insurance provider, etc. The black market price of medical information is roughly $250 per record, compared to $6 for credit card information. This has only led to more regular and bigger breaches of hospital records, government agencies, and insurance companies. Ransomware and other malicious softwares are now the most common way for bad actors to attack medical records and information. By not taking active steps to know how to protect documents and medical information, you are at high risk of exposure. Financial Cost of Compromised Medical Records Need more of a reason to protect your personal health information? Conservatively 3% of all health care spending in the United States is fraud. That equates to roughly $2.26 trillion worth of fraudulent payments and claims made in the private and public sectors. There are other reports that estimate 10% of all health care activity is fraudulent, which would increase the costs of fraudulent activity to $230 trillion annually. The impact of health care fraud trickles down to directly impact your personal costs. The more fraud committed in the public and private sector, the more hospitals and medical groups must charge for services and procedures. Here’s how these costs end up impacting every health care consumer and patient. Insurance companies are often the unsuspecting victims of medical identity theft, but these for-profit entities will not be left holding the bag. When medical fraud is uncovered, insurance companies turn around and require higher premiums for consumers and health care providers to receive coverage. There isn’t a medical practice in the United States that can provide care without malpractice and other insurance, and most indvidiuals pay some insurance and health care costs out of pocket. Higher insurance costs turn into higher prices for each and every procedure. Health care costs already outpace the average income for many Americans, and fraud is only driving up the price. Additionally, if we don’t know how to protect important documents and medical information, there is a tax impact. A huge portion of medical identity fraud committed in the United States is against Medicare and Medicaid. Federal tax dollars fund these programs. Uncovering each fraudulent charge, for the taxpayers. So while there are many reasons to protect your personal health information, bettering the entire system is very high on the list. Loss of Privacy with Compromised Medical Records These financial costs are all in addition to the invasion of privacy and deep mistrust that can come from faulty medical records, Medical providers and third party vendors are required to keep medical records confidential, often even from legal probes, because it is your right as an individual to keep this information private. There is a long history between privacy and the need to protect medical information. In the past, the use of medical information was for discrimination in communities, employment, and even government benefits. For example, employers may illegally rescind a job offer upon learning the candidate was pregnant or a board could refuse a cancer patient the opportunity to serve. Without appropriate legal safeguards preventing this type of discrimination, medical privacy was crucial. Today, the desire to keep medical information private varies person-to-person. For some, there is a deep need to keep medical information private, just for the sake of privacy itself. Medical conditions can be difficult to discuss, and it is every individual’s right to keep that information out of public conversation. How to Protect Your Personal Health Information Medical records and medical information have become more accessible over time. Digital records allow patients to access their information faster, transfer records between providers, and often receive better care. Yet, these technological changes have also made it more complicated and difficult to know how to protect your personal health information. Here are four tips that apply to our digital world. Be Cautious with Medical Disclosures The best way to guard your medical information is to carefully limit the number of people with access to records and information. There is a limited list of times when you require your medical history and personal medical information. When seeking new coverage from an insurance provider and when seeing a new medical provider. Beyond these necessary disclosures, you can protect your personal health information by carefully assessing disclosures to other vendors. Some optional disclosures include opportunities for medical research, participation in medical trials or optional care, and marketing opportunities. However, many consumers are also sharing their medical information in non-traditional ways. Disclosures on social media, non-medical businesses, fundraising opportunities, and even family and friends make it more difficult to protect medical information. Medical information, in particular insurance numbers and identification information, should not be shared to public forums or platforms. A leading example today is disclosure of medical information to public fundraising platforms, such as GoFundMe. While these online services provide a new forum for covering medical costs and expensive procedures. Finally, research applications and platforms that intake your medical records and data. Identity theft protection software, medical groups, insurance companies, medical research teams, and even testing companies, such as LabCorp have applications that can store, share, and auto-update medical information. You want to be certain you protect your personal health information on these apps. Leading the charge on encryption and security of your medical data is FOUND ME. Our global platform allows individuals to upload critical medical information into our application. But it limits visibility and eliminates any public disclosure. This unique functionality allows emergency personnel to access lifesaving information, without exposing users to unwanted and dangerous disclosures. Know How Your Medical Information Is Shared Wondering how to protect important documents and your medical identity? It isn’t enough to limit direct disclosures of your medical information. Doctors, insurance companies, and medical services all make disclosures to third-party vendors within the course of business. There are direct requirements for any disclosure under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act for how and when medical information can be shared, but do not confuse these restrictions and requirements with a ban on disclosures. Also, Electronic health records platforms and medical equipment and device companies are a couple examples of common third-party vendors. Sometimes, these vendors are the weakest link for cyber and information attacks. If you want to protect your personal health information, you must consider these third-party disclosures too. You should always know what disclosures your medical provider and insurance company are making. All you need to do is ask for this information. If you are uncomfortable with the vendors or want to safeguard certain information, such as your driver’s license number, you can request to opt out. Further, third party disclosure is common in other industries impacting or adjacent to medical professions. You want to be cautious that any application or platform you grant access to medical information and data uses it correctly. Web services and applications are required to make terms of service and privacy policies available to all users. These documents will list how and where the platform stores information and how they plan to use any data provided. FOUND ME provides transparent information on our third party platforms and how we actively secure your data. It is extremely important that our application, specifically keep your information safe, with leading encryption and safety technology. Review All Medical Bills and Electronic Medical Record How to protect important documents begins by reviewing the records and billing for your medical care. Medical identity theft leaves a paper trail, but it is often up to the consumer to notice errors and inaccurate charges. Most medical practices and insurance companies have routine and electronic processes for claims and billing. While efficient and effective for the businesses, the same practices do not always protect medical information. Do not ignore billing mistakes, even if sent to insurance. Always ask for an explanation of charges, if you are uncertain what procedures and care is outlined on the bill. Immediately report any incorrect charges or unreceived services to your medical provider and insurance company. Finally, be aggressive in reporting any medical bills in your name for care you did not receive. Another routine place to review care and medical history is on your electronic medical record. Your electronic medical record or electronic health record (EHR). It is a digital version of the physical, paper records kept in a medical practice or doctor’s office. Most hospitals and medical groups are transitioning to digital first filing and record-keeping systems. It makes these records accessible to patients. You can request your electronic health record through your healthcare provider. These records are already available for review through an online platform or application. You will want to report any procedure that you did not receive and ask for a correction to the records. Further, errors or inconsistencies in your electronic medical records can indicate underlying medical fraud or identity theft. Keep Your Insurance Card Secure Do you consider your health insurance card as necessary and personal as your Social Security Card? You should. Your health insurance information is crucial for receiving appropriate scheduled, elective, and certain emergency medical care. Yet, we often throw around our insurance information like it is replaceable and acceptable public knowledge. There is extensive personal information on your health insurance card. It will list your full name, any beneficiary or dependents on your policy, and the names of family members. Further, your insurance card will state the insurance provider, group number, and policy number. Some insurance companies also print address and contact information on physical or electronic cards. How to Protect Important Documents with FOUND ME FOUND ME keep you, your loved ones, and valuables safe. While designing a versatile product, we improve the security and sharing of medical information. You see, we know that there are both too many unwanted medical disclosure. It is too few reliable platforms to accommodate appropriate and lifesaving medical information exchange. For individuals invested in how to protect important documents and other medical information, FOUND ME is a cloud-based, secure platform, where documentation, records, and even test results can be uploaded to a user profile. However, each user determines exactly how much information and what documents are visible while scanning a medical QR code. For example, our customers are using FOUND ME to simultaneously share and protect COVID-19 information. Test results, vaccine information, and documentation regarding COVID-19 can be input into your FOUND ME app. It can be used at airports and other in-person services. Thereafter, you can unlock and display this information within the app. The records are in the form of encrypt and secure when not in use or designate it as private. If you want to begin using FOUND ME’s secure solution to sharing medical information and documents. You can join our family of users by heading to our platform. About us We are all at risk of losing the people pets and valuables that mean the most to us. FOUND ME was created as a global solution to tamper this risk and provide peace of mind. We exist to protect everyone and everything important in our customer’s lives. Subscribe for content And special offers Sign up now to find out when we launch I agree to the Terms and Conditions provided by Found Me. By completing this form, I give consent to Found Me to send me SMS text messages and emails. Message frequency varies. Standard message and data rates may apply. Text STOP to opt out, reply HELP for help. You can unsubscribe at any time Leave this field empty if you're human: Follow us Try us out
Where to Look for Lost Keys: Make Your Search More Efficient Objects Travel Posted on February 14, 2022 It’s an average Tuesday morning and the search is on for your misplaced car keys. They weren’t hanging on the usual hook or stuffed into a coat pocket; nor were your keys found in your briefcase or under the mail. This process of elimination, seemingly necessary for where to look for lost keys, is tedious and unpleasant. Plus, as the minutes tick by and the keys are still missing, your frustration doubles – now you will be late for work. This unwanted scavenger hunt is part of the morning routine for millions of people. We lose roughly nine things a day, and based on the statistics, car and house keys are likely to be one of them. Despite the hundreds of millions of house keys misplaced each year, very few people have a reliable approach for finding their keys. Most of us simply shuffle papers, scan countertops, and then stomp our feet through the bedroom one more time for good measure. Yet, there are more effective strategies out there when it comes to where to look for lost keys. Psychologists and anthropologists have both studied forgetfulness and search tendencies. These scientists have uncovered interesting reasons why you are unsuccessful in looking for lost keys, and some incredible tips to help you stop looking high, low, and everywhere in between and just simply find the dang keys at the start! Science Behind Looking for Lost Keys It turns out that a number of human tendencies are holding you back from successfully finding your car keys on a given day. Humans perform optimally when running on routine, but, for most of us anyway, looking for lost keys is outside our routine – and this actually builds a pretty big hurdle to overcome if you are short on time and the list of places to search is long. Lost car keys are by definition not where we anticipate them to be. This intrinsic fact about lost objects, keys or otherwise, makes them very difficult to locate. From the moment you look in the usual place and do not find your keys, cellphone, or paperwork, logic begins arguing with what you are seeing. Your expectations are screaming, “the keys are in your coat,” while logic tells you they must be located somewhere else entirely. This leads most people to check the least likely place to find their keys. We do things like check the refrigerator for our car keys or the microwave for the work FOB. These unexpected locations are so far fetched that few people are successful when looking for lost keys in appliances, sock drawers, or medicine cabinets. However, we still yank open cabinets, search under guest beds, and dig through the laundry while hunting down a key we had five minutes before. Here’s a little bit about why. Expectations of the Search for Lost Keys Back in 2017, the journal, Current Biology, reported their results on a fascinating visual and psychological study. What the research showed is that humans are horribly inept at locating objects in images, when the object is larger than its usual and anticipated scale. Whether it was a huge toothbrush, used as the example by the New York Times, or a gigantic cell phone, humans often overlook what is monstrously right in front of our faces because the proportion does not conform to our expectations. The discovery that expectation forms a great deal of our visual understanding and perception can be robustly applied to any search for lost keys and other items. For example, you always keep your keys in a coat pocket after work. You check the pocket on Monday morning after a weekend away and there are no keys nestled at the bottom. You reach inside the pocket again – still no keys. This is alarming, but your weekend was not routine. You hopped on a plane for the weekend, as you left, you grabbed a different coat to wear because the weather was supposed to be warmer at the destination. You wore the coat all weekend, so that must be where the keys are hiding, but again you come up empty handed. What you don’t want? Now you remember, of course, you had to get in the house Sunday night, so you start searching shelves, luggage pockets, the jeans you wore on the flight home, and even go back to scour through your coats again. You don’t know where to search for lost keys after this, when 10 exasperated moments later you spot them sitting on the end table in your living room. You swore you checked there at least once, and you did, but your eye scrambled past because that is never a place you would leave your keys. The discrepancy between expectation and where to look for lost keys costs all of us time and money. It is why rummaging around without a strategy or plan can leave you checking the same location two or three times, only to find your keys sitting on that very table on your fourth “sweep” of the room. Your Brain: When Looking for Lost Keys When it comes to human nature and the ability to find things, not all is lost. While our visual tendencies can trick us into missing the most obvious hiding spot for our house keys, the human brain performs some pretty incredible functions that work in our favor. One important neurological discovery is that our brains unconsciously record things that were different today than yesterday. In the dentate gyrus, a subregion of the hippocampus, images of our regular and new environments are stored. When something is out of the ordinary or different from the last time we were in that space, the dentate gyrus records a new mental picture. We rely on recall of these recordings when we think back to the location of our house keys or even our work FOB through a process called pattern separation. While not part of our conscious search, this part of the hippocampus actually allows us to separate out similar, but non-identical, recordings within the same space. If your keys are always hanging from the same, white hook in your entryway, it is this fascinating brain function that can actually help you remember if the scene was different today, if the keys were missing. Fascinating Twist A fascinating twist on this helpful brain activity in the hippocampus is we often trip ourselves up. Another memory or remembered experience may block the crucial information you need. This is what happens when a word is “on the tip of your tongue” or you visualize exactly what you had for lunch, but not what you wore to work yesterday. There is interference from other people, other thoughts, and other actions that can make active recall very difficult, no matter how hard you focus on the information needed. According to certain researchers, blocked memories can occur because you are too focused on remembering. Whether you try too hard or care too much, the focus can narrow your perspective and keep you from remembering a crucial scenario or interruption to your routine. It can also make it impossible to remember where to look for lost keys. Another way blocked memories can interfere with your search is through false realizations of where you last had your keys. It is common to recall that you had the car keys on the way to work and set them on your desk upon arrival. This makes it feel like the best place to search for your keys is in your office, but after this, you grabbed them on your walk to lunch, and tossed them in your purse afterwards. Don’t Rely on Others to Find Your House Keys If your eyes and brain don’t make it hard enough to find your house keys, there is another source of difficulty. Keys, whether unlocking a house, car, office, or vacation rental, are extremely valuable to the owner, but often worthless to a finder. The key is useless without the door it unlocks. Most people, including good Samaritans, stroll past dropped car keys or ignore house keys sitting on the coffeeshop table. While the key is unique, there is no identifying information attached to the key, nor is there a discernible way to find the owner. It is hard enough to find the owner of a passport, driver’s license, or credit card, when the person’s name is present over the item. So, you can imagine the impossibility of finding the owner of a key, without more information, and how few individuals would go through the trouble of trying. This leaves many keys thrown into a store’s lost and found box or kicked along the sidewalk for several blocks. It can also mean that a thoughtful individual picks car smart keys and FOBs, who discovers they still have no way to return this expensive key to an owner. In total, 20 million keys are lost and never found each year. Further, keys are nondescript. Even car keys of different makes and models all look somewhat similar. The similarity among house keys, car keys, mailbox keys, or garage passes and swipe keys make witnesses unreliable when they go missing. Most people won’t recall anything specific about the keys they saw, and can even forget exactly. When tracing your steps to figure out where to look for lost keys, you would be lucky to have one person remember if the set belonged to a Lexus, Honda, or Jeep. How to Improve Your Search for Lost Keys People spend nearly 2.5 days in a year on the hunt for lost and misplaced items. You may spend a lot of time randomly scanning rooms, digging under furniture, and retracing an entire day’s movements. Yet, you could be finding your lost keys a whole lot faster by searching with a strategy; particularly, one that overcomes the obstacles that make where to look for lost keys a tough question. Whether you are searching for car keys you had this morning or a spare house key seen six months earlier, you want the search to be simple. Try to search spaces and rooms only once and be thorough, but not obsessive, in how much time you spend in a space. Do not leave spaces more cluttered or disorderly than before your search for lost keys. Finally, be careful in your search. Keep track of where you already looked, rule out places that are impossible locations, and don’t be sidetracked by other tasks. Mindset and Perspective Looking for Lost Keys Not just where, but how you approach looking for lost keys or other items is important. Stress, fatigue, and loss of routine increase the propensity to lose things, and also make it harder to find them. In fact, it is common to start by tearing through purses and pockets to find your lost house keys, but this will not get you through the door any faster. It is also common to jump to the worst case scenario. Many people irrationally think, “what if I am locked out forever?” or “what if it costs me $25,000 to buy a new car?” Neither of these scenarios are likely, but can incite the panic and stress that make finding your keys difficult. Do not let frantic, demoralizing thoughts direct where to look for lost keys. Instead, focus on open-ended questions about where and when you had your keys and a positive mindset when it comes to finding them. When upset or worried, it becomes harder to locate what you need. A number of experts recommend you wait until you are calm and know where to start (more on that in the next section). Whether you need to take deep breaths or walk a lap around your apartment, it can be good to adjust your perspective before looking for your keys. Greater perspective on the situation can help you avoid looking in the wrong place for hours and hours. What Order and Where to Look for Lost Keys If you are hoping to become more efficient and effective in your search for lost keys, the order of where you look and when is important. You do not want to waste time in reassessing spaces nor do you want to end up retracing your steps. Instead, start with a place that makes sense and cross it, definitively, off the list. You want to start your search in the most likely place. If you don’t rule out the expected place first, you will want to return to it again and again, just to double-check. However, if you don’t find your keys the first time through, they will not magically appear later. Whether it is your purse, a briefcase, coat pocket, or desk drawer, tackle the spot you routinely keep your keys. Once you verify your house or car keys are not in the typical place, turn your attention to cluttered counters, junk drawers, and disorganized spaces. It is human nature to pay more attention to clear, straightforward visual spaces. Essentially, it is easier for our minds to assess and comprehend an orderly space over a cluttered one. When looking for lost keys, we will naturally look in organized drawers and tidy kitchens, but this requires active attention to cluttered places, which we are apt to ignore. Improve the Odds Someone Finds Your Lost Keys While you are most likely to locate your keys at the bottom of a gym bag or under the couch, keys in restaurants, yoga classes, and shopping malls all the time. When you lose your house or car keys in these public places, the number of places to search is longer and the likelihood of finding your keys lower. Where to look for lost keys becomes a difficult question to answer. As touched on earlier, you cannot rely on others to help you locate lost keys. The legwork to return a set of keys to the owner is extensive and the information for tackling the problem extremely limited. Even individuals who would return a wallet full of cash, may not pick up a house key or know where to track the owner of a car smart key. While retracing your steps may lead to a lost and found box. There is a better way to find your lost keys with FOUND ME. A unique QR code attached to your keychain encourages others to scan the code. It connects with a web version of the FOUND ME platform, and make contact with you, the owner. It is a simple and global solution to the ongoing frustration of lost house and car keys. If you are interested in learning more about FOUND ME’s easy-to-use technology and iPhone/Android APP, simply visit our online platform FOUND ME. About us We are all at risk of losing the people pets and valuables that mean the most to us. FOUND ME was created as a global solution to tamper this risk and provide peace of mind. We exist to protect everyone and everything important in our customer’s lives. Subscribe for content And special offers Sign up now to find out when we launch I agree to the Terms and Conditions provided by Found Me. By completing this form, I give consent to Found Me to send me SMS text messages and emails. Message frequency varies. Standard message and data rates may apply. Text STOP to opt out, reply HELP for help. You can unsubscribe at any time Leave this field empty if you're human: Follow us Try us out
I Lost My Passport and I Fly Tomorrow: What to Do for search Objects People Travel Posted on February 14, 2022 The night before I fly out, I always fear that I’m leaving something behind. Nervously, I check my bags, repeating the list in my head: passport, boarding pass, keys, phone, wallet. I repeat the list until I’ve checked everything off. I’ve made it a habit to double-check everything the night before taking on a flight. Suddenly, I notice that my passport is not in the front pocket of my bag where it usually is. Concentration curl | Exercise Videos & Guides | Bodybuilding.com oxa-max review You Need to Try This Dwayne Johnson I must’ve misplaced it. But how? I’m always careful with these things. Fear begins to settle in. My flight is tomorrow and without my passport, I can’t get to where I need to be in time. Passports give us the ability to travel by providing proof of our identity and nationality. They are so important that they are stolen often due to their value. People will steal passports for a number of different reasons therefore it’s crucial that you keep them safe at all times or file a report claiming that you’ve lost it and that it’s potentially been stolen. If you’ve lost your passport and you happen to be flying domestically, you may be lucky and be able to use a different form of ID if you have one, like a driver’s license or state ID. Depending on the airline you’ve chosen, you would be able to find out whether or not flying with an ID would be acceptable. The process is simple, you’ll sign a statement saying that you are telling the truth and the TSA agents will put you through additional screenings and inspections. What happens if you don’t fit the proof ID requirements? If you don’t happen to fit the proof of ID requirements for your airline and you cannot fly out without a passport, there are regional passport offices that can process same-day applications that you must attend in person. Although losing a passport is always a terrifying experience, there are a few things that you can do to help avoid losing it, and if you do, ways of possibly getting it back. I Lost My Passport Abroad: The Replacement Process Whether you’re an experienced or inexperienced traveler, you’ve most likely rummaged through your bags in search of a misplaced passport at least once in your life. Most of the time you’ll end up finding your passport in a different bag than usual or you’ll likely find it hiding somewhere in your pockets. The first thing you want to do if you can’t find it, it’s confirm it’s really missing. When we travel, it’s easy to lose and misplace things because all of our things are put together in a bag rather than in our usual spots at home. Once you have fully checked all your bags and your surroundings, and you still can’t find your passport, it’s time to take action and file a report. If you lost your passport and you’re traveling abroad, you probably won’t have your birth certificate handy. If you don’t happen to have enough documents with you to prove your citizenship, the embassy will only be able to provide you with a limited passport that only allows you to return to your country. Once you are home, you won’t be able to travel abroad again without going through the full application process for a new passport. If you’re abroad, you should locate the nearest embassy and ask to speak with someone about your current situation explaining what happened and when it happened. In case to plan to travel the country soon let that person know so they can expedite your new passport as quickly as possible. Online Portal If you lost your passport and you still don’t know what to do, you can download the ItsEasy renewal app and submit a 2-by-2 inch required photo and document digitally through the portal. The app will help you by alerting you to where the closest embassy is located by you helping you with the expedition process. Make sure you do your research and bring all needed documentation and personal information. My Passport Is Lost/Stolen: Why you should report your passport lost/stolen IMMEDIATELY Most of the time, when we lose something valuable, we don’t want to accept that it’s gone. This sense of denial causes us to procrastinate the reporting and replacing process. It’s difficult to know when to end the search for your missing belonging and start taking action. However, when it comes to losing something as important as your passport and social security, there is no time for waiting and looking around. If you think your passport has been stolen, you need to file a police report as quickly as possible. Filing police reports are necessary and strongly recommended because if you find yourself in a situation of criminal or identity theft, they will most likely have your back. To report a missing passport, simply click here. Passport numbers can be used in conjunction with other pieces of personally identifiable information to commit criminal identity theft. Scammers can target cryptocurrency exchanges, payment systems, betting websites and can ever open fraudulent bank accounts for money laundering or collecting sign-up rewards. People can also use your passport to travel under a fake “clean” identity and it is very common for criminals, human traffickers, and drug smugglers to steal your passport for that specific reason. Recently, the use of stolen passport has become commonly used for terrorists, therefore, it’s detrimental that you report it lost or potentially stolen. Tips That Can Help You Avoid Losing Your Passport/Help You Get It Back Keep your credit card with your important belongings, like a credit card, cash, and other important documents Only take it out when you have to. Only show your passport to officials who request it and put it back with your other belongings. Do not store your passport in your checked luggage. Have a backup, make copies and leave it with a trusted friend or relative. Keep it safe. When you stay at hotels, use the safe to store your passport and other important documents. However, this is another way of improving the chances of someone finding your passport and returning it to you. FOUND ME‘s tags and app simplifies the return process and increases the chances of you getting your passport back in time for your trip. Applying a FOUND ME sticker on your passport will invite a Good Samaritan to scan the QR code and immediately get in touch with you. This chat is completely secure and global, meaning if you leave your passport in Germany and you are originally from the U.S, you and the finder will be able to communicate in your own languages through FOUND ME’s multilingual chat. You can use FOUND ME’s tags on glasses, electronics, toys, luggage, and much more. And even better, FOUND ME can help you protect your family members, pets, and even children. To learn more about FOUND ME and everything it has to offer in order to protect the ones you love, visit www.foundme.com. About us We are all at risk of losing the people pets and valuables that mean the most to us. FOUND ME was created as a global solution to tamper this risk and provide peace of mind. We exist to protect everyone and everything important in our customer’s lives. Subscribe for content And special offers Sign up now to find out when we launch I agree to the Terms and Conditions provided by Found Me. By completing this form, I give consent to Found Me to send me SMS text messages and emails. Message frequency varies. Standard message and data rates may apply. Text STOP to opt out, reply HELP for help. 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