Lionheart Assurance Solutions has noticed that ATM machines may be used to steal debit card information. For example, a skimming device on the ATM machine can read your personal information like your account number, your PIN number, and your account balance. After you’ve left, a plastic mold is used to imitate your debit card and money is withdrawn from your account.

The Lionheart Assurance Solutions Scam Prevention Toolkit has five recommendations on how you can safeguard your personal information on your debit card:

1. When punching in your card, you can protect your PIN number from “shoulder surfers” and hidden cameras by using your other hand to hide your fingers as they punch in the right combination.

2. Only use ATMs that you are familiar with and have used before. ATMs in kiosks, restaurants, and convenience stores, for example, can be easily tampered with and implanted with hidden cameras, skimming devices, and fake pin pads.

3. Keep an eye on your account balance, reviewing it regularly. You have a two-day window to complain about any unusual changes in your account balance.

4. Be suspicious if the ATM machine says that it has run out of money. Sometimes these can be fake machines, designed only to read all your card information and your PIN numbers. Notify your bank about any suspicious ATMs you have used.

5. Sometimes thieves can get your PIN number online. They send you an email, purportedly from your bank, asking you to confirm your account information. These are called phishing scams.

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Lionheart Assurance Solutions also recommends that you never rely on help from strangers if you have problems at an ATM machine. Sometimes, if your card is stuck in a machine, it is because a film of glue has been applied to the slot. A helpful stranger is only interested in reading your number sequence when you use the pin pad.

About Lionheart Assurance Solutions & The Lionheart Assurance Solutions Scam Prevention Toolkit

Lionheart Assurance Solutions is a business consulting company that has specialized in keeping clients up to date on issues related to identity theft. Numerous companies have recognized Lionheart Assurance Solutions as an outstanding service provider and, as a result, Lionheart Assurance Solutions has earned an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, which is their highest awarded rating.

Lionheart Assurance Solutions is a consulting company that has mentored hundreds of companies on information security and identity theft issues. Lionheart Assurance Solutions is focused on helping people reduce the likelihood of becoming a target of identity theft scams. This consulting organization has been a champion in the war to fight identity theft since 2003.

Lionheart Assurance Solutions’ team consists of professional business consultants with regional offices throughout the US who specialize in offering unique employee benefits, identity theft education and identity theft risk mitigation. Lionheart Assurance Solutions – through the Lionheart Assurance Solutions Scam Prevention Toolkit – champions ways to better inform the public and their clients on how to mitigate the risks associated with identity theft.

Lionheart Assurance Solutions launched the Lionheart Assurance Solutions Scam Prevention Toolkit in 2009 in response to the growing needs of the business community to stay on top of the latest scams perpetrated by identity thieves.

Lionheart Assurance Solutions has some critical news about a new identity theft scam known as spear phishing. While most people who work on the Internet have learned about phishing, which is the use of fraudulent emails to get personal information for use in identity theft, few have heard about spear phishing.

Phishing is spamming hundreds of thousands of people with a single email. The scam artist is hoping for a few people to take the bait when they open the email. However, spear fishing is a completely new variation on the phishing scam. It is also much more effective and dangerous. By sending a single email to a single person, the email is highly targeted, and because it includes personalized information, it seems completely authentic.

The Lionheart Assurance Solutions Scam Prevention Toolkit recommends the following 5 precautions when opening your email:

1. Do not view or download any attachments sent to you by someone you do not know.

2. Similarly, do not click through a link in an email from someone you do not know.

3. Sometimes a letter from a friend or co-worker may not actually be from them but from someone who has replicated their email address. There is special software that can steal email addresses from out of your address book and then appear to send the email from that person. Be very suspicious if people you know start making unusual requests of you.

4. Again, do not view or download an attachment, even from people you know unless you’re actually expecting it.

5. If you do respond to a spear phishing email, keep an eye on your credit report or your bank balance and take immediate action to notify those concerned if you detect anything unusual.

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Lionheart Assurance Solutions also recommends that you turn all of these aforementioned precautions into new habits, which should become as familiar to you as locking your car door when leaving it out on the street.

About Lionheart Assurance Solutions & The Lionheart Assurance Solutions Scam Prevention Toolkit

Lionheart Assurance Solutions is a consulting company that has mentored hundreds of companies on information security and identity theft issues. Lionheart Assurance Solutions is focused on helping people reduce the likelihood of becoming a target of identity theft scams. This consulting organization has been a champion in the war to fight identity theft since 2003.

Lionheart Assurance Solutions’ team consists of professional business consultants with regional offices throughout the US who specialize in offering unique employee benefits, identity theft education and identity theft risk mitigation. Lionheart Assurance Solutions – through the Lionheart Assurance Solutions Scam Prevention Toolkit – champions ways to better inform the public and their clients on how to mitigate the risks associated with identity theft.

In 2009, Lionheart Assurance Solutions launched the Lionheart Assurance Solutions Scam Prevention Toolkit in response to the growing concerns within the business community to stay on the cutting edge of the most recent scams perpetrated by identity scammers.

Lionheart Assurance Solutions offers support to businesses of all sizes and they work to enhance identity theft awareness training and employee benefit programs.

Lionheart Assurance Solutions is working with companies to reduce the likelihood of identity theft scams.

This scam uses the database of companies to extract personal information related to employees or customers. Company employees often fall for this scam because they don’t realize how valuable this information is in the wrong hands.

Here is how an identity theft scam can happen:

• An unguarded paper file or a computer without password protection is accessed by an unscrupulous person.
• The file is copied, either with a photocopy machine or onto a computer disc or flash drive.
• The information is used to open up a credit card, get a bank loan, or conduct some other criminal offense using the stolen personal information.
• The identity theft victim only becomes aware of the crime when they start getting bills for things that they did not buy or even arrested for a crime that they did not commit.

Lionheart Assurance Solutions recommends taking note of the following 5 questions to ask in your organization that might reveal such a scam.

1. Does the person accessing an employee file have the authorization? For example, a department manager may have to look up an employee’s file to decide if they have any disqualifications for getting a proposed raise.
2. Is the file left open on a desk or on a computer screen where others can see it and copy the information down?
3. After the file has been read, is it put away in a locked file cabinet or has the computer been password protected?
4. Is the personal information discussed with others who do not need to know about it in the normal course of business?
5. Are copies being made of the personal information?

Lionheart Assurance provides employee education on how to reduce identity theft. They provide training to employees of an organization on the many ways identity theft can happen and suggest ways that the risk can be reduced. However, Lionheart Assurance Solutions cannot fully protect, avoid, or prevent identity theft or any other crime. Lionheart Assurance Solutions released the Lionheart Assurance Solutions Scam Prevention Toolkit in 2009 in order to bolster awareness of scams perpetrated by identity scams.

Lionheart Assurance Solutions is alerting people about Facebook scams to steal personal information. This business consulting and training company is helping consumers protect themselves by revealing the details of how this scam is pulled off because once personal information is stolen it can be used for identity theft. People using Facebook may accidentally fall for this scam because they don’t realize how vulnerable they are to online predators. Usually, they don’t realize that they have been scammed until long after the crime has happened.

The Anatomy Of The Facebook Scam

The scam is known as “phishing,” which sounds like “fishing.” Fishing is exactly what a scammer does—fishing for personal information.

• Here is how the famous “London scam” works in five steps:
• A scammer gets access to the account of your trusted friend.
• The scammer opens up a Facebook chat and poses as your friend.
• They complain that they were on a trip to London when they were robbed.
• They ask for help because they are now stranded in London.
• They convince you that if you wire them some money, they will be able to get back home.

Today, variations of the scam are now happening all over the world.

Lionheart Assurance Solutions recommends the following 5 things to do before opening up a Facebook account.

1. Don’t put any personal information in your profile page that could be used for identity theft purposes.
2. When posting comments or adding a link to your Facebook page, don’t offer personal clues that could be used against you.
3. Only make friends with people you trust.
4. When opening up a chat, verify the person’s identity.
5. Don’t respond to queries for more personal information and never send money.

Lionheart Assurance Scam Prevention Toolkit also recommends submitting phishing issues to privacy@facebook.com

Started in 1997, Lionheart Assurance Solutions is helping businesses combat identity theft. Lionheart Assurance Solutions can provide businesses and consumers with useful information about identity theft, but it can’t fully protect, avoid, or prevent identity theft or any other crime. Lionheart Assurance Solutions released the Lionheart Assurance Solutions Scam Prevention Toolkit in 2009 in order to enhance awareness of scams perpetrated by identity thieves.

Lionheart Assurance Solutions warns of the possibility of Internet auction fraud, even though this may make perfect business sense. For example, a company that uses the Internet to buy from vendors online may decide to use an online auction for a cheaper price.

Many auctions don’t verify the authenticity of the merchant and simply list the items that the seller has to offer. They don’t offer any guarantee that the seller will actually deliver the merchandise.

Lionheart Assurance Solutions recommends the following 5 ways to make sure that you buy products from an authentic merchant at an auction website.

1. Verify information about the seller as much as possible before making a bid. Besides reviewing the feedback columns, which may have been planted, also check with consumer protection agencies like the Better Business Bureau, as well as appropriate government agencies.

2. Try and get your supplies from a registered business selling at an auction rather than from an individual because consumer protection laws are not applicable to a private sale. A government agency will only take action if there are numerous complaints against a private seller.

3. Avoid buying merchandise from sellers in other countries because the differences in shipping procedures and legal systems may make it difficult to resolve a dispute if one arises.

4. Although it is illegal to use shills, bogus bidders who raise the price of an auction, this practice is still used – so be aware if there are people who bid much higher than appears reasonable.

5. Avoid doing business with a seller who will not verify address and contact numbers. A legitimate seller will not have any hesitation in disclosing their business address and business contact numbers in order to win your trust and earn your business.

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You should also get clear on the details of the delivery, the return policy, and any warranties that the seller may offer. Finally, ask that the merchandise be insured, especially if it involves electronic components.

Lionheart Assurance Solutions has been providing companies in North America with consulting information since 1997. Lionheart Assurance Solutions launched the Lionheart Assurance Solutions Scam Prevention Toolkit to increase awareness of scams perpetrated by identity thieves.

Lionheart Assurance Solutions Sees Scams Rising

Lionheart Assurance Solutions has noted a rise in the number of scams related to stolen personal information over the past 5-7 years. The company is bringing today’s most advanced identity theft coverage to the masses through a unique identity theft benefits package. These benefit packages are offered to employees of a client company.

Empowering Employees To Monitor Personal Information And Fight Back Against Identity Theft

The unique benefits package allows employees to fight back against the possibility of identity theft. The benefits are paid for through payroll deduction. Those who enroll in the Lionheart Assurance Solutions employee benefits package to reduce the incidence of identity theft can stay alert to their credit for unusual activity indicative of a stolen identity. The around the clock credit monitoring gives them peace of mind. Moreover, in the event that a fraudulent scam or ripoff artist compromises an individual’s personal information, they can take immediate steps through legal counsel and through the assistance of a Licensed Fraud Investigator offered directly through the identity theft restoration service, who will work tirelessly and on the behalf of a person who has been compromised.

The Detailed Benefits Of The Unique Package

The Lionheart Assurance Solutions identity theft coverage is available to individual employees, offering them individualized benefits. The coverage creates a mechanism for employees. It is not the company that gets the coverage, but the employees themselves. This is an optional enrollment program made available by the company. Those who choose to participate can keep an eye on their credit history because scam artists likely to use the stolen personal information to open up a credit card under the new identity. In the event of identity theft, participants, as part of their membership, can also talk to a lawyer and obtain the services of a Licensed Fraud Investigator who will provide full service identity theft restoration.

The Lionheart Assurance Solutions Senior Management Training Team

The unique benefits package is a result of the ideas put together by the senior management team at Lionheart Assurance Solutions. This team has the combined business experience of more than a century. Some members of the Lionheart Assurance Solutions team have senior executive leadership experience in some of the nation’s largest and most prestigious companies.

Visit Lionheart Assurance Solutions website for more information.

Lionheart Assurance Solutions

Lionheart Assurance Solutions works with companies to assist in mitigating risks associated with identity theft and to offer employee benefits that can lead to improvements in employee productivity and reductions in lost work time. The nationwide team of consultants first begins by identifying potential areas of need related to how the client company operates their business. One of the things that they often find necessary to discuss with the CEO of the company is the need to protect personal sensitive data. Unless a company has information security checks in place when employees are handling sensitive personal data like social security numbers, the company could be at risk. The possibility exists for data breaches leading to identity theft and potential investigations related to compromised confidential information.

Noting the rise in this type of information leak, Lionheart Assurance Solutions utilizes a two-fold program related to identity theft:

One part of the program is creating a mechanism for employees to have personal identity theft restoration coverage. Through payroll deduction benefits, an employee can purchase round the clock credit monitoring, access to legal counsel, and identity restoration. This gives the employee peace of mind in the event that identity theft does occur.

Another part of the program is assisting in the formation of an ongoing initiative for employers to safeguard employee and customer personal information in the workplace. For example, if someone in human resources were to leave employee files with sensitive information on the desk and leave the room for lunch, anyone entering the office could gain access to that information. Similarly, leaving computer programs unguarded, with no password protection, or leaving file cabinet unlocked, are all ways that sensitive personal data could get in the wrong hands. Careless handling of receipts and log books are other ways personal information can be stolen. By helping a company identify various ways that personal sensitive data is not secured, Lionheart Assurance Solutions provides valuable assistance designed to reduce the likelihood that a company would be found lacking in information security.

Lionheart Assurance Solutions conducts a variety of trainings to raise employee awareness about the many ways identity theft can occur. These training sessions provide an important education for employees and help to safeguard the company itself. The sessions are designed to make those employees who have access to personal information more aware of how to protect that information. With such awareness training and access to innovative employee benefits, employees can get the best coverage available while employers implement the best practices to keep sensitive information confidential.

These identity theft programs are tailored for each company to meet their unique needs and implemented at no direct cost to the client company.

Lionheart Assurance Solutions, LP, with an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau, has provided employee identity theft solutions and legal coverage to businesses of every size since 1997. Now even small businesses can afford the kind of identity theft and legal restoration coverage typically seen in large corporations. Led by a senior management team with over a century of combined experience, Lionheart Assurance Solutions customizes identity theft awareness training and legal and identity theft restoration plans to meet the individual needs and budgets of each client. The training that Lionheart Assurance Solutions provides revolutionizes the way employees approach everyday security practices, greatly decreasing an employer’s chance of a data breach. Another benefit is access to legal counsel, which will help businesses to prevent, or mitigate the effects of, investigations or law suits. Employers, and their employees and customers, can take heart in the secure work environment fostered by the identity theft and legal coverage at Lionheart Solutions.

Identity theft is a growing problem, and it comes in many forms. Every day, criminals and fraudsters use the credit card information, social security numbers, employment or medical histories, and even character references of unsuspecting victims for their own nefarious purposes. Identity theft can be as simple as fraudulent credit card purchases, or using someone else’s name and identity to get a job or a loan. It can be as complicated as social engineering the victim’s friends and associates to obtain “secure” passwords or other secrets appropriate only for the business environment.

The best way to stop identity theft, in all its forms, is to prevent it in the first place. Through awareness training at Lionheart Assurance Solutions, LP, workers will learn how to spot all kinds of scams, secure their data and passwords, and protect their privacy. If identity theft does strike, they will learn how to clear their names—all covered by the included benefits, and not done using company time or expenses.

As more than 140,000 U.S. Census workers knock on doors all across the country, Lionheart Assurance Solutions offers some advice to ensure people do not become victims of criminals attempting to steal their personal information.

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) has issued a press release alerting the public to be on the lookout for people posing as census workers and then using the information to steal their identities. Lionheart Assurance Solutions, a firm specializing in employee legal plans and identity theft safeguards, says people need to take this danger seriously.

“Identity theft has become the fastest growing white-collar crime in America, and this is a golden opportunity for identity thieves,” says Chuck Siegel, CEO of Lionheart Assurance Solutions, LP.

While we should all certainly cooperate with census workers (this is required by law and failure could result in a fine), it is also important to know the difference between a real census worker and a con artist. There are several different ways that people can ensure they do not fall prey to potential census scams.

Ask to see identification before talking with the worker. All census workers carry official government badges (marked with only their name), a special hand held electronic device and a confidentiality notice. Under no circumstances will a census worker ask to enter your home.

Understand that real Census Bureau workers are only there to verify your address and how many people are living at the location. If a person comes to your door asking for anything else, such as a bank account or social security number, refuse to give them the information. Real census workers do not ask these types of questions.

The 2010 census form asks only 10 questions, all of which pertain to accurately recording the number of people living at a particular location.

The U.S. Census Bureau may come to your door or call you over the phone, but they will not contact you by email. Beware of any electronic communication asking for your personal information.

“This is certainly a timely item to include in our Lionheart Assurance Solutions Scam Prevention Toolkit,” says Siegel. “Many Americans will be expecting to hear from the Census Bureau this year and may not have enough information to discern between legitimate and illegitimate requests for information.”

To find out more ways you can safeguard yourself and your business from identity theft, view the Lionheart Assurance Solutions Scam Prevention toolkit.

Lionheart Assurance Solutions

Since 1997, Lionheart Assurance Solutions, LP® is a unique business services firm specializing in employee legal plans and identity theft restoration benefits for employers of all sizes nationwide.

Organizations that proactively educate their employees about identity theft threats can reduce their chances of a costly data breach. Lionheart Assurance Solutions’ training is designed to impact the way employees think. Changing the way employees think can result in a change in behavior that could reduce the risk of security breaches leading to identity theft.

Guided by a senior management team with more than a century of proven business success, Lionheart Assurance Solutions, LP® offers employee legal and identity theft restoration plans designed to enhance worker productivity by helping employees keep their focus on their work instead of on personal problems.

For small to medium-sized clients, Lionheart also offers a full range of plans that help small businesses to “level the playing field” by providing access to the kinds of legal and consultative advice that typically only a large corporation can afford.

Visit www.LionheartAssuranceSolutions.com for more information.

Media Contact

Lionheart Assurance Solutions, LP

Michael Hollingsworth

(888) 795-1563 (National)

P.O. Box 38, Hewitt, TX 76643