Shining Spotlight on Racket of Debt Collection

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FTC Fails To Pay ChoicePoint Victims



By Martin H. Bosworth
ConsumerAffairs.Com

September 22, 2006
Data Theft
• FTC Fails To Pay Victims Of ChoicePoint Data Breach
• ChoicePoint Gets a Makeover
• Data Blunders Cost ChoicePoint $15 Million
• Guilty Plea in ChoicePoint Data Theft
• ChoicePoint Finds More Cases Of Illegal Data Access
• ChoicePoint Responds
• PATRIOT Act Further Empowers ChoicePoint
• Previous Data Thefts Went Unreported
• Consumers Will Be Able to See Their ChoicePoint Records, Company Says
• Nigerian Sentenced to Prison in ChoicePoint Theft
• State Tally of ChoicePoint Victims
• ChoicePoint Breach Worse Than First Reported
• Is National Security Compromised by ID Theft?
• States Demand ChoicePoint Notify ID Theft Victims
• Private Information Stolen from Nationwide Consumer Database

Nearly a year after the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) wrangled a $5 million settlement from ChoicePoint for the sale of 145,000 customer records to a band of Nigerian identity thieves, none of the victims have seen a dime of the money.

Nor has the FTC set up a mechanism to distribute the money, or even provided any information to affected consumers as to how they can apply for compensation from the fund.

The FTC's process for distributing and administering the fund is still "under review," according to agency spokespersons.

The FTC claimed it was also continuing to identify and verify the identities of the approximately 800 confirmed victims of the data breach, and that it hoped to complete the process soon, the Associated Press reported.

The $5 million victims' fund was part of a $15 million settlement levied on ChoicePoint by the FTC, the largest of its kind.

The Alpharetta, GA-based data broker claimed that it paid the full fine at the time of the settlement, and vice president Matt Furman said that he had "full faith that the FTC is working hard to come up with a process to ensure that the money we contributed to help consumers is wisely spent for the benefit of anyone actually affected."
Congressman Ed Markey (D-Mass.) criticized the FTC for not moving fast enough to disburse the compensation or providing information on how to apply for it.

In a press relase, Markey said that "ChoicePoint's ID theft victims should be compensated immediately to protect themselves and their families from having their Social Security numbers, health records and bank account balances used by identity thieves."
Markey's office published a letter to FTC chairwoman Deborah Platt Majoras asking for more specific information on the FTC's progress in disbursing the funds.

Referring to the confirmed theft victims, Markey asked "Why has the Commission chosen not to compensate these individuals now, while at the same time continuing to work to identify additional victims?"

The disclosure regarding the victims fund came on the heels of the FTC's identity theft task force releasing new recommendations for handling data breaches and major cases of fraud. The FTC recommended creation of a "universal police report" that would make it easier for victims of identity theft to file their claims.

Ironically, the task force also recommended amending Congressional statutes to ensure defendants in an identity theft case pay restitution to the victims for time spent dealing with the effects of the crime.

Back In The Spotlight
The ChoicePoint data breach was a watershed for the epidemic of identity theft and data fraud. The breach took place in California, and its strong consumer protection laws mandated that ChoicePoint notify the authorities and involved consumers. That led to a flood of disclosures of data breaches and laptop thefts by other companies, as well as a guilty plea for theft ringleader Olatunji Oluwatosin.

Since the theft was revealed, ChoicePoint has worked overtime to assure customers, the press, government, and the stock market that they have cleaned up their act and have instituted new privacy controls on the billions of records they sell and share to industry.

In an interview with ConsumerAffairs.Com in July, ChoicePoint CEO Doug Curling insisted that his company has learned its lesson from the data breach and was turning over a new leaf.

A study released by the Gartner research and analysis firm claimed that ChoicePoint has undergone extensive auditing by the FTC and other agencies, and has improved its own security practices by randomly auditing customers to ensure they aren't misusing data.

Gartner analyst Avivah Litan warned that though ChoicePoint may be improving, both it and other data brokers need to continue refining both their collection practices and business culture, in order to prevent further breaches.

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Gas Price Fall Aids Republicans

Polls Find Widespread Mistrust Among Consumers






By Joe Benton
ConsumerAffairs.Com

September 22, 2006

• Latest Gas Price Round-Up
• Gas Price Conspiracy Theories "Absurd," Pundit Argues
• Gas Prices Keep on Dropping ... For Now
• Election Looms, Gas Prices Drop
• One Year Later: Why Are Gas Prices So High?
• Flaring Fuel Prices Pump Up Motorcycle Sales
• Report Blames White House Inaction for High Gas Prices
• BP Closes Alaskan Pipeline, Sending Gas Prices Higher
• Study Finds Deep Impact From Gas Price Hike
• Starbucks Sales Losing Steam
• Gas Prices Force Consumers To Cut Other Spending
• Exxon Mobil Profits, Consumer Gas Prices Near Record Highs
• Senators Want Better Fuel Economy
• U.S. Fuel Economy Stagnant for 12 Years
• Consumers Fear Gas Prices Will Continue To Rise
• House to Vote on Ethanol Subsidy
• Toyota Builds More Efficient Gasoline Engines
• Gas Pill Busted in Texas
• Rising Gas Prices Hurting Small Business
• Rising Gas Prices Cutting into Spending, Survey Finds
• Study Blames High Gas Prices on Low Refinery Capacity
• One-Third of Consumers Looking at More Fuel-Efficient Cars
• Gas Prices Rip Consumers, Bash Roadside Businesses
• More ...

Gasoline prices have fallen below $2 a gallon in limited areas of the country with the lowest price for regular self serve found in Covington, Kentucky at $1.94.

Regular self-serve gasoline is now selling for $2.50 or less in 33 states with the national average for a gallon of regular sitting at $2.44.

One month ago a gallon of regular averaged $2.59 and one year ago $2.69.

A recent public opinion survey indicates widespread mistrust throughout the country over gasoline prices.

The USA Today poll found that 42 percent of the people responding to the survey believe the Bush administration is deliberately manipulating the price of gasoline so that prices will fall before the November elections.

Almost 53 percent disagreed with the idea that there is a relationship between declining gasoline prices and the upcoming election.

Pollsters and statisticians following gas prices and Bush's ratings insist there is a relationship, however.

As gas prices have gone up over the past year the President's approval ratings have gone down. Recently, as gas prices fell, his ratings went up.

Here is a look at some gas prices from around the country in the weekly ConsumerAffairs.Com Gas Price Round Up.

California: Southern California entered its fifth straight week of rapid gas price declines, with most areas seeing drops of more than one cent per day, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California's Weekend Gas Watch.

The average price of self-serve regular gasoline in the Los Angeles-Long Beach area is $2.86, which is 9.8 cents lower than last week, 34 cents lower than last month and eight cents lower than last year.

In San Diego, the price is $2.79, 12 cents below last week's price, 42 cents below last month and 19 cents below last year.

On the Central Coast, the average price is $3.08, down 9.8 cents from last week, 31 cents below last month and three cents higher than last year. In the Inland Empire, the average price is $2.84, down 12.8 cents from last week, 39 cents below last month and 13 cents lower than last year.

"The world oil market has seen prices plummet by more than 20 percent since July, as supply continues to be plentiful and no significant disruptions have occurred so far," said Auto Club spokesperson Carol Thorp. "In most Southern California cities, motorists are actually paying less for gasoline than at this time last year."

Texas: Retail gas prices in Texas are on a downward trend that has extended into week seven, according to the AAA Texas Weekend Gas Watch. The statewide average price for gasoline of self-serve gasoline is $2.33 a gallon. That is about 12 cents less than a week ago.

Motorists in Corpus Christi are seeing prices closer to $2 a gallon at $2.14, a nine cent weekly drop. The highest average on the survey is in El Paso at $2.55 a gallon, also a decrease of nine cents.

"The continued drop in crude oil and gasoline prices over the past few weeks can be attributed to a cooling of international tensions, a drop in demand and an unusually quiet 2006 hurricane season," said AAA Texas spokesperson Rose Rougeau. "Crude prices have declined more than 20% from a record $78.40 a barrel on July 14th to $60 a barrel this week."

Iowa: Some drivers in Iowa received a pleasant surprise as gas prices fell below under $2.

Many stations are selling the ethanol-blend for $1.99. The last time gas prices were under the $2 mark was May 2005, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Energy experts say prices could fall a bit more, but not much. They're likely to go up a bit again, but are expected to stay in the lower $2 range.

Ohio: A welcome surprise could be in store for Ohio drivers used to paying nearly $3 for a gallon of gas. The price is headed as low as $1.99 according to some experts.

A survey by the AAA said the average price for regular gasoline tin the state is $2.20. Ohio trails only Missouri as having the lowest average price in the nation, the AAA report says.

Some drivers in Trumbull County were pleasantly surprised when a BP station was selling regular gas for $1.99 a gallon. The price was set to mark the station's anniversary, however, and the price was raised later today to $2.19.

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Debt Free Agrees to West Virginia Refunds




September 18, 2006


The State of West Virginia has reached a settlement with an Arizona-based credit counseling agency it accused of unlawfully charging state residents. Attorney General Darrell McGraw said the settlement with Debt Free will result in $300,000 in refunds to more than 1,000 consumers.

McGraw announced the settlement with Help Ministries Incorporated, which does business as Debt Free, a credit counseling agency based in Mesa, Arizona.

Debt Free's primary service consisted of arranging monthly payment plans known as

"debt management plans" to assist consumers facing dire financial circumstances.

West Virginia law caps the allowable fee for administering debt management plans at 7% of the monthly payment amount. However, McGraw said

Debt Free previously charged monthly service fees in excess of 7% as well as a one-time "set-up" fee that was not distributed to creditors.

Debt Free also charged several other fees not permitted by West Virginia law, including a monthly fee for funds handling, a fee for "credit education," and an administrative fee of $20.00 for failed electronic debits.

McGraw's settlement with Debt Free marks the third such settlement that McGraw's office has reached with credit counseling companies in the last twelve months.

McGraw's office previously entered into settlements with Debt Management Credit Counseling Corp., of Boca Raton, Florida, and Cambridge Counseling Credit Corp. of Agawam, Massachusetts.

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Weishaupt1776 put a wealth of knowledge
in form of law cases presentations
at the stated below link.

If need it, download that asap and thank the man
for making that available to all of us,
on top of that - for free.

http://www.suijuris.net/forum/member...html#post77115

Read and learn as that is how we gain strength.

Please, also follow the other, main links for awakening,
since they are there for a reason.


http://deprogram.us/



http://www.pacinlaw.org/pdf/Deprogramming_Sequence.pdf

without video.

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Appears to be a valuable link:

re: mortgage victims fraud:

http://www.msfraud.org/

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You can find and download many books
for study and/or general knowledge
by famous authors in free E-format.


http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page

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THE BETRAYAL in brief:

The Betrayal of the Republic to economically enslave the people started long before the Civil War and with the passing of the 14th amendment, however the stage for the Dismantling of America was more firmly established during and after that terrible War.

In 1913 the stage was further set by allegedly passing the Federal Reserve Act and the 16th and !7th Amendments to establish a bogus debt, the means to collect the interest on that debt as wage taxes and to weaken the States Rights as checks and balances to the power granted to the National Government.

These traitorous Acts and those which where soon to follow transferred the power to the Corporation Federal Government to enable it to economically ensnare the people.

The acts of betrayal accelerated on March 9, 1933, with the alleged passing of the Banking Relief Act, which amended the War Powers Act, the Trading with the Enemy act of 1917, to make the people, prisoners of war, who where then converted to 14th Amendment, Licensed, Privileged, Feudal Citizens, economic surfs.

The landmark Defacto Supreme Court Decision Erie

Railroad Vs Tompkins in 1938

buried the Common Law Court under more deception and hid the Common Law Peoples Court of Justice to establish a corrupt Admiralty Court of equity to control the people.

Prior to the corrupt Bankruptcy Act of 1933 and that usurping Supreme Court Ruling in 1933, the People controlled their own Court, the Common Law Court.
The Common Law Court of Justice presumed that a person was innocent until proven guilty and must be proven so by a trial by a jury of peers.

This Defacto, Fraudulent, Corrupt, Admiralty Court is in reality, the Federal Reserve’s, Statutory, Equity and Bankruptcy Court.

This Court presumes that a person is guilty until he can prove himself innocent and the trial is by a Bankers Bankruptcy Judge, with a jury, in which the Federal Reserve’s Judge can over rule the jury in favor to the equity of the Federal Reserve.

These presumptions are made due to the fraudulent allegations, that, the people where responsible for a Defacto Corporation United States Debt to the Federal Reserve and that the Federal Reserve is the creditor of the debtor people in the bankruptcy declared in the bogus Banking Relief Act.

Debtors have no standing in that Defacto Equity Court, Do you know that they are the

res or thing, surety and collateral for the debt, allegedly presumed to be owned by the creditor, Federal Reserve.

The Legislative Democracy, the Corporate United States, now in control of We the People, which control has been forced upon us by deceit, fraud and by the tricks of getting We the People to sign alleged adhesion contracts in applications to get licensed privileges and benefits from the Corporate Government.

The Lawyers and Judges, the Federal Reserve Officers, of it’s Court, slowly and surely, eroded, hid, twisted and set aside the Republic, with it’s People’s Court and the Rights granted by Nature's Rights Laws owed to people by default.

They substituted Civil Rights, under License Privileges, getting the people to sign incomplete documents of misrepresentation, with hidden allegations or secret wavers of Rights in the incomplete and misrepresenting documents, applications to get Licenses.

The controllers of the Federal Reserve substituted their own military court in place of the People’s Common Law Court.

These Acts of Damage and harm unlawfully and fraudulently made We the People into the alleged Debtor to the contrived Federal Reserve’s own alleged Debt and unlawfully converted the Rights to privileges by these contrivances to cause submission of the People to the new Defacto Courts.

“For lack of Knowledge” the people sold their birthright and therefore “My people parish.”

This Betrayal and setting aside of the Republic and Dismantling of America, by hiding the law, twisting word and statutes into a web of deceit and outright fraud, has a long, hidden history.

This history is difficult to grasp and clearly understand.



Available additional knowledge and understanding are a step toward gaining understanding and knowledge to assist We the People get out of the spiders web, which hold us in economic slavery and start to prepare to, overtime, restore the Republic.

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1812

The first and real 13th Amendment (this was the last valid Amendment of the Republic)

was approved by Virginia the last required state for ratification.

1860-1870 Civil War and Post War period

Burning of many state capital buildings to hide the ratification of the real 13th Amendment

First Civil Rights Act past during the war (to take the place of Un-A-Lien-Able Rights granted by our Creator.

13th Amendment (Allegedly stopped slavery and involuntary servitude)

14th Amendment (Created Federal {feudal} citizenship for transferred slaves and in 1933 used to transfer of We the People from Sovereign Citizens of the States to feudal, federal citizenship)

1871

Incorporation of the District of Columbia (Now defined by the IRS code as the United States)

1913

Mendall House (one of the master minds of the web of enslavement)

Federal Reserve Act

16th Amendment (Income Tax and IRS)

17th Amendment (Election of Senators)

Leigh of Nations ( world government rejected)

American/British Bar Association ? year

1917

Trading With the Enemy Act

Emergency War Powers Act

1920’s

Accelerated registration of births of “biological property” on the State level

Stock market crash (attention on basic needs – not on government actions)

1930 +

Start of registration of births on the Federal level

Depression (attention on basic needs – not on government actions)

Accelerated registration of all forms of property

Introduction of the Social Security program

1933

House Joint Resolution 192

Emergency Banking Relief Act with the Amending of the 1917 Trading with the Enemy Act

Making Citizens of the states into prisoners of war and

converting them to 14th Amendment Federal Citizens.

Conversion from intrinsic money to paper issued through the Federal Reserve System

1938

Landmark Supreme Court Case Erie Railroad Vs. Tompkins (set aside the Common Law Courts)

1947

Creation of the United Nation to create a one world government without the Lord

Ratification of treaties with, which will over time destroy the sovereignty of the

Republic and all nations

1950’s

Promulgation and enactment of the Uniform Commercial Code in the States

Conversion from substance to fiction in financial transactions

System of rules for dealing with presumptions of security interests in all property

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We must also at this time set the record straight on the difference in preserving freedom and rights between a Republic and a Democracy.

The Constitutional Government bound by the limitations of the Constitution for that united States Republic can not pass any law that takes away a single right of one citizen by even a 99 % vote.

The Legislative Democracy, that United States allegedly created by the alleged creation of the Incorporated District of Columbia, transformed by acts of treason into a bankrupt entity under the control of the Federal Reserve owned by international bankers, that United States can allegedly

by a 51 % vote strip the rights from the remaining 49 %.

Which one do you think can preserve your Un-A-Lien-Able Rights?

Let us seriously look at the last Constitutional Amendment to provide protection for the Rights granted by our Creator to We the People was pasted in 1812.

It was the first and real 13th Amendment, which was approved, or ratified by Virginia State, the last required State for ratification.

What purpose did our Founding Fathers have for this great Amendment?

This Amendment was to prevent Esquires, and British Bar Lawyers, with Titles of Nobility under the British rich men of the earth, from perverting the constitution by shifting the powers of the people to the owners of the World Monetary System.

This Amendment was to prevent these perverts from placing a lien with bogus debt on our Un=A-Lien-Able Rights (Property, Property Contracts, Contracts of due process, etc...), to place We the People under Economic Slavery.

These British World Bankers, soem of whom are in the City of Berkeley, a private country in the city of London, these private bankers, now own and/or control the stock in the Federal Reserve System, which plays the major role in this take over of America and economic enslavement of We the people.

This was the last valid amendment to the Constitution of the Republic.

These Esquires, representatives of the British Bar or of the rich men of the earth, where barred from practicing Common Law.

In fact, the real 13th Amendment barred them from holding public office and took away their Citizenship if they tried to use their Title of Nobility to pervert in any way the Republic to economically enslave the people.

In spit of and in direct opposition to this Amendment, the At-Torn-Ey agents of the rich men of the earth moved to prevent the Republic from protecting the people and started in earnest to Dismantle America.

It is believed that, in the 1860s, the burning of state Capitals during the Civil War was well planned to hid the ratification of this real 13th Amendment, that held these British Bar At-Torn-Eys in check.

These lackeys of international banker’s, then, fraudulently declared that the real 13th Amendment had not been ratified by the states.

The attorneys, still to this day, try to deny it's application.

Some do this in ignorance, some do it in denial, and some do it because they are part of the Babylon system.

This fraud was committed to free the attorneys and judges, agents of the International Bankers, to knowingly or unknowingly corrupt and pervert the Constitution for the Republic to remove the restrictions on government so they could twist and pervert the American Republic and take control of the people.


The Lawyers (word twisters in French) needed to serve their master and take away, by twisting, hiding and fraud, the Rights of the people.

Squires in England where the Kings men who went out and twisted the title of lands from Noble’s who where not in favor with the king, They where AT-TORN-EYS who tore away the title to the land, usually by force of arms.

Often they became the Esquires over the kings land, with their Title of Nobility to control the Feudal surfs.

Is this any different than what the Esquires have done to the Federal Feudal Citizen surfs in America?

Also, during the Civil War, the legislature pasted the first Civil Rights Act.
.

The Constitution for the Republic did not grant the power to government to grant, or take away, rights.

In fact the National Government Legislators could pass no law pertaining to Citizens, except in the District of Columbia, where they could “pass any law whatsoever”.

This absolute power was granted to Congress to be able to preserve the seat of government, the military bases and territories at all times and the nation in time of war.

It is believed the second 13th Amendment was past right after the War to allegedly free the Slaves.

Many states published both amendments in their official publications even up to 1875.

This new 13th Amendment was then placed over the top of the original 13th Amendment to further hide their fraud and deception.

It is believed that many States published both 13th Amendments side by side in their Yearly State publications, including Virginia the final State required for ratification, even up to 1875.

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The new 13th Amendment was the first Amendment, which started the process of making a second United States ready for it’s Incorporation and to turn citizens of the states into feudal subjects of this new Defacto United States.

The allegedly freed slaves where then transferred into a new kind of slavery under the 14th Amendment Federal (feudal) Citizenship or Corporate Citizen or subject wards of the state, surfs.

Now the District of Columbia had Citizens in the District of Columbia and it had Citizens in other areas outside Washington D.C. over which the Public Servants, now Public Officials, could pass statutes to grant License Privileges and give or take away Civil Rights and fraudulently gain jurisdiction over them.

The Corporation also now had Citizens to fill the Corporate Offices and Citizens to rule over.

Around the time of the Civil War between the United States and the southern states of the American union (The southern states where financed by the British Bankers who also tried to finance the North to get both sides in their debt even at that time.), the planners and creators of the Defacto United States where busy putting together a plan of fraudulent representations and acts, that would increase the jurisdiction of the Defacto United States they where creating.

These acts of Treason and Betrayal of the Republic by our public servants where directed by the richest men of the earth who had founded this new United States to gain riches, power and control over We the People.

This plan was necessary to them because the United States had no subjects, nobody to control and only the land ceded to it from the states, i.e.., the District was limited to ten miles square and such land as was necessary for forts, magazines, arsenals, etc..

How could they grow, get domain and take care of the poor surfs with these limitations placed upon them?

They solved their problem of limitations by was Incorporating the District of Columbia in 1871 so they could function under Commercial Law or Equity Law.

This Incorporated District of Columbia gradually became the Incorporated United States, which is a legislative Democracy with Feudal Citizens with Civil Rights.

This Corporation is not a Republic with Sovereign Citizens with God/Nature Granted Rights.

They spread this New Federal seat of Government all over the land by the various insidious means, "of course, just to be able to help the poor surfs."

The current IRS Code and other sections of the U.S.C. defines the distinction between the two Jurisdictions in several places.

The United States (Now incorporated) is the District of Columbia, the territories and the military bases, excluding the states untied.

Between the 1860’s and the early 1900’s, banking and taxing mechanism were changing through corporation legislation.

Cunning people closely associated with the powers in England had great influence on the legislation being passed in the United States Corporation.

Of course such legislation did not apply to the states or to the people in the states, but making the distinction was not deemed to be a necessary duty of the legislators.

It was the responsibility of the people to understand their relationship to the United States and to the laws that were being passed by the New Corporation Legislature.