Hi,

I'll try and listen but often have trouble with internet radio stuff. (I am in WA State)

I have tried to follow the entire saga of the BofA thing but never have seen one thing:

Did you get your money back? Did BofA return the money wrongfully (and almost, to me, criminally) given away?

I hope so but have been wondering. I try to follow but with work travel, just miss some stuff.

Best of luck with the book. When doe it come out?

Carl

See the Kleenex link above - my complaint to the Comptroller of the Currency. It's all in there. And yes, they gave my money back, but, through my investigation about what passes for "security" at B of A teller windows, I believe they're putting every consumer customer in California, and possibly in the nation, in substantial danger of identity theft.

What they won't repay me for: I lost months of my life, plus a good deal of my general peace of mind, and I am in jeopardy of further crimes and perhaps even arrest for crimes I didn't commit thanks to Bank of America's laxness. Worse yet, in the wake of allowing thieves, seven times, to use only a fake driver's license with the wrong expiration date to bleed $12,000 out of my bank accounts, they stonewalled me every step of the way as I tried to go after the thieves, make police reports speedily, etc. My experience is far from unique, and they should be punished and forced to change their practices -- or at least not lie and say they have "multiple levels of security" when they gave out my money to women with the flimsiest, easy-to-counterfeit piece of ID, and no bankcard, no PIN, no signature verification. And did it again and again -- giving out money to people presenting only a driver's license -- in tests people ran for me at the bank. This is absolutely reprehensible when they profess to actually care about their fiduciary duty to guard your money and identity.

Book will be out in Fall of 2009. Still have a chapter and a section to go.

I've put a freeze on my credit. It is nice to have one worry off my mind. And it keeps me from accepting those "You'll get 20% off if you apply for our credit card!" offers everytime I shop.

Howdit go?

"Raddy said good things!"

Well, of course I did. I'm waiting and hoping for this kindling to set off a bigger flame - one where the populace gets fired up and starts caring about principles. You'll all recall the idea that since the bank remunerates the ID theft victim, somehow the bank takes the place of the individual in victimhood.

Oh, no. That's just another "tell" of that great American sport called "shift and dismiss responsibility". It's not possible for the ID theft victim, male or female, to have the problem fixed with money, and the bank's not even scratched by the sums involved. If the bank had been forced to pay a penalty (the first thing on the mind of anyone looking at the idea they were negligent) it still wouldn't fix the ID breach, nor the hole that was exploited. That's clear now in the way bank of America is behaving. Better to hide the 30-second video, now long overwritten, of "how to walk into a branch and defraud Bank of America" than to go after the perpetrator; that takes work.

Something extremely stupid is going on because - MONEY!! Pant, Pant! MONEY!! Gasp! - is seen as a solution of some kind. Hello - there's an ID theft ring out there, operating across state lines. Hello?

I'm hoping some mesmerizing speaker brings this up, because as real as it is, the issue won't get as far as it should unless a Public Voice brings it up. It's a style thing.

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By the way - I think you mentioned being a Libertarian twice, Amy. I know it's useful to express yourself in ways that the audience will understand better, and their public position is easier to identify with than major-party moneygrabbers, but I'm here because you're you, an individual, who has reasons for what she does and who actually thinks, and to whom things matter. That's more than a label can express. Are there negatives? Sure. Everybody has them. Real roses have thorns. Done gushing.

In Mass. we had a highly publicized case of a State Representative getting his identity stolen.
Yet I think 2+ years later the "crime" is still considered not much worse than a misdemeanor.
I don't think the perp did a day in jail and he had stolen hundreds of identities.
Instead of focusing on the banks why not shine the spotlight on the justice system who either refuse to pursue these cases or when they do, let's the perps off with a slap on the wrist. As we slip further into a recession I bet more + more people will consider this low risk crime.
Lost your job? Can't pay the rent? Why not steal someone's id? If you get "caught" the consequences are tiny.

Identity theft has really become a huge problem in this day and age. My sister was a victim of identity theft a few years ago and is still dealing with it. I found a really good identity theft protection company called SOLUS. They cover your entire family. They monitor your credit and alert you anytime something changes. It gives you unlimited access to your credit report and score. You are also able to lock your credit or even put a fraud alert on it. If you become a victim like many millions of people they do all the restoration work for you and even provide legal and emotional care. I highly recommend getting the protection. The website is http://www.solusid.com if you want to check them out.

Great interview, Amy. (Yep, I listened to the whole thing.) I'm glad you're getting the word out and your book done!

I find another thing interesting in addition to all the others already mentioned. In all this fiscasco about bailing out banks and the stock market and so on, not one candidate is addressing this issue and it is big.

Has anyone seen any candidate for any office even mention the problem?