To date, 11 million Americans have already experienced the bouts of credit fraud in their financial accounts. Compared to the past years, the cases of identity theft have increased to 13% compared to the years before 2011. Credit fraud is considered as one of the main crimes that has acquired more than $37 billion financial expenditures annually. Although the overall financial loss has decreased to 44% in recent years, there are still a lot of victims who are suffering from the negative effects of credit fraud on their account.

According to the Identity Theft Research Center Aftermath Study, it takes an average of 5,840 hours to perform a credit repair depending on the severity of the damage brought about by the account fraud. Most victims usually undergo a recovery stage of around 330 hours, wherein around 35% of the victims managed to rectify their financial problem within a minimum of four months. This can still extend up to a year or two years if the effects are more devastating than the average credit breach.

Effects of credit fraud to financial stability

In 2010, Javelin Strategy and Research group has accounted existing account frauds costing to $37 billion. Although this is quite a decrease from the $56 billion loss that consumers suffered from in 2009, it is still a huge figure. Aside from their financial loss, most victims have also suffered from the adverse effects of acquiring negative credit scores in their accounts. In fact 70% of credit fraud victims experienced a difficult time in rectifying all the inaccurate and negative information on their credit reports. Apart from their current financial loss, financial opportunities have become more limited for these victims as 47% of those who accounts were breached experienced difficulty with their loan applications due to the dip in their credit scores.

Recovery process

As a part of the recovery process, most victims sought assistance for credit repair under various channels.

• 66% of victims acquired help from financial institutions that handle their accounts;
• 40% sought help from credit facilities;
• 35% opted for legal counselling and law enforcement;
• 20% acquired ID theft assistance and counselling; and only
• 13% sought help from the Federal Trade Commission.

With the increasing number of credit fraud incidents, there is also a surge in the number of companies offering credit repair services. For those who were victimized by credit fraud, the Federal Trade Commission advices consumers not to fall for scams which offer guaranteed quick fixes. In addition, the Fair Credit Reporting Act also states that consumers are entitled to free credit reports and to file credit disputes from their credit account service provider within a matter of 60 days following any adverse actions done by the company. Acquiring credit repair is also a consumer right and the Credit Repair Organizations Act requires companies not to oblige clients in paying for their services unless the promise of repairing the credit has been fulfilled.

One of the most common communication methods used in businesses is faxing.  It does not necessarily mean conventional faxing which costs a lot at takes too much time—it just means being able to preserve important documents and send them in their original format directly to a fax machine.  Through the advancement of technology, faxing has been developed into a more convenient form of communication.  It has been integrated with the internet, and is now available for business use in 3 most helpful ways.

1. Check out websites that offer faxing services. See OnlineFaxService.com.

Some of them are free, while some are not.  Depending on the number of fax messages you need to send, prices vary and service features differ.  You may or may not need to register for an account to enjoy such services.  Nonetheless, faxing through these channels is easy—you simply need to upload a scanned image of the document, and input the recipients’ information such as fax numbers or emails.

2. Use your own camera phone and send fax through ScanR.

Sending fax messages is now possible without spending money on new equipment and devices such as scanners and fax machines.  Through the help of innovative websites such as ScanR, you can use your digital camera or camera phone to take an image of the document, and send it as fax message through the website.  Simple fax messaging is often for free through these types of services, but other features are only available through paid subscription.

3. Send unlimited internet fax to the US and Canada through VoIP.

VoIP is an advanced form of telephone system that allows unlimited faxing through the use of the Internet.  Most VoIP plans include this feature, and it is a very useful tool for businesses and marketing such that you can send as many fax messages as you want without getting worried about your bills.  Ring Central and Nextiva are the two most prominent VoIP providers in the US, and their loyal subscribers are proud users of unlimited internet faxing.  Because it is unlimited and can be sent using a fax machine or a computer, internet fax through VoIP is becoming the most prevalent way to send fax. See sendonlinefax.net to compare fax providers.

Are you a homeowner who is worried about leaving the house for a couple of days or even weeks? Having second thoughts on taking an out-of-town vacation because you’re afraid your house might get broken in? Why worry when there’s a new found solution to your problems? With today’s technology you can enjoy a trip or vacation without worrying about the safety of your home.

Thanks to keyless locks, you won’t have to endure the inconveniences of traditional locks and keys. You won’t have to worry about keys which can be stolen or duplicated, or feel worried that your locks will be picked by burglars or trespassers.

What are keyless locks?

It is a modern innovation that will replace traditional locks and keys. It usually features a code pad or a card to activate and open the lock. It comes in different types:

• Keypad locks – also known as pushbutton locks. It requires the owner to enter a certain code or password to close or open the lock. It is a very secure type of security.
• Fingerprint locks – a new commercially available form of modern lock technology. It is accessed with fingerprint recognition. A new model features facial recognition.

What are the advantages?

Using keyless locks has many advantages. For starters, you no longer have to worry about losing or misplacing the key to your lock since using keys are no longer necessary. You don’t need to worry about burglars who own a duplicate of the key or trespasser who know how to pick locks using pins, metals, etc.

It also features a higher grade of security since it prevents lock picking or bumping. Thieves and trespassers cannot manipulate the locks with improvised tools and trying to tamper with it will heighten the risk of discovering the identity of the trespassers.

The installation process is also easy and convenient. Effective locks provide homes with an alarm system. Also, you do not need to install special frames for your doors or windows. Installing these modern locks is similar to installing traditional locks. Most of these modern locks are standalone and does not need additional wiring. It can also work with the use of standard batteries.

It is also easy to provide the access code for the locks. Even persons with certain disabilities can access it. Blind people can use cards, fingerprints, voice or facial recognition to open the locks. These locks are installed in a way that people who use wheelchairs will be able to reach it. Changing the password or codes of the lock is also easy if you think that the current code has been compromised.

All these advantages show that using keyless locks will greatly benefit you and your home. Importantly, they are affordable and it also comes with warranties. Keylessbox.com sells keyless door locks.