At the age of 66 and being in the electronic security industry for 30 years, I have just had my first fraudulent transaction experiences with my personal debt card.  During the last two weeks I have had six transactions, totaling about $1000.00 charged to my bank account.  The good news is that my bank has returned the funds to my account while they investigate the transactions.

I want to share this experience and warn anyone using a credit or debit card while traveling to be very careful and keep a good eye on your accounts.  It seems that in today's world, it is a very common occurrence for your card information to be stolen from hotels, motels and resorts.  Mine was stolen twice when I called in my card information to reserve a room for an upcoming golf event in Orlando with my old friends from south Florida.

My account was charged to pay someone's Metro PCS and Bright House accounts.  Here is the very annoying truth; after I contacted both companies by phone and emails, neither company would assist me in looking into the accounts and providing me information on the account owners even though I provided my card number, transaction dates and amounts paid.  Maybe they will be more help to the security departments at the bank, but with the problems of identity thief and bank fraud growing to out of control proportions, I doubt the mere loss of $1000.00 will create too much attention to the bank or these major corporations.


Be safe and keep a close eye on your accounts, it is the only guaranteed way you can stop major damage being done to your money and your credit.  A closed friend of mine that works in the security department of a major US bank has gone to the trouble of having a separate "travel" card issued that is not tied to any of his other banks accounts.  He funds this account when he goes on vacations, that way he is only risking the monies in that one account and it allows him to keep a good eye on the transactions.  Not a bad idea.  My friend is a major bank security manager, does that confirm to you that there is a large problem in the marketplace?

In my opinion that only way that we are going to get a grip on these issues, is for each and everyone one of us to get involved and let the companies know that they need to respond to these problems.  How about giving us a hand in tracking down these bad guys and bringing them to justice before they do more damage to more people.

Your feedback is appreciated. 

ATM Fraud Gets Even More Brazen

ATM Fraud Gets Even More Brazen
Wall Street Journal (11/20/10) Blumenthal, Karen

Identity theft and debit-card fraud continues to rise as criminals increasingly target banks' automated teller machines to "skim" card information and personal-identification numbers. In previous years, most fraud occurred at independent ATMs or at retail points of sale, but in the first six months of 2010, fraud at bank-owned ATMs made up more than 80 percent of the breaches, according to fraud-detection software provider Fair Isaac. Attacks on retailers are also on the rise, with card numbers, cardholder names, and PINs being skimmed from payment terminals. Avivah Litan, fraud analyst at research firm Gartner, estimates that fraud involving debit cards, PINs, and point-of-sale equipment has risen 400 percent in the past five years. One tactic is a "flash attack," in which gangs use stolen information to create counterfeit debit cards. The gangs then dispatch cronies to hundreds of ATMs in several cities at once, each withdrawing a small dollar amount that adds up to tens of thousands in losses. Some skimming devices are able to fit inside ATM card readers, and small pinhead-sized cameras record hands punching PINs, looking like legitimate security equipment. Most consumers and even banks cannot tell that a machine has been compromised. Perpetrators often place skimmers on outdoor ATMs on Saturday mornings and remove them by Monday morning, passing on the stolen data within hours. Some countries have adopted so-called chip-and-PIN debit cards that have an added layer of protection, but U.S. banks and retailers are hesitant to adopt the technology because of the expense involved.

Alarm Companies - Who to do business with?

Let’s get down to some basic and real world discussion of the alarm industry.

 

If you are looking to install an alarm system in either your home or business you do have some choices to make that are really important.  Who do you want to do business with?  Do you want to contract with a large national company, a strong regional company or your town’s local alarm dealer?  Each choice has its good and bad, and I will try to give you the information so you can hopefully make the right decision the first time.

Why is your original choice so important?  There are very few standard in the security industry so if you want to make a change of contractors, you may have to purchase new panels and keypads or many start from scratch.  Also be very careful and READ your contact and other paperwork carefully.  Most of the industry contracts are multi-year agreements and do not have escape clauses.  They will be enforced for full value if you want to cancel.  Do not believe ANYTHING THE SALESMAN says about the contract, he does not have the authority, get any changes in writing from the owner, manager or corporate legal department.

Let’s discuss the large national companies, there are not as many as there once where, the industry continues to consolidate as one company, ADT, has continued to buy the other large competition and has become by far the largest in the business.   There are cable companies in the business and maybe in some areas phone companies.  It would seem that maybe the largest would be the best and provide the leading products and services.  Well, not always.   The large companies will be financially sound so you have assurances they will be in business for the years to come, the problem with the large companies is that you really do become one of the masses.  Chances are once you buy your system the only communication you will get from the security company are bills, and when you do need service (and you will), there are normally many more customers needing service than there are service technicians.  Be prepared to wait days for service, and hope they can solve the problem on the first call.  And keep in mind that large companies do have dealers working for them, promoting system sales and installation then selling the system and the revenue back to the national company.  The less money the “dealer” spends on the system, the more money in his pocket.  Always make sure who you are doing business with and who will be responsible for the services of the system being installed.

Another choice is a strong regional company that has multiple offices throughout the State or the region.  These companies also will have good financial resources and the worst that could happen is they get purchased by one of the national companies.  They will have a better idea on who you are and what systems and services you have.  They should have a better array of products to choose from, vs. the national companies typically have set product and systems choices.

Both national and regional companies will have access to the best manufactures in the industry, although no one supports them all, it would be impossible for installation and service support.

The local alarm dealer will know you by name.  His life blood is his local accounts and if he has been in business for more than five years, should take good care of you.  His product choices are more limited because he will buy from distribution rather than the manufacture and will pay about 17% more for product, but his labor costs will be less because he has no corporate overhead costs.  Chances are he will install your new system with actual employees of his company, the national companies will typically use subcontractors and the regional companies can go either in house or subcontractor.  You should ask who is going to do the installation.  THE QUALITY OF THE INSTALLTION CAN SUFFER USING SUBCONTRACTORS.  They are typically paid by the job and the faster they can go, the more money they can make.

The one main concern about using a local alarm dealer in today’s economy is the question will he be in business next year.  With construction down across the nation and small business and homeowner stressed for income, the security industry is down about 30% just like other businesses in our county.  Today, credit is hard to get for a little guy and many of the small (less than 1M and less in revenue) companies across the nation have closed.

Maybe your last choice is to DYI.  This option is becoming more popular as more companies get into this side of the business.  About 15 years ago, retail companies like Radio Shack started selling very basic alarm systems from their storefronts.  Now you can go to Lowes, Home Depot, Sam’s and others and purchase alarm parts and pieces as well as basic CCTV systems.  In my opinion, most if not all of this equipment is the bottom end of the industry and almost all is coming from off shore manufactures.  Quality, warranty and service can be a nightmare and your investment is down the drain.

The internet gives you more and I think better choices, as you can deal with a company that is actually in the security industry.  You still need to be very cautious as there is a lot of junk being sold on the web.  My best advice is to talk to an employee of the online company and ask hard questions regarding warranty, product and service.  See if they can answer your questions easily and understand the products before buying any products.

One of the most important parts of your security system is the quality of the central station that monitors your system.  The interesting fact is that monitoring, service contracts and other reoccurring revenue sources in the industry is the life blood of just about alarm every company.  Make sure that you are getting your monies worth.

The fact is that local alarms, with bells, sirens, strobes, etc. are not very effective in today’s world.  There are not many areas with beat cops anymore and the police normally drive around with the windows rolled up.

The large national companies own their own central station(s) and that would seem to be a good thing.  The problem occurs when once again you are one customer in an ocean of accounts and since the central station could be anywhere in the US, the operator may not be familiar with your State and certainly not your city or town.  These operators are not highly paid, but the good news in today’s technology very computer driven.  Regional companies can own there central stations but it requires a lot of accounts to be profitable, so many will use subcontract central stations for the monitoring of the accounts.  Smaller companies will always use subcontract services.  The interesting point comparing company owned vs. subcontract central station services is I have found over the years that the subcontract central station, in many instances, will provide better service and response.  I think the reason for this is that if they do not provide quality services, the alarm contractor can move his accounts (you) to a company that provides better services.  Ask questions, and if they are using a subcontract central station, be sure it is located in your home State if possible.

Since all central stations are computer driven, please, it is very important to MAKE SURE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION ON YOUR ACCOUNT IS UP TO DATE, INCLUDING EMERGENCY CALL LISTS.  It is considered your responsibility to do this function, and in most cases the records are not correct after a length of time.  My advice is to contact your company at least once a year and make sure everything is correct on your records.

Once other option that you have is to check with the better business bureau in your area and in many states there is an alarm association that you can contact for referrals for the companies in your area.

If anyone has a specific question just feel free to ask and I will answer your question as soon as possible with the best and most honest answer I provide.

Cheers

Wiz

Gunman at Florida Hospital

A man who fired shots in Palm Bay, Fla. Hospital has been found dead after barricading himself alone for several hours. The incident began around 2:20 p.m. today, and the gunman barricaded himself alone inside an office near the cafeteria for several hours, Palm Bay, Fla. police said. No injuries were reported at the hospital.

Police said the man pointed the gun at people, made threats and fired shots, but never shot anyone. Police said the man is a former employee of the hospital who was recently let go.

 

The emergency room was placed on lockdown, and SWAT teams and a crisis negotiation team were called to the hospital. "We have security procedures in place. We drill on this constantly. Security officers know what to do and followed policies," hospital spokesman Elliot Cohen said. He said the shots were not fired near patient rooms, and all patients and employees were accounted for after the shooting.