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Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) – How to Know if Your’s is a Good One?

People and money. It’s an interesting combination. People are always after more money, but sometimes don’t think through the process well on how to make more of it. Now that the internet is here, there are so many opportunities available; people are in information overload on what to believe. The promises of easy money abound everywhere and there is always someone who will believe the hype.

Let’s take a look at Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) or Network Marketing as many people call it today on the internet. There are many being promoted today, but how can you tell if one is good or not. How do you know if they are going to meet the promising that they make. There are some key things that you can look at when you evaluate a MLM to see if it’s the one for you.

Stability – now long has it been in business? Many MLM’s start up, but then fail within the first 2-3 years. You don’t want in invest all of your time getting started and then have it shut down on you. You want to make sure that they are still going to be around and show consistent growth as you build your business to its highest success level.

Quality Products – what products are they offering? Are they unique? Will your customer see a benefit in using or purchasing the product? Are they hard to find elsewhere? You don’t want to be selling what every Tom, Dick, and Harry is selling out there. Make sure that you can promote the products without a problem and that others can do the same? If you can’t sell it, it will be hard for you to expect your downline to be able to sell it.

Payout System - payouts are usually on a matrix system. Does this matrix allow room for everyone to succeed or just those at the top? What happens if your downline become full? If someone is not performing in your downline, will it shut you down or will it allow that weak link to be cut and replaced with another person?

Ask if the payout system has changed in the last 2 years. If the answer is yes, this will tell you that the matrix system may not be stable enough to support all of those at the bottom. In this case, it will be hard to recruit people for your downline as there will not be enough payout for them.

Training – what training is provided? Are they following the “old school” method of promotion? You can tell this by seeing if the first thing they tell you to do is to contact family & friends to get them involved. With doing business on the internet, this is an outdated approach. See if they recommend using some of the current internet marketing promotions. This will tell you if they are more progressive in their marketing style.

Does your team leader offer additional training that what is provided by the company? What you are looking for is a mentor, not just someone above you in the “chain”.

If you are really interested in becoming involved in a Multi-Level Marketing program, make sure that you do your homework up front. Checking out the four areas listed above will save you headaches in the long run and make sure that your road to success is off to a good start.

Ann Moss is Vice President and Director of Training for Mastermind Pros, an internet success training company.

Collection Harassment And Consumer Rights

Very few people ever get into debt with the intention that they will not pay it off. Unfortunately, life can deal us all some tricky hands, and oftentimes it is just too difficult to see this obligation through. While it may not be your fault that you are suddenly unable to pay your debt, that won’t stop the creditor harassment from coming. If you are the victim of credit harassment, it is important to know your rights under the law so you can handle the situation appropriately, snd speak with an advocate of Consumer Rights in GA .

The first step in the process is to not be intimidated by collection harassment. You have rights under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), and if you are unsure of exactly what those rights might be, you can always report the creditor to an experienced attorney. In Georgia, a leading advocate for consumer rights is the law firm of Persily & Associates Georgia Consumer Rights, like the team at http://www.persilylaw.com, who can explain those rights to you and provide the necessary methods to protect yourself. If you do not live in Georgia, Persily & Associates Atlanta Lawyers may be able to help you find a collection harassment lawyer in your state.

There are also a few simple steps that you can take yourself to ensure that your rights are protected and that creditor harassment ends.

The first step in fighting collection harassment is to make copies of all correspondence, including envelopes that show postmarks. Before you contact a consumer rights lawyer to protect creditor harassment, the more complete your records, the more likely you will be to win your case. Make sure to document all phone conversations with the company as well, and write down any potential creditor harassment that takes place during those calls. These might include threats of imprisonment or garnishment of wages, profane or obscene language, or other types of abusive behavior. An attorney can advise you on additional procedures that may be appropriate, such as keeping recordings of your conversations.

Finally, don’t let creditor harassment push you into doing something you are uncomfortable with. Some creditors will try to persuade you to pay your debt using a post dated check or automatic withdrawals from your account. Others collection agencies may try to dictate the amount of the payments and the intervals in which they must be paid. Keep in mind that you are the one who decides how much and when to pay your debts, no matter how much creditor harassment is occurring on the other end. If the payments are more than you can afford, talk to your consumer rights attorney about setting up smaller payments that will be comfortable for your budget.

Creditor harassment can sap your energy and create stress and strain in your life. The good news is that it doesn’t have to. When you know your rights and have an experienced Georgia attorney on your side, you can stop creditor harassment and go back to the task of living your life.

Sandy Pensner is experienced in the area of collection harassment, and has been working in Atlanta, Georgia for consumer rights for a number of years. She consults with the law firm of Persily & Associates, a leading advocate of Consumer Rights in GA

Will You Consider Wedding Loans?

You should be now very busy planning for your wedding. In fact, you will need to think about the budget before you plan for other items of your wedding. It will be just next to impossible for you to plan for you perfect wedding if you do not fix your budget first.

As a matter of fact, a wedding is always considered an expensive event. According to some surveys, a wedding can cost as much as USD25,000. To this end you may need to find various sources to fund your wedding . In some cases, your parents will help you to fund your wedding. Your other family members may also help to fund your event. However, you may also consider other sources of funding. To this end, one of your option is to apply for a wedding loan.

You may probably think that you can finance your wedding yourself. However, what you have to consider is that you may need to keep some cashes after your wedding. You will have to start a new life after marriage. And you may need to spend some money. As a result, you should not spend all your money on your wedding. Yet it is always wise for you to reserve some urgent cash for emergency use.

There is also another option here. You may consider paying the wedding items using your credit card. You may think this can be a better option when comparing with the option of seeking for a wedding loan. However, it is not really true. One thing you have to know is that the interest rate associated with your credit card is very high. Unless you can repay within the grace period, the interest will be a lot higher than that of a wedding loan. As a result, you should consider a wedding loan if you know that it will be quite difficult for you to repay within the grace period.

When you are seeking for your wedding loan, you have to choose the loan provider with your greatest care. You will need to ask the necessary questions before you make your final decision. You have to make sure that you know the repayment terms. Of course the most important issue you need to consider will be the interest rate. If you have a good credit score, you may be able to negotiate with the loan provider on the interest rate and repayment terms.

If you have made the decision of seeking for a wedding loan, you will need to start your research as soon as possible. In most cases, it will take a longer time to approve your wedding loan, when comparing with other kinds of personal loans. You will also need to prepare for the documents which will be need beforehand so that you can make the approval process smoother.

After you have settle your wedding, you will need to start planning your wedding. Yet, since you have already settle the most difficult in your wedding planning, you will find it a lot easier when you are planning for the other items of your wedding.

TM Lung designs Chinese Wedding Invitations. He has sites on Wedding Vendor Directories and Wedding Planning and Marriage.

Online Business Marketing Strategies That Get Results

As a business owner, you’ve likely heard there are loads of opportunities for you to do well through advertising on the internet. However, for many new entrepreneurs, this can be a hard thing to get your head around. In the extremely competitive internet world, it’s simply not enough to have a decent website. You have to know how to market it, and how to successfully turn visitors into paying customers. In this article we cover some of the most popular strategies used by internet marketers.

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

Search engine optimisation is the process of making changes to your website so that it ranks higher in the search results. Website owners usually want their website to rank highly for words that relate to their business. If you own a London pizza takeaway, you would probably want to show up for words like “pizza takeaway”, “London pizza” and “pizza”. If this sounds like something that could benefit your business, you should learn more about search engine optimisation or hire the services of a search engine optimisation firm to make changes to your website’s code and internet marketing strategy.

Pay-per-click (PPC) Marketing

Pay-per-click marketing is very similar to SEO but much more expensive. Your website shows up for keywords that are related to your business on the right of the natural search results. However, with pay-per-click, you pay the search engines to make your website appear higher for the keywords that are relevant to your business. And you only pay them money when a visitor clicks on your advert.

Social Media Optimisation (SMO)

Social media optimisation is advertising your business using some of the web’s most popular websites. There are literally millions of people on websites like Ecademy, MySpace, Facebook, YouTube and Digg. You can make yourself, or your business, popular on these websites and you may find that you achieve great results if you develop decent relationships. A social media strategy is takes time to pull off, and requires a good understanding of the communities that exist on the websites you’ll be targeting. Some business owners use the services of social media consultants to make it easier.

Banner Advertising

Banner advertising is the internet equivalent to newspaper advertising. You can have your banner adverts appear on online magazines, blogs and newspapers. One thing that’s particularly effective about online banner advertising is that you might be able to find a publication that’s exactly targeted to your customers. For example, as a curtain manufacturer, you may be able to find a website that exclusively talks about curtains.

Blogging

Blogging is becoming an extremely popular internet marketing strategy. Blogging is where you write articles and posts about your business, your industry and your company. You will then aim to get people interested in your business or your industry after reading your blog as a source of news, analysis and opinion.

Blogging, like social media, isn’t simply a case of paying for advertising exposure. There is a degree of skill involved, but those that manage to forge a successful blogging strategy often experience great results.

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Modest Wedding Dress

Shopping for a modest wedding dress can be entirely more difficult than it needs to be if you don’t have a plan for what you are looking for. Gowns that are barely a slip or defying gravity with a strapless fit may not be a comfortable selection for you. You should also be sure to understand that modest and traditional do not have to necessarily mean the same thing. Most of all, it is your day to shine and you should purchase something that reflects this.

Choosing the Right Cut

Finding the right cut for a modest wedding dress begins with knowing what the most flattering style will be for you. Try looking for A-line dresses or empress waist gowns. These styles are very forgiving and are available from many top designers. Letting a sales person know you want an A-line or empress waist will help with your selection of a modest wedding dress. The cut of an A-line is often fitted on top with the skirt flowing out towards the sides at the waist, to form the shape of an ‘A’. The fit of an empress waist is banded just below the bust line and is usually not form fitting at all.

Finding the Right Sleeves

With strapless gowns dominating magazine covers, you may think your chances of finding a modest wedding dress are slim. You may want to think about other options like cap sleeves, off the shoulder or short sleeves. Long sleeves may even be appropriate depending on the season of your ceremony. If you happen to find a strapless gown that you adore, you can check with the sales person to see if it can be altered to be something more comfortable for you. This is often much easier to do than creating a strapless gown from one with sleeves believe it or not.

Picking the Right Color

If you are looking for a modest wedding gown, it does not have to be white. If you are searching for a modest look in the first place you probably are not looking at anything extreme such as black, red or hot pink. Choosing an eggshell, pale pink or ivory gown are options that you may want to consider when choosing a modest wedding dress.

Options When Nothing Fits Right

When you are exhausted from shopping and you still don’t have a perfect modest wedding dress, you still have some available options. If you have a good seamstress or the salon you are working with has one on staff, you will find they can work magic for a neckline that is too low. Something as simple as gathered tulle sewn across the top of the bodice can change the feel of a dress without affecting the style.

A comfortable, modest wedding dress is one of the most important thing s on your wedding day. You should keep in mind your style preference that is still elegant without being revealing or feeling inappropriate. While you may have to look a little harder than the brides on the front of the magazine, the end result will be well worth it.

Why not visit our website for more help with your wedding planning along with more ideas for your wedding dress.

Clinical Negligence Claims in the UK

Medical negligence is where doctors or any other professional in the medical profession have been found in breach of a duty of care. For example if a doctor failed to diagnose a medical condition or diagnosed the wrong condition this would be classed as medical negligence.

Doctors, dentists, midwives, nurses, physiotherapists, psychologists and psychiatrists all have “duty of car” to ensure their patients receive the correct treatment in a proper ethical manner. If you or someone feels that they incurred an injury or suffered emotionally because one of these medical professionals not doing their job probably then you maybe able to make a medical negligence claim against them or the organization they work for. Maybe the treatment you received went wrong in which case the treating doctor is required by his governing body the “General medical Council” to inform the patient that the treatment went wrong. At the very least you are entitled to an explanation.

Injuries such as these can arise out of for example, cancer treatment, accident and emergency treatments, anesthetics, cardiothoracic surgery, cardiology, gastroenterology, oncology, keyhole surgery, mental health, neurosurgery, obstetrics and gynecology, oncology, ophthalmology, orthopedics, pediatrics, plastic surgery, psychiatry, sterilization, urology, dentistry, vascular surgery and the list goes on. Also if you or a family member suffered brain damage or psychological injuries like nervous shock or the worst scenario death these are fine examples of medical/clinical negligence.

It is not just patients of the NHS, those who were treated in private hospitals as private patients will also be able to claim for breach of contract if your medical treatment was substandard.

Claiming financial compensation for clinical or medical negligence can be quite a lengthy and complex matter. Because of which it is paramount that you enlist the help of a professional personal injury specialist. If this puts you claiming it shouldn’t. When someone claims for personal injuries (compensation) for a road traffic accident it is generally easy for your personal in jury lawyer to establish who was at fault and whether the injuries were due to that accident. If the accident wasn’t your fault, and your injuries were obviously related to the accident (like whiplash), you will have a strong case. With claims against the medical profession the claimant will need to obtain medical records and get statements to prove that:

• That there were serious errors in your medical treatment which no competent doctor would have made

• The doctor or other healthcare professional owed a duty to take care of the claimant and not cause injury

• There was a breach of that duty to take care

• That breach of duty has caused harm to the claimant

• Damage or other losses have resulted from that harm

Claiming compensation for clinical/medical negligence is your civil and legal right. Without claiming you could be putting someone else at risk. Sadly it take unfortunate situations like a medical error of judgment to occur for people in the medical profession to wake up and make changes to their practice to ensure this type of malpractice doesn’t happen again.

Carolyn is the webmaster of Accident Consult, specialists in Medical Negligence Claims.

Traditional Marriage Preparation Option For Modern Marriages

A feature of many traditional religions is that they will not marry two people who have not first completed a marriage preparation course of counseling. This is an old fashioned idea, but one that has a lot of merit and has been proven over hundreds of years.

Marriage preparation can be considered as a sort of pre-emptive marriage counseling course - the ultimate aim is to make sure that there are not any unresolved issues between the couple that may endanger the marriage at the beginning or in the longrun, and to offer general advice and instruction about how to communicate properly in a marriage partnership.

Nowadays, people are now starting to opt for marriage preparation once again, maybe in an effort to ‘beat the statistics’ and avoid falling prey to marriage breakup and divorce which has rissen greatly in the last decade. It is in everyone’s best interest to give their marriage the best chance they possibly can of succeeding. For most of us, this would mean being prepared for any issues that may come up in the future, making sure that you and your future spouse share common goals, and building good communication skills.

Any issues that are coming up before the marriage should be resolved right now, before they get the chance to get out of hand and cause more problems down the track as in many cases small problems in the beginning often lead to larger complicated problems in the future which become more difficult to correct.

Modern marriage preparation does not have to be affiliated with any type of religion - in fact, it often is not. That having been said, there are many couples who decide to opt for the more traditional marriage preparations, such as that offered by the Catholic church. Of course, in the Catholic religion, when a couple gets married they are expected to stay married until death do them part - there is not meant to ever be a divorce.

This puts an entirely different perspective on marriage preparation. As well as religious instruction about the significance and importance of marriage, couples are offered coping skills that will help them to stay together when things get hard.

If you are not religious, you may, of course, still get benefits from the same sort of preparation and counseling. Before embarking on a marriage, it is important to have a solid grasp of what marriage will mean in you and your partners life, and to make sure that your potential spouse shares many of the same ideas and goals.

Too many couples end up in marriage counseling or therapy when they feel that the marriage is not working - in fact, it may already be falling apart. Marriage counseling at that point can still be very valuable, but in a sense, it’s like shutting the barn door after the cows are out! Marriage preparation is a valuable step that lets you be sure of what you’re doing and where you will both be going.

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Resolving Your Difficult Marriage Problems

While it is true that not all marriage problems can be solved, but many can. As recently as a few generations ago, divorce was not considered a viable option for most people. Even today, there are religious groups who consider divorce unacceptable except in the event of certain extenuating circumstances - such as abuse or adultery. That point of view is not for everyone, but it is undeniable that marriage problems are put into a different perspective when there is no real choice but to solve them.

That having been said, it probably wasn’t a good thing for individuals to feel that they were ’stuck’ in a marriage - that they had no choice regarding whether to continue with the union. We are fortunate that we live in a time when people have choices regarding the direction of their lives and futures.

Regarding marriage problems, though, it is clearly better to solve them first if this can be done, particularly if there are children in the picture as they sometimes, are the ones who get effected the most. Marriage problems vary in type and severity, but there’s one thing that many if not most have in common; most marriage problems, and their resolutions, depend on good communication. Communication is the biggest key to all effective relationships.

Communication styles vary greatly, but presumably married couples are drawn together in the first place because there is a basic similarity or compatibility and deep understanding between their unique communication styles. It takes time to maintain and develop communication. Many marriage counselors recommend that couples should have or create a weekly ‘date’ with one another in private, a time when there is a break from the regular routine and the couple do something relaxed and enjoyable together and talk about any issues they feel they might have with the relationship.

After there are children brought into the picture, the weekly date can become more difficult to maintain, but it is actually more important than ever. Many couples tend to become too busy to spend time with each other alone once there are children. If you stop and think about it, though - isn’t it worth your while and effort to take the time to ensure that your child’s parents have a good and happy marriage, and are able to provide a stable and loving environment and home? Parents that are happy together tend to generally have happier children, too.

Almost all marriage problems, large or small, can be one of the great challenges in a persons life. When dealt with head on, however, they need not get out of hand - in fact, dealing with these challenges as they arise can be very rewarding and a great learning experience for both parties and can prevent unnecessary headaches in the future. It can even help to strengthen and enhance your marriage in the long run, and that means that your overall quality of life and that of your partners and even children can benefit greatly as well.

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Cufflinks For Your Next Big Wedding Event

Summer is here, and with this season you can expect to see a slew of summer weddings. Although most American workplaces don’t slow down for summer, the idea of “summer vacation” is so entrenched in our psyches from the earliest school days that many brides automatically incline toward the warmest months of the year when planning their weddings.

If you’ve got a lot of wedding invitations propped up on your fireplace mantel or stuffed in a kitchen drawer, it’s time to think about what you’re going to wear to these oh-so-special events. If you’d been born a woman, you’d already know this. However, the inclusion of a ‘Y’ chromosome in your genetic makeup doesn’t get you off the hook. The bride, and probably the groom as well, have spent a lot of money to make their wedding the most beautiful day of their lives. Don’t you even consider ruining the pictures, the videos, and your friendship by showing up looking like the hillbilly cousin who everybody thought would be unable to read, let alone answer, the invitation.

For daytime weddings, you can’t go wrong with a good suit, preferably in a shade of dark blue or gray. Some brown suits can meet the right degree of formality - it is becoming an increasingly correct response to a basic neutral - but the fact is that if you are uncertain of your own personal style, it probably makes sense to go with the most classic choices.

Black shoes - lace-ups for very formal events and loafers for more casual weddings - are always proper, and your belt should match your shoes. That’s actually a good rule to remember all the time: belt and shoes match, pants and socks match.

Most men believe that their tie - and yes, you should wear a tie to a wedding unless the wedding has a Hee-Haw theme - is their one area to exhibit their personality. And it is true that a tie is a perfect way to set off a beautiful shirt and suit. Your tie, like a good wedding, should definitely not have a theme. This is not the place to show off your fondness for the Tasmanian Devil or Bugs Bunny, or your love for Obama or McCain, or your keen eye for such vintage finds as that 1950s-era hula dancer tie.

Instead, model your tie after the rest of your outfit. A classic pattern, in a current color palette and width, will serve you much better than a joke. Remember, when you wear a tie - or a shirt or anything else - that comprises a joke, the joke is funny for about thirty seconds the first time anyone sees it. After that, you’re just the dork who wore the stupid tie.

If you are looking for a place to be witty, try adopting an accessory that has long been beloved by the very rich and the very stylish - cufflinks. These little gems are the necessary finishing touch for a perfectly tailored shirt with French cuffs, and they provide a little bling, a lot of class, and the ideal conversation starter to help you along in meeting the bride’s extremely hot college roommate.

If the wedding is very formal, don’t be too cute with your cufflinks. A good solid color disc or square, or one in gold or silver with engraved initials, is a timeless choice that will not only make a great impression now, but will hold you in good stead for years to come.

However, if the wedding is more informal, here’s the time for you to show the babes how witty you are. Cufflinks come in a number of styles that allow you to show off your career choice - there are Wall Street street signs for investment bankers, scales of justice for lawyers, and computer chips for programmers. Choose a style that embodies your sense of irreverence and fun and use it to break the ice during the cocktail hour. Such an entry line should give you enough to talk about to get through at least the first course. After that, it’s all up to you.

Cufflinks are also necessary for the most formal daytime weddings, in which the wedding party, and guests in the know, will wear morning dress. This cutaway, most often seen in gray, is most correctly worn with a French cuff shirt. This is a great time to try out cufflinks with traditional onyx or mother-of-pearl. Your tie should be a single-color tie, and your shoes should be black leather lace-ups.

For evening weddings at which guests are not required to appear in formal dress, you can use the lessons of the formal daytime wedding. Remember, though, that morning dress is strictly for daytime.

If you find yourself lucky enough to be asked to a formal evening event - for which of us does not look splendid in formal wear? - a great tuxedo in black is the right and proper choice. If you live in a tropical climate, you may choose a white dinner jacket. With either of these choices, onyx, gold, silver, or mother-of-pearl are the best choices for studs and cufflinks. For a very formal evening wedding, you could go all out and wear white-tie - a black tailcoat, white pique vest and tie, and patent leather shoes. The shirt, in such a case, would always be white and high-collared, and your cuffs and shirtfront should be fastened with silver, diamonds, mother-of-pearl, or pearls.

Whether your interests are in silver, gold, artistic, sports, or other theme-related cufflinks we’ve got you covered. Cufflink Aficionado carries a broad range of men’s cufflinks designed to meet each connoisseur’s individual style and interest. Our selection of wedding appropriate cuff links are sure to top off that perfect look.

Are You Really the Patient? Medical Identity Theft Facts You Didn’t Know

The public has become more armed against the threats of identity theft. While identity thieves can steal individuals’ money, ruin their good credit and cause years of aggravation and stress, an alternative form of identity theft, medical identity theft, can actually threaten lives.

Medical identity thieves steal and misuse other people’s personal information including their name and insurance card account numbers without the person’s consent and usually without their knowledge.

The Scary Truth about Medical Identity Theft

Your medical and insurance records follow you and when false information is added to your medical records, you can be at risk when you are treated in the future. Doctors may make decisions about your treatment and medications based on a fictitious medical history and this can put your health at risk. Not to mention that the insurance companies will have noted false “pre-existing conditions.”

As more and more medical communities rely on electronic records, the information is more likely to follow you on a larger scale and some believe this trend makes it easier more medical records to be compromised.

What can a thief do with your medical identity?

Medical identity thieves may use other people’s information to obtain medical care, prescription items or to make fraudulent medical claims.

A medical identity thief without insurance who wants a surgery or prescription drugs can use your information, get what they want and leave knowing you and your insurance company will get the bills.

Some medical identity thieves are motivated purely by money. Thieves can collect large amounts of money, even millions of dollars, by making these false medical claims.

Don’t Ignore a Medical Billing or Insurance Statements

Don’t assume a medical bill or insurance statement for services you didn’t get is just a mistake. It could be the first sign that someone has stolen your medical identity.

Joe Ryan, a Colorado resident, got a hospital bill for over $40,000 for surgeries and treatments he never received. This wasn’t a billing error. An ex-con had used Ryan’s medical identity to check into the hospital and obtain extensive medical care. Two years later, Ryan was still trying to undo the damage to his medical records.

You may not learn about a medical identity theft from a bill. Brandon Reagan, who stationed in California, learned that his medical identity had been stolen and used in South Carolina when his mother called and told him he was the lead suspect in a car theft. Reagan had lost his wallet in South Carolina and a thief used his military i.d. and license to test drive cars and then steal them. In addition to getting Ryan on a wanted list, the thief also used Ryan’s medical identity to go the hospital on several occasions to get treatment for injuries and kidney stones. The medical bills were close to $20,000.

Even though the identity thief was finally arrested, Reagan was left with a nightmare. His medical records in South Carolina were full of false information and his tax refund check was withheld due to the unpaid hospital bills still in his name.

Sketchy Law and Statistics on Medical Identity Theft:

Laws dealing with medical identity theft are still not thorough or consistent from state to state. Many Federal laws that were intended to protect confidentiality actually make it more difficult for you to access and correct your own medical records. Wide scale investigations into medical identity theft are just beginning but in 2005 there were over 8 million victims of identity theft and three percent, 249,000 of those involved medical identity theft.

Pam Dixon, executive director of the World Privacy Forum warns, “Medical identity theft causes terrible harm, both financial and physical.”

How can you protect yourself from medical identity theft?

- Get a copy of your medical records for comparison in case they are compromised in the future.

- Annually request a list of payments made for your medical services from your insurance company.

- Review your Explanation of Benefits (EOB) as they are provided by your insurance carrier to determine their accuracy.

- Check your credit report at least once a year for any unusual unpaid charges.

- Research and report any suspicious medical bill or insurance statements.

Protecting your identity is more important than ever. It’s not just your money, time and credit that could be at risk if your medical identity is stolen, your health could be at risk as well.

Lisa Carey is a contributing author for Identity Theft Secrets: prevention and protection. You can get tips on Identity theft protection, software, and monitoring your credit as well as learn more about the secrets used by identity thieves at the Identity Theft Secrets blog.

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