I had a bunch of credit cards opened in my name some years ago. I had rental property and had a Centruy 21 agent manage it for me. Apparently, since the mortgage statement went to that office, so did a bunch of those free offers for credit cards. The receptionist opened the accounts got the cards, and just kept paying the minimum payments on the cards. It went on for over a year and was only discovered when she went away on her honeymoon and my agent started opening the mail with my name on it--a bunch of Visa bills with over $20,000 total charges! This girl had charged her whole wedding and honeymoon in my name! The hardest part was cancelling the cards--when I called Visa they wouldn't believe I was me because the girl had given them _her_ mother's maiden name, information of course that I could not supply! It was pretty stupid, really, she thought she would never be caught, said she every intention of paying off the cards eventually. Stupid criminal. Stupid credit card companies. We all paid for that one. And yes, I do check my credit report now!

Keep a notebook/journal with pockets and write down: when (date and time) and who you call, who you spoke to (employee name + ID #, and what the call was about. Put your requests for records in writing and keep a copy for yourself. This will let places like your bank, title agency and realtor know that your serious about making sure they follow through, instead of ignoring you. Here is a link that details what you are asking about. www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/idtheftmini.htm#personal I'd be sure and get that police report filed right away. If you live in a state that allows it, freeze your credit report so it won't make a difference who has your SS, DOB (It won't do them any good without a password from you). "A credit freeze bars any lender from accessing a credit file without the consumer's permission. Because no legitimate lender would issue credit without first performing a credit check, the freeze is a powerful tool for keeping identity thieves at bay. Here is an article I just read this morning that might make you want to think about sending a copy of the police report to your mortgage company and the county recorder (certified mail). Good luck and hang in there. Did you change the locks on your house? A Title Search is the New Credit Report January 8, 2007 ATLANTA, Jan. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Consumer advocates have always recommended that credit reports be reviewed, to discover possible identity theft or fraud. Identity thieves and fraudsters are now turning to a more lucrative target; property records and titles. For this reason, running a property title search is becoming more popular, to prevent financial loss. Not only are property records easier to break into, incorrect results are also harder to change back. Unlike credit reports, there is no guaranteed "dispute" process, as there is with credit bureaus. According to David Pelligrinelli, of TitleSearch.com, the increase in fraudulent and incorrect property title records is dramatic. "Especially in the past 18 months, we have seen a troubling rise in the number of errant records on the property titles we look at," he says. "We are seeing large numbers of unreleased mortgages, which were long since paid off," he adds. This is expected, given the volume of mortgage refinancing in recent years. When the prior mortgage is left on the property title, there is now a double mortgage. If caught early, it is fairly easy to obtain the appropriate release from the original lender, for recording on the title. With lenders merging, selling out, or closing, it becomes harder to track down the release as time passes. More serious than title errors are fraudulent recordings. "Most people are not aware that if anyone presents a lien, mortgage, or transfer deed for your home the county clerk, it will be recorded on your property title," Pelligrinelli says. "The clerk does not verify that the signatures are legitimate; their role is record keeping only. While there are some requirements, such as using the correct form, and notarization, these are easily bypassed. "It is easier to steal your house by using a fake deed, than it is to steal your credit card number. At TitleSearch.com, we hear of fake deeds regularly. Attorneys and consumer advocates are now recommending that property owners run a title search to verify that their property is titled correctly, with no liens." In 2006, there were numerous accounts of properties being unknowingly transferred away from the owners. In one case, a man presented a fake transfer deed for a $76 million New York hotel. His only mistake was using an outdated form, otherwise, the transfer may have gone through. Also, most counties do not send any notice to the property owner when a transfer or lien is recorded against their title. Pelligrinelli agrees that running your title search with a reputable company is recommended. "Doing this every year might be overkill. However, running a title search once initially, and then every two years is suggested. Other key times are a few months after a refinancing, or prior to putting a property on the market. Divorces and deaths in the family are often good reasons to check property titles, as well." Contact: David Pelligrinelli, 706-216-1785, TitleSearch.com.

Now you know how Metallica feel. It's a sad fact of the Internet age: people feel like everything they find is theirs. They download music. They scrape articles and put their names on them, take photos and use them in ads. They don't feel like they're doing anything wrong. The people who used your photo in the ad may honestly not understand they did anything wrong. If it honestly bothers you that they did this, contact them, tell them calmly that you're really uncomfortable with them using the photo to promote their business, and could they make another ad? That might be all it takes. And if they're jerks, all the threats in the world won't make them do anything. I'm not a lawyer, but I think from my work experience, and what's posted here, that your legal position would be murky. One thing you CAN do, as starpooh pointed out, that makes photos less appealing to scrapers, and makes them MUCH easier to identify, is watermarking. Watermark those suckers all over the place. They'll choose softer targets. Photographers and other artists who make their living selling images, but need people to see their work to buy it, have various ways of getting around the bad guys. Some won't let images on the 'net at all. Sad. In the end, I think we all have to accept that everything we put out there is being stolen in some way.

I wanted to share a couple other ways your identy/money can be stolen. Both happened to me. By the way, I'm really sorry you've gone through this. It is so frustrating. It seems like the majority of id theft is from credit cards. This first one happened years ago, when this was a relatively new crime, but it wasn't credit. Someone took my name and driver's licence number and the account number of a closed checking account. Then they created a new account and went shopping, at Sears, Macy's, Home Depot, and Victoria's Secret. All in one day. They almost got cought at VS, which ended their shopping spree. I believe they got over $3,000 in merchandise. It was a NIGHTMARE trying to convince all the different agencies and stores that I wasnt the thief. I didn't lose any money, but my driver's license number is still flagged with telecheck. Sixteen years later. BTW, after I made contact with Macy's to explain the situation, Macy's started billing me for the $900 purchase. We had a pretty heated conversation about how they wouldn't even have my information if I hadn't called them to do the right thing. The other was just a couple years ago. I was going over my bank statement and saw a payment to a cell phone company that we don't use. I checked a few monthes prior and noticed I had been paying someone elses bills. Cell phone and the utility bills. The utility bill was easy to miss because I use the same company. It was the cell bill that tipped me off. Someone used the account and routing number off a check one of us wrote and was paying her bills online. Once I cought it, I called the bank PG&E, and Verizon and had everything taken care of. The utility companies went after her on their own, so I don't know the outcome. There was a name on the accounts, but I was told it was probably fake. So anyway, these are just a couple more areasto consider and keep an eye on. Also, Sears can be kinda shifty. I would still be a little suspicious of them. I would not put it past them to issue you an unsolicited credit card. On the off chance that you accept it. It doesn't make much sense for a credit thief to have the card sent to your house. Unless, they were watching your house hoping to intercept your mail