The Art of the Steal

APPENDIX

[FRAUD RESOURCES]

Abagnale & Associates

(800) 237–7443

www.abagnale.com

Secure document consultants.

American Association of Retired Persons (AARP)

(800) 424-3410

www.aarp.org

A national organization of people fifty years or older, it offers tips on fraud prevention, especially crimes against the elderly.

Association of Certified Fraud Examiners

(800) 245-3321

www.cfenet.com

An international organization dedicated to fighting fraud and white-collar crime through prevention and education.

Authentication News—Reconnaissance International

www.reconnaissance-intl.com

(303) 779-1096—U. S.

44 (0) 1784-497008—England

A trade publication that covers counterfeiting of all manner of products and news of the latest techniques to combat counterfeiting.

Boise Cascade

(503) 224-7250

www.bc.com

A leading manufacturer of secure check stock. Although individuals or companies can’t buy checks from them, printers can purchase their paper.

Consumer Federation of America

(202) 387-6121

www.consumerfed.org

A national organization of consumer groups, it dispenses information on fraud and acts as an advocate for consumers.

Council of Better Business Bureaus

(703) 276-0100

www.bbb.org

An organization of local Better Business Bureaus, it provides consumer assistance and tries to arbitrate consumer complaints. It can direct you to your local Better Business Bureau.

Council of Foundations

(202) 466-6512

www.cof.org

A nonprofit association of grantmaking foundations, this is a good resource to check on the legitimacy of a charity or foundation.

Department of Justice—Identity theft:

www.usdoj.gov/criminal/fraud/idtheft.htm

This government website offers tips on how to prevent identity theft and lists recent cases.

Equifax

Credit Bureau

(800) 525-6285 (report fraud)

www.equifax.com

One of the three major credit reporting agencies. It furnishes information and tips about preventing fraud.

Experian

Credit Bureau

(888) 397-3742

www.experian.com

Another of the major credit reporting agencies that also offers suggestions on guarding against fraud.

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

(202) 324-3000

www.fbi.gov

The Justice Department’s law enforcement arm, the FBI investigates federal crimes and offers tips on fraud prevention and lists of the most common frauds.

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)

(800) 934-FDIC

www.fdic.gov

The entity that insures bank deposits and promotes sound banking practices. It provides consumer assistance in dealing with banking matters under federal consumer protection laws.

Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

(202) 326-2222

www.ftc.gov

The government agency that enforces many federal antitrust and consumer protection laws. The place to go for information, or to file a complaint for things like loan scams, telemarketing fraud, charity scams, phone swindles, lottery scams, and identity theft.

Immigration and Naturalization Services

(202) 514-1900

www.usdoj.gov

The government agency that deals with immigration matters, and the place to go for information about passport fraud and scams involving fraudulent immigration documents.

InterGov

(317) 823-0377

www.intergov.org

An international organization devoted to safe use of the Internet, it offers online scam prevention services.

Internal Revenue Service (IRS)

(800) 829-1040

www.irs.ustreas.gov

The IRS provides information on tax frauds and investigates tax crimes and related financial crimes. Companies can report embezzlers to the IRS and consumers can file complaints about fraudulent or deceptive charities with the agency.

The Nilson Report

(805) 983-0448

www.nilsonreport.com

The leading trade publication covering consumer payment systems.

Office of the Comptroller of the Currency

(800) 613-6742

www.occ.treas.gov

The agency of the Department of Treasury that regulates national banks and deals with fraud involving these banks.

Privacy Rights Clearinghouse

(619) 298-3396

www.privacyrights.org

A nonprofit consumer information, research, and advocacy program that offers tips on how to safeguard your personal privacy. It deals with issues like Internet privacy, identity theft, telemarketing, medical records, workplace privacy, among others.

Product & Image Security Magazine

(847) 318-1524

www.eci-internationa.com/ pismain.htm

The official journal of the Label and Tag Security International Association, it covers the problems of counterfeiting, retail theft, and product tampering, along with solutions to these threats.

Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)

(202) 942-8088

www.sec.gov

The agency that regulates sales of securities and public offerings, it can answer questions about security transactions and verify the registration of securities dealers and firms.

Social Security Administration

(800) 772-1213

www.ssa.gov

The government agency that administers the Social Security program, it offers a hot line to report fraud involving your Social Security number and furnishes information on identity theft.

Standard Register Company

(800) 755-6405

www.standardregister.com

An industry leader in providing secure documents. It offers a wide array of security features that will protect your documents against fraud. It services many of the leading Fortune 500 companies.

TeleCheck

(800) 835-3243

www.telecheck.com

The leading check acceptance company, it offers electronic check conversion, check guarantee, and check verification services to businesses and merchants.

TransUnion

Credit Bureau

(800) 680-7289

www.transunion.com

One of the three major credit reporting agencies. It disseminates an array of fraud prevention information.

United States Federal Reserve Bank

(202) 452-3946

www.federalreserve.gov

The body that regulates state banks that are members of the Federal Reserve System.

United States Secret Service

(202) 406-5708

www.treas.gov/usss

The government agency charged with investigating counterfeiting of U.S. currency and safeguarding the payment and financial systems of the United States. It also investigates financial institution fraud, computer fraud, and cases involving false identity documents, among other crimes.