Island Coast BNI Visitors Day

By Mary Anne Cipressy
What’s Up SWFL
President BNI Island Coast Chapter of Cape Coral


You are cordially invited to the Visitors Day meeting of the BNI Island Coast Chapter of Cape Coral at Palmetto Pines Country Club, located at 1940 SW 9th Ct, Cape Coral, on Tuesday, March 15, 2011 from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. We are looking for professionals in your business to pass referrals to.

BNI is a business and professional networking organization whose primary purpose is to exchange qualified business referrals. The organization presently has over 5,500 chapters throughout every populated continent in the world. Last year, members of BNI passed over 5.6 million referrals which generated almost $2.3 billion (U.S.) worth of business for each other.

What makes BNI unique is that it allows only one person per profession to join a chapter. Thus, once you've joined, none of your competitors can participate.

Seating may be limited, so please let me know if you plan to attend; call me at (239) 849-1490 and I will reserve a place for you! The fee of $10.00 includes continental breakfast. Remember to bring plenty of business cards to pass around as you will meet lots of local business professionals.

Please feel free to bring a business associate with you who may also be interested in finding out how to generate more business through "word-of-mouth" marketing. This organization is really exciting!

Avoid Identity Theft During Tax Season From Margie Tann - iSekurity

Source: IRS.gov


Frequent or Recent Scams

There are a number of scams that impersonate the IRS. Some of them appear with great frequency, particularly during and right after filing season, and recur annually. Others are new.
Refund Scam:
This is the most frequent IRS-impersonation scam. In this phishing scam, a bogus e-mail claiming to come from the IRS tells the consumer that he or she is eligible to receive a tax refund for a specified amount. It may use the phrase "last annual calculations of your fiscal activity." To claim the tax refund, the consumer must open an attachment or click on a link contained in the e-mail to access and complete a claim form. The form requires the entry of personal and financial information. Several variations on the refund scam have claimed to come from the Exempt Organizations area of the IRS or the name and signature of a genuine or made-up IRS executive. In reality, taxpayers do not need to complete a special form to obtain their federal tax refund. Refunds are triggered by the tax return they submitted to the IRS.
Lottery winnings or cash consignment:
These advance fee scam e-mails claim to come from the Treasury Department to notify recipients that they'll receive millions of dollars in recovered funds, lottery winnings or cash consignment if they provide certain personal information, including phone numbers, via return e-mail. The e-mail may be just the first step in a multi-step scheme in which the victim is later contacted by telephone or further e-mail and instructed to deposit taxes on the funds or winnings before they can receive any of it. Alternatively, they may be sent a phony check of the funds or winnings and told to deposit it but pay 10% in taxes or fees. Thinking that the check must have cleared the bank and is genuine, some people comply. However, the scammers, not the Treasury Department, will get the taxes or fees. In reality, the Treasury Department does not become involved in notification of inheritances or lottery or other winnings.
Beneficial Owner Form:
This fax-based phishing scam, which generally targets foreign nationals, recurs periodically. It's based on a genuine IRS form, the W-8BEN, Certificate of Foreign Status of Beneficial Owner for United States Tax Withholding. The scammer, though, invents his or her own number and name for the form. The scammer modifies the form to request passport numbers, information that is often used for account security purposes (such as mother's maiden name), and similar detailed personal and financial information, and states that the recipient may have to pay additional tax if he or she fails to immediately fax back the completed form. In reality, the real W-8BEN is completed by banks, not individuals.
What to Do:

Taxpayers who receive a suspicious e-mail claiming to come from the IRS should take the following steps:

- Avoid opening any attachments to the e-mail, in case they contain malicious code that will infect your computer.
- Avoid clicking on any links, for the same reason.
- Visit the IRS website, www.irs.gov, to use the "Where's My Refund?" interactive tool to determine if you are really getting a refund, rather than responding to the e-mail message.
- Forward the suspicious e-mail or url address to the IRS mailbox phishing@irs.gov, and then delete the e-mail from your inbox.
- Consumers who believe they are or may be victims of identity theft or other scams may visit the U.S. Federal Trade Commission's website for identity theft, www.onguardonline.gov, for guidance on what to do. The IRS is one of the sponsors of this site.

Rodents by Lenny's Pest Control

Roof rats breed throughout the year, with two peaks of production: In February and March and again in May and June. The period of least activity is in July and August. The gestation period is approximately 21 days, and the number of young per litter averages almost seven.

Roof rats are largely commensals and live in close association with man. They seldom become established as feral animals as do the Norway rats; however, in Lavaca County they have been found throughout the county, in the towns, and on the farms. They inhabited grocery and drug stores, warehouses, feed stores, and poultry houses and were very common in cotton gins and associated grain warehouses. On the farms they lived in barns and corn cribs. They may live near the ground, but usually they frequent the attics, rafters, and crossbeams of the buildings. They make typical runways along pipes, beams or wires, up and down the studding, or along the horizontal ceiling joists, often leaving a dark-colored layer of grease and dirt to mark their travel-ways. Like the Norway rat, the roof rat is largely nocturnal and only where populations are relatively high does one see them frequently in the daytime. There is some indication that the larger and more aggressive Norway rat is supplanting the roof rat in many parts of the United States. In the southern United States, however, the roof rat is by far the more common of the two.

EVENT AT THE BOARDWALK

YOU ARE INVITED!!!

"EVENT AT THE BOARDWALK"

THURSDAY, 24 FEBRUARY 2011
5:00PM - 8:00PM

BORN TO BE WILD BOUTIQUE
1100 6TH AVENUE SOUTH
NAPLES, FLORIDA 34102
(1 block south of 5th Ave-US 41 1 block from Tin City)
239-216-1123

$10.00 ENTRY FEE PER ADULT
***PROCEEDS TO HELP BENEFIT THE SHELTER FOR ABUSED WOMEN AND CHILDREN

LIVE FASHION SHOW, VENDORS, DOOR PRIZES, FUN AND MORE!!!

APPETIZERS, FIRST DRINK FREE
(Please feel free to bring clothing, shoes, purses, and/or gift certificates)

JANET A BRUNE
ADVISORY COUNCIL - NON-PROFITS
MEDICAL AESTHETICS/CERTIFIED LYMPHOLOGY
239-216-1123
JANET_BRUNE@YAHOO.COM
EARNWITHJANB@GMAIL.COM
WWW.MELALEUCA.COM JANET BRUNE

Coming 2012 to SWFL - The Florida Stingrays

 By David A. Conde HandsUp Charity Treasurer

Jay Lawrence grew up in SW Fl.  At the age of 20, about 15 years ago,  he was driving his pickup truck, fell asleep at the wheel and flipped his truck.  He woke up the next day in the Hospital paralyzed and would live the rest of his life in a wheel chair.  He didn't let this incident change who he was, but he did become stronger person of faith and also in life because of it.

Jay Lawrence started HandsUp Charity (Helping Acquire Necessary Disability Supplies for Underprivildged People) a few year ago. Jay has a great big heart and he wants to do so much for this Community.  Jay has acquired the Florida Stingrays Arena Football Team.  He is selling Minority shares to the team, modeled after the Green Bay Packers where the community owns shares of the team.  This will allow HandsUp Charity to continue to provide assistance to those in need.
  
The Florida Stingrays are preparing to play in Germain Arena for the 2012 Season.  They were created to improve our community by helping those less fortunate. The great citizens and business owners who have and will join our ever-growing ownership group are able to clearly see the vision we have for improving our community! They have decided to become actively involved with our mission and to help lead Southwest Florida into the future.

The Florida Stingrays will become Southwest Florida's "Hometown" team by bringing business and fans from surrounding cities together as one unit working towards a common goal of building a championship team on the field and in the community. Fans and businesses of Southwest Florida will take pride in owning their hometown team by purchasing ownership shares.

The Florida Stingrays will hope to bring life to the local economy as attendance grows by creating jobs and using revenue to support local commerce and charities.

Our organization will produce leaders in the community and be heavily involved in charitable organizations, especially dealing with youth charities and charities for the disabled.

By 2012, the Florida Stingrays will be the hottest ticket in town, selling out every game and transforming themselves from something for our fans to do while waiting for football season to BEING football season.

By 2014, we will start an indoor youth league teaching children the indoor football game at an early age while sinking our roots deeper into the soil of the Southwest Florida fan base.

Our sponsors and business owners include JP Sports Collectibles, Fosters Grille, Storm Smart, Author Robert MaComber to name a few.

Please view our website www.floridastingraysfootball.com for all our Sponsor Programs.

Meet Jay Lawrence

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rv9mR3FUQg&NR=1

Stingrays Promo Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIKPJZYtLlE&feature=youtube_gdata_player

The Modern Pickpocket Thief!

From Margie Tann Independent Distributor iSekurity

The Modern Pickpocket Thief!
Source: Privacy News / Kent Larson
January 24th, 2011



There's a much more modern, efficient way to do it. Anyone who is so inclined can take their laptop down to the local Starbucks - or any other WiFi hotspot - download some readily available software - and hack into everyone's Internet communications.


How? That's easy. Remember that WiFi signals are just radio waves. All you have to do is tune into the right "channel" and you can "listen" into everything that is being transmitted in that hotspot. Every laptop has the ability to do that; it just needs the right software.


So, if one is at the coffee shop, settled in at a table and sipping a Venti latte, it's a simple matter to begin looking through the Internet traffic for Social Security numbers and other data being sent back and forth. Identity thieves who do these things look for something specific and may even enlist the aid of a computer geek to write a simple program that conducts automated searches. I would tell him to look for something that had the form of 3 digits, then a dash, then 2 digits, another dash - and then ending in 4 digits, which would almost surely be a Social Security number. Starting to see how easily your identity can be stolen in this setting?

Heart Talks with Amanda Devine

HEART TALKS

March 3^rd 2011 at 7:30 – 9pm.

Cost only $20.

Location: AmericInn

13600 Treeline Ave S (cnr of Treeline Ave and Daniels, next to I75)

Fort Myers, FL 33913

Have you heard about Esther Hicks? She is a world wide known person who travels around the world for the past 20 years and passes on Abraham's teachings. She connects with Abraham on a spiritual level and she delivers the information regarding Law of Attraction and how the Universe works.

Amanda Devine takes those conversations to a completely new level.

Heart Talks will teach you about the origin of thought, the meaning of feelings, the purpose of life, the boundaries that you had no idea about. They will teach you the true meaning of living in the moment, a remarkable true shortcut to manifesting things in your life. They will take you to the new unknown level of thinking and comprehension of the world around you. They will teach you a new meaning of love and heights of knowledge and wisdom you have never experienced before. They will provide you with a completely new look on everything that you know and understand so far. They will take you to the Universal wisdom and beyond. What does all of that mean to you and your life? Everything! By learning new practical ways of thinking, you are going to take your life experiences to new levels of creations never experienced by you before. Heart Talks will take you on an adventure of your lifetime where you will learn how the process of creation works.

Amanda has received all the information from her conversations with God. It is not about a religion. It is about finding out the wisdom that we all long to acquire. She feels extremely honored to receive that knowledge through her conversations with God. He explains how things work on a very high level of understanding, and at the end he simplifies everything and gives practical tools how to use that wisdom in our lives to create anything that we want, beyond the level of creation we could ever imagine. Amanda has enquired new incredible knowledge from Him and with her teacher's recommendation, now she is going to pass all His wisdom to the world.

 "There is truth to your life and to your existence. There is truth to the meaning of love. You are both love and existence. Now, you are becoming self aware." - God

Come and learn incredible information and a real shortcut to success and living a magical life that was passed to Amanda through her conversations in the last three months. She already teaches her clients those techniques and they achieve incredible results.

Have you ever wondered who you really are? What is your purpose on this planet? How can you speed up the process of success and create real magic in your world? Where is the world heading right now? What does the future hold? What is the true driving force in our lives?

The incredible teachings are creating lots of interest already and many people ask Amanda when she is going to publish her conversations with God.

At the present moment, Amanda has over 250 pages of astounding conversations that she is going to read every second Thursday, starting  March 3^rd 2011 at 7:30 – 9pm.

To contact Amanda Visit Here

Sharon Nottingham and Willow House Spring 2011

Slideshow generated with Smilebox

Identity Theft and Wi-Fi From Margie Tann

From Margie Tann - Independent Distributor with iSekurity

Identity Theft and Wi-Fi
Source: Privacy News / Kent Larson
January 24th, 2011

Let's assume that you wanted to take up a new career as an identity thief. Why? Well, it's lucrative.


Identity thieves simply pretend to be someone else, then open up credit cards and take out loans using the other person's identity. And - it is easy. All one needs need is to find someone's name, address, and Social Security number.


Third, it is safe. Only around 2% of identity thieves are ever caught. No wonder it is the fastest-growing crime in America!


Now, all the perpetrator needs to do is to decide how to go about getting the information on their victims. One popular method is the classic pick-pocketing. But that requires a fair amount of skill; besides, these kinds of thieves are much more likely to get caught with their actual fingers in someone else's pocket.


Somewhat better is "Dumpster-Diving," which involves going through someone else's garbage, looking for a scrap of paper with the right information. But, identity thieves tend to shy away from that method, as this seems messy and time-consuming.

Visa Card Scam

From Margie Tann iSekurity... You can receive these alerts by speaking with Margie... http://whatsupswfl.net/IdentityTheftProtection.aspx

SPECIAL e-ALERT FROM iSEKURITY

VISA CARD Fraud


NOTE:

This is an important notification for everyone regarding the latest in Visa Card fraud. Royal Bank received this communication about the newest scam. This is happening in southern Alberta right now and moving. It's also very sophisticated, since the scam-callers provide YOU with all the information - EXCEPT FOR the one piece they've called to get from you to complete their fraud.

FURTHER NOTE: the callers do not ask for your card number. They already have it. By understanding how the VISA & MasterCard telephone Credit Card Scam works, you'll be better prepared to protect yourself.


The scam works like this:

The person calling says, "This is (name) and I'm calling from the Security and Fraud Department at VISA. My badge number is 12460. Your card has been flagged for an unusual purchase pattern, and I'm calling to verify. This would be on your VISA card which was issued by (name of bank). Did you purchase an Anti-Telemarketing Device for $497.99 from a marketing company based in Arizona ?" When you say 'no', the caller continues with, "Then we will be issuing a credit to your account. This is a company we have been watching and the charges range from $297 to $497, just under the $500 purchase pattern that flags most cards. Before your next statement, the credit will be sent to (gives you your address), is that correct?'

You say 'Yes'.

The caller continues: "I will be starting a Fraud Investigation. If you have any questions, you should call the 1- 800 number listed on the back of your card (1-800-VISA) and ask for Security. You will need to refer to this Control Number:" (the caller then gives you a 6 digit number). "Do you need me to read it again?"

Here's the IMPORTANT part of how the scam works:

The caller then says, "I need to verify you are in possession of your card." They'll ask you to turn your card over and look for some numbers. There are 7 numbers; the first 4 are part of your card number. The last 3 are the Security Numbers that verify you are the possessor of the card. These are the numbers you sometimes use to make Internet purchases to prove you have the card. The caller will ask you to read the last 3 numbers to him. After you tell the caller the 3 numbers, they'll say, "That is correct; I just needed to verify that the card has not been lost or stolen and that you still have your card. Do you have any other questions?"

After you say 'No,' the caller then thanks you and states, "Don't hesitate to call back if you do" then, hangs up.

You actually say very little and they never ask for or tell you the card number. In this particular case, a call for the purposes of investigating the matter further was placed within 20 minutes of the initial call to ask a question; this call turned out to be quite revealing. The true & actual VISA Security Department informed our caller it was a scam and in the last 15 minutes a new purchase of $497.99 was charged to their card. Immediately, a fraud report was made and the affected VISA account was closed. VISA is now reissuing a new number.


What the scammers want is the 3-digit PIN number on the back of the card.
Do NOT give it to them!

Instead, tell them you'll call VISA or Master Card directly for verification of their conversation.


The real VISA CARD company will never ask for anything on the card, as they already know the information - since, of course, they themselves issued the card! If you give the scammers your 3-digit PIN Number, you think you're receiving a credit; however, by the time you get your statement, you'll see charges for purchases you didn't make. By then, it's almost too late and/or more difficult to actually file a fraud report.

What makes this scam even more remarkable is that on a subsequent day, the targeted scam-victim got a call from someone calling themselves 'Jason Richardson of MasterCard' who proceeded to begin reciting a word-for-word repeat of this VISA Scam. This time, however, the scammer wasn't allowed to finish; instead, what they heard was the intended victim hanging up on them! A police report was then filed, as had been instructed by VISA. The police said they are taking several of these reports daily! They also are urging those being contacted in this manner to tell everyone they know that this scam is happening.

In a similar recent situation over the phone, the bogus caller informed the would-be victim that $3,097 had been charged to their account for plane tickets to Spain - and so on, following the above-mentioned routine.

It appears that this IS a very active scam - and evidently, quite successful.


iSEKURITY's exclusive e-RAPID ALERT SYSTEM URGES YOU TO STAY INFORMED AND BE AWARE!

Florida Calendar Events Feb

Saturday, Feb 5th:    Art Fest - Downtown Fort Myers

Edwards and Monroe St, Fort Myers
 We perform around 2:15PM

Saturday, Feb 12th:  Gulf Coast Towne Centre - Marketplace

9903 Gulf Coast Main Street, Fort Myers
We perform from 4:30 to 5:30 PM

Sunday, Feb 13th:   Sandy Parrot - Paws for Patriots Fundraiser

                                       17200 South Tamiami Trail, Fort Myers

                                         The fun begins at 7:00PM

Saturday, Feb 19th:  Edison Pagent Parade Day Party

                                       Hendry and Edwards St, Downtown Fort Myers

                                       We perform around 11:30AM

Saturday, Mar 5th:  SEGDI Walkathon - Fundraiser for Guide Dogs 

     Rossi Waterfront Park, Bradenton Riverwalk
     We'll be there starting at 8:00 AM

Saturday, Mar 12th:  Fort Myers Beach Shrimp Festival Parade

                                 We'll be defending our Title for the 3rd year in a row!

You can hear "JJ" talk all about these events and more by visiting The Community Corner with the Calendar Girls Florida

You can learn more about these lovely and lively gals by Visiting them here.  

The Creations of Island Angel Fashion Show by What's Up SWFL

What's Up SWFL Presents

 The Creations of Island Angel Fashions

A Night of Fashion Food and Fun 

  

Saturday March 26th 

The Clarion Hotel

US 41 

Doors Open at 6:30 PM

Tickets $10 VIP Seating $20 

Local businesses will be on hand to display their products and services

 A raffle will be held to benefit Destiny Diaper Bank

 A party will be held after the show appetizers and cash beverages

Sponsorship packages are available as well as vendor spaces. 

For More information contact What's Up SWFL at whatsupswfl@aol.com or call 239-849-1490

 

   

 

  

Your Privacy is At-Risk!

From Margi Tann - iSekurity

Your Privacy is At-Risk!


Possible Online Privacy Invasion ...


There's a website called spokeo.com that's a new online USA phone book with personal information: everything from pics you've posted on FaceBook - to satellite images of your home, your address, credit score, home value, income, age, etc.

You can REMOVE yourself by searching your name, copy the URL of your page,
go to the bottom of the page and click on the Privacy button to remove yourself.

To visit spokeo.com: click here

A Kidz Closet in Cape Coral - Grand Re-Opening Event

Saturday February 5 2011  

11 AM - 3 PM

In celebration of the Grand Re-Opening of A Kidz Closet we are having an event that is catered just for children.

We invite you to attend this free event with your children so that they can experience

Free photo shoots by Magaly Photo Studio,

face painting

 puppeteer

story time

baked goodies

 Free pizza -  by Volare 

A Kidz Closet

909 SE 47th Ter # 101

 Cape Coral, FL 

Self-Indulgence Party! By STERLING GRAHAM "One of a Kind" Far East Furniture & Garden

Friday, February 11 · 6:30pm - 8:30pm

STERLING GRAHAM "One of a Kind" Far East Furniture & Garden

11358 South Cleveland Ave
Fort Myers, FL

 

 

It's that time again! Head on over, bring your friends and experience a "STERLING PARTY"! Join us for an Evening filled with Food, Fun & Champagne! We are hosting an array of local businesses to provide you with all your Valentines Day Ideas! We are proud to announce that Infinity Spa and Planet Beach will be headlining the event with numerous other businesses that we will introduce and promote for the next 30 days!

It’s Termite Time By Lenny's Pest Control

It’s winter in Southwest Florida and everyone knows it. Does this mean the pests are at rest? Of course not. Because the current rash of cold weather the termites are hard at work. Probably eating at the walls that are keeping you warm now.

This is the first visible evidence of termites and their swarm is commonly mistaken as "flying ants". Turning on your heat on a cold day can cause these termites to immediately start flying out of your walls. Fire ants, Argentine ants and other ant species, as well as American cockroaches, try to move indoors during this time as well, seeking warmth from the colder temperatures.

Termites construct these tubes for shelter as they travel between their underground colonies and the structure. To help determine if an infestation is active, the tubes may be broken open and checked for the presence of small, creamy-white more on termites here.

Astronomy for Everyone

By Annie Lindstrom 

 

Saturday, February 5 at 1:00am - February 15 at 6:00pm

 

Northwest Regional Library - Cape Coral

519 Chiquita Blvd. North
Cape Coral, FL

 

Join the Southwest Florida Astronomical Society (SWFAS) for three events that will help you explore the night sky!

Saturday, Feb. 5 @ 1 p.m. - Introduction to Visual Astronomy - Explore what you can see in the night sky with your own eyes.

Saturday, Feb. 12 @ 11 a.m. - Introduction to Telescopes - Hands on lesson about types of, and how to use, your own telescope or borrow one from SWFAS. If the sun is out, we'll do some solar observing, too!

Tuesday, Feb. 15, @ 6-8 p.m. - Night Observing Session - Use your telescope or scopes provided by SWFAS to observe the moon, Jupiter and other night sky objects.

For more information visit www.theeyepiece.org

Operation Medicine Cabinet

A pharmaceutical take back program brought to you by Lee County Sheriff Mike Scott

Saturday February 12, 2011

10 am - 2 PM 

Page Field Commons

4995 South Cleveland Ave

Fort Myers

 

Bring unused or expired prescriptions and over the counter the counter medications for proper disposal

Bring needles and other sharps

Flushing medications down the toilet can harm the environment  

Pre Event Drop Off Locations and Dates

Monday Feb 7

10-2

NFM Chamber of Commerce Building

in the Shell Factory

2787 N.Tamiami Trail #10

North Fort Myers 

Tuesday Feb 8

10-2

Winn-Dixie

1145 Homestead Rd

Lehigh Acres 

Wednesday Feb 9

10-2

Lee County Sheriff's Office 

West District Sub Station

15650 Pine Ridge Rd

Fort Myers 

Thursday Feb 10

10-2

Regal Cinema

Gulf Coast Town Center

10028 Gulf Center Drive

Fort Myers

Mini 2 Hour Seminar

By Amanda Devine 

JANUARY 28th 2011

Amanda Devine is a Life Coach, Master in Energy Healing, and CEO of Totally Unique Ideas with a Master's Degree in Psychology. She is going to share her incredible story of healing her acute incurable disease of the nervous system, she had for 6 years. She will also reveal the true power that we possess in an entirely unique way. Do you think you know how powerful you are? Your point of view is going to change during her presentation. Her approach is extraordinary and that is why she achieves incredible results with her clients in every area of their lives, health, money, relationships, etc. As an outcome, people from 106 countries read Amanda's Blog, she Hosts a Blog Talk Radio Show, a documentary movie is being made about Amanda's Healings, a book about Amanda's life "Behind the Iron Veil" written by Mike Houston has just been published and is available in Barnes & Noble, and she was also offered to host her own TV show.

At the end of her unique presentation, you will be able to ask any questions that you have. You will leave amazed, surprised and empowered!!!

Center of Eternal Light

Friday January 28th, 2010 at 7:30pm

260 Professional Place, Unit B

North Fort Myers, FL USA

Only $20 per person

Contact Amanda Devine to reserve your space

 amanda@totallyuniqueideas.com

New Identity Theft Scheme Targets Kids

From Margie Tann iSekurity

Source: 19ActionNews/Cleveland, OH [excerpted]

The latest form of identity theft doesn't depend on stealing your Social Security number. Now, thieves are targeting your kid's number long before the little one even has a bank account.

Hundreds of online businesses are using computers to find dormant Social Security numbers - usually those assigned to children who don't use them - then selling those numbers under another name to help people establish phony credit and run up huge debts they will never pay off.

Authorities say the scheme could pose a new threat to the nation's credit system. Because the numbers exist in a legal gray area, federal investigators have not figured out a way to prosecute the people involved.

The scheme works like this:

Online companies use computers and publicly available information to find random Social Security numbers. The numbers are run through public databases to determine whether anyone is using them to obtain credit. If not, they are offered for sale for a few hundred to several thousand dollars.

Because the numbers often come from young children who have no money of their own, they carry no spending history and offer a chance to open a new, unblemished line of credit. People who buy the numbers can then quickly build their credit rating in a process called "piggybacking," which involves linking to someone else's credit file.

Many of the business selling the numbers promise to raise customers' credit scores to 700 or 800 within six months.

If they default on their payments, and the credit is withdrawn, the same people can simply buy another number and start the process again, causing a steep spiral of debt that could conceivably go on for years before creditors discover the fraud.

What can a dutiful parent do to guard against ID theft?
Some tips for protecting your offspring:

1. Never Reveal Your Child's Social Security Number

Many schools ask for a social security number, especially when you enroll your child in kindergarten. This information, however, is rarely required. But if you do have to provide it, make sure the principal keeps all student files in a safe place.

2. Hide Your Child's Name

Anyone with a kid knows you need to label everything you send to school. But, that doesn't mean you have to write your child's name in a spot that can be easily seen by strangers.
Be particularly careful with backpacks. They often come with identification tags that children love to fill out. Explain to your little one that she's better off excluding the family's address and keeping her name on the inside of the bag.

3. Teach Computer Safety

Kids often make it easy for criminals. Twenty seven percent of 9 to 17-year-olds maintain a public and personal blog, web page or other online space, according to Intersections; one in five children report doing things on the Internet of which their parents wouldn't approve. Since we can't monitor our sons and daughters at all times, you need to explain that revealing any information can put them at risk for identity theft.

4. Monitor all Junk Mail

If you notice your child getting credit card solicitations and other junk mail, there's a good chance someone got a hold of his personal information; you need to check if his identity has been compromised.

Tips on Buying Life Insurance

From  Bryce Grimsley

Life insurance isn't as expensive as many people think. 

One in four U.S. households relies only on group life insurance to provide financial protection if a wage-earner dies. These households may lose their only life insurance coverage if they become unemployed or have their work hours reduced.

Who needs life insurance?

If someone will suffer financially when you die, you need life insurance. If you were to die today, life insurance would provide cash to your dependents that can help pay for your funeral and other final expenses, meet everyday living expenses, pay down the mortgage, finance longer-term goals like education and retirement, and generally maintain your family's quality of life.

 

Should I buy term or permanent life insurance?

Generally speaking, term offers the greatest coverage for the lowest initial premium and is a great solution for people with temporary needs or a limited budget. Permanent insurance may make more sense if you anticipate a need for lifelong protection and like the option of accumulating tax-deferred cash values. Also, it doesn't have to be either one or the other. Oftentimes, a combination of term and permanent insurance is the right answer.

If you purchase the right Life Insurance you don't have to die for your policy to pay out! *  Life Insurance can protect your family from other catastrophic events.

Here are some other benefits life insurance can provide. 

• Return of Premium rider
   Returns all premiums that you paid in at the end of the term if no claim paid out.
  
• Disability rider
   Pays the selected amount monthly if you are disabled
  
• Critical Illness
  Pays a portion of the face amount if diagnosed with selected major illnesses, such as cancer.
  
• Terminal Illness
  Pays a portion of the face amount usually 1/2 if you are diagnosed as terminal
  
• Retirement
  Whole Life and Universal Life policies can be setup to pay a monthly retirement benefit.
  
• Financial needs
  You can take out a loan on Whole Life and Universal Life policies for any reason.

*The above benefits listed vary by company and may not be available in all cases.  Riders may require an additional premium. 

  

Vary competitive term life Starting at less than $1.00 per day for $1,000,000 of coverage. 

10 Term, Best Nonsmoker Class, Monthly Premium
Age	$100,000 Face Amount  Male Female		$250,000 Face Amount  Male Female		$500,000 Face Amount  Male Female		$1 Million Face Amount  Male Female
18-30	9.26	8.99	11.79	11.13	15.13	14.24	21.80	20.02
35	9.26	8.99	11.79	11.13	15.13	14.24	21.80	20.02
40	10.06	9.88	13.79	13.35	19.13	18.24	29.81	27.14
45	12.37	11.39	19.58	17.13	31.15	26.70	52.06	44.94
50	15.40	13.62	27.14	22.70	45.83	37.38	80.54	66.30
55	21.27	17.89	41.83	33.37	76.09	57.40	138.39	103.68
60	31.68	23.23	67.86	46.72	122.38	83.21	225.61	151.74
65	51.26	33.82	116.81	73.20	215.83	133.94	405.39	255.87
20 year, Best Nonsmoker Class, Monthly Premium
Age	$100,000 Face Amount  Male Female		$250,000 Face Amount  Male Female		$500,000 Face Amount  Male Female		$1 Million Face Amount  Male Female
18-24	11.12	10.50	16.46	14.91	24.03	20.60	38.71	32.48
25	11.12	10.50	16.46	14.91	24.03	20.60	39.60	32.48
30	11.30	10.50	16.91	14.91	24.03	20.60	39.60	32.48
35	11.57	10.68	17.58	15.35	24.47	21.36	40.49	34.26
40	13.35	12.01	22.03	18.69	33.37	28.92	58.29	48.50
45	19.05	15.75	36.27	27.59	57.40	44.05	106.35	78.76
50	25.36	20.11	52.06	38.94	89.00	62.30	165.09	114.36
55	38.54	28.57	85.00	60.07	138.39	100.12	261.21	185.56
60	60.52	40.85	139.95	90.78	231.84	154.86	441.89	293.25
65	108.31	68.53	260.10	159.98	455.23	285.69	877.10	551.35

Contact Bryce Grimsley Cape Coral Insurance Center for details.  239-549-6255 Cell: 239-357-5415