I’m serious.  My oldest son went to open a bank account when he turned 18 this year and they told him that someone else is using his social security number.  Come to find out not only has he (or she) been using my son’s social security number he has set up credit all over the place.  It isn’t good credit either, apparently this mystery person has a ton of unpaid bills including utilities.

The part that makes me particularly angry is that we don’t know who this person is because NO ONE will tell us!  I contacted the various credit agencies and they need us to verify information under the account, but all the information on the account is the thief’s  information (not my sons) so we couldn’t find out whats on his credit we only knew it was bad.  We tried the FTC and they were little to no help and the Social Security office wouldn’t help us unless we came in person.  It’s a nightmare trying to recuperate from child identity theft!  We still haven’t cleared it up and we aren’t sure we will ever be able to at this point.

How Identity Theft Happens

I’m really not sure how they got my son’s social security number.  He didn’t even know his number until he turned 18 and the only places I ever shared it with were his doctors (which I will NEVER do again), government agencies that required it (IRS), and his father.  I do know that many companies are not as careful as they should be when it comes to handling SSNs and many times we take it for granted as well when disposing of papers with our SSNs.  Below are a couple other places people get SSNs from:

• Scams where thieves pose as a business or bank official on the phone and ask for your credit card information.
• Old-fashioned pickpocketing, where thieves steal your credit cards and either use them or sell them to other criminals.
• Card readers installed by thieves at everyday locations, such as cash machines and supermarket checkout lanes, to steal your information.
• Data breaches where your information is accidentally exposed by companies you should be able to trust. (ITAC^®, the Identity Theft Assistance Center, recorded 662 breaches last year.)
• Visit Identity Guard for more information.

KidSure

Win a $700 gift card. Visit Moms Love Emma Sweepstakes to find out more!

Last week The Online Mom wrote about a brand new service called Emma, which uses an individual’s Facebook profile and network to create a personalized online marketplace. For women who are concerned about divulging too much personal information on big anonymous web sites like Craigslist and eBay, Emma offers a safer and more intimate alternative.

That’s not to say that Emma doesn’t have ambitions to become a major online player. With over 300 potential trading classifications, including categories as diverse as fortune telling and hot air balloon rides, Emma is seeking to host every conceivable transaction.

But Emma isn’t just about buying and selling. It also uses the Facebook platform to offer a unique array of social interactions. Maybe you are looking for a new roommate; or someone who shares your passion for the arts; or just someone to have lunch with on short notice. Emma helps you reach out to your friends and friends of friends to make that special connection.

“On Emma, Facebook friends feel secure doing things together, whether it’s dating, selling stuff, offering services, or finding a roommate or rideshare,” said Michael J. Saylor, Chairman and CEO of MicroStrategy Incorporated, the company behind Emma. “Emma lets you search for people to interact with using Facebook profile information, so you feel more comfortable transacting with your larger Facebook community of friends.”

A scan of recent listings on Emma revealed everything from cool job offers to luxury vacation rentals. One of the great things about Emma is you can customize your search down to the last detail. As well as searching by category, you can search by region or town, by price (fixed, bid, swap, free), or by groups of friends. This last option can be particularly important. For example, if you are only comfortable dealing with family and close friends, then you can set up an appropriate Facebook friend list and Emma will only feature listings from the people you have named.

The same privacy options exist if you want to create a listing. As well as specifying the target audience for your listing, you can also decide how much of your profile you want to reveal. Want to stay anonymous until you can find out more about the bidder? That’s easy – with Emma, you can always reveal more later.

Some of the quotes from early users highlight both the safety and social aspects of Emma:

“I think it’s a great concept! I was worried at first about safety, but now I see that you can create your own circle and post offers back and forth, which I love!”

“It is so much more personal than Craigslist. I really feel I can “meet” people before entering into any kind of transaction with them.”

The marketplace is currently available through the Emma web site or as an app for the iPhone, iPad or Android devices. The mobile apps have the added benefit of notifying users when new listings become available.

To celebrate the launch of its new marketplace, Emma is offering Moms the chance to win a $700 gift card. Just post a listing and simply include “Moms Love Emma” in the description area and you will be included in a February drawing. Visit Moms Love Emma Sweepstakes to find out more!

Source: The Online Mom

Buying and selling online can be a lot of fun but it can also be stressful. Most of the time you have no idea who you are dealing with, and there is always that slightly uneasy feeling when you have to meet up with a total stranger or have them stop by your house.

But those concerns may be over with the launch of a new marketplace that takes all the worry out of web-based trading. It’s called Emma and it adds a reassuring personal touch to those often anonymous online interactions.

To use Emma, you need to have a Facebook profile. Emma then uses that profile – and your network of Facebook friends – to help you create a marketplace where you have total control over the buying and selling process. You can use Emma to offer your own goods or services or to seek out goods and services from others. You can also scan thousands of other people’s listings, sorted by category, region, or your Facebook friends.

Emma has ambitious plans for its new service. There are six main categories of listings and dozens of sub-categories, covering everything from professional services to real estate to all kinds of merchandise. Emma is more Craigslist than eBay, but with security and peace of mind as the top priorities.

When you post a listing on Emma, you get to choose exactly how much information you want to make public. You can start out with an anonymous listing and then gradually reveal more about yourself as you become comfortable with your potential trading partners. Or you can create a more public listing but restrict who can see it to just a few close friends.

You can also specify how much of a potential bidder’s profile you want to see. If you are selling a car or a household appliance, then maybe you don’t need to know too much. However, if you’re looking for a date or someone to carpool with, then you might want to know a whole lot more.

As well as listing personal information, you can also upload photos, specify a location, and indicate what kind of deal you are looking for – a fixed price, a swap, rental income, etc. There is also an option to put a specific time limit on your listing, which can add some urgency to the trading process.

Bidders are also well-protected. You can show interest in a listing but you don’t have to bid on an item until you are comfortable that you have sufficient information about the listing’s owner. However, once you bid and your bid is accepted by the owner, then you are committed to go through with the contract.

Although the Emma marketplace relies on Facebook for profiles and distribution, everyone’s privacy is respected. Listings do not automatically appear in friends’ or friends of friends’ News Feeds, although listing owners have the option of posting their listings to their own Facebook wall. They also have the option of allowing others to share their listings via Facebook, Twitter or Google+, which can help generate a wider market for the more public listings.

The Emma marketplace is currently available through the Emma web site or as an app for the iPhone, iPad or Android devices. The mobile apps have the added benefit of notifying users when new listings become available.

To celebrate the launch of its new marketplace, Emma is offering Moms the chance to win a $700 gift card. Just post a listing and simply include “Moms Love Emma” in the description area and you will be included in a February drawing. Visit Moms Love Emma Sweepstakes to find out more!

EMMA TWITTER PARTY

#Emma

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Join @TheOnlineMom and friends this Wednesday at 9pm ET, as we introduce Emma, the new online marketplace for moms!

Need a babysitter? Looking for a carpool buddy? Want to sell some jewelry? Whatever you need, Emma provides a friendly and safe online environment, so you know exactly who you are dealing with!

RSVP and join the party on Wednesday to find out more and for a chance to win A $700 GIFT CARD!

1. Email RSVP@theonlinemom.com subject line: Twitter Party
2. Sign up for The Online Mom Newsletter http://bit.ly/9hT93S (optional)
3. Spread the word and RT this link on your Twitter feed:http://tinyurl.com/y9us5ru
4. Join us on Tweetchat or Tweetgrid (#emma) this Wednesday between 9 and 10 pm ET
5. Tell your Twitter followers!

Someone was hosting my blog for me out of the goodness of her heart and when my own hosting came off the special pricing we decided to move my blogs over to my host. The problem?  Something went wrong with the install and my blog was really, really messed up for almost 3 weeks while I tried to find someone to fix it.  Although you might think I’m rich – I’m not.  Not even close.  So, what does a blogger do when even the best bloggers and your friends can’t figure out what’s wrong?  You turn to Yuuko!

Trisha (MomDot) and Kim (Accidental Mommies) referred me to Digital Point Forums where you can find chatter on all things foreign to the average blogger.  Terms like SQL, XHTML, .PSD, and other design and development foreign phrases are found.  So I took the little information I had about what might be wrong with my blog and I started searching through all the posts until I found Yuukoweb.  He was a board member who had helped a ton of people and had excellent feedback.  I thought he might be someone I could trust and I reached out to him.  Within 30 minutes he contacted me and within another 15 minutes he was already working on all the things wrong with my blog (no new posts were showing up, there were weird characters in the middle of posts, my sidebar had disappeared, etc.).

Yuuko added me on SKYPE (his name is yuukoweb on SKYPE) and talked with me about what I needed done and within 2 hours he fixed everything.  It was really cool to learn he lived in the Philippines since I’m half Filipino.  His location didn’t interfere at all with our business transaction.  His prices were pretty impressive – so much so I’m thinking of having him do a redesign.

Services Offered:

Contact Details:

His Motto:

My husband has been the proud owner of the Droid X by Motorola for almost a year now.  It was his first smartphone and he fell in love almost instantly.  There was a learning curve for a almost a week, but once he worked out the bugs he has had nothing bad to say about his Droid X…nothing.  One thing he loves is his extended battery and all the awesome accessories available for the phone.  I believe he owns them all including the car mount and the desk top charging dock.  With that being said I was curious to see what the Droid X2 from Verizon Wireless had to offer.

My Least Favorite Things

The look is almost identical, but for some reason Motorola removed the handy-dandy camera button on the side of the phone.  I hated that because it made it extremely difficult to take pictures of myself!  *giggle*  I was also somewhat surprised to see that the new Droid X2 is still a 3G phone and that they didn’t utilize the faster 4G networks many of their competitors were moving to.  This, unfortunately, wasn’t an issue for me because we don’t have 4G towers where I live anyway and I am not able to tap into the speed of 4G regardless of my phone.  For others though, that may be an issue and I recommend the HTC Thunderbolt if that is the case.  Finally, the Droid X and X2 are a bit awkward for me or maybe “chunky” is a better word?  I have small hands and I prefer a phone that has smooth corners and isn’t bulky.

My Favorite Things

Like I mentioned earlier you can find a ton of fun accessories for the Droid X2 since it is relatively the exact same body as the Droid X.  The option for an extended life battery is also something that is important to me when choosing the right phone.  In all honesty Motorola did things right with the Droid X so the Droid X2 is even better.  The updated screen is much more vivid and the dual core processor makes things happen just a tad faster on this version than on the original.  I also enjoyed the increase in memory is another Droid X2 bonus.

Overall Opinion

If 4G is not relevant to your location the Droid X2 is a solid contender!

About the Droid X2 by Motorola

Double the Does
Droid X2 is fueled by a dual–core 1GHz processor. Translation: faster load times, faster gaming, and a much faster you. Bring on the rich media, the animations, and the Flash® videos, because you are now a no–holds–barred browsing beast.

Multimedia Mission Control
Capture the images that are rightfully yours with rapid–fire photography, continuous auto–focus, dual LED flash, and the eagle–eye clarity of an 8MP camera. Flip the switch to record video in 720p HD even if you’re losing light, because darkness doesn’t stop Droid, and it no longer stops you.

More Vigorously Vivid
Display your visual virtuosity with a qHD 960×540 display that bestows upon your pupils 26% more pixels than Droid X. Mirror your Droid with any HDTV or computer with HDMI and broadcast the brilliance in 1080p HD.

An Apps Explosion
Eradicate idle time with an army of apps awaiting your orders in the Android Market and V CAST™ Media Store. Work, play, read, or socialize with the ever–expanding world of Android apps. Visit the Media Store to learn more.

DROID is a trademark of Lucasfilm Ltd. and its related companies. Used under license.

You can purchase the Droid X2 from Verizon Wireless for $199 with a 2-year contract.  Learn more at VerizonWireless.com

Yes, you read it right.  On behalf of Zumbox I am giving away a laptop to one lucky reader of Life with Lisa.  First I have to tell you what this is because when I finally listened to what they were saying I was speechless and sold.  It is brilliant.  It is convenient.  It is easy.  It is good for the environment.  It is Zumbox – snail mail from the USPS converted to digital postal mail accessible anywhere you can log on online.

What is Zumbox?

• Zumbox is a digital postal system that allows consumers to gather their mail in one secure location online forever, for free
• Digital postal mail provides exact copies of paper bills, statements and other important mail delivered digitally based on street addresses
• Zumbox has created a digital mailbox for every street address in the US, connecting large mailers (from banks and power companies to grocery stores) to consumer households for secure, on-time delivery of postal mail online
• Zumbox represents a more cost-effective, convenient and environmentally responsible way to deliver mail
• Zumbox gives consumers more flexibility in where and how they receive, manage and store their postal mail

I recently signed up for Zumbox and once I verified my mailing address I received notification that I won a $10 gift card from Starbucks.  The gift card is one of MANY prizes Zumbox is giving away to anyone who signs up for a new account. In addition to the thousands of prizes available (3 grand prizes of one million dollars, 10 brand new Nissan Leaf cars and tons of iPads, laptops, Amazon and Starbucks gift cards), Zumbox will provide a special URL for you to use on Facebook, via email, on Twitter, or however you wish that will earn you an additional opportunity to win.  If you refer a friend via social media, and that friend wins, you win the exact same prize.

What Can I Win?

One lucky reader of Life with Lisa will win a brand new Toshiba Satellite Laptop with Intel Processor.

How Can I Win?

Visit Zumbox.com and tell me what prize you hope to win when you sign up for your FREE account.  Leave a comment in the reply section below for EACH ENTRY.

Can I Earn Additional Entries?

Yes, you can do any of the following:

• Sign up and VERIFY your account with Zumbox.com (send me your verification email once you sign up for 20 entries)
• Follow my blog or if you are already following – tell me who you are. (1 entry)
• Blog about this, or post to your FaceBook linking back to me or email 5 friends about this giveaway copying me on the email. (5 entries)
• Follow me on twitter @lisasamples and tweet this contest link leaving me a link. (1 entry per tweet/2 tweets per day) Please leave time between tweets. (You can use the RT button above.)
• Subscribe to my email feed. (2 entries)
• Favorite me on technorati, digg, or stumble leaving link. (2 entries per fav – see easy social bookmarking icons below this post)
• Leave a comment on another NON-GIVEAWAY post on my personal blog Life with Lisa. (1 entry per comment)
• Add my button to your site and give me the link where you installed it – see sidebar for code. (2 entries)
• Enter this giveaway on a giveaway LINKY or site and post link in comments. (2 entries per)
• Become a Life with Lisa Facebook fan and Zumbox Facebook fan and tell me who you are! Feel free to say hello on my wall if you like. (2 entries per)

For the past couple months I’ve been testing out the HTC Thunderbolt by Verizon Wireless. It’s their first 4G LTE Android phone on the new 4G network.  Although I’ve owned smartphones in the past (Palm and Blackberry) I had never owned a Droid based phone and at first I was lost until I talked to the nicest man from Verizon named Pete who was able to teach me some tricks and tips.  I learned there are some apps that are a must such as Advanced Task Killer and that the social media applications made for Twitter and Facebook are much better than third party versions.

I also learned some stuff about how 3G and 4G stuff works.  I always assumed (you know what they say) that if your phone was 4G it would always be 4G no matter where you were but unfortunately that is not the case.   In order to get 4G reception you have to be near a 4G tower and Verizon has a pretty large coverage area.  If you are between a 3G and 4G tower your phone can act a little silly some times.  When the Thunderbolt is in a 4G area you can really tell a difference as it is much faster.

Things I Loved

I love the body style of the Thunderbolt and button placement although sometimes I actually turn the volume up/down by accident when holding it.  I loved the accuracy of the touchscreen.  I very rarely had to backspace and make corrections.   The screen is pretty big and made browsing the web a pleasant experience.  I also loved the thunderbolt sound whenever you boot it up – but that’s really not what you want to read about – just had to share it.

Things I Didn’t Love

Yes, unfortunately there are a couple small things that I didn’t care for with the Thunderbolt such as the battery life.  I don’t think they make an extended life battery for this phone yet, but if you purchase one you will at least want to invest in a spare battery.  Also, every once in a while there would be an occasional bug but once I updated the software this was much less often.

Overall Opinion

Buy it!

About the Thunderbolt by HTC

With this much power, speed and Android™ awesomeness, it’s not your dream phone. It’s the one after that.

Infinite entertainment. Download movies, e-books, games, music and more in seconds. Pop out the kickstand, turn up the surround sound and enjoy hours of entertainment on the hi-res 4.3″ screen.

Infinite possibilities. With an 8MP camera, LED flash, in-camera effects and a 720p HD camcorder, you can capture every moment in picture-perfect resolution.  And with 4G uploads, you can unleash it instantly, for all your friends to see.

Phone screen, meet flatscreen. Built-in DLNA connectivity takes all the music, movies and photos on your phone and beams them up wirelessly to your flatscreen.

Beyond wireless. Launch a mobile hotspot and just like that, your phone turns into a wireless router, providing a Wi-Fi™ connection and the power of 4G for up to five devices.

The wait is over. With a 1GHz Snapdragon Processor and the power of Verizon’s new 4G network, you can say goodbye to the loading bar.  And with the new instant-boot feature, you can say hello, faster than ever before.

You can purchase the Thunderbolt from Verizon for $249 with a 2-year contract.

Note:

I just found this in my inbox and since I was on vacation I didn’t get to write about it but wanted to share it with you since it ends tomorrow.

VERIZON WIRELESS DELIVERS OFFICIAL MOBILE APP FOR WALT DISNEY PICTURES AND JERRY BRUCKHEIMER FILMS’ PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES

Interactive Pirate Discovery App for Android Devices Takes Fans Inside the Movie and to the Red Carpet Premiere on May 7

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. – The Pirate Discovery App, the official mobile app for Walt Disney Pictures and Jerry Bruckheimer Films’ Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, directed by Rob Marshall, is now available exclusively to Verizon Wireless customers.  Available on select Verizon Wireless smartphones and tablets, the Pirate Discovery App immerses fans in a world of Pirates content before, during and after the movie is available in theaters on May 20th.

The Pirate Discovery App has exclusive content from Walt Disney Pictures and Jerry Bruckheimer Films’ Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, including character stills, character bios and movie artwork.  When the movie is available in theaters, the Pirate Discovery App will let customers browse local show times, find nearby theater locations and purchase tickets directly through the app.  Moviegoers can also share their Pirate experiences by creating Facebook^® and Twitter^™ posts from within the app.

On May 7, Verizon Wireless customers who download the app to their smartphone or tablet will see a live stream from the world premiere, a pre-film event taking place at Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif.  Beginning at approximately 8:45 p.m. PST, app users will get a sneak peak of this once in a lifetime experience delivered right to their device.  Also, from May 17 to June 14, Verizon Wireless customers will have exclusive access to Disney’s mobile game for Android^™ phones, “Pirates of the Caribbean: Master of the Seas,” allowing them to create virtual pirates, customize ships, embark on quests and engage in simulated battles.

The Pirate Discovery App will also introduce a built-in rewards program that enables fans to unlock exclusive film-related content and merchandise by exploring and sharing information and content from Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.  This rewards program will allow customers to access new video discovery and search technology from VideoSurf by simply pointing their mobile devices at a TV or computer screen to identify Verizon television and designated Web videos from the film to earn rewards that can be redeemed through the app.

The Pirate Discovery App is free to download for Verizon Wireless customers with select 3G and 4G Android mobile devices by texting “AHOY” to 52011 or by accessing it directly from Android Market^™.  A full list of devices that support the Pirate Discovery App, as well as additional access to an immersive, digital experience of the film, are available at Verizon Wireless’ official Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides website, www.climbaboard.com.

For more information about Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com.

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless operates the nation’s fastest, most advanced 4G network and largest, most reliable 3G network. The company serves 104 million total wireless connections, including more than 88 million retail customers.  Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 85,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, NASDAQ: VOD).  For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com.

About Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Rob Marshall, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides captures the fun, excitement and humor that ignited the hit franchise—this time in Disney Digital 3D^™.  Johnny Depp returns to his iconic role of Captain Jack Sparrow in this action-packed adventure that finds him crossing paths (and swords) with the enigmatic Angelica (Penélope Cruz).  When she forces him aboard the “Queen Anne’s Revenge,” the ship of the legendary pirate Blackbeard (Ian McShane), Jack finds himself on an unexpected journey to the fabled Fountain of Youth.  Along the way Jack must use all his wiles to deal with the barbarous Blackbeard and his crew of zombies, Angelica, the ravishing pirate with whom he shares a dubious past, and the beautiful, enchanting mermaids whose masterful cunning can lure even the most seasoned sailor to his doom.  The international cast includes franchise vets Geoffrey Rush as the indestructible Captain Hector Barbossa and Kevin R. McNally as Captain Jack’s longtime comrade Joshamee Gibbs, plus Sam Claflin as a stalwart missionary and Astrid Bergès-Frisbey as a mysterious mermaid.

Walt Disney Pictures and Jerry Bruckheimer Films’ Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides opens in theaters May 20, 2011, in Disney Digital 3D, with screen story and screenplay by Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio, based on characters created by Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio and Stuart Beattie and Jay Wolpert, and suggested by the novel by Tim Powers.