The Illinois Personal Injury Weblog of Schaeffer & Lamere P.C.

Credit Freezes Aid Consumers

From U.S. Newswire via Yahoo! News: "More States Giving Consumers Power to Freeze Credit Files; Security Freeze Gives Consumers Powerful Protection Against ID Theft"--

After months of news about data security breaches that have put millions of consumers at risk of identity theft, an increasing number of states are enacting laws that give Americans a powerful new tool to help limit the damage of such fraud. Ten states have given consumers the right to put a security freeze on credit files so crooks can't open new accounts using stolen identities. More states are expected to follow suit and a bill extending the security freeze right to consumers nationwide has been introduced in Congress by Senator Mark Pryor.

"One of the biggest headaches that identity theft victims have to deal with is cleaning up the damage done to their credit records when crooks open new accounts in their names," said Susanna Montezemolo, Policy Analyst with Consumers Union's Financial Privacy Now campaign. "A security freeze gives consumers the ability to prevent thieves from ruining their credit records. If access to the consumer's credit files is frozen, the identity thief is stopped cold."

--Posted by T. Evan Schaeffer of the Madison County Illinois mass tort law firm of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C.

Watch Out for Stock-Related E-Mail Spam

Details here: "Consumers warned against 'pump and dump' share scams," by Nicky Burridge--

Consumers were today warned to be on their guard against unsolicited emails containing stock market tips.

Internet security group Clearswift said it had seen a 700% increase in so-called “pump-and-dump” scams over the past few weeks.

Under the scams spammers aim to spark interest in penny shares by promising huge financial rewards to investors who move quickly, often claiming to be privy to insider information, such as major new contract wins, massive projected earnings or an impending acquisition.

--Posted by Illinois personal injury attorney T. Evan Schaeffer of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C.

Griping About Rebates

From USA Today via the Detroit News: "Consumers' gripes about rebates rise," by Sandra Block--

Rebates can save you money on everything from tax software to big-screen TVs, but filing a claim frequently requires more steps than the electric slide.

Making all of the right moves is no guarantee of success. Many consumers complain that rebates take months to arrive, or never show up.

A rebate for $5 is easy to write off. But increasingly, manufacturers and retailers are offering rebates on big-ticket items valued at hundreds of dollars.

--Posted by Madison County Illinois class action attorney T. Evan Schaeffer of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C.

The Citizen's Utility Board

The Citizen's Utility Board describes itself as a "nonprofit, nonpartisian organization that represents the interests of residential-utility customers of Illinois." Its website contains variety of information about phone companies and other utilities that might be useful to Illinois residents. Check it out.

--Posted by Illinois personal injury attorney T. Evan Schaeffer of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C.

Toxins in Breast Milk?

From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "Breast milk toxin study troubles nursings moms," by Sara Shipley--

A growing number of studies have found industrial chemicals in human breast milk. Dioxin, PCBs, flame retardants and pesticides such as DDT tend to concentrate in the rich, fatty fluid, giving vulnerable infants a dose of chemicals associated with cancer and hormone malfunction. Mercury and lead, two potent neurotoxins, also can pass through breast milk.

Public health officials worldwide say that the benefits of breast-feeding still far outweigh concerns about pollution, and that antibodies passed from mother to child may help counteract the toxins' detrimental effects.

"The bottom line is, mothers are never encouraged to stop breast-feeding," said Katy Lebbing, who manages the breast-feeding information center at LaLeche League International, based in Schaumburg, Ill. "All these researchers are trying to say is, we live in a contaminated world and we need to clean it up."

--Posted by Illinois personal injury attorney T. Evan Schaeffer of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C.

Wanted: Stronger Laws Against Identify Theft

From the San Francisco Chronicle: "Call for new law on ID theft," by Verne Kopytoff--

Consumer groups called for new legislation Tuesday to protect the public from identity theft, a problem that has gained a high profile recently after major security breaches at Bank of America and ChoicePoint Inc.

The proposals would create federal security standards for firms that sell such personal data as Social Security numbers and driving records. They would also give consumers more tools to protect themselves after their information is stolen.

--Posted by Illinois personal injury attorney T. Evan Schaeffer of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C.

Get Your Free Credit Report

Find out how in this article from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "How's your credit? Soon you can find out for free," by Michael D. Sorkin.

--Posted by Illinois personal injury attorney T. Evan Schaeffer of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C.

U.S. Jobless Claims on the Rise

From Reuters: "Jobless Claims Rise More Than Expected"--

The number of new claims for U.S. jobless benefits climbed more than expected to 312,000 last week, government data showed on Thursday, while a more reliable job market gauge fell to its lowest level in more than four years.

Initial claims for state unemployment insurance rose by 9,000 in the week ended Feb. 19, from an upwardly revised 303,000 the prior week, the Labor Department (news - web sites) said.

The number of claims came in well above the 305,000 Wall Street economists had forecast.

--Posted by Illinois personal injury attorney T. Evan Schaeffer of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C.

About Those Annoying Drug Ads

From RedNova News: "Drug Ads Pitched to Consumers Could Be Limited"--

A Food and Drug Administration advisory panel's recommendation to ban drug makers from marketing certain pain medicines directly to consumers could be the first step toward limiting a lucrative privilege the government granted the drug industry eight years ago.

The FDA's 1997 decision to make it easier drug companies to tailor commercials for the general public opened up the advertising floodgates--especially on nightly television--and is now blamed, in part, for skyrocketing health-care costs during the past several years.

In a stingy rebuke, advisors to the FDA last week asked the agency to ban direct-to-consumer ads for Cox-2 drugs, which had been among the top promoted drugs in the U.S. before Merck & Co. pulled Vioxx from the market Sept. 30 and Pfizer Inc. suspended ads for Celebrex in December. The drug makers' decisions came in the wake of revelations about increased risks for heart attack and stroke for both drugs.

--Posted by Illinois personal injury attorney T. Evan Schaeffer of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C.

Group Opposes Caps

From the Belleville News-Democrat: "New group opposes caps on awards," by Brian Brueggemann--

A new group jumped Thursday into the fray over whether there should be a cap on how much a jury can award to a victim of medical malpractice.

Mark Fraley, a new worker for the New York-based Center For Justice & Democracy, said he will be working out of a Chicago office for the organization, which opposes limits on lawsuits. Fraley held a news conference in Edwardsville to announce he is forming Patients for Justice, which he said will consist of Illinoisans who have been affected by medical malpractice.

--Posted by Illinois workers' compensation attorney T. Evan Schaeffer of Schaeffer & Lamere, P.C.