Protect Your Phone Records
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Transcript of Protect Your Phone Records
Consumer Action Protect Your Phone Records
Protect Your
Phone Records
Consumer Action Protect Your Phone Records
Purpose of the Training
• What private, personal information can
be found in your phone records
• How to keep your personal information
safe so you won’t be victimized
• Become familiar with laws that protect
the privacy of your phone records
• What to do if your phone records are
accessed without your permission
Consumer Action Protect Your Phone Records
Objectives
• You will learn
Why someone would try to access
your phone records
Who would try to access your phone
records
How predators, crooks and loved
ones may access private information
How to protect yourself from
becoming a victim
Consumer Action Protect Your Phone Records
About Phone Records
• Phone records are an important source
of valuable information
Someone may try to access this
information without your consent for
identity theft or other harmful purposes
• Various laws and protections are in
place to keep your phone records
private
But you must take an active role in
protecting your personal data
Consumer Action Protect Your Phone Records
Phone Record Information
• Your landline phone records contain
Billing address and/or home address
Long distance or local telephone numbers
dialed from your phone
Calls billed to a calling card or credit card
Numbers from which collect calls were
accepted
Dates and lengths of calls outside your
calling area.
Consumer Action Protect Your Phone Records
Phone Record Information
• Your cellular phone records contain
The phone calls made or received by you
and other family plan members
• Your online phone account records
may contain
Contact information you provided, such as
address, home or office phone numbers
Bank or credit information, such as credit
or debit card numbers and bank account
numbers
Consumer Action Protect Your Phone Records
Phone Record Information
• Your phone company may also
keep
Birthdate
Social Security number
All telephone and Internet services to
which you subscribe
Information about your cell phone
that could be used to track the
location of the person who has it
Consumer Action Protect Your Phone Records
Who Wants Phone Records?
• Many people may want your phone records including
Con artists and identity thieves
Data brokers / salespeople
Ex-spouses or former partners
Someone who wants to sue you
Stalkers
Investigators, spies, bail bondsmen
Criminals for retaliation purposes
Consumer Action Protect Your Phone Records
Uses for Your Phone Records
• How could someone use the
information from your phone records?
Wife going through a divorce uses her
husband’s phone records to argue that he
was playing around with other women
Jealous employee obtains a co-worker’s
phone records and finds that he frequently
calls an AIDS support group. He spreads
rumors that the co-worker has AIDS.
• Other examples?
Consumer Action Protect Your Phone Records
Access to Phone Records
• Some ways to access phone
records
Pretexting (pretending to be the
account holder or someone else)
Reading another person’s bills
Accessing phone accounts online
Consumer Action Protect Your Phone Records
Pretexting
• Pretexting is using false pretenses
to obtain someone else’s personal
information
Impersonating the victim or spouse
Telling lies
Conning a company employee or
other individual
Consumer Action Protect Your Phone Records
Pretexting
• Pretexters obtain your information via
You and your neighbors, family, co-workers
• For example, “phone surveys” that ask for
information such as the family pet’s name, a
common password on accounts
Public records
• home purchases
• bankruptcy
• business start up
• marital status
Consumer Action Protect Your Phone Records
Pretexting
• Pretexting is illegal
There are laws in place to protect victims of pretexting
• Exceptions
Law enforcement • agencies such as police or the FBI, can
lawfully obtain your phone records
Phone companies • turn over customer phone records if
compelled by a subpoena or a court order
Consumer Action Protect Your Phone Records
Laws Against Pretexting
• 1999 — Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act Prohibits pretexting to obtain financial
records
• 2006 — Telephone Records and Privacy Protection Act Makes the use of pretexting to buy, sell or
obtain phone records a federal crime
• 2007 — The Federal Communications Commission Requires phone companies to use stringent
authentication measures to protect phone records
Consumer Action Protect Your Phone Records
If Your Records Are Breached
• Phone companies are required to
notify customers
Timing of the notification depends on
the circumstances of the breach and
the instructions of law enforcement
Consumer Action Protect Your Phone Records
Protecting Your Phone Records
• Ways to keep your phone records private Get an non-published number
Set up strong passwords
Limit the information you share
Inquire about information needed
Enlist family members not to divulge information
Keep phone bills and other paperwork containing personal information under lock and key
Consumer Action Protect Your Phone Records
Protecting Your Phone Records
• New FCC security measures effective at the end of 2007
• All phone companies must
Require passwords for account info • Some exceptions to passwording apply
Notification on password changes
Customer consent before releasing data
Notification if confidentiality of records is breached
Consumer Action Protect Your Phone Records
Protecting Your Phone Records
• Ask your phone company to
Deactivate the online access feature
if you don’t manage your account
online
If it’s possible to remove call details
from your phone bills
Consumer Action Protect Your Phone Records
Phone Company Responsibility
• Phone companies must
Keep records of whether customers grant permission to use their account information for marketing
Keep records of all breaches in which customer information is disclosed to third parties
Train employees in the appropriate use of customer information
continued…
Consumer Action Protect Your Phone Records
Phone Company Responsibility
…continued
Uphold marketing privacy standards
Release annual certificates that its
procedures comply with FCC rules
Inform the FCC of any legal actions
taken against data brokers
Provide a summary of the complaints
about unauthorized disclosure of
customer information
Consumer Action Protect Your Phone Records
CPNI
• Customer proprietary network information includes
services you subscribe to
whom you call
when you call
how long your calls are, etc
• Generally, the use of CPNI without customer permission is prohibited
opt out / opt in
Consumer Action Protect Your Phone Records
CPNI, Sales and Marketing
• Your phone company can use your information without your permission to Offer you enhanced services of the same
type you subscribe to
Use customer information for creating directories.
• Phone companies are prohibited from using CPNI to lure back customers who have switched to another service provider
Consumer Action Protect Your Phone Records
If You Become a Victim
• If you believe your phone records
have been stolen
Report to your phone company
Close account and open new account
Set up passwords to prevent
unauthorized access
File an incident report with police
Consumer Action Protect Your Phone Records
Protecting Your Phone Records
• Complain to the FCC
Online
• www.fcc.gov/cgb/complaints.html
• FCC - Consumer Complaints
• 445 12th Street SW
• Washington, DC 20554
Consumer Action Protect Your Phone Records
For More Information Contact
• Complain to the Federal Trade
Commission (FTC)
Phone
• 877-382-4357
Web site
• www.ftc.gov
• Consumer Response Center
• 600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
• Washington, DC 20580
Consumer Action Protect Your Phone Records
Protect Your Phone Records is a joint
educational partnership brought to you by
Consumer Action, the National Consumers
League (NCL) and Verizon
For more information:
Consumer Action: 415-777-9648
Web site: www.consumer-action.org
Email: [email protected]