Hip Young Things

When you set out to secure your home and valuables against thieves, you’ll probably look into two major purchases, an alarm system and a safe. But did you realize that buying a safe can be as complicated as buying a car? There are so many different types of safes to choose from that it will really come down to balancing what you need to secure against what your budget for the purchase is.

The variety of home safes available really is staggering. First you need to identify the general type and size of safe you’ll need. Gun safes are very different from safes designed to store jewelry or money. Large collections and artwork will require a bigger safe than watches or foreign currency. There are even safes that are designed to store documents and digital files such as computer DVDs and hard drives.

Once you know the type of safe, you’re only halfway done. All safes are rated for both theft and fire protection. Many are designed to protect against one or the other, but not both. It’s therefore important to determine which is the greater threat to whatever you are trying to secure. There are safes that rate high for both threats, but they are going to be more expensive. You also don’t want to forget, when choosing the exact safe for your home, where it’s going to be installed, as floor safes, wall safes, and stand alone safes require different hardware and installation steps.

In today’s world of business and international transactions, the importance of the ‘know your customer’ concept is becoming increasingly important.  Corruption has been addressed and combated throughout history, and with the advances made in the world of technology, this has become an element that companies must not overlook, and must continue to educate themselves about.  This involves the thorough practice of due diligence, by all members of the workforce.  This has become standard practice for the financial institutions, not only in the United States but throughout the entire world.  Clients, their intentions, and their actions must be identified.

This is in large part due the last few decades of the rise in terrorist activities and in the continued growth in the various ways to go about conducting the crimes of money laundering, bribery and extortion.  This has been an issue throughout history, but was brought to the forefront following the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center.  Agencies that provide anti-corruption services have been extremely successful in the years that have followed 9/11, but unfortunately this has served to give those involved in the criminal activities motivation to go further underground with their subversive actions.

As a result, the discovery and investigation of such crimes committed by individuals and organizations has found it necessary to become wise to the ways of the wicked, or in other words, they must become more sophisticated and knowledgeable.  The reason the know your customer policy is so important is simple and straight forward.  Any individual or institution found to be connected in any way to the financing of terrorist cells, is held just as liable and just as accountable in the eyes of the federal laws and statues, and subject to the same consequences, penalties and punishment.  This has become not only a matter of national security, but a matter of the security and safety of all humankind.

The Gramm-Leachy Bleley Act or the GLBA was passed ten years ago, in 1999 by the United States Senate.  This was an act that was created in order to facilitate a reform of financial institutions and the services in which they provide.  This was the brainchild of the Texas Senator, Phil Gramm.  Gramm set out to ensure that the services that were, and now are, being offered by the banking industry had a framework, a regulatory compliance guideline, from which to work.

This act extends to the firms and other financial providers along with the business conducted by the banks themselves.  The goal was to modernize the world of financial transactions and services and to put and end to the merger of insurance companies, banks and stock broker firms.  The removal of the policies and the regulations was considered risky, in that the availability of customers personal information would now become available to new institutions without the restrictions that protect the use of that information.  It is noted that the Act does not specifically reference the requirements placed upon the financial institutions of the protection and the privacy of the information of their customers, there were three different provisions regarding the issue of privacy.

Federal agencies where given authority to enforce and to administer the provisions of the Safeguards Rule and the Financial Privacy Rule.  These two rules applied to the securities firms, to the banks and insurances companies that provide services or product to consumers.  Services included are the preparation of taxreturns, the servicing of loans, and the counseling or advice provided by such institutions regarding credit issues.  The CEOs of the institutions are held accountable for the misuse of personal information and can be charged and prosecuted should that misuse of the information occur.  The institutions are also held responsible and face penalties and fines for the leakage or distribution of the personal records of their customers and clients.

The U.S. Patriot Act was signed into law along with the Executive Order 13224, both of which grant new means and tools to enforcement agencies which are intended to assist in the combat against terrorism.  The law holds the financial institutions to responsibilities that they did not have previously.  Banks and financial institutions world wide are now required to monitor new and pre-existing accounts and clients, and they must share information they learn about their clients with other financial institutions as well as with the United States Government.  Transactions are forbidden with shell banks.  Shell banks are institutions that are not physical institutions.  Some shell banks are under the provision of banks that do exist physically in the United States, this is the only exception.  Foreign banks must also comply to the rules and regulations of the U.S. Patriot Act.  All companies that dedicate themselves to the end of corruption, money laundering and terrorist financing are subject to the laws as well.

The United States government has also addressed these concerns by initiating the creation of task forces and new law enforcement agencies.  Operation Green Quest is one such development.  OGQ operates under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Treasury Department.  The Secret Service, the IRS, FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, and the U.S. Customs Service are all encompassed within the collective fight against crimes involving financial institutions.  Together hundreds of arrests have been made.  The Terrorism Financial Group has also become responsible for the identification, the investigation, and the prosecution of terrorist cells, dismantling and disrupting their activities.  These groups have worked together and with organizations from other countries in the combined effort to interrupt the flow of funds to those intending to do harm not only to the citizens of the United States, but to the citizens of the countries world wide.

According to law enforcement statistics, an average thief will not spend too much time trying to break into a house, up to five minutes perhaps, before moving on to the next location.  The main consideration is in the door locks.  A secure lock will give a burglar pause, to wonder just how worth it, it is to risk taking the time and the possible chance of getting caught in the act.  According to statistics and facts, most burglaries occur during the daylight hours, when many people are at work.  However, even though most are at work during these times, not everyone is, so the thief must practice effective time management in order to get in and get out without raising suspicion.

There are many steps one may take to create a more secure home.  For starters, the moment one moves into a new home or apartment, one should most definitely change the existing door locks, and even consider putting locks on the the windows.  Dead bolts are hands down, the best options for locks on the doors.  As gaining access to a house without dead bolts involves a hammer…the removal of the door handle.  That’s it.  A dead bolt however, secures the door to the frame and is much tougher to hammer through, if not impossible, in a short five minutes.  A reputable locksmith can offer many suggestions on how to secure windows and doors.

When leaving for vacation, it is best to take measures that will fool would be thieves into believing that the house is indeed occupied.  Lowering the ringer on the telephone is good, having your calls forwarded to you is even better, as some well seasoned burglars will call to ascertain whether or not someone is home before breaking in.  Have a neighbor collect the mail and the newspapers, as those items piling up in the mail box or on the driveway are also visible indicators.  And perhaps even have that neighbor, use your garbage and recycling bins, this again, will give the illusion that people are at home.  Many systems are available now at the hardware stores such as Home Depot or Lowes, that will open and close curtains and blinds set to a timer, simple steps taken to ensure that ones vacation does not leave one worrying about their home and their valuable possessions.