PNAI Blog

The next PNAI meeting will be held on March 28, 2008, at the Tacoma Elks Lodge 174, 1965 South Union, Tacoma, Washington, 98405.  We will be in PER room.  There will be a No Host bar beginning at 6:30 p.m. A Seafood Buffet will follow at 7:00 p.m. Their Seafood Buffet is very popular. If you attended the PNAI Christmas party, you know how good the food is. 

The cost of the Seafood Buffet is $20.00 per person.  Please R.S.V.P., so we may have an accurate count for the reservation. If you decide to attend, at the last minute, we will still welcome you enthusiastically.

There will be a meeting, following the dinner, to discuss business.  After the meeting we will have a chance to get acquainted with new members and socialize. At the Christmas party Jim Cronin volunteered to be the PNAI secretary. If it were not for the committed volunteers, PNAI would cease to exist.  (Thank you Larry, Gordon, and Jim, for all that you do.  A grateful thanks to Gene, Linda, and all of you who have kept PNAI in existence.)  

I am looking forward to seeing each of you at the meeting,  and I hope that you will take time out of your busy schedule to enable us to enjoy the pleasure of your company.

Please RSVP by contacting Don Bambenek II via email:  don@bambenekinvestigations.com

Got this interesting bit of news from member Larry Walsh at Bay Side Professinal Investigations.

Good evening,

And it was also a good day as six members of NCISS (several of them proud members of INTELNET) traveled to Washington DC to meet and discuss with members of the Federal Trade Commission, specifically the Assistant Director, Division of Privacy & Identification Protection and two of her associates (all attorneys) in a continuing effort to establish a dialogue regarding the use of database services, the proper use of pretext, and continued access to social security numbers in database research by private investigators.? The consensus of the NCISS group was that our points were well taken and that the FTC privacy folks really do understand at least some of what we do and the need for access.? They also expressed a clear understanding in the different types of pretexts and even acknowledged that they (the FTC) runs stings and it is a legitimate form of investigation - as long as it is not being done in a clearly illegal manner i.e. pretexting for phone records or financial/bank information.? They also seemed more interested in our thoughts on how data can be protected against illegal access and use, rather than how to keep it out our hands.? They also understood that very little, if any, identity theft occurs from accessing databases.

All of this is important because they have been charged with providing the President with a report on identity theft, it's causes and suggestions for preventing this crime.? They have been working with several bureaucracies and expect to have their report finished by March. Further, when (and it will happen) federal privacy legislation regarding SSN's comes down the pike the FTC will most likely be the agency charged with promulgating rules and regulations.? Kudos should go out to Jimmy Mesis, Al Cavasan, Peter Psarouthakis, Nicole Bocra, our intreped legislative guru Bruce Hulme and of course our Washington representative, the always outstanding Larry Sabbath.

Finally, if you like what these folks are doing for you and the profession, please support NCISS?by joining and/or making a donation to the legislative fund.? It's less than 2 hours billing for most and well worth the investment.

Best regards,

Steve Kirby