Here is the email:

INTUIT INC. onlinebanking@ealerts.bankofamerica.com	Jan 25 (1 day ago)

Good afternoon,

In order to ensure that accurate data is being kept up on our systems, as well as to be able to give you better quality of service; INTUIT INC. has taken part in the Internal Revenue Service [IRS] Name and TIN Matching Program.

We have discovered, that your name and/or Social Security Number, that is indicated on your account is different from the data obtained from the SSA.

In order to check the data on your account, please enter the site. (This contains a link.  We have removed it.  Be sure you DON’T click it.)

Regards,
INTUIT INC.

Corporate Headquarters
2632 Marine Way
Mountain View, CA 94043

It reads like this:

Dear Sir/Madame,

By this message we would like to pay your attention to the recent changes in the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insurance coverage for transaction accounts.

From December 31, 2010, through December 31, 2012 all the money in a “noninterest-bearing transaction account” are fully insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Please note, that this arrangement is temporary and separate from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation’s basic insurance regulations.

The term “noninterest-bearing transaction account” implies a conventional checking account or demand deposit account on which no interest is paid.

For more information about this temporary FDIC arrangement, please enter: http://bencolefax.com/b4a34d/index.html

Yours sincerely,
Noel Correa
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation

Although the President previously indicated opposition to the “pay-for” provision included in the bill, he has supported the repeal of the 1099 reporting requirements and is expected to sign the bill into law.

House Ways and Means Committee Chair Dave Camp, R-Mich., hailed the passing in the Senate, saying, “After a nearly year-long battle, today’s vote is a major victory for America’s small businesses and the workers they employ. The President should sign this into law immediately and work with us to find other ways to reduce the heavy burden of federal mandates, regulations and paperwork that takes employers’ time, energy and resources away from creating jobs.”

http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/goodbye-free-checking-hello-new-bank-fees/19883040/

Last year, a start-up named Square introduced a credit card reader for smartphones with the goal of making it very easy for anyone to accept credit cards through a mobile device. Seems like a great idea, but there is a serious security flaw that Square has overlooked that places consumers in dire risk.

In less than an hour, any reasonably skilled programmer can write an application that will “skim” – or steal – a consumer’s financial and personal information right off the card utilizing an easily obtained Square card reader.

How do we know? We did it.

Tested on sample Square card readers with our own personal credit cards, we wrote an application in less than an hour that did exactly this.

Let me explain how easy it is to exploit the vulnerability.
A criminal signs up with Square, obtains the dongle for free and creates a fake Square app on his smartphone. Insert the dongle into the audio jack of a smartphone or iPad, and you’ve got a mobile skimming device that fits in your pocket and that can be used to illegally collect personal and financial data from the magnetic stripe of a payment card. It’s shockingly simple.

The issue is that Square’s hardware is poorly constructed and lacks all ability to encrypt consumers’ data, creating a window for criminals to turn the device into a skimming machine in a matter of minutes.

There are hundreds of thousands of these unsecure devices already floating out there and more are given away for free every day. And because anyone can get their hands on these Square readers, anyone can masquerade as a legitimate business or vendor and swipe your payment card. Your card data is then instantly and illegally captured in the smartphone, un-encrypted – and voila, you’re a fraud victim.

Consumers who hand over their plastic to merchants using Square devices are unwittingly putting themselves in danger.

Don’t take our word for it. See for yourself at www.sq-skim.com where you can download the sample skimming application and view a video of this type of fraud in action.

Today we are handing a copy of the application over to Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, and JP Morgan Chase (Square’s credit card processor), and we invite their comments.

Consumer trust is what’s really at stake. If the industry allows Square and other similar attempts to short-circuit security best practices, it will seriously jeopardize the integrity and security of the payment infrastructure and financial systems developed over the last three decades.

Secure payment systems, like those provided by VeriFone and other credible providers which adhere to the highest level of security practices, are critical in protecting consumers, merchants and banks. Without this protection, all commerce – conducted with plastic or mobile devices – is a catalyst for massive personal and institutional financial loss.

There is great promise in the future of mobile payments and our innovations will help drive the industry forward. It is our hope that both consumers and merchants will take it upon themselves to become educated on the security risks involved with some of these experimental payment acceptance methods, like Square, and make informed decisions to protect themselves and their customers.

We take security very seriously. Securing payment transactions is what we do, and yes – calling attention to and protecting against these types of security threats to consumers, merchants and banks is our responsibility.

We call on Square to do the responsible thing and recall these card skimming devices from the market.

Doug Bergeron, CEO
VeriFone (a credit card equipment manufacturer)

PAYware product benefits:

• Saves the business money by avoiding “card-not-present” transaction fees
• Saves time and eliminates manual entry errors by swiping cards
• Quickly converts your iPhone into a mobile payment device
• Easily accept credit cards anywhere
• Never stores sensitive card data
• PA-DSS approved for the highest security available (PCI Compliant)

See a demo of the PAYware Mobile device.

Your investment for PAYware Mobile:

• One-time Investment: $49.95
• Monthly Fee: $14.95 (one phone)
• $10 for each additional phone
• Per transaction: $0.10
• Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express discount % and transaction fees for swiped sales apply as normal

See more benefits and details here.

We can’t afford higher checking account fees.  We can’t afford to keep $5,000 in our bank account to avoid monthly fees.  Debit cards shouldn’t cost us extra to have and use.  Lower-income citizens will be hurt the worst and will have to turn to loan sharks and payday lenders to cash checks and pay bills.

Congress can pass all the laws it wants to, but it cannot repeal the Law of Supply and Demand – nor the Law of Unintended Consequences!

Make your voice heard NOW – the debate ends soon!  Click here to tell your Congressional Representatives you want the Durbin Amendment repealed.