Michael Giambrone - LegalShield Independent Associate

05/26/2025

05/10/2025

*** ID Theft Alert ***

Cell Phone S.I.M. Card Swapping

This Is a new sophisticated cybercrime that includes identity theft and fraud.
I have heard of this happening twoce this past week and once to a close friend.

Hackers virtually gain access to your bank account, credit card numbers and other personal data. It is tough to spot and even tougher to stop due to the speed at which they cause damage.

It starts with your phone going dead. It powers up but none of your applications work or the phone.

What happens is the hackers virtually change out your SIM card and take over access to all your accounts.

The hackers know that speed is everything so before you start making inquries they are making purchases and requesting new cards and higher limits.

Your email accounts are then flooded with tons of spam emails covering up email confirmations of passwords being changed and raising credit limit requests. Moneys being transferred via Venmo and more.

If you start having similar issues with your phone as describeded above take the following actions immediately:

- LOCK DOWN ALL BANK ACCOUNTS
- LET THE BANKS / CREDIT CARD CO’s KNOW NOT TO HONOR REQUESTS FOR NEW CARDS
- LET THEM KNOW NOT TO INCREASE ANY CREDIT LIMITS
- DOUBLE ENCRYPT PASSWORDS & LOGINS
- CHANGE PASSWORDS TO ALL EMAIL ACCOUNTS

LegalShield makes getting legal advice & services easy & affordable with legal plans for you, your family & your small business. Get protected today!

03/17/2024

Happy St Patrick’s Day! Don't rely on luck alone when it comes to your legal matters!

08/26/2023

🗣why do business owners need affordable legal help?

When my hard money lender decided to accelerate a loan, I was taken by surprise. I had been a perfect customer for approximately 3 years. The change happened because the hard money lender was bought out while my loan was being accelerated. I had not defaulted on my loan, yet the new owner contacted me, threatening to take aggressive actions to acquire my commercial property.

Unfortunately he discovered that my property was actually worth four times more than the loan amount.

At that point, I reached out to my assigned law firm in Texas through the LegalShield Small Business Plan. The attorney promptly took action and initiated contact with the lender's attorney. Through a series of well-crafted letters, my attorney effectively demonstrated that I had not defaulted on the loan. As a result, all excess charges and legal fees were removed. The loan was paused.

Despite this, the lender persisted and went ahead with serving me an unlawful foreclosure notice. In response, my attorney assisted me in filing a lawsuit against the lender. My attorney charged me for an equivalent of 3 hrs with a 25% discount per hour.

The great outcome, I'm thrilled to share that just two days ago, I received a notification from my attorney which declared I had received a complete pardon for the entire loan. I do not know the law. Yet my attorney does. What are the odds of this outcome? The savings are unquestionably incredible.

I attribute this successful outcome to the diligent efforts of my dedicated attorney.

Proud Member of LegalShield's Small Business Plan

08/18/2023

Almost 50,000 Wills are prepared by our provider law firms each year for LegalShield members. And it’s all included with your monthly membership.

Creating a will can be easy as 1,2,3.
1. Fill out the Will questionnaire in your LegalShield app

2. Consult with one of our estate plan attorneys

3. Have your Will completed and notarized.

If you have assets over $500K then Living trusts are available at a 25% discount and typically cost around $2,000

08/15/2023

A couple of years ago I had an irrigation problem and asked my landscaper to fix it. He said ‘No problem’. Then one of his guys broke my water valve and lied about doing it. Big problem. When I called about it my landscapers wife got nasty with me on the phone and said it didn’t happen. That’s when I called my LegalShield attorney.
I got a plumber to fix my valve and sent the bill with a carefully worded message from my attorney to my landscaper. Yada, Yada, Yada, we got a check in the mail for $350.
Thankyou LegalShield.
I love it when you have my back.

07/09/2023

Nothing is 100% but, when things go sideways - you can get mad or you can get LegalShield.

I just received a check for over $570 in the mail yesterday from an airline that stranded me in Charlotte, NC for 2 days and said their “policy” was not to do anything for me. My attorney wrote a letter on my behalf which resulted in a phone call and apology from the airline’s executive office - and reimbursement for the hotel and additional taxi fares! I’m happy!😊
- Susan O., LegalShield Member

06/01/2023

Real LegalShield people with real LS stories:

Mike, hope you’re well my friend. I wanted to share a praise report with you. Our oldest son Andrew figured out my Apple ID password and used it to buy $4800 worth of Robux on his iPad without permission. Long story but he didn’t fully understand he was stealing money from us. Anyhow, dozens of phones calls to Apple and the bank, and we got LegalShield involved. Everything I’ve read and everybody I’ve spoken to says that Apple NEVER gives money back in these situations. Today I received this letter (letter from Apple to attorney saying here is a full refund!!!!). Praise the Lord, ALL glory to Him! Thank you for Legalshield as well. Feel free to use this story. ~ Brett

04/10/2023

“A young man still on his parent's LegalShield plan was an architecture student renting an old high-ceiling loft apartment in Cleveland for a year while going to school.

Within the rules of his lease was that nothing could be hung or attached to the walls. So, the student built a free-standing loft system that turned his 1 floor into 2, providing living and study space below with sleeping space above. Upon graduation, the student was accepted into a graduate school in Boston, so he planned to end the lease and move. The landlord said he must leave the structure, and threatened to withhold his deposit if he didn't.

The student contacted our firm for advice and consultation, since his parents live in PA and are the primary members of the plan he is listed as a dependent on. While attorneys in our PA firm didn't believe the landlord could get away with his actions, we don't practice law in Ohio, so we referred the student/renter to the Ohio Provider Law Firm. A lawyer from the OH firm reviewed the lease agreement and determined the student was within his rights to dismantle the loft system he built and take it to Boston, so he did. The OH Provider firm sent a letter to the landlord in Cleveland, who immediately changed his tune, giving the student back his full deposit.

About a month later, when he found a loft to rent in Boston, the student contacted our PA firm again for review of his lease before moving in, and this time we referred him to the MA Provider Firm for the contract review.

This young man had the power of 3 top law firms on his side and it cost nothing, as all benefits provided were covered under his parents' subscription."

-- Shared by LegalShield's PA Provider Law Firm

03/28/2023

Sometimes life goes from annoying to infuriating in :30 seconds. That’s when you’ll be glad you have LegalShield !

03/28/2023

Another Great Member testimonial;

" I bought my 3rd Tesla 3 months ago and only had the temporary paper tags in the window. Those were good for only 1 month. I waited 3 months now and still no license plates. Every time I called Tesla, they said they couldn't find the $4500.50 deposit I paid them online, and couldn't send the plates until I paid the money. I sent them screenshots of my bank account along with 2 certified and notarized letters from the bank verifying that I did send the money. But still no plates. Last week Tesla emailed me letting me know they were going to repossess my car. I called my Law Firm who sent them this email this morning. Amazingly how in under an hour, they found my money and responded to my Law Firm that they were overnighting my license plates to me. Still think you have never needed an attorney?"

- D. Hall, UT

02/27/2023

‘Get your affairs in order’

We have all heard it but, what does it mean? Well, I’ll tell you what - it means more today than ever before.

We all have a date on the calendar,
No one is getting out of this alive.

So take a minute and check this out.

I learned a lot from my members who have gone through this and also from personal experience with my family.

I learned more about the documents below than I ever wanted to know.

Don’t think of it as morbid, think of it as smart business decisions.

The documents below are just a start. They’re also not near as expensive to have completed as one would think.

If you have a LegalShield plan then they are all included at no additional charge.

Important things I’ve learned and would encourage all of my friends over age 50 to do ASAP:

- Make sure all bank accounts have direct beneficiaries. The beneficiary need only go to the bank with your death certificate and an ID of their own.

- TOD = Transfer On Death deed if you own a home. Completing this document and filing it with your county saves your heirs THOUSANDS. This document allows you to transfer ownership of your home to your designee. All they need to do is take their ID and your death certificate to the county building and the deed is signed over. Doing this will avoid the home having to go through probate.

- Living Will: Allows one to put in writing exactly what you want done in the event you cannot speak for yourself when it comes to healthcare decisions

- Durable Power of Attorney: Allows one to designate a person to make legal decisions if one is no longer competent to do so.

- Power of Attorney for Healthcare: This document allows one to designate someone to make healthcare decisions for their person.

- Last Will and Testament: Designates to whom personal belongings will go too.

- Funeral Planning Declaration: allows one to say exactly one’s wishes as far as disposition of the body and the services.

- If the above documents are done, at least in MI and Indiana, you can AVOID probate. If all the above is not done, you have to open an estate account at the bank. All money that doesn’t have direct beneficiaries goes into this account. You have to have an attorney to open the estate account. The attorney also has to publicize your passing in the paper etc., to allow anyone to make a claim on your property. - It’s a complete PAIN.

- Make a list of all banks and account numbers, all investment institutions with account numbers, lists of credit cards, utility accounts, etc. Leave clear instructions as to how and when these things are paid. Make sure heirs knows where life insurance policies are located.

- Make 100% sure SOMEONE knows your Apple ID, bank ID account logins and passwords!!!! (Mom had a little binder with all of this! )

- Make sure you have titles for all vehicles, campers, etc!

- MOST IMPORTANTLY!!!! - Talk with those closest to you and make all your wishes KNOWN. Talk to those whom you’ve designated, as well as those close to you whom you did not designate. - Do this to explain why your decisions were made and to avoid any lingering questions or hurt feelings.

Hope this helps! Hope this lights a spark to encourage all my friends and family to take care of these things to make it easier for those we’ll leave behind!

*** I am NOT an attorney. The above is all simply lessons that I’ve learned being a LegalShield associate for the last 14 years and my own experience.

Of course only you can make decisions for yourself! My hope is that the above list at least helps you start an important conversation with your loved ones and an attorney that can help you complete all the necessary steps. ***

Remember laws pertaining to estate planning vary from state to state so consult with your attorney or LegalShield provider law firm.