Identity Theft - Identity Theft Stories, Id Theft Assistance, Id Theft articles

Tag …Your the Next Idenity Thieft Victim

2011-10-05T04:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was listening to the Michael Baisden show where the topic of the hour was Identity theft. This is not the first time that this was discussed on the show. I don’t remember who the topic guest was, as I was in the car, but the information, testimonies and methods used to get, sell and use your identity should make everyone prepared to guard their identity.

Last year I received a phone call in my office, from Jamaica, and the caller proceeded to tell me that I had won a million dollars in their lottery. At first I thought this was like the Canadian lottery or UK Lottery scams until they started validating my personal information. Remember they called me at work, they also knew my full name, social security number, address, and birthday. I didn’t tell them anything, I just listened. I told them that they had the wrong social security number and had the wrong person, but it did make me want to check by credit report to see what if anything had been done. Had I become a victim if Identity thieft?

Identity theft affects millions of Americans every year, and no one is immune to the possibility of becoming a victim of identity theft. According to the Today Show and MSNBC 1 in 12 Americans will become victims of identity theft. If you had a chance to see NBC’s Dateline episode on “To Catch and ID Thief” it gave some great information on Identity theft. If you’ve ever seen the Michelle Brown Story on Lifetime, you can also get a glimpse of the nightmare your life can become once you’ve been a victim.

How do you know you’re a victim?

Your identity can be stolen by dumpster divers who are obtaining your bank statements, credit card applications or statements, checks from your trash or mail, purse or wallet, or getting your debit card number from a corporate database. Your information can also be stolen by employees of business where you used your cards, or from old company computers that were thrown out that were thought to have been wiped. Once an identity thief has this information, they can wreck your name. Since the crime may take days, weeks or even months before you noticed what happened, it’s easy for the criminal to commit several crimes before you’ve realized what occurred. Bills are run up in your name, your credit gets trashed, and you have to argue with those idiot bill collectors over money that you haven’t even spent. Just about every aspect of your life becomes an open book, and it’s a long and painful process to fix everything. If you are unfortunate enough to become the victim of identity theft, you will undoubtedly spend many, many hours trying to clear your name and remedy the situation

How many news stories have you seen on the news where some databases, like TD Ameritrade, TJ MAXX, Monster.com, and T-M0bile were stolen or hacked into and their customers personal information has been compromised!! This is one of the reasons why Massachusetts has enacted a Data Privacy Law, which I hope is going to propagate across the nation to help secure personal information of customers and clients. However, thieves are very resourceful.

Identity Theft doesn’t have to happen on a large scale like that the TJ MAXX incident. Many thefts occur because a close friend or even a family member who is bad with money will steal the information of someone they know so they can get a cell phone, a car, a house, open a bank account or even gamble online. This includes their friends, their relatives, or even their own children. Identity Theft is spinning out of control and is becoming a fast growing international crime. Data breaches, internet fraud and email scams are occurring on a daily basis, not to mention the risk from people you know or do business with. Thieves could be stealing your personal information to not only establish credit, but use it for employment, insurance, benefits and social security fraud. This crime leaves your credit history in a mess and it can you take years to rebuild it.

Here are some of the indicators that you may have become a victim.
A call from a collection agency about a an account you don’t have.
Bank and billing statements don’t arrive on time.
Checks have disappeared from your checkbook.
Your credit report shows accounts you didn’t open.
A bill from a credit account you didn’t open.
Unauthorized charges on your debit, long distance or bank accounts.
You are turned down for a loan, mortgage or other forms of credit because of unauthorized debts on your credit report.

What do you do if you’ve become an identity theft victim
File a report with your local police department and keep a copy of the report for your personal records.

Obtain a FREE copy of your credit report and look for any suspicious activity. By Federal law you are allowed to get 1 free one from each of the major services each year.
Report any suspicious charges and accounts to the appropriate credit card issuers and credit bureaus immediately via the phone and in writing. Cancel the accounts.

If your purse or wallet is stolen, cancel all cards immediately and get replacements. Also, put a “stop payment” on all lost or stolen cards.

Contact the three main credit reporting companies (see list below) to put a fraud victim alert on your credit report. The three main credit reporting bureaus are Equifax, Experian, and Trans Union. You can report fraud or get a copy of your credit report by reaching one of these companies. Once you report to one bureau, the other two agencies will be sent the report. A fraud alert will be put on your account by each company and you will be sent a copy of your credit report.
How can you reduct your chances of becoming a victim?

During the Michael Baisden show they were plugging the company Lifelock. You know that commercial with Todd Davis having this social security number 457-55-5462 on a truck and daring thieves to steal is identity. So they did! According to various news articles and the Today Show, Todd has had his identity stolen a few times while even with LifeLock. You can google this story to get the facts, and make up your own mind. If you want to know if you should do business with any company type thata company’s name and the words complaints, lawsuits, and scams into a search engine like Google or Yahoo and evaluate the results. There is actually a class action suit against Lifelock because of some of the things they do. My best advice is to do research on any company or person who are going to do business with or allow to take care of your kids. Personally I won’t use Lifelock, but I guess it’s better than nothing. According to the Federal Trade Commission, nearly 10 million Americans fell victim to identity theft last year, at an average cost of $5,000 per victim. However, two-thirds of victims who discovered the misuse of their personal information within five months incurred no out-of-pocket expenses, other than the one they paid for having some type of protection service.

There are also those credit monitoring service such as TrustedID, IDWatchDog, and Identity Guard, just to name a few, that you can pay to help protect you. It used to be that was all these services did was to monitor your credit report and alert you to weird items. The rest was up to you. So if it happens that your identity was stolen, they let you know about items that appear on your credit report, but it was up to you to go from there and clean up the mess. Many of these services are now beginning to offer more than just monitoring services. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission says it takes 12 months, on average, for a victim of identity theft to notice the crime. A credit monitoring service will alert you, usually daily or weekly, to changes in your credit – helping you to stop the theft before it gets out of control.

Needless to say becoming an identity theft victim happen to you can wreak havoc on your life and taking steps to protect yourself from becoming their next victim has become a necessity. I personally wouldn’t spend a dime on those on fraud alert or credit monitoring programs that only focus on credit related risks. But as I said those services are better than nothing. Identity theft insurance is one particular product that companies have begun to offer consumers in response to the growing threat of identity theft. There are companies such as Zander, Allstate, and State farm that offer Identity theft Insurance that offer great programs that covers all types of identity theft and they take over all the work and pay your expenses if you are a victim. As always do your homework and research on what protection and services the various companies offer before you invest a dime your money.

Here are some other things you can do, to minimize being an identity theft victim
Use cash for your transactions as much as possible (it also helps control your level of debt)
Never carry your Social Security Card

SHRED, any document that has account numbers, your address, your social security number on it including old checks (older than seven years)

Use locking filing cabinets for your financial paperwork, or keep such papers in a secure place
Password protect your computer and encrypt any financial files.
Protect your computer data

Change ALL OF passwords every six months.
Don’t give anyone (including family) your credit/debit cards or PINs.
Get a firewall program, a privacy filter and encrypt the data on your computer and laptop.
Lock your computer (screen saver) when your away from it.

Get new Credit Card or Debit Cards every 18 months. Just tell the issuing bank you’ve lost the old one. After all they really want to keep you using their service.
Be cautious who you ask to house sit or pick up your mail, you can even get a mail box alarm to let you know when the mail arrives, or over just get a PO Box if you can invest the time and money.

Monitor your accounts online if use programs like Money or Quicken, you can sync all your account with your computer so you can monitor all the accounts in one shot on a regular basis.
Pull your credit reports every fur months. Since your allowed 1 Free one from each of the three major agencies, just pull a different one every 4 months. Put a reminder on your calendar.Credit Reporting Agencies:

Equifax
800-525-6285 www.equifax.com
Experian
888-397-3742 www.experian.com
TransUnion
1-800-680-7289 www.transunion.com
Free Credit Report https://www.annualcreditreport.com (They are FREE by Federal Law)

Author's Bio:

Victor Swindell is the owner of PepperEyes.com, a division of Swindell Enterprises. PepperEyes.com is dedicated to assist those people who are unwilling to become a victim and are taking responsibility to protect themselves, their cars, or their possessions with our pepper spray, stun guns, and other personal protection products.

Protect Your Identity: Dumpster Divers And Trash Pickers Steal Identities

2011-10-04T04:54:00.000-07:00

What do incoming mail and outgoing trash have in common? Both are attractive to the identity thieves. Mail scams happen all the time; your trash is also a great risk to your identity.
One of the most notorious cases of identity theft prosecuted was a case of dumpster diving. Dumpster diving is when someone goes through other people’s trash looking for items they can use or sell.

In most cases, the dumpsterdiver is looking for clothing or household items, discarded by others, but useful to them. Some are even looking for food. Most dumpster divers are harmless; some are homeless and the items they’re looking for are necessary to their survival.

Then there are the dumpster divers who are desperate; they’re hooked on drugs and looking for whatever they can find to sell and finance their next fix. Back in the 1990’s, Stephen Massey leader of an identity theft ring, meth addict and dumpster diver, stumbled upon the idea of stealing identities when he found barrels of recycled paper in a dump. These barrels contained everything he needed including names, addresses, birth dates and social security numbers.
Massey and his partner were caught and imprisoned in the year 2000. This case led to certain legislative acts forcing corporations and businesses to handle personal information more responsibly. Many use paper shredding services to dispose of paper containing personal and confidential information on their customers.

Corporations and business handling personal information with care is good, but people need to do this at home as well. Dumpster divers also go through trashcans; many have the trash pick-up routes down pat and their own schedules as to when they’ll be in each neighborhood.
Office supply stores sell small paper shredders for homeowners as well as larger, commercial grade shredders for businesses. Very soon, paper shredders will be as common of a household item as the microwave oven.

People should be using care when throwing out junk mail, especially those annoying pre-approved credit card and mortgage loan letters which many people just throw out without opening. These are a great commodity to the identity thief; just what they need to get started in business.
In addition to identity theft, dumpster divers also pose a liability risk to business owners who have dumpsters. Most dumpster rental services provide dumpsters that can be locked at night.
This article was written by Sherman Rogers of All-waste, LLC, a dumpster rental company who provides dumpster delivery service and same-day dumpster pick-up service to residential, commercial, retail and industrial customers. Sherman has the size, shape and competitive priced dumpster for any size job. Other services include container service, trash pick-up, hauling rubble, waste removal and delivery of landscaping supplies including mulch, sod, top-soil, crush aggregate and more.

Contact:

ALL WASTE, LLC
4751 22 Mile Road
Shelby Township, MI 48317-1515
Hours: 8:00am - 5:00pm Eastern Time
Monday - Friday (Excluding U.S. holidays)
Phone: 877-524-1002 Fax: 586-254-9936
Web site: http://thegarbageman.com/
Email: sherman@all-waste.com

All Waste services Southeast Michigan, including the following counties and cities:
Oakland County

--Addison Township, Auburn Hills, Berkley, Beverly Hills, Bingham Farms, Birmingham, Bloomfield Township, Clawson, Commerce Township, Farmington, Farmington Hills, Ferndale, Franklin, Hazel Park, Highland Township, Holly, Holly Township, Huntington Woods, Independence Township, Keego Harbor, Lathrup Village, Lyon Township, Madison Heights, Milford, Milford Township, Northville, Novi, Oak Park, Oakland Township, Orchard Lake, Orion Township, Oxford Township, Pleasant Ridge, Pontiac, Rochester, Rochester Hills, Royal Oak,
Southfield, South Lyon, Troy, Walled Lake, Waterford Township, West Bloomfield Township, White Lake Township, Wixom

Wayne County
--Belleville, Brownstown Township, Canton Township, Dearborn, Dearborn
Heights, Grosse Pointe Shores, Grosse Pointe Woods, Hamtramck, Inkster, Livonia, Northville Township, Plymouth, Redford Township, Riverview, Romulus, Taylor, Trenton, Wayne,
Westland, Wyandotte.

Washtenaw County:
Ann Arbor, Bridgewater, Chelsea, Dexter, Manchester, Salem, Saline,
Superior Township, Whitmore Lake, Whittaker, Willis, and Ypsilanti
Livingston County: Brighton City, Cohoctah Township, Deerfield Township, Green Oak Township, Handy Township, Howell City, Iosco Township, Village of Fowlerville, Brighton Township, Conway Township, Genoa Township, Hamburg Township, Hartland Township, Howell Township, Marion Township, Putnam Township, Unadilla Township, Village of Pinckney

Author's Bio:

All-waste, LLC was formed to provide our customers with an honest company with professional services at fair and competitive prices. We pride ourselves with our quality service and timely delivery.All-waste services the greater metropolitan Detroit area, providing rubbish and trash removal from construction, industrial, commercial and residential sites, including shopping centers, malls and restaurants.

Consumer Beware... Identity Theft Tools & Techniques

2011-10-03T04:53:00.000-07:00

Identity theft is very quickly becoming the crime of choice for thousands of criminals worldwide. With online Internet access to just about any kind of database you want becoming easier and easier to acquire, the crime of Identity Theft is becoming so easy, a child could do it, if they are even mildly adept at using a computer.

So how does identity theft occur? Below are some of the ways you can become a victim

Identity Theft From The Dead:

The goal here is to scour through newspapers obituary columns to find out who has died lately. Then once you get a list of the dearly departed and their addresses, you go over to their homes and grab any mail that is laying around. Some of the items used in identity theft are bank statements, credit card receipts, tax bills, and utility bills. They will even go through the garbage looking for anything that will help the perpetrators with the identity theft

This may take a few days maybe up to a month, but you can be sure that many of the dearly departed’s loved ones are to traumatized & busy with other details to stop credit card bills and invoices from creditors from being sent out.

Another way to exploit those who have left this earth, is to make an appointment with a realtor to view the property of the newly deceased. Once inside, the thieves will go through the house looking for mail, invoices, even ID that may still be in the house, literally anything that will help the crooks with the identity theft of your loved on. Scotland just had over 7000 dead identity theft victims in a recent crime spree perpetrated by Scottish gangs.

Statistics say that around 30 percent of all ID thefts occur by stealing the identity of a dead person.

High Tech Identity Theft:

One of the laziest ways to perpetrate identity theft, is to place a computer recording device on a victims computer. Once this type of spy software is installed, it will capture and record ALL computer activity... everything from passwords, banking information & credit card numbers, to private emails & chat conversations.

The spy software will then relay this information over the Internet directly into the identity theft criminals email account. The nice thing for the crooks who operate this way is, they just let the victims emails pile up in an free untraceable email account, and then maybe once a month use an email parser to scan these emails for the information they need to get your money.This can be a totally automated process.The spy software is easy to buy off the Internet. There are over 500 types of this spy software commercially available to anyone who want to buy it.

Identity Theft Through Mail.

If the crook can get hold of your mail they will easily be able pull off and identity theft on you, and spoof a lending institution into granting a bank account to the scammers. They will simply take a leisurely drive through the country in the guise of delivering handbills to mailboxes. While they are at these country mailboxes they will pilfer your mail, Many of us aren’t waiting for our bills with baited breath, so it can be a couple of months until we realize we haven’t received our bills. By that time the identity theft has occurred and the crooks are long gone.

The other simpler way to get your mail is to put in a change of address to the post office and re route your mail to the identity thieves new post box. This is a common practice, and if you are on vacation you will be none the wiser.

Identity Theft Through Forged ID:

These tools are a bit more high tech an require some computer skill, but nevertheless many identity theft has been perpetrated by generating social security cards, drivers licenses & birth certificates. The software to do this can be acquired online freely if you know your way around. All that’s required for this type of identity theft is a computer a printer and a software to tell the computer how to do what you want.

Identity Theft Through Shopping.

Have you ever been to a restaurant and paid with your credit card? Do you follow the waiter to the cash register and watch him as he runs your card through? It’s very simple to grab your credit card numbers including your expiry date and the 3 or 4 digit security code on the back of your card. Then all the crook has to do to make you a victim of identity theft, is wait a few weeks and then go on an online shopping spree, using your stolen credit card information. It will be very unlikely that you will be able to sort out which retail outlet your card numbers were stolen from. This type of identity theft is extremely easy to pull off.

About the Author

No Data Club is an informative Data site that looks into all aspects of Data from Recovery to Acquiring. To find out more visit Data

Article Directory Source: http://www.articlerich.com/profile/John-Pawlett/1858

One Bad Headline Can Be Costly. Are You At Risk?

2011-10-02T04:51:00.000-07:00

Ominous headlines continue to enlighten, inform and alert us to the ever growing presence of data breaches, which can bring an identity theft into our lives at any time. As criminals continue to find ingenious ways to steal from us whatever they can, including the thing we most take for granted- our own identities–it becomes ever more apparent that our best defense is knowledge and awareness. Whether you are an employee or the owner of a business that stores sensitive information, you need to take precautionary steps to protect that information for all our sakes.

On June 1, 2005, a new provision of FACTA (Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act) went into effect. It says that any employer, whose action or inaction results in the loss of employee information, can be fined by federal and state government, and sued in civil court. As an employer –what this means, is that even if you take precautionary steps to insure the safety of your past, current, and future employees’ identities and their private information is stolen, under FACTA, you could be held responsible.

Aside from the ever growing reports of identity theft, data breaches or stolen laptops, let’s look more closely at what’s behind some other headlines…

“Liability for employee identity theft is growing!”
This headline points to a benchmark case in Michigan where, for the first time, a court found that a custodian of employee information has a duty to guard their employees’ data with scrupulous care. Employers can ultimately be held liable when personal information goes unprotected, is discarded without care, or identifying information is accessible to non-essential employees who shouldn’t have access to this information.

A bit of advice:

Consider a mandatory employee meeting or seminar that offers educational material, resources and services for identity theft prevention

Establish written procedures and guidelines for those employees who handle and have access to sensitive information The more time and effort you invest in preventing or detecting fraud, the less time, effort and money you will spend dealing with it when it hits.

“Banks Face Growing Threat of Inside Identity Theft”

While you’re busy building stronger defenses against outside scammers and hackers, you could be overlooking a potential danger right under your nose— inside thieves!

While this headline pertains to banks, in actuality, any business is at risk when a criminal is on the prowl for one of your employees and ready to offer them a “second job” with promises of a lucrative “second” income. Since criminals strive to be more innovative and resourceful, we must follow suit. All kinds of industries are at risk -restaurants, car dealerships, banks, universities, etc.; no establishment is immune to being infiltrated by thieves looking for a treasure chest of information they can turn into a profit.

All Businesses should…

Warn employees about criminals trying to “hire” them to do their illegal dirty work and consider offering employee awards or recognition for exposing or thwarting attempted frauds

Arm them with educational material and most importantly, make your company procedures and policies on this type of fraud known
“Car Dealers May Be Held Responsible for Identity Theft”

This headline refers to The Harris County (TX) District Attorney's Office which recently reported it was cracking down on identity theft when used to purchase cars, AND beware….the thieves aren't the prosecutors' only targets.

The prosecutors believe car dealerships should do more to prevent ID theft and “they could find [their] property seized” if they aren’t more diligent in combating identity theft in their dealerships. The DA’s stance? Too many identity thefts happen because “dealers aren't diligent” about checking buyers' credit records and identification to ensure the buyers are, in fact, who they say they are. The DA’s office went on to say that fraud alerts don’t work unless merchants pay attention to them. They believe that if consumers take the steps to place fraud alerts on their credit reports, and dealerships (or other merchants) don’t pay attention to the alerts, the merchant should be held liable.

It’s important to note that car dealers are often preferred targets of thieves.

Car dealers are finding themselves on the front lines of the war on identity theft. Car dealerships are as valuable to identity thieves as banks are to bank robbers.

Verifying a potential buyer’s identity can turn out to be more important than the sale of the vehicle itself. When a business is scammed, consumers lose trust and they take their business and their negative word of mouth with them.

The first step in preventing fraud in any business is to educate all employees, especially your "front line" employees, who are the decision makers. If you provide them with appropriate resources and sufficient guidance and information, they can be your most valuable allies in preventing fraud-related losses.

When if comes to identity theft or data breaches, the last thing you want to see is your name in the headlines.

Author's Bio:

Denise Richardson is a longtime Consumer Advocate, Identity Theft Risk Management Specialist, and Author of the book, Give Me Back My Credit, and co-host of a Blog Talk Radio Network show Spotlight, a program designed to spotlight consumer related financial issues. Richardson is a member of the National Association of Consumer Advocates and Board member of the non-profit 501(3) (c) organization Americans Consumer Credit Education Support Services (ACCESS). To find out more information about identity theft, get tips on social networking sites and learn of the latest scams, visit her blog at www.givemebackmycredit.com

Additional Resources on Identity Theft can be found at:

Website Directory for Identity Theft
Articles on Identity Theft
Products for Identity Theft
Discussion Board
Denise Richardson, The Official Guide to Identity Theft

Answers to Common Questions about Identity Theft

2011-10-01T04:48:00.000-07:00

Answers to Common Questions about Identity Theft

It's every person's worst nightmare. You're simply going about your daily routine, living your life and minding your own business, when you receive a phone call from a bill collector. He says you owe thousands of dollars on a credit card you didn't even know you had. Or maybe you apply for a loan and are shocked to discover that you're turned down because, even though you pay each of your bills on time, you have a low credit score. Perhaps you go online to check your savings account balance and find that you've been cleaned out. In other words, while you've been engaged in the business of living, you've become a victim of identity theft. If you think that these are far-fetched scenarios, think again. Thirteen people have their identities stolen every single minute. Here, then, are answers to common questions about identity theft.

1. Am I safe as long as I don't give out my personal information over the phone or online?

Not at all. Take a minute to think about the people, organizations, and companies that have your personal information. Banks, other financial institutions and professionals, medical professionals, hospitals, schools, and retail merchants all store your personal information electronically. In other words, you really don't control access to your information. If an identity thief breaches a bank's, school's, or insurance company's security system, they will have access to vital information. Over the past several years, millions of credit card numbers, bank account information, social security numbers, and employee records have been stolen from trusted institutions.

2. Can I prevent identity theft?

No, you really can't prevent identity theft. Your personal information is in the hands of too many institutions and organizations; it's like trying to close the barn door after the horse gets out. There are steps you can take that will prevent some avenues of identity theft (such as shredding papers with personal information that you'd normally throw out), but that's just the tip of the iceberg.

3. Isn't credit fraud the most prevalent kind of identity theft?

Contrary to popular belief, only about a third of identity thefts relate to credit fraud. Even if you are impeccable about credit monitoring, it won't defend against someone using your personal information for things like medical expenses, checking accounts, driver's licenses, tax fraud, passports, and social security benefits.

4. What's the best way to get true identity protection?

The best way to get true identity protection is through a service that uses a multi-pronged approach. This involves credit monitoring that looks for signs of potential fraud and identity monitoring that screens public records and national databases for identity thieves that are using your name and social security number. In addition, the service should have extensive expertise in full identity recovery, including coordination with law enforcement agencies, should you become the victim of identity theft. It should also provide you with expense reimbursement insurance that covers all of the members of your family. The service you choose should also supply you with your personalized identity risk score that rates your chances of becoming a victim of identity theft. Only then will you be able to have the peace of mind knowing that you have done everything you can to defend yourself against identity theft.

About the Author

Chris Robertson is an author of Majon International, one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing companies. For tips/information, click here: Identity

Visit Majon's FinancingInvesting directory.

Article Directory Source: http://www.articlerich.com/profile/Chris-Robertson/5864

Identity Thieves Lurking inside your Computer

2011-09-30T04:47:00.000-07:00

I’ve got a scary number for you: Security experts estimate that as many as ten million personal computers are infected with viruses designed to steal your personal information.
If that doesn’t make your hair stand on end, then listen to this: Panda Security found that at least one percent of the 67 million people who utilized their free Active Scan to test their computers last year were infected with malicious Trojan software programs. That’s 670,000 computers. They estimate that if 1 percent of the computers in homes across the world actually downloaded malware without knowledge of it, it’s safe to estimate then that over ten million computers worldwide could potentially be infected with software capable of stealing its contents—and along with that, personal identities.

The scary numbers just keep coming. According to Panda Security, their detection rate rose to over 800 percent between the middle of 2008 and the end of the year. Victims are usually infected after being duped into downloading virus programs through fake websites or pop-ups.
Malicious programs such as key logger spyware can go undetected for quite a period of time, whether or not the latest antivirus updates are installed. And once these destructive programs are downloaded onto a computer, every keystroke made—including credit card numbers entered, Social Security numbers typed, banking information and passwords input—are then in the hands of the bad guys. Thieves have become technologically savvy. In fact, Panda reported that more than a third of the PCs they found to be infected had fully-functional and recently-updated anti-virus programs installed.

Here are some of the highlights from Panda’s Study on the evolution of online identity theft:

• Over three million of the audited users in the U.S. and more than 10 million users worldwide were infected with active identity theft-based malware in 2008
• 1.07 percent of all PCs scanned in 2008 were infected with active malware (resident in memory during the scan) related to identity theft, such as banker Trojans
• 35 percent of the infected PCs had up-to-date antivirus software installed
• The number of PCs infected with identify theft malware increased by 800 percent from the first half of 2008 to the second half

I have a few more numbers for you:

The Federal Trade Commission just released their latest figures in their Consumer Sentinel Network Complaint Summary for 2008.
The total number of complaints made to the FTC during 2008 was the highest ever tallying more than 1.2 million registered complaints.
A total of 643,195 were fraud related complaints.
All 50 states saw an increase in identity theft complaints and the top five states remained the same –Arizona, California, Florida Texas and Nevada. However, Florida jumped from its previous ranking of fifth - to being the third highest state for identity theft complaints. There was a 31% increase in identity theft complaints from last year alone in south Florida.
Credit card fraud (20%) was the most common form of reported identity theft followed by government documents/benefits fraud (15%), employment fraud (15%) and phone or utilities fraud (13%). Other significant categories of identity theft reported by victims were bank fraud (11%) and loan fraud (4%).
How likely is it that you will become a victim of fraud?
26 times more likely than being a victim of a violent crime
21 times more likely than having your home burglarized

Five Quick tips to help protect your computer and your identity;

1. If you are using a shared computer, always delete any personal information and passwords you may have entered.
2. Never click on pop-ups or embedded links contained in email from an unknown source, even if it says, “You have been sent a postcard from your friend!” These are most likely fronts for “phishing” scams. DON’T CLICK.
3. Use care when picking passwords. Don’t use passwords containing public information that a trained identity thief can easily crack. Hint: your birth date, the name of your pet, and your mother’s maiden name are not as secret as you think.
4. When shopping online; look for signs a site is safe, such as a closed padlock on the browser's status bar. When you're asked for payment information, the beginning of the site's URL address should change from "http" to "https," indicating that the purchase is encrypted and the site is secure. Type the site's name into a search engine and if you find unfavorable reviews posted, you may be better off doing business elsewhere.
5. Beware of "You've received a greeting card" scams. If an email claims you received a holiday card or gift card, don't open it without first checking and confirming that the person it claims to come from actually sent it to you!
An identity theft occurs every 3 seconds. If you lead a hectic lifestyle and don’t especially want to spend your free time placing fraud alerts, ordering credit reports, freezing and thawing your credit, opting out of junk mailing lists, and can’t fathom spending months or years trying to restore your identity if stolen, then consider doing what I did…enroll in LifeLock and turn the burden of protecting your life over to them! Use promotional code: “Denise” for a 20% discount –as a courtesy of LifeLock who advocates and supports consumer education.
Remember, the best way to lessen the blow of an identity theft is to prepare for one! When it comes to identity theft, it’s what you don’t know that will hurt you!

Author's Bio:

Take some time to become acquainted with some of the latest scams by visiting the blog on my website at GiveMeBackMyCredit!

Additional Resources on Identity Theft can be found at:

Website Directory for Identity Theft
Articles on Identity Theft
Products for Identity Theft
Discussion Board
Denise Richardson, The Official Guide to Identity Theft

Taking Control of Your Credit Identity

2011-09-29T04:45:00.000-07:00

The belief that you are in complete control of your own life can get you into some pretty serious trouble if you aren't careful. Your unique identity, your reputation and especially your credit scores are ruled by your own actions, but only to an extent. To be absolutely certain that your life and your identity are under your own control, you need to take identity theft prevention measures.
Here are a few options that may help you decide which alternative provides the most value and best fits your needs;

Credit Monitoring

Credit monitoring services are heavily advertised, and many people have the impression that these services alone will provide a high level of protection against identity theft. This is a serious and potentially harmful misconception.

Credit monitoring is offered by most banks and all three credit bureaus. Sometimes the service only includes monitoring one bureau’s report, which is a problem, since many creditors don’t report to all three bureaus. The credit report you are monitoring may not be the one a fraudulent account is reported to. http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/73946

Another problem with credit monitoring services is that they’re designed to inform you of any changes to your credit report; this sounds good, but what many consumers don’t realize is that the data in credit reports may not be recorded in “real time.” If you purchase something on credit today –do you know when the creditor will report your activity to the credit bureaus? Or when the credit bureaus will update you file? Credit monitoring services are reactive in nature –not proactive. The services are designed to let you know about a problem only after it occurs. If you are considering purchasing credit monitoring services, find out if it they monitor all three bureaus, if the monitoring is done in real time and whether or not they offer identity and financial recovery services, should an ID theft occur.

Fraud alerts

A fraud alert is a flag placed in your credit reports that warns potential creditors that they must verify your identity before they issue credit in your name. Fraud alerts may be effective at stopping someone from opening new credit accounts in your name, but they won’t stop thieves from accessing your current accounts or block other types of identity theft such as criminal and medical identity theft, if your information lands in their hands.

You need to request a fraud alert by contacting one of the three major credit bureaus. The bureau you call is required to contact the other two credit bureaus. There are two types of fraud alerts; initial and extended. An initial fraud alert is only good for 90 days –after that initial time-frame, you must re-contact a credit bureau and reactivate the alert. If you have been a victim of identity theft, you may ask for an extended alert. Each credit bureau has its own criteria you must meet, which may include filing a police report, among other things.

Credit Freezes
A credit freeze is different from a fraud alert in a number of ways. A freeze generally stops all access to your credit report, while a fraud alert permits creditors to get your report as long as they take steps to verify your identity.

A credit freeze is free to identity theft victims who have a police report proving they have been victims of identity theft. For individuals who are not victims of an identity theft, the cost is $10 per credit bureau, or $30 for all three bureaus to freeze your credit. To place a freeze on your credit file, you must write to each of the three credit bureaus, provide your identifying information and include your payment to each bureau. Freezing will prevent you from opening a new account yourself, applying for a job, renting an apartment, or buying insurance, if your credit report needs to be accessed by a creditor. Once your file is frozen, if you want to open a new credit account or get a new loan, you must “thaw” your credit file. That costs money too. Credit freezes can’t block thieves from accessing your current credit cards or bank accounts or stop them from using your information for the other types of identity theft previously mentioned.

Identity Theft Prevention & Restoration Services
Neither a fraud alert nor a credit freeze can stop a criminal from using your name to commit other crimes. Remember, your identity is much more than just your credit report. There's no protection that's one-hundred percent fool-proof against identity theft.

There are many companies that offer to take on the task of protecting your identity and recovering it if a criminal steals it. Having been an ID theft victim, I can tell you first hand the value of having someone in your corner when you find your information has been compromised. However, before hiring one of the many services on the market today, take the time to compare the services offered and determine which services offer the most value to you. A service such as LifeLock can remove the burden of remembering to reset fraud alerts every 90 days for you, as well as scan known black market websites and chat rooms for the sale of your personal information, monitor change of address requests with the US Postal Service and provide document replacement and cancelation should you ever lose or have your wallet stolen. Another added bonus it the guarantee that they will be there to assist you in any way possible should you become a victim of identity theft once you are their client.

Whether you freeze your credit, flag it with fraud alerts, or purchase credit monitoring services you still can’t be certain that you will never be a victim of identity theft. However, before you find yourself in the unfortunate situation of having to spend months or years clearing your name and credit, you might consider hiring a company that will take preventative steps to protect you and help you with recovery measures should you fall victim to identity theft. For more information on any of the above services, feel free to email me or visit my blog at givemebackmycredit.com/blog.

Author's Bio:

Additional Resources on Identity Theft can be found at:

Website Directory for Identity Theft
Articles on Identity Theft
Products for Identity Theft
Discussion Board
Denise Richardson, The Official Guide to Identity Theft

Shredding Services - Protection from Identity Theft and Fraud

2011-09-28T04:44:00.000-07:00

Businesses who have a lot of sensitive documents do not always know how to securely get rid the documents when it is time for disposal. Every year, many businesses will plan to throw away huge amounts of documents that they no longer need. These documents will often have such sensitive information as: sales reports, fiscal statements, bank account numbers, credit card numbers, private business letters and memos, records on customers, clients, and employees, and much more. If the documents are not disposed of properly, they could be stolen and used by criminals to commit identity theft and fraud. The results can be devastating to a company. For instance, they could be sued, fined by the government, lose most or all of their customers and clients, and the whole business itself could collapse. This is why it is essential that every business no matter the size, dispose of their documents is a secure manner. Fortunately, there is an effective solution. Shredding services offered by document shredding companies can dispose of all of the documents, no matter how many pounds in weight, in a fast and permanent way.

It is very easy to find a shredding service in your area because they are in great demand so they are located in many areas across the country. Even if it is a bit of a distance from you location, the shredding company can come to you site and either pick them up and take them to their facility for shredding or they can have their documents shredded on-site as the company will bring out their industrial shredder on their truck and shred right there while you watch. You can easily arrange for the company to come out at your convenience. As well, you can schedule regular shredding appointments. You will be able to decide what service is best for you. If you have documents that have been piling up, a shredding service may be exactly what you need to securely and efficiently destroy your documents. You will not have to worry about the paper being lost or stolen.

Shredding services are extremely professional. A company will often send a two or three employees who are trained in a specific security protocol that ensures maximum protection. They are able to address and resolve any issue that may arise. The security process is both secure and confidential, it is essential to use a shredding service that is well known for being reliable, secure, and professional.

Shredding service should be considered an investment and not an expense. Most professional shredding services are very affordable and work with their clients to meet their operational budgets. If a business were to buy and try to manage their shredding on site, the expense would be enormous. Businesses save money while ensuring efficient security. The best thing to do is come up with a budget and talk to a company about it and they will work with you to come up with an effective and cost-efficient shredding arrangement.

In most cases, the shredding process is done in just one day because the industrial shredder is powerful and extremely fast. A quality shredding service will have a heavy duty industrial shredder then can get the papers shredded in the fastest amount of time. When looking for a shredding service, compare quotes and services from a couple of companies. Once you have chosen a shredding service, you will have peace of mind knowing your documents will not be stolen and used to commit identity theft and fraud.

About the Author

Leading provider of confidential waste Nottingham and tailored Yorkshire confidential waste; allowing businesses to comply with legislation regarding confidential documents.

Article Directory Source: http://www.articlerich.com/profile/Adriana-Noton/165203

3 Steps To Fighting Back Against Identity Theft

2011-09-27T04:43:00.000-07:00

dentify theft is a serious crime. It occurs when personal information is stolen and used without our knowledge to commit fraud or other crimes.

According to the Federal Trade Commission here are the Common Ways ID Theft happens:
1.Dumpster Diving. They rummage through trash looking for bills or other paper with your personal information on it.

2.Skimming. They steal credit/debit card numbers by using a special storage device when processing your card.

3.Phishing. They pretend to be financial institutions or companies and send spam or pop-up messages to get you to reveal your personal information.

4.Changing Your Address. They divert your billing statements to another location by completing a "change of address" form.

5."Old-Fashioned" Stealing. They steal wallets and purses; mail, including bank and credit card statements; pre-approved credit offers; and new checks or tax information. They steal personnel records from their employers, or bribe employees who have access.

To avoid ID theft we need to Deter, Detect and defend our identity. The web site www.ftc.gov/idtheft is a one-stop national resource to learn about the crime of identity theft. It provides detailed information to help you deter, detect, and defend against identity theft.
Step #1 DETER identity thieves by safeguarding information

•Shred financial documents and paperwork with personal information; don't just toss in the trash.
•Protect Social Security number. Do not carry in your wallet or write the number on a check.
•Do not give out personal information on the phone, through the mail, or over the Internet unless you know who you are dealing with.

•Never click on links sent in unsolicited emails.
•Don't use an obvious password.

•Keep personal information in a secure place at home.
Step #2 DETECT suspicious activity by routinely monitoring financial accounts and billing statements.

•Be alert to signs that require immediate attention: Bills that do not arrive as expected, unexpected credit card or account statements, denials of credit for no apparent reason, calls or letters about purchases you did not make.

•Inspect your credit report. Credit reports contain information about you, including what accounts you have and your bill paying history. By law the major nationwide consumer reporting companies—Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion give you a free copy of your credit report each year if you ask for it. I recommend you stagger throughout the year when you ask for your report. Ask for one in January from one company, request a report from a different company in May and then again from the last company in September. This is an easy way to see if anything has been added to your report you aren't aware of or is inaccurate. Visit www.AnnualCreditReport.com
•Review financial accounts and billing statement regularly, checking for charges you did not make.
Step #3 DEFEND against ID theft as soon as you suspect it.

•Place a "Fraud Alert" on your credit reports and review the reports carefully. The alert tells creditors to follow certain procedures before they open new accounts in your name or make changes to your existing accounts. A call to either of the three nationwide consumer reporting companies is sufficient:

*Equifax: 1-800-525-6285
*Experian: 1-888-397-3742
*TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289

•Close any accounts that have been tampered with or established fraudulently.
*Call the security or fraud departments of each company where an account was opened or changed without your okay. Follow up in writing, with copies of supporting documents.
*Use the ID Theft Affidavit at www.ftc.gov/idtheft to support your written statement.
*Ask for verification that the disputed account has been closed and the fraudulent debts discharged.

*Keep copies of documents and records of your conversations about the theft.
•File a police report. This will help you with creditors who may want proof of the crime.
•Report the theft to the Federal Trade Commission. Your report helps law enforcement officials across the country in their investigations.
*Online: ftc.gov/idtheft
*By phone: 1-877-438-4338
or TTY, 1-866-653-4261
*By mail: Identity Theft Clearinghouse
Federal Trade Commission, Washington, DC 20580
To fight back against identity theft we need to use three steps to avoid theft: Deter, Detect and Defend.

Marilyn Bohn's Bio

Marilyn is a creative organizer who has been organizing for over 20 years. She is a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers and is working towards becoming a Certified Professional Organizer. Professionally she has been organizing homes and offices for over two years. She holds a bachelors degree in Social Work. She has reared five daughters and currently lives in Utah.
Marilyn invites you to her website http://www.marilynbohn.com where you can find free organizing tips and interesting blogs and helpful articles on organizing.

Author's Bio:

Marilyn is a creative organizer who has been organizing for over 20 years. She is a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers and is working towards becoming a Certified Professional Organizer. Professionally she has been organizing homes and offices for over two years. She holds a bachelors degree in Social Work. She has reared five daughters and currently lives in Utah.

Marilyn invites you to her website www.marilynbohn.com where you can find free organizing tips and interesting blogs and helpful articles on organizing.

Financial Privacy and Identity Theft

2011-09-26T04:42:00.000-07:00

As more and more people rely on the Internet for banking, shopping, and everyday interactions, the dangers of online privacy only seem to grow worse. Nearly everyone has heard stories from a friend or relative who has either had their identity stolen or been a victim of online fraud. If you want to protect your finances and your credit rating, it's important to be aware of what identity theft is and what you can do to prevent it.

What is a Stolen Identity?

Over 2 million people were victims of identity theft in the United States last year. Although this number varies depending on how you define "identity theft," the number has been increasing annually since 2000.

When an identity is "stolen," what basically occurs is that another person uses your banking information or social security number to tap into your credit to open accounts without your authorization or knowledge. Because this can go on for months or even years before you become aware of it, there is the potential for tens of thousands of dollars to be charged in your name.

How to Prevent Identity Theft

Although there is no way to completely avoid identity theft, you can take a proactive approach to monitoring your credit. This is a smart way to not only avoid complications, but also to practice good money sense for the future.

- The original theft may have occurred from any number of sources, including pay stubs, financial documents, mail, or stolen purses or wallets. It's best to shred all documents containing your personal information, keep your mailbox in a secure location (or lock it), and to cancel all the cards from a lost or stolen wallet immediately.

- Regularly check one of the three major credit reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) for changes to your credit. Anything that looks suspicious—including accounts you didn't open or credit you don't recall applying for—should be investigated immediately.

What to Do if Your Identity is Stolen

If you discover that you have been a victim of identity theft, the most important thing you can do is act quickly. The longer you wait, the more financial damages that will occur, and the more difficult it will be to repair those damages for the future.

Contact your local police department. Identity theft is like any other theft, and it must be reported to the proper authorities. The sooner you get the theft on the record, the better.

Keep records of every police report you file. Financial institutions and credit card companies will make you undergo a rigorous process to clear you of the charges. Keeping good copies from the start will go a long way in facilitating this process.

Fill out an ID Theft Affidavit. These documents are much like the police reports, in which it allows you to document the issue as efficiently as possible. Consider a fraud alert or monitoring service. Many of these cost around $5 per month, and will immediately notify you of any changes to your credit score - both the ones you make and the ones made by potential thieves.

If you've been a victim of identity theft, or if you're concerned about it happening to you, you may want to consider seeking the assistance of a financial advisor. Your advisor will be able to help you set up a monitoring system to prevent future damages and begin to repair your financial situation and get you back on your feet again.

About the Author

Questions? Email me at wesley@thewandwgroup.com and visit our website at

http://www.thewandwgroup.com New Money Talk is a weekly article focusing on retirement, personal finance, and estate planning. Comments and questions are welcome, but because of the volume of email, personal responses are not always possible.

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Protection Against Identity Theft & Identity Fraud

2011-09-25T04:40:00.000-07:00

We all know that by adding an alarm and window locks to our houses we protect them from being burgled, we all know that if we park our car we should make sure the windows are closed and the doors locked – but how do we protect ourselves from identity theft?

Of all crimes, identity fraud is mushrooming with the Home Office estimating that it costs the UK economy in excess of £1.7 billion every year.

As a company specialising in IT support to small businesses and home users throughout the UK, The PC Support Group has started to see an increase in this type of activity.

Phil Bird, co-founder of The PC Support Group says, “We’ve found that people are becoming more aware of the need for technical solutions such as anti-virus software to help prevent ID fraud but they are not protecting themselves in some of the more practical ways, such as not throwing away items such as bank statements in their rubbish. We felt that highlighting some of these more practical measures would be useful even if they are not all the most technical solutions you might expect from a computer support company.”

Identity theft and identity fraud refer to all types of crimes in which someone wrongfully obtains and uses another person's personal data in some way that involves fraud or deception, usually for economic gain. Unlike fingerprints, which cannot be duplicated, personal data, especially a person’s bank account or credit card number, ¬ can be used by people who might obtain them using illegal means.

In the United Kingdom, many people have reported that unauthorised persons have taken funds out of their bank or financial accounts, or, in the worst cases, taken over their identities altogether, running up vast debts and committing crimes while using the victims’ names.

Few people realise how easy it is nowadays for criminals to obtain personal data. With the increase in usage of internet and with latest technology proving helpful to the criminals, information such as passwords or even banking information can be funnelled out in minutes by these criminals. What assists them is the fact that in their eagerness to explore all that the internet has to offer, some people unwittingly respond to ‘SPAM’ or unsolicited emails and give their personal information to the criminals. In other cases the latest spyware technology is used to extract personal information from a computer without the user’s knowledge.

After obtaining enough identifying information about an individual, a criminal can take over that individual's identity to conduct a wide range of crimes: for example, false applications for loans and credit cards, fraudulent withdrawals from bank accounts, or obtaining other goods or privileges which the criminal might be denied if he were to use his real name.

The PC Support Group recommends that everyone should stick to the following simple and necessary measures to help avoid identity theft.

Keep personal information secure: Being careful about when, where and to whom personal information is being imparted goes a long way in stopping identity theft. This is not only being cautious about what you say and to whom but also being careful where you dispose of old information. Shred documents containing personal information (e.g. bank statements, utility bills, etc) with a cross cut shredder before you throw them away. Remember that any scraps of information are useful to a clever thief who can use public records to find out more.

Keep documents safe: We often find ourselves letting strangers into our houses to do building work, decorating, etc and every time we do this we run the risk that someone might steal our identity – and you probably won’t spot the problem immediately. Lock important documents such as bank statements and passport safely in a cabinet which cannot be accessed by other people. Never keep your cards with your cheque books and never write your PINs or passwords down.
Keep your cards safe: Don’t let your cards out of your sight. Most people who work in bars, shops and restaurants are honest but it only takes one dishonest person and a few seconds to copy everything they need. Also, when entering your PIN make sure you cover up the key pad as expert fraudsters are skilled at spotting this or even filming it using CCTV.

Use social networking sites cautiously: Online networking is a massive and growing phenomenon but they can be dangerous. If you reveal too much information about yourself it will not take long for someone to fill in the important gaps using public information such as the electoral roll. Remember, online “friends” may not be who they say they are. Be careful about what you and your children reveal. The internet is public so be under no illusion about who can access the information or how long it might reside somewhere in cyberspace… even if you think you have later removed it.

Beware of all sites where you can spend money: Just because a web site appears legitimate and knowledgeable doesn’t make it trustworthy. It could be simply a way to inspire confidence. When you’re doing business on the internet, make sure you know of the reputation of the vendor and never respond to any pressure to speed up a transaction. Another tip on using cards for internet purchases is to use a card solely for that purpose so it’s easy to spot rogue transactions.

Watch for unsolicited e-mails: This is known as phishing. If you get an unexpected e-mail with an offer that’s too good to be true then chances are it is! Delete any such e-mails and don’t open any attachments. Some fraudsters even send seemingly plausible e-mails from banks requesting that you reply by e-mail or go to a web site to enter certain information. Don’t! No responsible institution will ever do this. If you’re unsure then call the bank and ask them about the e-mail but remember to use the usual number and not one on the e-mail. In short, never provide personal information in response to an e-mail.

Get an updated Virus Checker: For people who use the internet this is a very high priority precaution. The internet, whilst being a fantastic tool can also pose major problems in relation to ID fraud. Not only do you need to make sure you have suitable anti-virus software installed but you need to make sure it’s kept up to date. Out of date software is as much use as no software at all. Up to date anti-virus software can stop harmful programs from getting into the computer and stealing your personal information without you even knowing.

Get a Spyware Checker: Spyware is another means by which criminals can obtain personal data. A good spyware checker also needs to be kept up to date and can stop these threats.
Use secure passwords and change them regularly: While creating a password you should keep in mind that it should not be easy for someone to guess. Moreover, the passwords should also be regularly changed so that anyone wrongfully obtaining a password will not be able to do much harm. Ideally passwords should be at least 8 characters long and contain a mix of alphabetic and numeric characters.

As the saying goes ‘Forewarned is forearmed’. By following the above precautions you can be relatively safe from identity fraud & thefts. Some companies these days offer identity theft protection services to both home & commercial computer users. This could prove beneficial to especially those who deal in a lot of classified information which they would like to keep secure even while working on the internet. After all it never harms to be cautious and taking corrective measures after an identity theft would prove to be much more cumbersome and expensive.

Author's Bio:

The PC Support Group won’t shred your documents for you but we can make sure that your computer has all the right and up to date protection. If you would like to know more about computer support then contact us on 0845 2233116 or visit our web site at www.pcsupportgroup.com.

The Nightmare Of Medical Identity Theft

2011-09-24T04:39:00.000-07:00

Of all the forms of identity theft that exist, medical identity theft is probably the worst. This crime has some of the most frightening and far reaching ramifications. It can cause mis-diagnosis, cause the wrong treatment to be prescribed, or worse, the wrong medications.

People, by and large consider the medical fraternity to be the most sacred of all. They tend to let their guard down and get complacent about their personal information. People tend to trust blindly, with regard to their medical records, the medical establishment.

The reality is that there have been over 250,000 cases of medical records theft reported last year. This has caused the authorities to define this type of criminal activity and take action to deal with it.

But what kind of information can be there that can cause you harm? You might be wondering. For starters, it contains your social security number, insurance information, medical treatment history, and of course, your address.

This information can then be used to obtain certain types of expensive medical treatments, AIDS testing, and other medical procedures. This type of id thief may even get some sort of medical surgery done that they would not normally have access to. All at the victim's expense of course.

It is also important to keep in mind that all of these fraudulently obtained treatments, etc. will be added to the victim's medical record. The results could be disastrous.

Another side effect of this is that the information can be used to obtain credit or even rent a house in your name. The results here can have detrimental effects on your credit rating and credit score.

It has been recorded that sometimes, the health care professionals themselves might steal the information in your medical file to get prescriptions of medicines for someone else.

What can happen as a result? From the medical side of this crime, the victim can lose health care benefits that they would have otherwise been entitled to. To add to that, the victim's life could be put at risk by being given the wrong types of medications, blood transfusions, and the like.

They could be denied treatment or prescribed the wrong treatments. All due to an id thief altering someone's medical information.

The financial aspect of this crime can be equally serious, though maybe not life threatening. With your personal information, the id thief can take out credit applications, rent houses, take out cell phone accounts, etc.

What this does to the victim is place their credit history and record in jeopardy. This can tarnish the victim's credit to the point he or she could find themselves with reduced credit options or even denial of credit.

One of the reasons this type of theft is so dangerous is its public disclosure. When anyone goes into a doctor's office, he must invariably speak to a receptionist. When that person does so, he or she must disclose personal information, like a social security number or medical insurance information.

Keep in mind that this is a public environment so it is never a good idea to publicly disclose your personal information. If you must do so, speak as quietly as possible, or even better, give it to the receptionist in writing and remember to reclaim the paper when the receptionist is finished.

One important point is that your social security number need not be used. Your medical insurance information should be quite enough. This is arguable as there are no hard and fast rules regarding its use.

Your medical information is as important to you as any other of your personal information and should be protected at all times. Following the simple steps outlined above and reviewing both of them periodically can go a long way in keeping your financial and medical from being compromised. Always remember that if you have any questions regarding anything you find, you should ask immediately.

About the Author

Ryan Smith is the author of the hot, new, blog "The 10 Commandments of ID Theft Protection" Learn more at http://www.e-profitsubmissions.com/wordpress

Article Directory Source: http://www.articlerich.com/profile/Ryan-Smith/1391

Definition: Identity Theft

2011-09-23T04:38:00.000-07:00

Identity theft occurs when someone uses your personally identifying information, like your name, Social Security number, or credit card number, without your permission, to commit fraud or other crimes.

The crime takes many forms. Identity thieves may rent an apartment, obtain a credit card, medical services, employment, homes, cars or establish utilities and cell phone accounts in your name. You may not find out about the theft until long after the damage is done and your begin getting calls from a debt collector.

Identity theft is serious and can be costly to your finances and reputation. While some identity theft victims can resolve their problems quickly, others spend hundreds of dollars and many months or years repairing damage to their good name and credit record. Some consumers victimized by identity theft may lose out on job opportunities, or be denied loans for education, housing or cars and pay higher interest rates and insurance premiums because of negative information on their credit reports. They may even be arrested for crimes they did not commit.

Author's Bio:

This definition is part of a series that covers the topic of Identity Theft. The Official Guide to Identity Theft is Denise Richardson. Denise Richardson is a longtime Consumer Advocate, Identity Theft Risk Management Specialist, and Author of the book, Give Me Back My Credit, and co-host of a Blog Talk Radio Network show Spotlight, a program designed to spotlight consumer related financial issues. Richardson is a member of the National Association of Consumer Advocates and Board member of the non-profit 501(3) (c) organization Americans Consumer Credit Education Support Services (ACCESS). To find out more information about identity theft, get tips on social networking sites and learn of the latest scams, visit her blog at

www.givemebackmycredit.com

Additional Resources on Identity Theft can be found at:

Website Directory for Identity Theft
Articles on Identity Theft
Products for Identity Theft
Discussion Board
Denise Richardson, The Official Guide to Identity Theft

Identity Theft Statistics are Just the Tip of the Iceberg

2011-09-22T04:37:00.000-07:00

We've all been warned about identity theft, which is what happens when criminals get hold of your personal information and use it to pretend that they're you. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), in 2005 (the latest year for which statistics are available), over 8 million American adults realized that they were victims of identity theft.

The costs of identity theft are stunning. Aside from the loss of revenue experienced by businesses, the victims also suffer financial loss. According to the FTC report, "Ten percent of all victims reported out-of-pocket expenses of $1,200 or more. For the New Accounts & Other Frauds category, the top 10 percent of the victims incurred expenses of at least $3,000, and the top 5 percent incurred expenses of at least $5,000." In addition, the survey found that the top 5 percent of victims spend at least 130 hours trying to get their identities back. If over 8 million adults were affected in a single year, the cumulative total of identity theft victims is staggering.

The FTC survey, however, was limited in scope to those who reported misuse of an existing credit card, misuse of a non-credit card account (like a checking account), or misuse of personal information to open a new account or another type of fraud. In other words, these identity theft statistics are only the tip of the iceberg.

Many Types of Identity Theft

Although we hear a lot about the crime, most people don't realize that there are several different kinds of identity theft. They include:

1. Character identity theft. Often the hardest type of ID theft to recover from, character identity theft occurs when someone impersonates you and then violates the law. You'll probably never see this when you check your credit reports, but if someone commits a crime in your name, you may be unable to find work when a potential employer checks criminal databases - or you may wind up in jail.

2. Theft of your Social Security number. When someone steals your Social Security number, it's as though they have taken over part of your life. They could, for example, use it to get a job. If that happens, you may lose unemployment benefits (because the state thinks that you're working), or be charged with tax fraud (for not paying taxes on all of "your" income).

3. Medical identity theft. With the ever-increasing cost of health care in the United States, medical identity theft is becoming commonplace. When someone else uses your name to obtain health benefits or prescriptions, you can lose your health coverage because of the false information in your medical record. This can haunt you for years, since medical databases are notoriously slow to update.

4. Driver's license theft. Similar to character identity theft, driver's license theft occurs when someone steals your driver's license number and then racks up driving offenses. When a bench warrant is issued, you could be picked up and thrown into jail. In the meantime, your insurance rates could skyrocket, or your license could be suspended.

5. Credit identity theft. This is the type of ID theft that most people hear about. In credit fraud, the thief uses your information to obtain credit cards, services, housing, and other products, and then doesn't pay the bills. Your credit - and your life - is ruined.

There are several other types of fraud that are becoming more prevalent. These include business identity theft, child identity theft, college identity theft, and eBay identity theft.

What can you do to protect yourself? The first step is to be proactive and learn more about the various forms of identity theft. There are informative online sources that will provide you with all of the information you need - whether online or through a free e-book. The next step is to take advantage of services that help provide you with identity theft protection that will not only help prevent fraud, but that will work to recover your identity should you become a victim. It's a small price to pay for peace of mind.

About the Author

Chris Robertson is an author of Majon International, one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing companies. For tips/information, click here: identity theft statistics
Visit Majon's Law and Politics directory.

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Identity Theft Will Steal Your Wealth

2011-09-21T04:35:00.000-07:00

Part of being wealthy is protecting what you already have. If someone else is benefiting from your good credit, reputation or clean criminal record you better be able to stop it. There are 5 kinds of Identity Theft but most people are just aware of credit card identity theft. That is just 20% of the problem.Here are all 5.
1) Driver's License Identity Theft
2) Social Security Number Identity Theft
3) Character/Criminal Identity Theft
4) Medical Identity Theft
5) Financial Identity Theft
You are vulnerable to having your identity stolen. You have a significant investment in protecting your good reputation so the last thing you want is for someone to use your driver's license to commit a crime, not show up for "your" trial which will result in a bench warrant being issued against you. That is exactly what more and more people are experiencing as victims of Driver's License Identity Theft. If that were to happen to you, you would need a lawyer, probably in the middle of the night.

Given that only one in seven hundred identity thieves are caught, there will be no slowdown in this crime wave any time soon but you can protect yourself from being the next victim. You need a monitoring system that lets you know if a thief opens a post office box, files a change of address card, tries to buy a house or opens a new bank account in your name.

Social Security - Did you know that on July 1, 2006, 32 states passed laws that require business owners to see a passport or Social Security card from each employee? The government admits that we have 10 million illegal aliens in the country, but business experts put that number between 25 - 30 million. For argument's sake, let's assume 10 million: if each one of those folks paid just $10 in FICA withholding each week, 10,000,000 would be going to the Social Security

Administration on a weekly basis. Given they are FOUR TRILLION in debt, they have NO incentive to let the actual owner of the Social Security number know that another 10, 20, 80 people are using that same Social Security number since they only have to pay out to the real owner. But the IRS is going to take a real interest when they see how much "you" earned at your 10, 20 or 80 different jobs but none of "you" did the proper withholding. Your problem starts when the IRS notices that "you" did not pay the federal and state withholding taxes – the real "you" will hire an attorney to fight the IRS or you will just pay them because it is less expensive or you may spend years trying to convince the IRS that you didn't earn that money

Medical – I met a woman the other day who recently went into the hospital for some test and they asked her how her arm was doing. She didn't know what they were talking about. Apprently someone else had used her medical insurance to treat a broken arm. What if it would have been something more serious like someone got a heart transplant using her insurance. That would effect her lifetime cap and it would definitely pollute her medical data base if there was nothing wrong with HER heart. False information in your medical data base effects your ability to get insurance, proper health care if unconscious and they are relying on wrong info/blood type/heart condition of the thief. HIPPA won't let you into your own file if you admit that positive HIV test isn't YOU. That broken arm is now in her medical data base, thank God it wasn't something worse.You are going to need a good lawyer to fight this battle to get the other people's info out of YOUR file.

Driver's License ID Theft – The government recently decided that the employees at all Department of Motor Vehicles needed to be able to recognize what the driver's licenses of all the other states looked like so that when a resident of Florida moves to California, the CA DMV can recognize a "real" Florida license. In order to assist these employees, the federal government made up a little book with the EXACT specs on each state's driver's license. About a week after that book was mailed out to each state's DMV it was already being sold on the internet, spawning a new and very lucrative business. All a criminal needs is a laptop computer, a printer, a laminator and that little book, and they have themselves a very prosperous little criminal enterprise. The police cannot tell the difference between the "real" license and the fake one. In fact, they can't tell the difference between the "database you" and the "Real You" that looks back at you from your mirror!
Driver's License ID Theft often effects your character/criminal Identity. A prostitue stole a teacher's purse. She told her principal and friends about it so everyone knew it was possible that something bad might come of this theft. When a newspaper ran the story of the teacher being arrested for prostitution it wasn't hard to explain to her friends and neighbors what had happened. It was a small town so everyone knew the teacher was a victim of id theft but is that teacher going to be able to change jobs and go to another town? Her character has been stolen now.

Financial ID theft, this is the one everyone focuses on because we are losing billions each year to id theft. But here is the thing, you know those cute little commercials on TV with the man's voice coming from the woman's body and the woman's voice coming from the man's body. They talk about ZERO liability. That is a lie! If you don't contest a bill within 60 days YOU are stuck with it and with our Bankruptcy laws you can't discharge it. How are you going to contest a bill you never got. These ID thieves are doing change of address cards and having your mail forwarded to another place, a PO box or another residence. And by the way, the Postal Inspector I met the other night mentioned that the post office doesn't ask for proof that the change of address card you are filing is actually YOU. Anyone can go into the post office and file a change of address card. So how can you conest a bill you don't get? Sounds like you are going to need another lawyer. All of this ID Fraud stuff sounds like the lawyers full employement bill to me.

The Federal Trade Commission, which is the lead agency handling ID Theft, says that on average, it takes a person 600 hours to restore themselves after being a victim. That is FIFTEEN 40 hour work weeks. NO ONE has that kind of free time. People need the protection of having their credit monitored so they know if someone is opening new accounts, forwarding their mail or opening a PO Box in their name. There are lots of new companies that do credit monitoring but there is only one company I know of that does restoration and that is Kroll Backgound of America.

Kroll is the only company that was allowed to go below ground zero to remove the gold from the vaults after 9/11. When the FBI, CIA and Saudi government could not find where Sadam hid the Saudi money that he stole, the Saudis hired Kroll. Kroll found it, recovered it and returned the money to the Saudis. The Security and Exchange Commission hired Kroll to discover where all the Enron money went and the City of San Diego hired Kroll to investigate and do the forensic accounting on the recent pension scandal. If our government and big corporations hire Kroll to protect them, why wouldn't you? I have been a client of Kroll for 9 months now and have appreciated all the alerts they have sent to me. There is peace of mind knowing I won't be alone if a criminal targets me.

Author's Bio:

Ms. Rachman is an attorney and Certified Identity Theft Risk Management Specialist who assists her clients, businesses and individuals with protecting themselves from identity theft. You can learn more about id theft on her website http://www.idtheftspecialist.info

6 Tips to Preventing Identity Theft

2011-09-20T04:34:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, I got a call from Visa asking if I could verify some of the recent charges on my credit card. Apparently, I’d racked up about $4000 worth of toys at Best Buy including, among other things, a brand-new 50” HDTV. I checked my TV and other electronics to make sure they hadn't upgraded themselves overnight, saw they hadn't, and so informed the lady on the other end of the line that those charges weren’t mine. She let me know that the charges would be taken care of and a new card would be issued to me. I thanked her and hung up, grateful for the call but lamenting the loss of a bunch of new toys.

Stories like this – and sometimes even worse – are becoming all too commonplace these days. A recent report from the General Accounting Office estimates that as many as 750,000 Americans are victims of identity theft each year. According to the Federal Trade Commission, roughly 38% of cases are still basic credit card fraud – such as when someone decided to take my card for a spin. Thankfully, if you report these kinds of thefts right away, like I did, your losses are limited to $50 by law, and most card companies offer zero liability.

Officials from the FTC’s Identity Theft Program say many of these thefts occur from dumpster divers – people who will sift through trash in hopes of finding credit card bills or offers that someone forgot to shred, or more commonly, from outright mail theft. Of course, there’s no way to tell for certain how it happens to everyone. And with the internet opening up everyone’s business to everyone else – offering everything from fake credit cards to mortgage loans to helping deposed Nigerian princes reclaim their rightful thrones – protecting yourself has never been a more serious business.

So how do you make sure your next credit card bill doesn’t hold any unexpected surprises? Here are six quick tips to help safeguard your wallet:

1. Clean out your wallet. Try to carry only one credit card, and leave your Social Security card at home.

2. Don’t carry any pay stubs, shred your receipts when you’re done with them, and obviously don’t write your PIN number on a cocktail napkin and forget about it.

3. Reduce your paper bills and switch to banking and bill-paying online. Doing so will result in your statements being sent to your email.

4. Review your credit and bank statements every month – if anything on them looks off, contact your provider.

5. Always require photo ID verification. Write “See Photo ID” on the back of all your cards to make sure anyone who wants to swipe your card makes sure it belongs only to you.
6. Shred all credit card offers, bank statements, and anything with your personal information listed on it.

Author's Bio:

John LeBlanc has written more articles on credit repair than he'd care to count. For more information on credit repair companies, give My Credit Group a call.

Fight ID Theft Through Credit Freeze

2011-09-19T04:32:00.000-07:00

Consumers are asking, what is a credit freeze and how does it protect my credit against identity theft? Is it really efficient? How is a credit freeze done and why should I be interested about it? In this article, we'll be answering these questions and provide more tips on fighting ID theft.

When a credit freeze is done, it blocks all new creditors, insurers, employers and the credit report owner himself from viewing or accessing his credit report. When a credit report is "on freeze", no credit inquiry is possible or allowed. How does this protect you from stolen identity? Identity thieves use stolen personal information in opening new accounts. As an example, a thief can try to open a new credit card account using your name and from there, he/she can start making huge purchases for you to pay.

Opening a credit card account is fairly easy for identity thieves. When the credit card company looks in to your credit report and found that you are a good candidate for credit, the new credit card will be issued right away. However, when your credit report is frozen, the credit card company will not be able to check into your credit report and thus can't proceed in opening the new account.

But what if you really want to open a new loan or get a new credit card. You would first need to "unfreeze" your credit report before even submitting your application. This way, when your prospective creditor makes an inquiry about your credit history, your creditor will not be denied. In order to "unfreeze" your credit report, you'll need to get the PIN code provided by the bureau holding your report.

Freezing Your Credit

How do you avail of a credit freeze? Credit freeze is being offered by all the three major credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax, TransUnion). One can ask for a freeze by sending in his letter of request, enclosed with 2 proofs of residency. You may use a copy of your driver's license or a billing statement addressed to your name. Once a credit is put on a freeze, it will be permanent until the credit report owner requests for the freeze to be lifted. If you want to "freeze" and "unfreeze" your credit, you will have to pay each bureau a certain amount ($10 to $12).

Safeguard Your Identity

Although a credit freeze can protect your report from unwanted inquiries or attempts to open fraudulent accounts, it cannot protect you from all types of schemes resulting from stolen identity. Thus, we should all be vigilant in protecting our personal information. Here are some tips:

* Shred all documents that contains any type of personal information before discarding them. (Ex. ATM receipts, banking statements, expired credit cards, old IDs, etc.)

* Keep all your important documents in a safe storage.

* Ask your credit card issuer for an online credit card number that you can use when shopping from the web.

* Check the status of bank account regularly.

* Avail of fraud protection service provided by your credit card.

* To get in touch with a human customer service from any of the three credit bureaus, visit gethuman.com for a list of contact numbers.

About the Author

New Horizon Business Services, Inc NHBS, Inc has been providing consumers and business owners with financing since 1989. Join our mailing list for Free Tips on Rebuilding and Repairing Credit. Check your credit reports online.

Article Directory Source: http://www.articlerich.com/profile/Liz-Roberts/79504

The Cost of Identity Theft is $4865 Per Person

2011-09-18T04:31:00.000-07:00

A November 2010 study revealed that 79% of Americans are at least somewhat concerned about identity theft, with 42% being very or extremely concerned.

Yet, only 12% are enrolled in an identity theft protection program.
Further analysis revealed that identity theft costs about $4865 per person violated, yet identity protection services cost around $250 per year.

The results are part of the 2010 U.S. Consumer Study which surveyed 1,000 Americans on Identity Theft, commissioned by IdentityHawk and fielded by Survey Sampling International.*
The Shocking Costs Involved
Further, Javelin Strategy & Research shows in its 2010 The Javelin Annual Identity Protection Services Scorecard that in 2009, 11.1 million people were victims of identity theft at a cost of $54 billion to businesses and individuals.

On a per person basis, the cost is $4,841. The Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC), in its 2009 Victim Aftermath Study, revealed the average out-of-pocket cost to the citizens who are identity theft victims is $527.

According to Phil Sandler, spokesperson for IdentityHawk, “Beyond out of pocket costs, people have to spend a huge amount of time just regaining and reclaiming their identity.”
According to The Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC), victims reported spending an average of 68 hours repairing the damage done by identity theft to an existing account used or taken over by the thief.

And in cases where a new account, criminal, governmental or a combination of several situations were involved, respondents reported an average of 141 hours to clean up the fraud. Further reports indicate it can take 330 hours to restore a person's identity.

The IdentityHawk study also revealed that 38 million U.S. citizens (or 12.5% of the population) claim they have been victims of identity theft in their lifetime.
Where Identity is Stolen

It was also reported in the 2010 The Javelin Annual Identity Protection Services Scorecard that most data breaches are not online, but rather from stolen/lost wallets:
Lost or stolen wallets: 43%
While conducting a transaction: 19%
Friendly theft: 13%
Online: 11%
Data breach: 11%
Stolen paper/mail 3%
Other: 1%
The Identity Theft Protection Expert study revealed the most common precautions Americans take to prevent identity theft:
Action % of respondents
Always pick up receipts: 68%
Anti virus/Anti-spyware: 67%
Review bank/credit card statements: 66%
Shred mail with personal information: 56%
Pick strong passwords: 50%
Shred pre-approved offers: 49%
Carry only necessary ID: 45%
Use secure mailboxes: 32%
Don't input personal info online: 22%
Don't shop online: 15%
Enrolled in ID theft protection program: 12%
Added Sandler, “Clearly, while physical theft is the number one way people lose their identity, it takes a vigilant system to find unusual activity to uncover identity theft and fraud.
Most people find out when it too late. People need immediate alerts when there is suspicious activity regarding their accounts,” he said.

Author's Bio:

Identity fraud and theft increase the risk of financial ruin. People's lives are impacted daily. People's freedom are taken away as a result of ID theft frauds and crimes. Go to:

http://identitytheftprotectionexpert.com/

How Do Credit Reference Agencies Detect ID Theft?

2011-09-17T04:30:00.000-07:00

Identity theft is one of the most damaging things that can happen to a person in their life. By having your identity stolen, you credit can become ruined costing you hundreds to even thousands of dollars. Credit agencies can help detect identity theft by using a consumer's credit report to help detect identity theft and other fraud related crimes.

What types of crimes can these criminals engage in when they steal your identity? They try to get loans, credit, or other services without your permission and in your name.

Consumer credit reporting agencies fight identity theft by using your consumer credit report to help detect the theft of your identity and stop the felons from ruining your good credit history.

The credit reference agencies use a proactive method for monitoring your credit by using fraud resolution professionals who are dedicated in the safeguarding of your credit. They are constantly on the lookout for alerts to any unauthorized use of your private social security number and credit card for any suspicious and strange purchase history by scanning the internet 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.

Credit reporting agencies provide daily credit monitoring and will contact you immediately if there is any suspicious activity on your consumer credit report that may indicate that you have been a victim of identity theft. They can do this by also looking for changes in your home address or your public records. They can also look to see if you have had any new accounts opened in your name by looking at your consumer credit report, or they can see if you have applied for new credit accounts.

From 2007 to 2008, the Federal Trade Commission reported that there was a 21% increase in the amount of identity theft reported. Many ways people steal your identity is by sifting through your trash that may contain private and personal documents related to your personal information such as credit card bills, phone bills, and other utility statements. People have even been known to go through computer files that have been recklessly disposed of without being cleaned and left at public dump sites.

The credit reference agencies are constantly on guard when it comes to protecting your personal and private information from the prowling eyes of criminals intent on stealing your identity for their own personal benefit. They do this by using your personal consumer credit report that will allow them to constantly monitor your buying and account habits.

About the Author

Visit Callcredit Check to start an ongoing credit check and detect identity theft

Article Directory Source: http://www.articlerich.com/profile/Jamie-Simpson/31437

ID Theft Protection for PlayStation Hack

2011-09-16T04:29:00.000-07:00

It still is not clear whether credit-card information of U.S. PlayStatiob users was compromised in the hack. PCMag.com readers have come forward and claimed that cards used by the Sony PSN were indeed compromised, and Sony warned at the end of April that the data may have been taken. Sony also confirmed that debit and credit-card data from some European customers of its MMO games, part of Sony Online Entertainment, were apparently stolen. To date, however, Sony has said it has found no evidence that credit-card data was stolen from U.S. users, reiterating it in a earnings warning this week. All told, the costs of the PSN hack are expected to cost Sony about $171 million, the company said.

The service will provide 12 months of alerts to help protect users from identity theft, as well as provide ID theft insurance coverage (up to $1 million, Sony has said previously) as well as hands-on help from fraud investigators. To qualify, users must have held active PlayStation accounts as of April 20, and be residents of the U.S. If a user qualifies, he or she needs to submit an email address to Sony's identity-theft protection site by June 28. "Please note, you must enter the same email address used to register your PlayStation Network or Qriocity account," Sony said. Once your email address is validated, you will be sent your AllClear ID PLUS activation code."

the PlayStation Store still remains down as of press time, and will remain so for the time being. "For those asking about the PlayStation Store, we're still targeting restoration of all services by the end of this month," Sony said in a blog post on Tuesday, contradicting a leaked memo that Gamasutra said that it had obtained. "Contrary to reports: http://www.onlinenewshop.com/shoes-christian-louboutin-c-65_123.html , the Store will not be publishing today."

Sony has begun sending out formal emails advising users of its PlayStation Network how to sign up for the identity theft protection services it said it would offer customers. Sony also said Tuesday that the PlayStation online store would remain down until the end of the month."Sony Computer Entertainment and Sony Network Entertainment have made arrangements with Debix to offer AllClear ID PLUS to eligible PlayStation Network and Qriocity account holders in the United States who are concerned about identity theft," Sony said in an email sent Wednesday afternoon.

About the Author

http://www.onlinenewshop.com/shoes-christian-louboutin-c-65_123.html

Article Directory Source: http://www.articlerich.com/profile/mudy/159538

Identity Theft Protection - Insurance For Your Identity, Part Two

2011-09-15T04:28:00.000-07:00

Identity Theft is a relatively new phenomenon. Unfortunately, this new phenomenon is also highly misunderstood by the general public. In Part One of our series on Identity Theft Protection, you learned some high level facts about Identity Theft and some various precautions you can take to guard your Identity. While Part One gives some practical tips to reduce your exposure to Identity Theft, you must first gain a better understanding of what Identity Theft actually entails.
Identity Theft - It's Not Just Financial

Unfortunately, most people believe Identity Theft is just about "Financial" Fraud. The fact is, "Financial Fraud" accounts for approximately 30% - 40% of all Identity Theft. While this form of ID Theft is the most obvious, it is also the easiest to discover and recover from. Most financial institutions (Banks & Credit Card Providers) have systems in place to detect fraudulent activity on a person's account. These same institutions typically have "reimbursement" plans in place to return any funds taken from or charged against their customers' accounts. There are limitations and time constraints placed on these "reimbursements", so it is imperative you read your financial institution's policies as they relate to fraudulent activity.

While you know about Identity Theft with regard to Financial Fraud, you must also understand that the majority of Identity Theft involves theft for something other than Financial Fraud. Let's look at a break down of the Non-Financial Forms of Identity Theft:
* Driver's License
* Employment
* Government
* Medical (fastest growing segment)
Of course, you could potentially break down Identity Theft into many more segments and categories, for our purposes we will focus on these major categories.
Who Are The Victims?
According to a recent study, there were approximately 10 million victims of Identity Theft in 2008. As should be expected, households with higher incomes were twice as likely to be victims of Identity Theft as low income households. What may be unexpected is that those households considered to be "higher income" had household incomes of $70,000 or higher (that is only a man and wife making $35K each).

Discovery & Recovery
One of the disturbing facts about Identity Theft is that 38-48% of people discover the theft within three months and that approximately 18% of victims do not discover the theft until 4 or more YEARS have passed. While identity thieves have access to advanced technology and systems to steal our identities, there are similar technologies and systems in place for the public to discover these thefts. The problem is, the general public has been slow to adopt these strategies (the it won't happen to me syndrome).

As disturbing as the previous statistics are, the most important statistics deal with the Recovery of one's identity. The average victim of Identity Theft (according to a 2004 study) spends 330 hours repairing the damage caused by a theft. The vast majority of victims spend between 3 months to 1 year. As we all know, time is precious. The fact is the actual monetary loss resulting from an Identity Theft is only about $1,200. The real cost of an Identity Theft is in the time spent recovering from a theft. The math is simple, take your hourly wage rate and multiply by the time spent recovering your ID (example a person that make $30K per year earns approx $14.42 per hour / multiplied by 330 hours (average) equals $4,758).

Hopefully this article has given you an understanding about the types of Identity Theft as well as the cost(s) associated with a theft. Combined with the knowledge gained in Part One of this series, you should now be prepared to determine if you need to look for "Insurance" and what "Insurance Plan" is best.

Author's Bio:

About the Author: Jack Wingate is the President and Co-Founder of ALLCHOICE Insurance in Greensboro, NC. For more information about Identity Theft, Jack Wingate, or ALLCHOICE Insurance please visit http://www.allchoiceinsurance.com

What Form of Identity Theft Crime Is The Worst?

2011-09-14T04:26:00.000-07:00

Anytime someone is victimized by identity theft and fraud it is a scary proposition. You get a phone call from a collection service that demands payment for a product you never heard of made in a store you have never been to in a state you have never visited. Explaining this basic truth to the person on the other end does not seem to do any good. Pay it or else and they do mean or else.
There is also the criminal identity theft. Law enforcement officials show up at your place of employment and take you out in handcuffs. It seems you are wanted for passing bad checks and a bench warrant has been issued for your arrest since you never showed up in court.
Trying to explain that to stoic police officers who have heard it all before is not going to work. It's scary and humiliating as your boss and coworkers watch it all unfold.

Yet according to a number of experts and more than a few victims there is one form of identity theft out there that tops the list for scariness.

Cloning is when stealing your identity for financial gain or to get away with a crime is just not good enough for the thief. So they take it ten steps further by becoming you almost literally.
Where you were born where you currently live, the palaces you reside in previously, who are you parents and relatives who did you date previously, what is your current marital status and to whom. What is your educational background as well as employment history. Any personal idiosyncrasies they can glean is also a bonus.

In essence the identity thief has taken a crash course in studying you. From there they become you in another location. Anything or anyone that may trip them up is not a concern since it will all fall back on you. Why the elaborate masquerade? More often than not they are on the run from the law and need a cover.

The damage identity theft cloning can do is no joke. It can take months if not years to fully recover since all their activity falls directly onto your shoulders. Trying to explain to law enforcement and various agencies that what occurred is not your fault becomes even more difficult when they start regurgitating some of your personal information back to you and you have to acknowledge that it is true.

It's scary anytime someone steals your personal information. It's even scarier when they take over your life.

Author's Bio:

Next, discover what you can do to greatly reduce the chances of becoming an identity theft victim. Article by Daryl Campbell at Identity Theft and Fraud.

Coping With ID Theft

2011-09-13T04:26:00.000-07:00

Identity theft can be hugely damaging to a victim’s credit rating, as their file will invariably be filled with the worst kind of adverse information - unpaid credit bills and bad debts. While prevention is obviously better than cure, and there is plenty of information around on how to help protect yourself against ID theft and fraud, unfortunately many people still fall victim to this most modern of crimes. What should you do if it happens to you?

The most immediate and urgent step to take is to close all your accounts that you either know or suspect have been compromised, to prevent the thieves making use of them. You should also be sure to tell the providers of the accounts why you’re closing them, as the quicker you report ID theft the less your liability will be for any financial damage that results. You could be held liable for any fraud that occurs between discovering your ID theft and notifying your banks, although many major organisations like Mastercard and Visa enforce a maximum liability of $50.

You should first request closure of your accounts by telephone, speaking to a representative of your bank’s security and fraud department, and this will place your accounts on hold blocking any further access until you follow up the request in writing.

Any replacement accounts you open should at the absolute minimum have different account numbers, and should also have different PINs, passwords, and any plastic cards or checkbooks etc should be replaced.

Next, you should place a fraud alert on your credit file by contacting the three major national credit reference agencies - Experian, Equifax and Transunion. This will make it harder for people in possession of your information to commit further fraud. The first kind of alert, an ’Initial Alert’ stays on your record for 90 days, and is a way of informing financial companies that there may be a problem either now or in the near future, for example if you’ve had your wallet stolen.

Having an initial alert on your file will make any credit applications made in your name be subjected to extra scrutiny, minimising any future damage. You are also entitled to a free credit report from each of major credit reference agencies.

The next kind of alert is known as an ’Extended Alert’. This kind of alert stays on your file for seven years, and is appropriate when you’ve been a confirmed victim of ID theft. As well as providing longer term protection against further damage to your credit file, an extended alert entitles you to two free reports from each of the three credit reference agencies listed above, which can be requested within twelve months.

Your details will also be removed from pre-screened credit offers marketing lists for a period of five years, meaning you won’t receive any unsolicited offers of credit - and neither will any fraudsters still using your details.

Hopefully these steps will prevent any further fraud being committed in your name, so now it’s time to start clearing up the damage. You’ll find that banks and other organisations will be very helpful in this, advising you on what forms you need to fill in and what steps you need to take. It’s a very good idea to report your case to the police and get a crime number, as this will be needed for most claim forms.

The final step is to report your case to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to help them build up better profiles of how ID theft happens and how criminals commit fraud, so making law enforcement agencies better equipped to prevent it happening in the future.

About the Author

Martin is a freelance writer and has been writing articles on identity fraud and other personal finance subjects for several years.

Article Directory Source: http://www.articlerich.com/profile/Martin-Sumner/5339

How To Prevent Identity Theft While Traveling

2011-08-05T03:16:00.000-07:00

Thieves are now clever enough to use many advanced options for stealing your critical data and cash by taking advantage of your absence or carelessness while traveling or when you are away from your home or office. With some important tips provided here, you can successfully prevent identity theft from happening. It is always crucial to block your mail when you are away from your home. You can do this by informing the post office at your locality to block your mail that would not get to the hands of any other person at your absence.

Most of the identity theft occurs with the insecurity of your social security number. The retrieval of your social security number to any unauthorized person can pave way for many dangerous after effects. So, it is required to keep your social security number well protected from getting in the hands of others. There are so many other critical data that have to be equally protected such as the credit and debit cards and their details, bank account and mortgage details and many more at a safer place than always carrying it anywhere with you. It is recommended to store them at safe and sound places like bank's or credit union’s safety box. So, always remember to avoid keeping these crucial data at home or taking them while traveling unless you need them. Keeping these details at your home can help the thieves in getting these details if they manage to get inside your home when you are away during vacation.

Most of the people welcome the attention of the thieves by not taking proper measure when planning for a vacation away from your home or locality. For example, if you do not stop newspaper on the days when you are out of the town, the piling up of these newspapers for so many days on your doorstep will easily let the thieves understand that you are away from your home. This will tempt them to break inside your home. Another thing that mostly happens is giving a notice of your vacation. It has been found that some people give a posting saying they are on vacation on social networking sites. Remember that this will be shared by so many people and can help the thieves in detecting that you are not at your home.

About the Author

iWallet Corp introduces the new technology Wallet named iWallet. This hi-tech hard case cash and credit card wallet is specially designed to prevent identity theft. Find more details about this wallet online from our website.

Article Directory Source: http://www.articlerich.com/profile/Steve-Cabouli/111605

How to Reduce Your Exposure to Identity Theft

2011-08-04T03:15:00.000-07:00

You may not know that you are a victim until you are denied a loan, credit card or anything else the requires a credit report. Suddenly you discover someone has opened accounts in your name and of course not paid them. What could you have done?

BUY A SHREDDER
You can find a small easy to store shredder for less that $20 at almost any office supply store. There is no reason not to have one of these. Any document that includes personal information or your Social Security number should be shredded before you throw it away. Believe it or not there are folks out there that are regular dumpster divers. Shredding your documents makes it impossible for theives to steal your account numbers.

KEEP YOUR FINANCIAL DOCUMENTS HIDDEN AND SECURE
You would think that most people are perfectly trustworthy but some are not. Is it possible that an appliance repair man, handy man or even a guest in your home could access your personal financial documents? Not if they are under lock and key!

PROTECT OUTGOING MAIL
Think of everything that goes in your mail. Checks give potential thieves your name, bank account number and routing number. Credit card account numbers are listed on the very coupons they mail each month to send your payments in. You do not want this stuff to get in the wrong hands. If you haven't graduated to the great convenience of on line bill paying you should consider dropping off your bills at the nearest post office rather than leaving it out in your mail box where anyone can get it. Make sure your online bill pay offers encryption and other security measures to keep your transactions safe from criminals.

BE CAUTIOUS OF SOLICITORS
Don't give out your credit card number, Social Security number, or any sensitive financial information by email and don't do it by phone unless you initiated the contact. Make sure you trust the business before divulging any information.

OPT OUT OF CREDIT CARD AND JUNK MAIL SOLICITATIONS
The three major credit bureaus have a toll free number (888-5OPT-OUT) that allows you to take your name off marketing lists that are sold to credit card companies. Registering will not eliminate all credit card solicitations, but will cut down the volume quite a bit. The less offers you get in the mail means less chances thieves will have to steal them.

There was a reported 10 million cases of identity theft last year alone. Don't let it happen to you. Reduce your exposure by following these simple tips.

About the Author

http://www.creditscorecowboy.com CreditScoreCowboy.com is the one of the most unique on-line resources for free credit score reports, Identity theft protection software, and a BLOG with a wealth of personal credit information. The information within this website is written by professionals that know about credit.

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Has Identity Theft Happened To You? Here's What You Should Do

2011-08-03T03:12:00.000-07:00

Identity theft is not a game and is something that happens every week in today's economy. If you're looking for ways to prevent identity theft and gain new piece of mind, then this article is for you. Inside of this article, we will take a look at what you should do if you've become a victim of identity theft.
The first thing you'll want to do is contact your local police department. Inform them of what happened and tell them that you want to file a police report documenting the situation. This is essential step in the process, because you'll need this information when you contact the credit bureaus. Here's what you should do next.
- Tell the 3 credit bureaus

You want to tell the credit bureaus so that they can stop the thieves before they do any more damage. Really you don't have to tell all 3 because once you tell one, they will tell all the rest of the bureaus automatically. But if you want to have piece of mind when talking to them, you should contact all 3.
After you notify the credit bureaus, they will put an alert on your credit file and will monitor any suspicious activity on it. This alert will remain on your file for 3 months and if someone tries to open up credit in your name, they will be caught red handed. You can further this alert by purchasing something called an extended fraud alert. This extended fraud alert stays on your file for 7 years and a police report will have to be submitted with it also. Along with this, here's the next thing that you should do.
- Tell the bank
You want to notify your bank of what happened and tell them that you want to close your bank accounts immediately. This will stop the thieves from taking money out of your account and prevent you from going further into the negative. Depending on your bank, they may have identity theft services that you can use to get your account on the right track. There is alot of paperwork that will be involved, so if they request anything be sure to give them what they're looking for.

- Tell your lenders
These should be one of the first people that you contact regarding the identity theft that has happened to you. You want to tell them so that they can close your accounts and stop the thieves from using any more of the available credit that you have in your accounts.

After a while when things have settled down, you may want to start new credit card accounts. When selecting pins for your cards, don't use any of the numbers that you used previously. Refrain from using your birth date, social security number, or even your kid's birth dates as your pin numbers. This should be common sense, but it bares repeating because it goes undone so many times.
Take these 4 tips and use them right now if identity theft has happened to you.
Good luck restoring your good name and protecting your identity.

Adrian Hargray - About the Author:

Learn how to prevent identity theft and secure your identity today. To learn more, visit the following website for more details: http://www.instant-downloadz.com/protectingidentity.html

The Fundamentals of Identity Theft - What You Need to Know

2011-08-02T03:09:00.000-07:00

According to the Federal Trade Commission, identity theft is defined as the utilization of private data, such as one's name or financial institution account data, in order to commit fraud or another type of crime.
Thieves can steal your identity through a range of techniques. When you supply fiscal or other sensitive details to a merchant's webpage over an unsecured Internet connection, identity thieves can also very easily obtain it. Many individuals do not know that identity theft need not involve technology. Your identity can be robbed easily by thieves searching through your garbage, the trash of a shop or other firm or a public dump.

Similarly, an identity thief can phone you posing as a bank employee or a landlord and convince you to supply sensitive data including your Social Security Number. An identity thief is also able to buy your personal data that you supply on financial applications or other documents from retail clerks and other individuals who have a genuine purpose to know it.

Furthermore, you could be shocked to discover that social networking websites -- where visitors usually share personal information including their name and address -- are also prime grounds for identity thieves.
Getting your identity stolen can have extensive implications. It can take years to repair your credit report after your personal data has been illegally used. Moreover identity theft can have a undesirable impact on more than your finances. Speaking for hours on the telephone with numerous individuals and having to explain your state of affairs to each new person you talk with will be very stressful, taking an emotional toll on you. Even after you have resolved the situation, you will need to discuss the situation whenever you apply for a loan or a new job, both of which typically will need background checks to be carried out.

Services that monitor your credit report may not detect wrongful use of your social security number. Nor will they necessarily catch illegal real estate and utilities transactions, fraudulent utilization of health insurance or other criminal activity. Because only roughly 15 percent of identity theft is related to credit, it is important to also protect yourself from non-credit-related varieties of fraud. Also, given that clearing up your credit record after identity theft is often a very difficult and extended undertaking, requiring preemptive steps to stop identity thieves is a beneficial investment.

Identity protection programs continually monitor and examine a range of data in order to recognize suspicious activity and recognize fraud before it occurs. They accomplish this by generating a database containing data including your name, contact data, social security number, loan and credit information. Complex algorithms function to identify fraud, identifying your risk of becoming the victim of fraudulent actions and alerting you to any suspicious developments.

Extra services allow the service to notify you any time an organization or institution that has your personal data on file has encountered a security breach to ensure that you can take suitable actions immediately. Additionally, such services suggest techniques you can consider to remedy a possible problem.
Gus Welde is a consumer advocate and writer focusing on modern threats to our security, including identity theft, computer crime and Internet safety. He also reviews consumer products and services to help protect individuals from today's dangers to their security and identity. Mr. Welde at present writes for Identity-Aware in Washington, DC. Discover more at Identity-Aware.com

Gus Welde - About the Author:
Gus Welde is a consumer advocate and author focusing on modern threats to our security, including identity theft, cyber crime and computer security. He also reviews consumer products and services to help protect individuals from today's threats to their s

Identity Theft Over the Internet - The Social Network Goldmines

2011-08-01T03:08:00.000-07:00

While offline identity theft and fraud remains the most prominent (shoulder surfing, dumpster diving, home break-ins and countless others) it seem cyberspace is doing its best to close the gap.

This does not mean the high profile data breaches we hear about in the news. Although they do their part to raise the anxiety of being online it is still the low level day to day identity thefts that cause the greatest concern.

As of late social network has been feeling the strain. Places like Facebook are in a period of incredible growth and success. So many are joining these places and happily sharing personal information about themselves. The online community for many of them is just as real as anything the offline world has to offer.

Nothing wrong with that. Many of us have made friends across the globe and are better people because of it.

No doubt identity thieves hope that people continue to make more friends, refer more people to join in the social networking phenomenon and keep sharing all that good personal information.

Because as Detective Superintendent Brian Hay, from Queensland's Fraud and Corporate Crime Group tells Tony Bartlett of The Age,"Anyone who joins a social networking site can have a look at random almost, and pick up people's dates of birth, where they work and family details. That's gold to people who want to steal identities."

It's also not new. A few years back MySpace was the leader when it came to social network websites. But it got hit pretty hard when many fraudsters used it to set up phishing scams.

With places like Facebook it arguably does not take that much effort since a great deal of the information is readily volunteered by the online participants. Identity thieves are as Detective Hay puts it,"...building empires of massive identity warehousing stocks."

It is also no help that these crimes are the least reported. Some of it may be out of embarrassment others just don't care and many others just are not paying enough attention to it.

Hopefully in the places like Facebook will be able to implement more security features in the future but it really comes down to the individual and the nature of social networking. The whole point is to share information. It's a dilemma that identity thieves are no doubt going to be exploiting for some time to come.

About the Author

Click here to stop identity theft before it happens.

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Computer security against data loss and identity theft

2011-07-31T03:07:00.000-07:00

This week I was going to write about upgrading system RAM but while watching the news I saw the story about Hotels.com and their data theft. Last weeks big story was the data lose at the Veterans Administration. NOW .. to be clear, these were not computer security breeches but people actually carrying the data out on disk. But the point is data is valuable and this leads to computer security

This past week alone we had 5 machines that were so loaded with spyware the machines literally stalled and were unusable. Now, knowing how low the response is when we run spyware ads I know many of you are not listening. Then, when you head to the repair shop it is already too late. Add to this the cost of the repair /clean out which usually costs many times is more then the actual machine is worth.

If ever there was a case for the fabled "ounce of prevention" this is it. Anyway identity theft is the fastest growing, most damaging and expensive crime we have today. It can take up to a year to detect and by then the damage can be extensive, but with a few simple steps you can avoid it. The problem is getting you to take those steps so I’ll go over them again.

Before you go near the Internet your computer needs three types of software, first, a good anti-virus program. We recommend products like Norton Anti-virus, Trend Micro and if you are looking for a good freebie, get AVG. Now if one is good two should be better right ... wrong. This not true with virus software. Very often they will conflict and cause system performance issues.

Next you need a firewall, if nothing else use the built in Windows firewall that comes with XP Sp2, if you have an earlier version then you seriously need to run Windows updates. This is not just for the firewall but you are missing a large collection of security updates. Finally, you need a spyware scanner and you need two of these, one pro-active (scanning threats as they come in) and one that is reactive (scans for threats that are let in by hiding in something else). This is especially true if you use Yahoo, MSN, or Google search bars.

Also AOL is one of the biggest offenders when it comes to collecting and selling info on their subscribers. But they hide it well by keeping you focused on the competitors spyware they are removing. You also need two spyware scanners because neither will get all the threats and one will get what the other missed. We recommend Pest Patrol and Ad Aware. Avoid Spybot at all costs. This is just a spyware suite disguised as a scanner. Well there you have it, again. The Internet is a safe place if you take the proper precautions.

About the Author

Chris Kaminski has been working in computer repair and web development for the last 20 years. Kaminski is CEO and head technician for Computerguyslive.com, an online computer repair company based in Asheville, NC. Visit Computer Guys Live online for computer repair and check out the invaluable Wireless Connection Guide.

Article Directory Source: http://www.articlerich.com/profile/Chris-Kaminski/5911

Identity Theft: The Biggest FTC Complaint in America

2011-07-30T03:06:00.000-07:00

Federal Trade Commission (FTC) employees spend a great deal of time and resources combating identity theft crime in the U.S. While there are some victories and convictions, they face an uphill battle. The FTC estimates that around nine million Americans are victims of identity theft each year. In 2009, in fact, the number of victims rose an estimated 12.5% to 11 million.
Simply put, identity theft occurs when a thief obtains and uses your name, Social Security number, contact information, and, in many cases, credit cards to steal from you. Identity thieves can be very clever criminals, and their victims often don't know that thieves have stolen their identities until a credit card invoice arrives [link to Ways to Spot Suspicious Activity on Your Credit Card] with unauthorized charges.

Identity Theft Statistics

The FTC estimates that in 2009, identity thieves stole around $54 billion in goods and services. Once thieves steal personal information, they can perpetrate many different types of fraud, but opening new lines of credit in order to commit credit card fraud is their favorite crime by far. For example, new account fraud accounted for 39% of all fraud cases in 2009, up from 33% in 2008.
Thieves open most of these accounts through websites. Once a thief has your information, filling out a credit card application online is fast and easy, and the thief can usually begin using that account to steal in short order. Current credit cards are also very popular targets, since they allow the thief to begin stealing immediately. The FTC reports that up to 75% of all identity theft crime occurs with existing credit cards.

How Do Thieves Steal Personal Information?

New and increasingly sophisticated identity theft schemes turn up all the time, but, like other kinds of thieves, identity thieves prefer soft and easy targets. Stealing information online requires a fair bit of technical proficiency, but anyone can steal personal information from sources such as the following:

Dumpsters and garbage cans with utility bills, credit card statements and applications, and other documents with someone's name and information
Purses and wallets, which allow the thief to start stealing immediately
Skimming, where the thief has a small device that can read the information stored on the magnetic strip of a credit card; these devices look just like regular credit card readers, and a thief can hide one in the palm of one hand

Protect Yourself from Becoming an Identity Theft Statistic

Your best defense against becoming an identity theft victim is a good offense:

Shred all unwanted or unsaved mail and outdated documents that contain your personal information.
Pay with cash whenever possible.
Don't trust unsolicited email or the links they contain.
Buy online only through trusted retailer websites
Subscribe to a monitoring service

Mary Scores - About the Author:

IdentityHawk was created to help consumers safeguard their assets, their properties, and their good names. Through our suite of protective benefits, IdentityHawk members can view the health of their identity protection, identify areas where they're most at risk, and take proactive steps to reduce those risks.

Winning The Fight Against Identity Theft With Fraud Alert

2011-07-29T03:05:00.000-07:00

One thing you can be proud of always is your self-identity -- your individual difference among other persons. It reflects your whole being and your personality in general. It also shows your uniqueness with other people. It is something that cannot be stolen from you.

However, nowadays other people can steal your personal identity already?

Yes. You should be alarm with this fact. Maybe due to the continuous search of men for wealth, they happen to commit this kind of calcification to the point that they are already intervening in someone privacy, the personal identity of others.

This is how worse the situation is in the world today. Imagine having your identity stolen by others and used for criminal acts. Is it not a grave offense and a deep insult in your person? Identity theft evolved when there is numerous numbers of people already practicing this form of violation.

Identity theft is indeed a crime of a different kind of dye. In simple term, it is the stealing of your personal identity. It can be comprise of your identification information. It will include your SSS number, licenses data, bank accounts, your full name and other details that reveal your identity.

Are these people gaining benefit from you? Precisely yes. Those people who are stealing someone identity can profit a lot. Just take it as an example, if another person knows your bank account number and your full name, he can make transaction with the bank. In other words, he will be given the privilege to withdraw from your money.

There are many ways on how you can prevent yourself from being one of the victims of identity theft. Aside from the personal means that you can do it by yourself, you can also engage in the so-called fraud alert. Try to know more about it.

However, you are not yet aware about identity theft, it is necessary that you apply your credit file with fraud alert. This is one way to protect your account from being stolen by other people especially if they are attempting to do so.

Fraud alert refers to something attached to your credit report. This is usually done by most of the major credit bureaus where you are connected. This fraud alert works simple. If there is someone, who is going to make transaction concerning your account the credit bureau will make an immediate call after you.

This will be a prior notification for you. If in case the call cannot reach you, it only means one thing that, your account should not be opened. This will somehow inform the credit company that the person is not really given the authority to make transaction on his account.

It is easy to set up your fraud alert. All you need to do is to coordinate with the fraud alert department op the credit bureau that you are engaging. Afterwards, you can simply notify them to top flag your credit file for fraud. To secure this, you will be asked to record your voice in an automated voice response system because this will be utilized when they are calling you.

If it there comes a time when you already want to remove the fraud alert not flagged in your credit file, you can immediately inform them requesting for a removal through writing. It is necessary that you should place your full name, SSS number, your current and previous addresses, the date of your birth, and your contact number. You have to send it on the fraud alert department of the credit bureaus where you apply your fraud alert.

Fraud alert is a big help for the security of your account. However, you should also beware that sometimes fraud alter is disregarded by some creditors. If you are a previous victim of identity theft or you know that somebody is planning against your account, fraud alert can help. Nevertheless, you also need to check on your credit report if it is still updated.

Securing your identity is the most important thing that you should always put into consideration. Do not let these thefts conquer your privacy. They do not deserve a wealthy living with their kind of act!

About the Author

Dwayne Garrett is the creator of the # 1 Credit Resource site on the Internet that offers a place where you can search, compare and apply for the best credit cards available. Visit: http://www.TheCreditCardResource.com

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The Most Common Types of Identity Theft

2011-07-28T03:02:00.000-07:00

A big part of identity theft prevention is knowing the different types of identity theft that can ruin your credit and make your personal, professional, and financial life difficult for a very long time. It's in your best interests to become familiar with the most common types of identity theft, since knowledge is the best defense against becoming a victim.
To that end, here are the most common identity theft types:

Opening a new credit account or using an existing one
This is the most common type of identity theft by a large margin, because it gives thieves the easiest, fastest access to other people's money. If a thief can obtain a victim's credit cards, he or she can quickly make cash withdrawals and purchase items to the account's limits.
Opening an account with a cell phone provider or other utility
Opening new accounts with cell phone providers allows a thief to rack up big phone bills in the victim's name — and on the victim's dime. A few pieces of personal information can also make it easy to open accounts with gas and electric service providers and other utility companies.
Opening a new checking account or writing checks from an existing account
Merchants are getting better at protecting themselves from bad checks, but this type of identity theft is still quite common, as a thief can use bad checks to pay bills and string creditors along for months.
Obtaining loans in the victim's name
If a thief can obtain a victim's address, Social Security number, employment information, and other personal information, getting a modest loan of a few thousand dollars is a fairly straightforward affair. In many cases, the thief will say the loan is for a used car, and if the victim's credit is good, he or she can get a small loan of several thousand dollars pretty quickly.

Knowing the most common identity theft types, making it as difficult as possible for thieves to get your personal information, and using an identity monitoring service are all great ways to protect yourself and your credit rating from thieves. Without a doubt, knowledge is your best weapon in the fight against identity thieves — so get informed, and start to proactively protect your personal information

Mary Scores - About the Author:

IdentityHawk was created to help consumers safeguard their assets, their properties, and their good names. Through our suite of protective benefits, IdentityHawk members can view the health of their identity protection, identify areas where they're most at risk, and take proactive steps to reduce those risks.

Secure Shredding as a Safety Measure Against Identity Theft

2011-07-27T03:01:00.000-07:00

One question that has been asked since the beginning of the 21st century is, “Is the invasion of privacy and security of one’s identity an unavoidable result of our society’s progress?”

The large amount of personal data floating around in society today leaves individuals open to having their privacy violated, sometimes with dire consequences. Incredibly, a stolen social security or credit card number is often all that is needed to perpetrate identity theft, a type of fraud in which a criminal assumes the victim's identity to obtain illegal credit and run up huge debts. Dumpster diving is also an alarming cause of identity theft because no laws have been approved to say it’s illegal to go through other people’s trash. Statistics are uncertain on identity theft, but one estimate by the U.S. Secret Service, which tracks major cases of identity theft, indicates that this type of crime was responsible for $745 million in losses in 1997, nearly $300 million more than the previous year. Credit companies say fraud inquiries have soared in the 1990s to about 500,000 cases annually. Financial and payroll records are one of the most easily acquired documents nowadays.

Medical records are another highly sensitive type of information that is ripe for abuse. Often assumed to be highly confidential as part of the patient-doctor relationship, electronic medical data in the United States actually has little in the way of privacy regulation.

As an immediate solution to these risks of identity theft, document shredding now comes to play. When documents have reached their expiry dates, or are simply taking up too much space, the best way to deal with them is to shred it. Shredding companies can basically take care of any private document you need to dispose of. They do it safely and securely, and can even come to you if you’re too busy to bring those files to them—mobile shredding. Secure shredding can help your mind off worrying about where to store or how to keep confidential files.

Their key shredding offers include mobile shredding (as mentioned above), X-ray film destruction, Medical files destruction, and off course, document shredding of everything you might want to dispose of like payroll records, annual revenue reports, receipts, old financial records, etc. If you no longer need it, then shred it.

You can spare yourself or your company from problems like identity theft and fraud if you take the time to take unused confidential files to a shredding company. Regulations of personal privacy, and security against acts like dumpster diving can not completely protect you from these crimes so don’t risk leaving them open to strangers. Know the importance of secure shredding. Protect yourself, your family, and your business by shredding.

Ask for a shredding company that is HIPAA compliant to make sure your files are properly and safely disposed of. Try Record Shred Inc. They serve the areas of South Florida including: Fort Lauderdale, Aventura, Hollywood, Hallandale Beach, Pompano Beach, Lighthouse Point, Boca Raton, Miami, Miramar, Miami Beach, North Miami Beach, Tamarac, Coral Springs, Coconut Creek, Davie, Cooper City, Weston, Sunrise, Palmetto Bay, Kendall, Homestead, and Plantation.

About the Author

RecordShred Inc.
1230 S Andrews Ave, Unit 1
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316
Phone: (954) 523-9366
Email: info@recordshred.com
Website:http://www.recordshred.com

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Identity Theft is a crime in which an impostor obtains key pieces of personal identifying informatio

2011-07-26T03:00:00.000-07:00

They charge card quantity - without having your permission by an additional individual to commit fraudulent or criminal acts. ID thieves take out phony loans or ring up bogus charges inside your name. Identification theft is really a crime whereby, an individual steals your name to open new accounts, directing statements to an additional address, and incurs bad debt on your great credit rating history. This can price the buyers dearly as unsuspecting individuals don't even get to know from the discrepancies and blunders in their credit rating record till their rating has gone abysmally low.

Identification theft is merely the theft of identification info for example a name, date of birth, Social Protection quantity (SSN), or perhaps a charge card quantity. The mundane activities of the typical customer during the course of the normal day might supply tremendous opportunities for an identification thief: buying gasoline, meals, clothes, or tickets to an athletic event; renting a vehicle, a video, or home-improvement tools; buying gifts or trading stock on-line; receiving mail; or taking out the garbage or recycling. Identification theft may be the info age's new crime. A criminal collects sufficient individual information on the victim to impersonate him to banks, charge card businesses and other monetary institutions. Identification theft is rampant, accounting for approximately one-third of customer complaints received by the Federal Trade Commission last year (1). Furthermore, over half of identity-theft related information breaches might be attributed to theft or loss of pc or electronic transportable media.

Individual guardianship issues consist of recommendations on what buyers might do to prevent their info obtaining into the wrong hands. Individual info is really vital info and so individuals ought to be additional vigilant when handling it. By carelessly leaving your vehicle door open is 1 way of falling victim to identification theft.

Criminals can commit identification theft relatively very easily simply because of lax credit rating industry practices, careless information-handling practices within the workplace, and also the ease of obtaining SSNs. But you are able to decrease your risk of fraud by following the tips in this guide. Criminals and drug addicts use these crimes to obtain cash to buy drugs or fund operations. They either use the victim?s info themselves, or acquire and sell the info to other criminals being a source of revenue.

Charge card fraud: where an account quantity is stolen so that you can make charges without having authorization. Charge card fraud causes major inconvenience for buyers who need to convince their bank that they did not make the fraudulent charges. Charge card offers and loan applications have proprietary info that just demands a signature. Stolen mail may never be missed, giving the thief a head begin. Credit-reporting agencies now need that victims do so as part from the an â€œidentity theft affidavit.â€ that the victim submit a police record. Until recently, victims had a difficult time obtaining this kind of reports from the police.

Charge card businesses and banks, by law, bear nearly all from the actual losses. Even when new accounts are opened inside your name (the truer example of identification theft), the average loss to buyers is less than $600. Credit rating Record monitoring is essential but sadly this is only a small factor in true protection against identification theft. Utilizing correct safeguards for example obtaining current credit rating reports frequently, shredding all mail or documents with individual identification info for example drivers license, social protection quantity, date of birth, or account numbers. Charge card businesses and monetary institutions might need you to show a copy of this record to verify the crime. Keep the phone quantity of the investigator and supply it to creditors and others who need verification of the case.

About the Author

Next, I hope that you have found some information that helps, with what your doing. If you need more information plase visit Identity Theft William Roberts

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How To Protect Yourself Against Identity Theft On The Internet

2011-07-25T02:58:00.000-07:00

Although identity theft has become quite rampant, it has even been made worse with the internet. Due to the fact that the internet is widely used identity theft on the internet has increased immensely. From the studies done by the Federal Trade Commission, it has been reported that for every 8 Americans one has been a victim of internet identity theft over the last five years.

There are various ways through which you can differentiate between internet and ordinary identity theft. Ordinary identity theft happens when your personal information is taken from either through your wallet being stolen or from your garbage after throwing away documents that contain personal details. These details are what will be used to make various purchases. Identity theft done through the internet is more severe.
The main reason that makes this type of identity theft much worse is the fact that unlike the ordinary kind you will not be aware of anyone else using your details fraudulently until it is too late. Not many people are aware that most of their details can be found stored in hard drives of their computers. From these records the thieves can be able to retrieve some of your most personal details such as your credit card details, social security number and other crucial details.

These details are usually gotten in one of two ways, either when sending them through a network that is not protected they get the chance to steal it or by putting up a program that works to retrieve any information needed and deliver it to the thief. One of the most excellent ways of guarding oneself against is to install a security program good enough to handle any of this.

One of the best security programs is known as Winferno software which provides you with protected Internet Explorer browser equipped with a privacy manager. This browser is a one of its kind and was specifically produced with the security of the user as its main concern. It has the ability to protect you while using the internet by using various lines of protection.

The first step of protecting yourself begins with the web browser you work with. Internet Explorer has handled this problem with the use of McAfee that works to caution you against any unsafe web sites and also shows how a site has been ranked in terms of safety. Avoid active X from being downloaded as is it what is used by hackers to gain access to your computer and steal your vital information. Obstruct all pop ups.
When it comes to guarding your information erase all your internet records, cache and the current records found in your document folder.

Lee Ives - About the Author:

Lee Ives has an internet security blog where he discusses more on the topic of identity theft.

IDENTITY THEFT, Are You In Compliance Or Are You Part Of The Problem?

2011-07-24T02:57:00.000-07:00

Due to the soaring cost to business of identity theft, our state and Federal legislatures have passed some VERY stringent laws that apply to all businesses with one or more employees. Non compliance could cost business owners personally or their business up to $1million in fines and up to 10 years in prison. Federal legislation as well as many state laws require business owners to secure all personal information (social security numbers, driver’s license numbers, credit card numbers, date of birth, etc.) of their clients and employees. 87% of business are not aware these laws even exist. Non compliance could result in closing the business, fines, penalties, criminal and civil litigation. Identity Theft issues are expected to be THE next hot class action target.

Disgruntled workers with access to their employer’s data files can make a lot of money selling little pieces of you. They can sell your Social Security number Identity for $100, they can sell your credit card info (financial identity) and they can also sell your driver’s license identity which will have a negative impact on your character/criminal identity if they decide to rob a liquor store and get caught with "your" driver’s license. You already know about the dangers of medical identity theft if you saw any of the 3 Reader’s Digest covers from 2006.

The Feds recently decided that the DMVs of each state needed to be able to recognize what the actual driver’s licenses of all other states looked like. The Feds made up a little book with the EXACT specifications on each state’s driver’s license. About a week after that book was distributed, it was already being sold on the internet. A new industry has been born due to that book. All a criminal needs is a computer, printer, laminator and that book to have a prosperous criminal enterprise. The police can not tell the difference between the "real" license and the fake one. The authorities can’t distinguish between the "data base you" and the you your friends know"data base you" and the you who is looking at yourself in the mirror. The data base you has gone on a crime spree and given the police a copy of a driver’s license with YOUR number and another address on it. You never get the notice to appear and they sure aren’t going to show up at your trail, so a bench warrant goes out in your name. The next time you are stopped for some routine traffic violation, the real you is going to jail. How many times do the criminals say, "OK, you got me." Isn’t the regular drill something like, "You’ve got the wrong guy. It wasn’t me." Except this time it WAS the data based you.

Only one in 700 criminals engaged in ID theft are caught. This crime wave has no end in sight. Employee absenteeism can really hurt the bottom line. The Federal Trade Commission estimates it takes 600 hours to restore your identity. That is 15 40 hour work weeks. Who has that kind of time? ALL the data leaks are coming from ignorance on the part of businesses or the government themselves. The Census Bureau is very proud that they have ONLY lost 1,200 lap top computers with millions of names and personal information on American citizens. Because the government can’t do anything on the criminal front, they are clamping down on businesses.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) identifies "unauthorized access" as a type of security breach that each business must address. That means each computer needs to be password protected and the password can’t be put on a yellow sticky on the monitor. You need a clean desk policy at the end of each business day with ALL personal information locked up.

ID theft crime rings have set up "janitorial" businesses that come in at night and copy client and employee data files, go through unlocked file cabinets and trash looking for personal info, employment applications etc. Confidence men (women) can take jobs as low level temporary office employees and steal the data bases with all the information of the businesses clients.

In "The Coming Pandemic" (5/15/06 article in Chief Information Officer magazine) the writer says, "If you experience a security breach, 20% of your affected customer base will no longer do business with you. 40% will consider ending their relationship, and 5% will be hiring lawyers!" The author also stated, "When it comes to cleaning up this mess, companies on average spend 1,600 work hours per incident at a cost of $40,000 to $92,000 per victim."

Here is an outline of the major laws that affect ID Theft and have led to absolute liability to businesses that have not secured their files.

ID Theft was finally recognized as a crime in 1998 when Congress passed the Identity Theft and Assumption Act and established the Federal Trade Commission as the lead agency to enforce and fine businesses for non compliance. The FTC says that each year since 1998 there has been twice as much ID theft reported than the year before and even though it is severely under reported it is estimated that as of July 2006 there have been over 88 million consumers affected by the reported breaches.

FACTA (Federal legislation in effect since June 2005) Grants additional rights to consumers and incorporates specific provisions designed to help victims of ID theft and fraud, mainly that they are entitled to one free credit report per year from each of the 3 reporting agencies due to the proliferation of ID theft that has only gotten worse. Gramm, Leach, Bliley Safeguard Rule (fed legislation since 1999) the compliance deadline was in 2001 GLB, has a broad spectrum of qualifications, requirements and regulating parties. Eight agencies and the states are charged with managing and enforcing the regulations.

GLB applies to a broad range of businesses that collect the personal financial information of their clients.The two regulations of GLB are the Financial Privacy Rule and the Safeguards Rule. The Financial Privacy Rule addresses the collection and dissemination of customers’ information while the Safeguard rule governs the processes and controls an organization’s uses to protect customers’ financial information.

The Safeguard Rule is enforced by the FTC. In addition to public embarrassment of non-compliance, organizations may be fined thousands of dollars a day while they are non-compliant.

GLB calls for businesses to: 1. Ensure the security and confidentiality of customer information; 2. Protect against any anticipated threats or hazards to the security or integrity of such information; and 3. Protect against unauthorized access to or use of such information that could result in substantial harm or inconvenience to any customer.

In a nutshell, it requires that regulated companies do the following: Specify a person or group of people to be responsible for GLB compliance. Identify security risks involving customer information. Assess existing safeguards for protecting the privacy of customer information. Implement any additional safeguards that are needed. Monitor the effectiveness of safeguards. Ensure that service providers are able to meet the GLB requirements. Upgrade the organization’s security program as necessary due to changing circumstances.

California SB 1386, effective 7/1/03 Data Breach Notifications ANY business having even 1 customer in California requires a PUBLIC disclosure of computer security breaches when personal information of any California customer is compromised. This law subjects a company to civil and class action lawsuits by any injured customer.

Betty Broder, who is the assistant director of the FTC’s Division of Privacy and Identity Protection says, "You don’t have to have a perfect plan, but you MUST have a written plan describing how customer and employee data will be protected and an officer on staff responsible for implementing that plan. We need to see that you’ve taken reasonable steps to protect your customer’s info." (quote taken from American Bar Association 3/06 story, "Stolen Lives")

The 1/19/06 edition of Business and Legal Reports says, "One solution that provides an affirmative defense against potential fines, fees, and lawsuits is to offer some sort of identity theft protection as an employee benefit. An employer can choose whether or not to pay for this benefit. The key is to make the protection available, and have a mandatory employee meeting on identity theft and the protection you are making available, similar to what most employers do for health insurance..."

By having a mandatory meeting the employees finally understand their responsibilities to protect the sensitive data of your client’s business. This may be overwhelming BUT with a little help a business can develop an affirmative defense. Free federal compliance training is available for businesses who understand the importance of mitigating their damages and providing an affirmative defense.

Businesses with 10 or more employees may be able to get free Federal compliance training depending on their location. Contact the author for more information.

About the Author

Ms. Rachman has been an attorney since 1996 and became so intrigued with the issue of identity theft that she became a Certified Identity Theft Risk Management Specialist so she could advise business clients and individuals how to protect themselves from the #1 fastest growing crime in the world. For even more information, go to her site at http://www.idtheftspecialist.info

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5 Tips For Identity Theft Protection

2011-07-23T02:49:00.000-07:00

This is that time of year when we all start getting those emails that want to purloin our secret codes and passwords. You know the ones that have subject lines like: "Your Account Is
About To Be Closed," "There’s A Block On Your Account," "Could You Help Me Claim My Funds," or my all-time favorite "Congratulations – You’ve Won The UK Lottery."

This is the time of year when we are all shopping for gifts for family or customers, and the last thing we need is for our bank or credit cards account to be hindered. That is exactly what these "cyber grifters" are counting on, and unfortunately some of us are tempted to follow the instructions sent to investigate.

First and foremost, DON’T FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS IN THE EMAIL! If you think there might be a problem, access the account in question as you normally do on your PC and not with the link supplied in the phony email.

I’ve had some very authentic looking email supposedly from banks, that even went so far as to copy the colors of the bank logo and stationery style. But, don’t fall for the scam. In fact, don’t even open the email, because many are just set to loose a virus program on your computer by being opened. Simply forward the suspicious email to the "spoof email" address supplied by your bank, or credit card company.

Nearly 10 million Americans fell prey to identity theft last year, costing businesses and individuals billions of dollars. Here are some other tips to help you:

1. Understand debit card dangers: Greater liability than credit cards. When it comes to fraud, debit cards carry much greater personal liability than credit cards, depending on how quickly you report the loss of the card. If you fail to report unauthorized use within 60 days of receiving your bank statements, you could lose all the money in the account and be held responsible for the amount of money that has been tapped from your line of credit.

2. Rethink check writing: That little slip of paper has way too much information. Some experts advise against check writing because it gives away your address, bank account number, signature and license number to complete strangers. On top of that, there’s no federal legislation to limit your liability for forged checks (each state has its own set of rules). Experts advise that you look into automating your bill paying.

3. Secure your mail: Your mailbox is a goldmine of information. Between bank statement, bills, and all those pre-approved credit card offers, your mailbox is loaded with personal data which identity thieves can use to easily apply for a credit card in your name. Unless you diligently check your credit report, you may never even know about it. One way to avoid this is to have your mailbox under lock and key, but most of us in Santa Clarita have our mailboxes at the curb in front of our house and the postman frowns on carrying dozens and dozens of keys around. The other solution is to have a rented mailbox, or to foil "dumpster-diving" thieves by buying a shredder and destroy documents before discarding.

4. Go virtual: For shopping online, there are "virtual" card numbers. These are randomly generated credit card numbers that are disposable and that on-line shoppers use once and throw away. It’s linked directly to your real credit card account so purchases show up on your monthly bill. The service is easy to use – and it’s FREE! All you need to do is register with companies offering the virtual card, and they are MBNA, Discover, and Citigroup.

5. Create an emergency identity kit: Would you know how to contact your credit card company in an emergency? Create an emergency kit that contains: your account number, expiration date, issuing company name, and emergency contact number for each card you own. While you’re at it, make copies of your driver’s license, social security card, birth certificate and passport and store them in a locked box or file cabinet, or a safe deposit box. I like the safe deposit box best, because this gives you protection in the event of a catastrophe such as fire, earthquake, etc.

This may all seem like a lot of unnecessary work, but if you’re ever the victim of identity theft – even just once – you’ll realize that it’s well worth the effort.

Many of us forget that were it not for what we carry in our wallets or in our purses, we’re all John and Jane Doe’s if we can’t speak due to injury or are unaccompanied by someone who knows us. How much less stressful is it to know that in a bank box, no matter where you are, there are items that can verify your identity. Better to be safe, than sorry!

Copyright (c) 2007 Howard Haller

About the Author

Howard Edward Haller, Ph.D. is the Chief Enlightenment Officer of the Coeur d’Alene, Idaho based The Leadership Success Institute. His Doctoral dissertation in Leadership Studies at Gonzaga Univ. included interviews with prominent US leaders in business, politics, and higher education. Dr. Haller has over 35 years of proven successful business leadership experience, including over 20 years as a Senior Vice President, President, or CEO in major public companies. He will be turning is leadership Doctoral dissertation into a book titled: “Leadership: View From the Shoulders of Giants” To find out more go to http://www.theleadershipsuccessinstitute.com today!

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Be aware of new twists and identity theft crime

2011-07-23T02:43:00.000-07:00

Identity theft remains one of the greatest crimes, and seems lately to be stealing even more people than turns the identity of another person. The reason why anyone would do, only because they can not be achieved through the resources of their own identity, or to get what they want.

As an example of how it turned the crime of identity theft, which looks to even more new, consider some of the additional twist that takes the crimes of identity theft. For example, as we all know that health insurance remains out of the financial reach of a surprising number of people. If your employer does not provide, or if you are self-employed, often the cost of private health insurance is not only in the budget because of the very high costs associated with a "non-group".

In a recently reported case of identity theft, the theft of the identity of an unknown woman had for years. The thief can not open bank accounts or credit card accounts in their name. Instead, he used their health insurance identification to medical treatment in a hospital in the women's hometown. The hospital would not assume, because the man had the woman's personal information, including their employee badge, their Social Security number and other relevant information, and could show them a copy of their health insurance card, so were the treatments for the people and to the detriment health insurance.

It was only when the woman on browser some of the statements by health insurance, to notice a name of someone who had received treatments on their policy, that the woman called the insurance company and then alerted the local authorities. After his arrest, the man said he had done nothing wrong, it's just that he needed medical treatment they did, and it was not, as he can afford to make it his own.

Is that a crime of identity theft has become to be, because the man was there for his own survival, not for illegal personal gain? The man claimed that the real crime that adequate health insurance is not affordable for the unemployed or self individual.

The people who are on the way the crime of identity theft becoming more intelligent. What would you do if you got an email from your bank, the bank where you have business for years or even decades, and the e-mail itself, the Bank had the graphic logo in the e-mail address where the e-mail was asking you click on this link because the bank had found some questionable activities going with your account? Heck, the e-mail looks as official as it could be, and kudos to the bank for the observation about my account so much that they want me to share my information.

Unfortunately, that is the perspective of many uninformed people who are not familiar with how easy it is unbelievable that someone an e-mail, such as handicrafts. After clicking on the link and entering their PIN or password or whatever, the web-site detailed thanked them for taking the time taken in order to protect their account, and assured them that the bank will let the them know what is going on, as their investigations continue, and thanks you again for your participation.

But in reality, the "participation" was to simply provide their PIN and password to a thief. The e-mail and the web pages you have visited absolutely nothing to do with their bank, but now the thief has your information and can start withdrawing money from their accounts.

Note that your bank or credit card information Union would NEVER ask for this type of personal information via an online web site, and if they do, is to find the time in another place to get your banking. When in doubt, call the bank and ask. Many banks have an entire department set only to combat this type of crime identity theft.

Protect your personal information and disclose it to not just because they ask for someone, especially your Social Security number that uniquely identifies YOU. Never have your social security number on your personal checks.

Daniel De Beer - About the Author:

Daniel is a professional seo link builder .He enjoys writing reviews on the best forex brokers, tutorials, articles about Forex and many other niches.

Victims of Identity Theft - Senior Moments

2011-07-22T02:41:00.000-07:00

There is something galling about seeing a person that has worked hard their entire life having to in essence sleep with one eye open because they have reached a certain age that makes them particularly vulnerable to the predators of our society.

Of course there is no perfect world and all of us regardless of age have to be vigilante. But this watchfulness goes double for senior citizens especially when it comes to something like identity theft. What happened recently in Virginia is a good example.

According to The News & Advance a forty eight year old woman was sentenced to thirty four months in prison and two years of supervision upon her release. She pleaded guilty to stealing identities of nine elderly victims whom were in her charge at two assisted-living facilities.

The fact that she stole them is bad enough. The fact that she stole from people she was entrusted to care for makes it more reprehensible. There are several reasons why scammers and identity thieves target the elderly.

1. Money All Around

There is a belief among identity thieves that seniors MUST have money. After all they worked for a long period of time and even if they are now residing in as assisted living center, they probably at one time owned their own home and sold it for a nice chunk of money.

There are a lot of seniors who just like the working class live form check to check. That however is not what identity thieves want to hear. For them the bottom line is many seniors are sitting on a pot of gold just ripe for the taking.

2. Different Times

There are no good old days like people who have never lived thru that era like to romanticize. Thieves and scam artists have always existed. Yet for countless seniors there was a degree of decorum that is almost foreign to many of us in modern society.

In other words the trust factor was lot higher and the cynicism not so widespread. It is hard to break habits like that. And when the scammers start laying on the sugar talk and feign strong personal interest, more than a few elderly people find that an irresistible combination.

3. Who Are They Going To Tell?

One calculation identity thieves and scam artists make about the elderly is that after they are ripped off they won't say anything. According to statistics they are more often than not exactly right.

Health issues play a major role in that the person does not fully comprehend what is happening or is unable to prevent it.

About the Author

victims of identity theft.

Article written by Daryl Campbell at Identity Theft and Fraud

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Identity Theft Stories Reveal How Victims Can Be Arrested

2011-07-21T02:40:00.000-07:00

The arrest followed on a FBI arrest warrant for one of their most wanted fugitives. The pensioner and victim of identity theft had to endure a three week incarceration in conditions described as not pleasant at all although he protested his innocence right from the start.

These identity theft stories tell a tale of how innocent victims can suffer due to mistaken identity. The real culprit of the same age, Derek Lloyd Sykes, had stolen the identity of the victim as far back as 1989 and lived under the name of Robert James Grant and had a British Passport in the name of Derek Sykes. Mr Derek Lloyd Sykes who was only arrested after authorities received a tip off and then arrested the fraudster in Las Vegas. The fraudster ran a telemarketing scheme in which he defrauded millions of dollars from people. The arrested pensioner was held whilst authorities were determining his identity as the Interpol website carried an image of Derek Lloyd Sykes on its wanted list.

This identity theft story highlights the fact that you cannot rely on American intelligence when it comes to identity theft. And although the FBI and American Embassy were criticized for the handling of the matter it will not replace the time spent in police custody by the unlucky pensioner. Criminals require very little information to steal some one's identity. They only need your passport or social security number to duplicate your identity and then to start opening accounts and apply for credit. Floating around in rubbish dumps one will find documents bearing peoples social security numbers, bank accounts, and store accounts, copies of payslips and proof of residence on utility accounts. Many of these details have been dumped by companies and not as a result of rubbish collected from private homes.

Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in the world and a very lucrative crime to commit. The perpetrators will often commit multiple crimes before being caught. It is also a crime where the victim never even knows or will ever know the perpetrator until caught. To prevent identity theft is very easy if everyone plays their part and is willing to change a few habits. For many victims who have to clear their names after falling victim to identity theft, they will find it frustrating, time consuming and expensive.

Andy Howard is the creator of Crimebustertips and author of "Home Security: The Crimebustertips Method"
For more articles (Education and Information) on Crime, Home Security, Identity Theft and Self Defense and to receive your free mini e-courses on a variety of Security related topics go to
http://www.crimebustertips.com

EmikBlac - About the Author:

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Prevent interpersonal mass media Identity Theft at neighborhood Portals

2011-07-20T02:38:00.000-07:00

Social networking has come going to be the brand new buzz term and every and every sole somebody from the college scholar to some superstar is socializing moment in time by means of the on the internet interpersonal networking sites. With these networking web-sites as well as the immense acceptance of it has evolved also the create a difference of interpersonal bottes Ugg Classic Mini advertising identity theft. These new thieves rob you of your most critical and vital thing--your identity!

Social advertising identity theft is achieved by hackers or spammers who steal your individual particulars and individual amount and pose like you through the networking site. This certified prospects individuals to think which they are interacting with you or viewing your profile and updates whereas they are essentially accomplishing that of one more person! this could prove hazardous like that through the circumstance of Sandra Bullock, who experienced to go on an exile and return only ideal after proving her innocence. consequently it is exceptionally significant to master how you can refrain from the interpersonal advertising identity theft.

The networking web-sites provide you with the choice to select a brand by which you ought for getting recognised through the networking site. It is sometimes much better and recommended that you simply chose your individual brand and place a brand that is most near for the name. The web-sites at areas need your name, it is much better to provide your important name. There can be considered a query which they ask for for that protection purpose. make an effort to remember your protection query and its answer. this could help that you alter the password of your account from time to time and sustain your identity safe.

But loads of a instances it happens that one more somebody produces a profile comparable to yours acquiring a brand that resembles to that of yours. This fake profile then does a good offer harm for the photo as well as certified prospects to provide incorrect information to other people by producing utilization of your brand and identity. This could possibly be prevented by acquiring a username closer for the bottes UGG Knightsbridge name. Register it using the networking site. this could refrain from any other operator to create utilization of the brand you have entered. This way your profile remains to be unique.

Many a instances the operator remains to be unaware that her or his profile is hacked and is also getting utilized by somebody else! this could not be prevented but an earlier detection can fasten the procedure of deleting the hacker and acquiring you back again your identity.

There are some names that are exceptionally common .Thieves ordinarily make an effort to create utilization of people names to attain their bad goals. To refrain from them from achieving their concentrate on you need to make an effort to utilize particular method that will make your ugg boots classic short account difficult to capture. although the procedure of producing your profile powerful versus theft requires time, you need to accomplish all you can to utilize it. make an effort to alter your password now and then. sustain an eyesight in your profile and any profile that appears fishy or fake ought for getting avoided from the visit.

There are loads of fake profiles with which the networking web-sites are greater than crowded. The networking web-sites do not have any obvious plan versus this type of profiles and fake identities. even although this type of profiles as that of Osama bin Laden or Condoleezza Rice and even expenses Gates could possibly be used for getting fake or perhaps a joke but that of the common person may come going to be considered a hazardous problem.

Therefore adopt the above stated suggests and any other suggests you receive to know, to conserve your networking type getting hacked. stay updated about protection associated matters and choose risk-free networking. appreciate risk-free networking!

About the Author

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Identity Theft: a Real or Imagined Threat?

2011-07-19T02:32:00.000-07:00

These days, you can hardly open the paper or turn on the TV without seeing articles and documentaries warning about the imminent danger of identity theft. And, even though journalists are currently having a feeding frenzy on the subject, most will be hard pressed to publish case studies, or report cases coming before the courts.

However, despite the apparent boom in identity theft crime, less than a handful of cases have been followed up by police action. From the cases recorded at the National Identity Theft Assistance Centre, only one has been pursued to the point of prosecution, and none has ever reached the courts. Losses reported from more common credit card fraud and card thefts are much bigger than from identity theft. So, is it as big a threat as it would seem, or is it just another example of media hysteria?

The hype surrounding the growth of identity theft has caused an explosion in the availability of protection products in the UK. Some credit card companies provide help services as a free part of their care package, while others have been quick to exploit the commercial benefit of selling subscriptions to various products that offer protection. Typically these are sold as opt-ins on application forms or by outbound telemarketing, with companies charging as much as £84 per annum for identity theft insurance, advice and credit file monitoring.

However, there are easier and more economic ways of protecting yourself against identity theft, which isn’t a big a problem as the media would have you believe. In the US consumers regularly check their credit reports as they are aware that this is where you would see the first indication of any identity theft activity. Every credit application leaves a search footprint and most loans and cards are reported, providing an audit trail for a consumer to spot anything unusual against their name. This practice is now catching on the UK where in 1974 the Consumer Credit Act gave everyone the right to obtain a copy of their credit report by sending £1 to a credit reference agency. In 2007, this sum has now risen to £2 and last year, over 1.8 million people applied in writing to one of the three UK credit reference agencies for their credit file, with most receiving a paper based report within 7 working days.

With the advent of the internet, online credit file reporting is on the increase. The benefits of online presentation of data over paper files are numerous. Online credit reports are delivered more quickly; leave a better audit trail; are more secure; can be stored and compared more easily. Moreover, information can be presented to the consumer with appropriate and consistent explanatory messages alongside each element of the report. So any consumer who finds errors on their credit file will find it easier to correct them and help improve the overall data quality of their records. The more accurate their records the better the consistency of lending decisions for credit.

But, the real benefit for all of us is that by regularly checking our own credit files, not only can we correct erroneous information against our name, we will be quickly alerted to any attempt of identity fraud. That is certainly a more pro-active and cheaper alternative to expensive protection offered by many credit card companies. Plus, if we all regularly checked our own credit files all the horror stories about identity theft would be just that – stories.

Adam Singleton - About the Author:

Adam Singleton is an online, freelance journalist and keen amateur photographer from Scotland. His interests include travelling and hiking.

Anybody Can Be a Victim of Identity Theft

2011-07-18T02:30:00.000-07:00

We live in the "information age, where new computer and communication technologies are continually being introduced. While this new technology can generally improve our lives, there is a downside as well. With just the right computer knowledge, online identity thieves can find all types of personal information about you, and use that information in illegal ways. By the time you realize that you have been the victim of identity theft, a tremendous amount of damage to your name and your finances may already be done.

Take the case of an elderly widowed woman who lives along on a fixed income each month and becomes a victim of identity theft. How will she ever be able to get straighten out the financial mess she finds herself in? Is there any way she will be able to recoup her financial losses? Probably not. Of course, the people who stole her identity do not care one bit about the heartache they have caused her. They only care about enriching themselves.

Identity theft is not just limited to the uninformed, the elderly, or those who cannot take care of themselves. We are all at risk of having our identities stolen and used fraudulently. Here are some suggestions on how you can protect yourself from identity theft.

One of the best ways to keep this from happening is to purchase a small inexpensive shredder for your home. You should shred everything that has your name, account numbers and other personal information on it, including bank statements and credit card statements.

You may want to go even further and shred all documents and papers that you receive. Even junk mail is a potential problem as it may contain your name and other information that can be used by identity thieves.

It is a well-known fact that many people with criminal intent regularly go "dumpster diving" to retrieve documents containing personal information. By shredding all documents before you throw it in the trash, you will deny these potential thieves information about you. This is one small step you can take that will go far in protecting yourself from I.D. theft.

In addition to shredding documents, you may consider subscribing to an identity protection service offered by many companies for just a small monthly fee.

These identity protection companies will monitor your personal information and credit reports to ensure that your identity is always protected. If your wallet or purse is lost or stolen, these companies will call your bank and credit card companies to cancel the old accounts and open up new ones. Also, if someone applies for a credit or debit card in your name they will let you know about it immediately so you can take the appropriate steps to stop it.

In conclusion, even though there are people who want to steal your personal information and use it for malevolent purposes, you can minimize the threat by taking a few steps to protect yourself. Document shredding and I.D. protection service subscriptions are just two things you can do to avoid becoming the next victim of identity theft.

About the Author

Jesse Whitehead enjoys writing articles on a variety of different subjects. His newest interest is in 3 phase converters. Learn more about 3 phase rotary converters at Rotary Phase Converters

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The Young Victims of Identity Theft

2011-07-17T02:28:00.000-07:00

According to the Federal trade Commission there was an estimated half million children who joined the ranks last year with the unfortunate distinction of becoming victims of identity theft. An advocacy group called the Identity Theft Resource Center identifies relatives as being involved in more than half of the child identity theft cases reported in the United States in year 2006.

It should be noted however, the thief is not always someone who knows the child. It is suspected by this resource center that identity theft of children is increasing so rapidly precisely because kids are such good targets. They further believe children are victimized because they usually have a spotless record and because they aren't using their credit and as such; the crime can go undetected for years.

Now that most infants by law have social security numbers, thieves have discovered they may be the easiest targets of all. Thieves have years to manipulate these identities and create a considerable amount of damage. Infants and children remain lucrative targets because they typically don't use their social security numbers until their late teens and discover the theft problem upon applying for a first job, a student loan or a credit card. When families and their children finally find out, the burden of proof falls on them.

Some of the most common tactics of identity theft (but not limited to) include parents using their children's' Social Security numbers to open up new credit accounts, and "dumpster diving" thieves stealing credit offers mistakenly sent to children too young to make use of the application themselves.

Helen Simmonds, a detective in a local police department, has been handling identity theft investigations. It was noted that almost all involved Social Security numbers issued in the early 1990s to children who are now turning 16, 17 and 18, and trying to obtain credit for the first time. It is believed by the investigator that there is going to be an epidemic [of such cases] not just locally but; across the nation.

It then should come of no surprise that credit-monitoring services are beginning to target concerned parents, offering to monitor children's identities. At LifeLock, credit monitoring for your child costs only $25 annually in addition to a $10 monthly charge for adults. LifeLock also takes actions to basically audit the Social Security Administration annually on the child's behalf to find out if there's been any work history related to the child's identity number.

A spokesperson for the SSA advises that parents can simply call their local Social Security office and get that information free of charge. However as a concerned consumer and parent you need to know; if thief is using your child's Social Security number, but with a different name then your child's, the SSA will not find a matching record for your offspring.

One of the major credit reporting agencies: Experian - recently launched FamilySecure monitoring service which alerts parents as soon as anyone applies for credit using their child's name. However, at $19.95 a month, the cost might be a bit cumbersome to many family budgets.

Parents that remember or have the time whom want to contact the three Credit Bureaus to determine if there is any activity on their children's credit can use the following contact Information and procedures;

Experian Call 1-888-379-3792, select the Fraud option. Parents have to mail in documentation, including proof that they are the parent or legal guardian for the child, such as a birth certificate for the child and driver's license for the parent. If the child does not have a credit file, Experian will notify the parents in writing. If a credit file exists, Experian will provide a copy to the parent so they can dispute any fraudulent information. The bureau will attach a notice on the file that it belongs to a minor, to prevent lenders from issuing credit in the future.

For Equifax Mail a request to: Equifax Information Services, P.O. Box 105139, Atlanta, GA 30348. Attach documentation identifying you as the child's parent (see above). If a credit record exists, Equifax will delete any fraudulent accounts, take the report offline and flag the Social Security number as one belonging to a minor. Parents cannot receive a copy of the fraudulent report.

Actions for TransUnion require a parent to Email childidtheft@transunion.com TransUnion will email back instructions on requesting a file. If one exists, the bureau will lock the file until the child turns 18, so his or her information cannot be used to obtain credit.

TIPS for ID Theft Prevention:
Don't give out personal information: never reveal anything about yourself unless you initiate the contact or if you request a phone number that you may call back to authenticate the representation being made (do not give out your Social Security number, phone number, date of birth, or credit card numbers or carry your Social Security Card).

Watch your mail: make sure you collect it right after it is delivered if it is out in the open and accessible to others.

Shred important documents: SSN, credit card numbers, driver's license numbers, date of birth and pre-approved credit offers (you can stop these by going to.

Pay attention to your billing cycle: missing bills could indicate theft.

Use reputable and secured websites: always use a secure browser, when paying online check to make sure it's secure (https: instead of http: identifies a secured server that encrypts the information you submit).

Protect your PC: protect against viruses and spyware, use a firewall, and don't download attachments from people you do not know.

Do not carry your Social Security card or that of you children's in your wallet, purse or automobile. Secure the cards in a safe place when not specifically needed.

There are services that charge for protective and proactive identity measures to safeguard the good name and credit of adults and minor children. If you do not have the time or expertise to put needed safeguards in place make room in the budget for the available experts.

Thief's have the time and ability to steal and ruin your identity. Don't think for a minute it can't happen to you or your family members because millions of others were just as confident and lost.

Ronald Hudkins - About the Author:

Visit http://www.adultwishfoundations.com/Life_Lock.html to learn more about a credit protection service that offers - Proactive Identity Theft Protection, Reduced Junk Mail, Reduced Credit Card Offers, $1 Million Service Guarantee, Child Protection Program, Wallet Watch and more for Only $10 per Month.

Internet Security and Identity Theft - How It Happens and How to Protect Yourself

2011-07-16T02:26:00.000-07:00

What is Identity Theft?

Identity theft is when a person has enough private information on someone that they can pretend to be that person. The result can be devastating. A thief can set up bank accounts or credit cards in your name, obtain a driver's license, take out loans on your credit, launder money, use your name in police or crime reports or file a tax return to steal your tax payments or benefits.

Protecting yourself from identity theft requires common sense and a clear understanding of when, where and how your personal information is vulnerable to theft.

Internet Security and Identity Theft

Your personal information is most vulnerable in online environments. It has not always been so. While personal data still might be lifted from financial documents left in dumpsters or sent through the mail, you can protect yourself greatly by knowing how thieves gain access to your information through the Internet. Internet Security solutions implement a number of measures to prevent identity theft when you use online applications.

How to Protect From Identity Theft?

TIP 1: Be wary any time your access financial accounts in public areas, such as at cash machines, on public computers, or even on your blackberry or cell phone. Notice if people try to look over your shoulder or if a person jumps on a computer you just finished using. Be sure to log out each time you review any of your accounts, including bank accounts, eBay, email, Amazon and even Facebook.

TIP 2: Never provide personal data to an email or a "pop-up" message while online. This is called phishing when a thief tries to get you to give him your data.

Tip 3: Install a reputable and efficient security software on your home computer. This will prevent viruses from infecting your computer and stealing important data.

TIP 4: Keep the software up to date.

About the Author

BitDefender Internet Security 2011 keeps your Internet-connected family safe, without slowing down their PCs. It locks out viruses, hackers and spam, while providing parental control and firewall protection. Automatic Defragmentation feature provided by Diskeeper. BitDefender Internet Security 2011 (1 user - 1 year) + Free 1 Diskeeper Pro

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Do You Have An Identity Theft Protection Plan?

2011-07-15T05:20:00.000-07:00

Identity theft is an insidious crime that, like a lethal cancer, can strike anyone, anywhere and anytime. Usually considered a situation that may solely happen to somebody else and never to them, identity theft invariably takes its victims by surprise. Sadly, so much too many folks wait till it's too late to institute an identity theft protection plan.

Despite the ever-increasing publicity surrounding the massive numbers of reported identity theft, most folks still do not contemplate it a viable threat to themselves. Not, that is, until they or someone they know falls prey to an identity thief. Then it becomes painfully apparent that identity theft is a serious crime with way-reaching and devastating consequences for its victims.

Identity thieves operate with extreme speed and efficiency. Sometimes, by the time you notice your identity is compromised by these unscrupulous characters, major and troublesome to correct injury has already been done. Establishing a secure, commonsense identity theft protection set up could be a simple and effective approach to reduce the chance that you'll become a victim.

In order to safeguard your identity from the personal devastation of being an identity theft victim and to avoid wasting yourself a ton of grief and frustration, you ought to adhere to the subsequent tips:

- Be aware that dumpster diving - thieves looking through your trash for paper containing your personal information - is one amongst the best ways that for a talented thief to assume your identity. Therefore, you must perpetually shred all documents containing any of your personal financial data before you discard them.

- Forever defend your Social Security number. Never carry the cardboard in your wallet or store it in the glove box of your car. Keep it in a safe place like a strongbox, safe or safe deposit box. Never write your Social Insurance range on the rear of cheques. The sole folks who have the legal right to record your Social Security variety are financial establishments (when setting up bank accounts or applying for loans), your employer (in order to method your personal tax deductions) and, after all, the tax department itself. There is no reason for any different institution to implement having this info and you should never disclose it unless you are certain of its security.

- Never release any personal info over the phone, through the mail or on the Internet unless you're positive of whom you're dealing with.

- Always exercise caution in cyberspace. Never click on links contained in unsolicited email; install firewalls and anti-virus software on your computer and build positive it is updated regularly. Exercise caution when disclosing mastercard info on any net page - create positive the browser of the web page is supplied with encryption service before you purchase any items with your credit card.

- Always erase and format your hard drive before discarding used computers.

- Observe awareness when conducting transactions at banking machines. Never punch in your password if another customer is standing close enough to record your keystrokes. Never use a visible password - like your birth date, pet's name or the last four digits of your Social Security number. Amendment your password regularly.

- Remember and take action if you suddenly stop receiving regular mastercard statements. Identity thieves often acquire credit cards in different individuals's names merely by applying to the credit card company for an address change.

- Keep your purse or wallet secure when in public. Do not carry all of your credit cards in your wallet. Clean out your wallet frequently, removing any papers that may have financially sensitive data on them (e.g.: banking machine receipts, cancelled cheques, recent utility bills, etc).

- Rather than signing your credit cards with your name, write, "please raise for Photo ID" within the area designated for your signature.

- Have the post office place a hold on your mail if you're going to be removed from home for an extended period. Identity thieves are constantly looking out for bulging mailboxes that will most likely contain some kind of economic information they will steal.

The underside line is to be alert. Using logic and exercising caution when addressing credit is typically your best Protection against turning into a victim of identity theft.

If, but, despite your diligence in adhering to all or any the suggestions on top of you are unfortunate enough to become a victim of identity theft, take corrective action immediately.

The on top of identity theft protection set up article is for data functions only and ought to not be construed as legal advice.

Identity Theft - Stealing Candy From a Baby

2011-07-14T05:17:00.000-07:00

A devotee's son was asked by his employer to verify his social security variety because the employer received notification from the govt. that a man in Virginia already had that number. They verified his number with the local social security workplace and obtained a replica of his social security card. Sure enough, somebody else was using his number. They called me asking what they required to try and do to mend the problem.

What would you are doing? Where would you begin? Who would you decision?

Kid identity theft is as simple as stealing candy from a baby. Some years ago the govt. required youngsters to induce social security cards. With the implementation of that program there was an alarming rise in Infant and Kid identity theft. Folks are sometimes unaware that a theft has occurred and it's usually not reported for years when until the kid receives a notice from the IRS or some other agency, is denied credit or faculty loans.

Consistent with the FTC, regarding five% of all ID theft reported cases are youngsters below 18 and the number is growing. As more parents find out how to check their kids's identity, the numbers will rise. Their identity's are used to open credit cards, acquire driver's licenses, and even employment.

The are two varieties of kid identity theft. The primary is parental identity theft and therefore the second stranger identity theft. It's hard to imagine that a parent would really steal their kid's identity. Some folks realize themselves in a very money crunch and can't get utilities or alternative services because of poor credit and use their youngsters's social security numbers to obtain services. In the method, their pattern of poor payment history ends up destroying the child's credit.

A 4th grader in Texas already encompasses a credit history. Shiloh Puckett has over seventeen credit cards, racked up thousands of bucks on her credits cards and been approved for a $42,000 loan. She is deep in debt and has been since she was just five. Her identity thief was caught and sentenced to prison. It had been her own mother.

A mother in Phoenix received a letter from the IRS that she might not claim a deduction for her 9 year old as he required to file his own taxes. Imagine her surprise to discover her son's identity thief was working at the native zoo.

Imagine the surprise of an eighteen year recent applying for a student loan to find that he was denied as a result of he had already defaulted on his existing student loans. The eighteen year was simply starting school and had no student loans... but his identity thief did!

The Identity Theft Resource Center reports relations as being involved in additional than [*fr1] of the kid identity theft cases reported within the United States last year.

Credit card companies don't require any sort of age qualification of applicants. The applying could raise for the date of birth, however there is no approach to verify it and that becomes the "official age" for credit purposes and will sit on the child's credit report for years till someone corrects the misinformation.

As a parent there are particular steps you'll be able to take to guard your kid's identity.

1. Check your kid's credit report regularly. Get a free credit report every 4 month by checking a different credit reporting agency. The govt. requires that each credit reporting company offer a FREE report every year.

2. Shield your kid's birth certificate. Watch out who you give your kid's birth certificate to, colleges, athletic programs. Ask why they need a duplicate and the way can it's stored.

3. Shield your child's social security card. Do not carry your kid's social security card in your wallet or any different personal identifying information. Store in a locked and secure place.

4. Find an Family Identity Theft Protection Set up - You'll add your kid on to some of the plans for there for as little as $2 - $ten a month

By following these simple steps you can reduce your child's risk of identity theft.

Get wise to identity thieves

2011-07-13T05:15:00.000-07:00

Postboxes deliver both functionality and style to a home and can also be an attractive addition to the face of a business address or apartment block. However this is the age of identity theft and fraud and it is no longer plausible to select a mail box simply for its good looks and ability to hold your mail. Your mail box needs to be tamper-proof and provide resilience in the face of thieves and vandals. Its time to throw out that wooden mailbox from the front yard and invest in a robust model.

For many years those with a need for commercial mailboxes have insisted on lockable mailboxes in order to protect sensitive mail from getting into the wrong hands. These days this approach is sensible for homeowners too. A thief can quickly gain access to your money by gaining access to your personal details via the mail so you need to put measures in place to protect yourself from this distressing and often devastating type of crime.

As with many crimes, this form of theft is one of opportunity. Most thieves will pass on by if they spot a sturdy, lockable mail box and look out for a better target. With many family homes still opting for post boxes and letterboxes that have no form of lock they have rich pickings.

There is a great choice of security mailboxes on the market. These include locking mailboxes, those with drop boxes and multiple locking mailboxes that are aimed at those living in apartment blocks. The latter works in a similar way to single mailboxes in that each individual has a key to a specific box. A drop box style will allow for large mail items to be delivered and left inconspicuously in the mailbox rather than left outside the property.

At Mailbox Mania we offer a wide choice of mail boxes with lockable features.

About the Author

The Article is written by mailboxmania.co.uk/ providing letter box and mail box Services. Visit http://www.mailboxmania.co.uk/ for more information on mailboxmania.co.uk/Products & Services_

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Put An End to Criminal Identity Theft

2011-07-12T05:13:00.000-07:00

Being mistaken for someone else can be very hazardous. It can actually get you punished for something you never did. A couple of situations have already cropped up when someone else in a course of a criminal act uses another persons identity.

Many criminals have had the ability to get crucial and vital information, such as social security number, addresses, credit card numbers, bank accounts, birth certificates and etcetera to commit crimes.

The imposter uses someone else's identification. Not only that, most of the imposter uses fraudulent information or in this case, true personal information but not their own. The fake identification can lead the crime to someone else. As a result, the innocent person will suffer from all of the consequences of the crime commited.

In a traffic scenario, criminal identity theft can also happen. Traffic imposter that violates the traffic rules can use a fraudulent driver's license with another persons name. By doing this, they can escape the traffic fine or escape from appearing in court as the law requires. The fine goes to another persons record.

The judge will surely issue a warrant of arrest for traffic violation. Unfortunately, the license card is in the name of the victim. Because of this, the imposter will never appear in any court hearing. The worst thing is that, the victim is normally arrested upon a routine traffic stop.

Criminal identity theft is more complicated compared to financial identity theft. Fortunately, unlike other theft cases, criminal identity theft is very rare. In this case the imposter has a rigid form of identify complex. Especially if the suspect uses a different fraud identity, the police department will surely have a hard time looking for the perpetrator.

At the present situation, police are very much more cautious when it comes to criminal identity theft. This offense is considered to be an extreme personal crime. Moreover, records are not easily cleared which could cause several problems with transactions a person may undertake. For example, a criminal record, albeit false, can mar a clean record causing a person some problems with say his credit or a job opportunity.

Not only that, criminal identity imposter can also tamper with some bank account charges of the victim. It can also make some bank account withdrawals and social security tampering. Unrelated crimes can also be committed by the imposter for whom the victim may be held responsible.

Criminal identity theft can also affect the victim in obtaining a job. The imposter can simply use the other personal documents in some events. An impostor can steal from a company and the assumed identity may get the bum wrap for the act done.

The real trouble in identity theft is that the burden of proof relies on the victim's evidences. The victim must have enough information and data in order to clear up the issues. Not only that, if the imposter had committed a serious offense, the trial can take years. It can even cost the victim thousands of dollars to clear his or her name. These are more conveniences on the part of the victim.

In most cases, the victim is required to have a set of circumstances. The victim must render enough time and evidences to clear the issue on his or her criminal records. A good lawyer should also be retained, the sooner you clear your name and your records the better it will be for you.
If you ever found out that someone is using your identity, don't wait for the authorities to pick you up, do actions already to minimize the potential damage it may cause.

What are things that an individual should do when criminal identity theft happened?
• The very first thing that he must do is to report the incident. The local law enforcement agency must know the misidentification issue.

• Proper impersonation report must be filled officially. The victim must not take all things for granted. He must act as soon as possible to prevent serious troubles.

• Having enough information about the particular laws of the state is important. The victim must know the proper proceedings when it comes to identity theft. Here is where a good and knowledgeably lawyer will be very handy.

This kind of criminal offense happens more often than what everybody thinks. It has already destroyed countless lives of innocent people. Do not let somebody damage your reputation. Take the essential precautions to protect yourself from criminal identification theft.

Identity Theft Through Computers and the Internet

2011-07-11T05:11:00.000-07:00

Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes. My days as an Information Security technician occurred at a time when identity theft was still in its infancy. The victims of identity theft are actually a surprisingly young group, demographically speaking. The highest rate of identity theft is occurring in individuals aged from their mid twenties to their mid thirties.

And identity theft through computers and the internet accounts for a portion of these incidents annually. About one in every eight Americans experience Identity theft on computers and the internet each year. Identity theft on computers and the internet can occur through fraudulent requests for personal information and through online buying services that are not secure sites and by having your personal computer compromised by someone you know and trust. More recently, identity theft has been connected to the use of social networking sites like Facebook. Read on to learn how to protect yourself from this fast rising crime.

There are safeguards you can implement to reduce the chance of identity theft through computers and the internet. A majority of identity theft that is going on is by means of offline activities, like stealing wallets, checkbooks, credit cards, mail and other personal items that contain critical identification information. Identity theft that occurs through computers and the internet tends to happen very often when your own personal computer is breached.

You can reduce your chances of this happening to you by using passwords to log into your computer, even if you're the only one using it, by changing your passwords on a regular basis and by not leaving your laptop open when unattended. These days, almost everyone has personal information stored in their computers. If you have selected "remember password" on a web site and someone goes to history and visits your frequently or recently visited sites that are linked to credit cards, other banking information and or electronic tax records, then you could be an easy mark for identity theft on your computer and the internet.

Although online identity theft is an ongoing threat to personal security, there are many companies developing and marketing software to counteract the threat called, anti-phishing software. Phishing is when someone uses the internet and sends an e-mail (spam) to a user making false claims to be a legitimate and recognized business entity in an attempt to scam the user into giving certain private information that can be used for identity theft through computers and the internet. Anti-phishing software may help, but is not a guarantee for protection, so make it your practice to keep your personal information secure to reduce your chances for identity theft on computers and the internet.

Another technique that malicious hackers and criminals use for identity theft on computers and the internet is spyware that gets into your computer and grabs lots of stored information including financial accounts, passwords and other critical information that will allow this individual access to your money and identity. So along with all the wonderful benefits that computers and the internet offer us in our daily lives, there is always, lurking out there in cyberspace, the possibility of identity theft on computers and the internet.

About the Author

Deborah Carraro is an internet marketing consultant who escaped the Corporate Banking world to launch several successful online businesses including the File Recovery Pros.

Visit http://www.filerecoverypros.com and http://www.smallbusinesswebpromotions.com

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Preventing Identity Theft Problems

2011-07-10T02:32:00.000-07:00

Identity Theft is the largest white collar crime today. The American Federal Trade Commission projects that within the next year, one out of every six people will have their identity stolen. With numbers like these itâ€™s crucial that every one of us try to protect ourselves in any and every way possible.

Identity Theft can take many forms. In each form, it can have devastating effects.

One form of identity theft is when someone steals your drivers license. They can pose as you for any number of things including criminal activity. They could even use it to commit medical identity theft. Medical identity theft is when someone poses as you and checks themselves into the hospital. This can alter critical medical records like blood type, leaving you with a whopping medical bill, and in danger if you ever come in needing a blood transfusion! In one case a woman checked herself into the hospital, had a baby and left. The baby was found to be addicted to cocaine. Child Services came to the innocent woman whoâ€™s identity had been stolen and threatened to take away her children! It is extremely difficult to clear up the mess when this happens, because if you call the hospital and tell them it wasnâ€™t you, they will lock down your medical files because of the HIP law.

Another form of Identity Theft is when someone steals your social security number. The thief can use your social security number in lots of ways. They can use it to commit financial identity theft by opening credit cards in your name. They can use it to pose as you at work. This would leave you with their tax bill. In one famous case, a womanâ€™s social security number was stolen and subsequently sold to a number of illegal aliens for five dollars a piece at a flea market. Until this day the government will not issue her a new social security number, and the nightmares she has with the IRS are not to be believed.

So protecting yourself from identity theft is very important. Unfortunately there is no fool proof method. This is partly because not all of it is in your hands. If you own property, your social security number is on the internet. Credit card companies and banks may be lax in where they leave their garbage containing your important information. Thieves can go through garbage on the street, steal mail from your mailbox, take pictures of your information from far away with a zoom lens, swipe your credit card into a scanner when you pay at a restaurantâ€¦. and those are just some methods for obtaining someoneâ€™s personal information.

The average person spends 600 hours and $1200 repairing their credit. Itâ€™s a huge hassle and very frustrating. The thieves usually get away scott free. So although it isnâ€™t possible to prevent it from happening, donâ€™t make it easy for them either! For more information and tips on how to prevent identity theft problems, you may want to check out this website: Preventing Identity Theft Problems

The best way to prevent these problems from happening to you, is to take action before it happens. There is only one company that I know of that not only monitors your credit for you, but in the case of a stolen identity, they restore your credit to the way it was before it was ruined! Not only that, but they go after the thieves to put them behind bars.

About the Author

For loads of great tips on preventing identity theft, or for more information about the credit monitoring and restoration service, check out this website: Preventing Identity Theft Problems!

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How To Be Safe From Identity Theft

2011-07-09T02:30:00.000-07:00

The advancements in technology have made possible the proliferation of crimes that used to be depicted in the movies only and which were very far from reality. However, there are existing crimes that are now spreading like wildfire because of the lack of security in using the Internet,
One such crime closely related to Internet use but which can also be committed in other ways is identity theft. Identity theft basically operates the same that the ordinary crime of theft does. The difference is that in identity theft, what is stolen is the identity of a person.

Identity is considered a crime because it is the act of assuming or using the identity of another person without his consent. Identity theft usually causes injury to the person whose identity has been stolen. It is usually committed for financial gain, blackmail or even espionage.

This crime has grown so widespread that the United States Congress has enacted the Identity Theft Penalty Enhancement Act to punish those found suing another person' identity without his consent. The criminal gets an additional two years in jail if he uses the stolen identity to perpetuate another crime. Another five years is added to the jail term if the crime is used to promote terrorism.

So how is identity theft done? Identity thieves are one of the most creative people in this planet and they will do anything to get information about the people whose identity they are planning to steal. This includes rummaging through the target victim's garbage to sift important information about the person's identity which they can use in perpetuating the crime.

Some identity thieves use computers and sophisticated programs like spyware to get financial information about their target victims. Hacking another person's computer is a method often used by identity thieves to commit the crime.

The proliferation of Identity theft can be blamed on the ease with which financial transactions can now be made. Credit card companies readily approve applications without even physically dealing with the applicants. These companies approve the applications based on documents that the applicants send by snail mail or online and the companies send the approved cards by mail.

Revealing financial information through the telephone can also be a magnet for identity thieves. These criminals have access to high technology gadgets and they can eavesdrop on telephone conversations. Sending information through the Bluetooth technology can also be easily intercepted by identity thieves.

Everyone is in danger and any person's identity can be stolen. Thus, a person should be careful in revealing financial information especially if such information is being asked for no reason at all.
To avoid being victimized by identity thieves, a person should consider the following safety measures:

1. Always be careful in sending and receiving financial information through snail mail because mails can easily be intercepted by thieves.

2. Never throw important financial and other information in the garbage without shredding them first. Identity thieves can masquerade as garbage collectors and sift through a mountain of financial information about the prospective victim.

3. Never reveal financial information over the phone. Anybody can call someone on the telephone and pretend to be a bank officer. When such information has to be given to any office, it is better to visit the office and personally hand in the information to the right person.

4. Always inspect bank transactions and look for any irregular payments or withdrawals.
5. In the same manner, always check credit card bills and cross check with purchases and other credits to make sure that the charges are correct and not made by another person.

When it comes to identity theft, no one is really safe and the best thing to do is to be careful and wary of revealing any financial information. It is best to incur a little delay by verifying the identities of people asking for financial information rather than to suffer financial distress later on.
Remember that identity thieves are very creative and they can get any information they want. They can even be getting a person's financial information this very moment while the target is using his computer. With all the convenience of technology, any person can be a victim of identity theft.

Defend From Identity Theft

2011-07-08T02:22:00.000-07:00

Identity Theft is a genuine threat, and what you’re about to read will shock you. Identity theft is a grave crime and is out of control. It’s up nearly 80 percent over the last 12 months and it is still going up. Identity theft is the wrongful adopting of someone else’s - ’real world’ identity for the purpose of committing fraud. It is much more than misuse of a Social Security number; it can also include credit card, bank, passport and mail fraud. Many people believe that identity theft is a crime that only occurs to others.

Identity theft is one of the fastest-growing types of financial fraud; it is the information age’s new crime. Plus it’s one of the fastest growing crimes in the United States. Despite the efforts of law enforcement, Identity theft is becoming more sophisticated and the number of new victims is growing. Identity theft is a serious crime and is Big Business, the FTC says Identity Theft is rampant with 10 million cases in the past year and the cold reality of it is this -- the victim cleans up the mess. Many believe it is another reason to enforce immigration laws.

Consumer Privacy and Identity Theft are today’s big concerns. You could lose your identity, your privacy, even your bank account. We are living in a World without any real privacy: So Hang on to Your Identity. With so many being affected the question is should higher education institutions extend information security awareness campaigns so that they deal with issues of personal privacy protection and identity thief? Internet privacy and security, which go hand-in-hand with identity theft protection, are top of mind for Internet users. We know that many people are concerned about threats to their personal privacy, from receiving junk mail to being the victim of identity theft.

Most people believe that identity theft is a crime that only happens to others. It is a challenging and scary situation to be in. On average, identity theft is not discovered until 14 months after the crime has occurred, but when the identity theft is a result of fraud by family and friends, the median loss is $15607. Identity theft is often difficult to solve and prosecute, and, in the case of families, victims may be reluctant to report relatives to the police. Stopping identity theft is a very complicated proposition. Part of the battle of stopping identity theft is recognizing how this personal information is stolen and from where.

You had better take care when providing any personal information. Make sure you destroy documents that have identifiable information, this includes everyday bills, and credit card offers. Use services that help protect your identity such as SpeakOnly.com private phone number service. SpeakOnly.com is currently providing a free private telephone numbers to US residents, I highly advocate you take advantage of this while it’s available to the general public for free.

About the Author

Dan Kelly is an expert on personal information protection and highly recommends http://www.SpeakOnly.com free private phone number service located at this site http://www.speakonly.com/freephone/

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