Tom V Powell asked:




True identity theft (real world as apposed to the virtual world) has been on the decline over the recent years. However, fraud prevention has not been the only force in the fight against ID theft, statistics have shown that not only has the economic crisis took its toll on us, but also on the fraudsters themselves. With people now having to watch what they spend, less people have been going out and more people have been a lot more cautious of their possession, thereby reducing the opportunities for details to be stolen. In effect this has led to a reported 1.3b rand reduction by the Southern African Fraud Prevention Service (SAFPS), but there are people still being targeted.

The use of false documentation through the presentation of such things as false payslips, false bank statements and drivers licences has been the main concern of the fraud prevention agencies. From the statistics it has been shown that people between the age of 20 and 40 are more likely to be target then any one else. In retaliation to this the fraud prevention agency (SAFPS) has introduced a new service in the last quarter of 2009 which is for the reporting of employee fraud amongst SAFPS members. Although this is still in its infancy there are high expectations for the future and, from those reports, there has been many a strong lead to ID thieves. The main aim of this new service is to break down the culture of protecting criminals we are close to, by reporting, anonymously, those we know or suspect to be committing fraud.

We, as individuals, can also do our part to ensure that fraud becomes something of the past, or at least becomes more difficult, by protecting ourselves. The main reason that identity theft is so ‘fruitful’ for criminals is that we always carry ID on us, in some form or another. The problem with this is simply, we keep our passports in our pockets, or worse back pocket and we keep our licenses in our wallets, again in our pockets. This leaves us open to pickpockets and being played by hustlers, both of which can be avoided if items of identification were either left at home or were kept in zipped pockets.

Some people reading this will be surprised that a person would put their wallet in their back pocket, the easiest place to be stolen from, both out of your visual range and in an easily accessible place. If you are one of those people, or know a person who does it, then tell them about what they are doing and why they are doing it, either stitch that back pocket up or become consciously competent in putting your ID in a safe place where you can easily get to it, that is within your range.

Joann

Jahanzaib Hassan asked:




Identity theft is the growing national epidemic. There are literally hundreds of ways you can loose your all important credit ratings through identity theft, as it happens with a hundreds of thousands of Americans every year. There are more numbers of identity theft cases reported than there are robberies filed. Preventing identity theft is a simple matter of playing it safe. Identity theft protection relies on the old adverb better safe than sorry. Preventing identity theft is the key to identity theft protection. Here are certain guidelines for preventing identity theft and the 3 identity theft protection laws:

Identity theft protection Law # 1:

1. Protect your Social Security number and never say it aloud in a public place.

2. Never give out your SSN, credit or debit card number or other personal information over the phone, by mail, or on the Internet.

3. Never carry any card in your wallet that contains the Social Security number (SSN), unless required.

4. Always, take credit card receipts with you. Never toss them in a public trash container.

5. If the state of your residence uses the SSN as the driver’s license number, it is strongly recommended that you contact your Department of Motor Vehicles and request a different number.

6. Never permit your SSN or driver’s license number credit card number to be written onto your checks.

7. Do not have your SSN or driver’s license number printed on your checks.

8. Ask your financial institutions to add extra identity theft protection to your account.

9. Shield your hand when using a bank ATM machine.

10. Always use a gel pen for issuing checks.

11. Never have new checks mailed to you.

12. Never leave envelopes containing your checks anywhere, when you pay bills.

13. When creating passwords and PINs, do not use any characters that relate to personnel information.

14. Never record anything in your wallet. Memorize all your passwords.

15. Carry minimum number of credit cards, debit cards and avoid carrying your birth certificate, Social Security card or passport in your wallet except when needed.
Identity theft protection Law # 2:

16. Be proactive and shield all your data in a safe place. Maintain a list and photocopies of all your credit cards, debit cards, bank accounts, and investments and telephone numbers of the customer services and fraud departments, in a locking cabinet or safe along with all your personal information and canceled checks.

17. Use credit cards instead of debit cards to shop online and automate as much bill-paying as possible from your checking account.

18. It is important that you install a locked mailbox at your residence for enhanced identity theft protection.

Identity theft protection Law # 3:

19. Review all your financial data as often as possible. Federal law entitles you the right to one free credit report each year from the three credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion; use it. If you are a victim of identity theft, your credit report will indicate that.

20. Look at your Social Security Personal Wages and Benefits, Approximate Statement each year to check for deception.

21. Review credit card, bank and phone statements, including cellular phone bills every month.

22. Maintain services of Identity Theft Protection and Recovery Company. Better safe than sorry.

23. Identity theft protection includes protecting your PC from hackers. Load some sort of blocking software on your home systems for preventing hackers to obtain personal confidential and financial data from your hard drive.

24. Update your anti-virus product, everyday.

25. Always protect your files through passwords that contain sensitive personal data.

26. If doing online transactions for shopping, only trust on companies that provide transaction security protection.

27. Never just delete files that contain personnel information, make sure to remove this data by using a strong “wipe” utility program.

28. Never respond to spam email messages.

With the emergence of new technologies, new markets and new jobs; thieves have found a new commodity to steal. Your identity is worth a lot of credit. Victims of identity theft have found it the hard way. Identity theft protection is the only means to be safe from the pain and anguish of having loans accredited to your name. Preventing identity theft requires a proactive approach. Better safe than sorry.

Darren

Joseph Troyer asked:




When a person’s financial or personal information is stolen by someone else and used illegally, it is called identity theft. Usually, a person’s identity is stolen so someone else can obtain bank accounts and credit cards in their name. Being the victim of this type of fraud often can set you back a few years financially and is difficult to recover completely from. With some helpful information and work, you can adequately protect yourself with some identity theft prevention measures.

There are many precautions that you can take to assure your assets are fully protected. Surprisingly, perpetrators need only a few personal details in order to steal identities so it’s important that you adequately protect yourself. Never throw important mail or documents away until all of your financial and personal information is blacked out. Consider using paper shredders to make it easier on yourself.

Even other, more unassuming, documents can be used by thieves to steal identities. Things like offers from credit cards that are received through the mail should be blacked out or shredded before being tossed out. Often, thieves look through garbage in search of these documents and use them to get credit cards in other people’s names. If you are worried about being exploited this way, place a fraud alert on your credit. All credit card applications have to be personally confirmed by you, either in person or by phone.

Thieves are fairly adept at obtaining info that has been comprised as well. You should consider, because of this, keeping all of your to-be discarded mail in the home until it’s time for trash day as opposed to just throwing it all out right away. Shredding or blacking them all out should still be done.

You should be careful with ATM pin numbers as well. Don’t pick obvious numbers like your anniversary or birthday and change them at least every six months. Refrain from writing it down or keeping it in your wallet or purse to prevent someone from learning it. Memorize the number instead.

Make sure to check the mail each day early and to promptly bring it all in. Be weary if you stop receiving bills and bank statements suddenly. Most crooks forge signatures at their post office to get another person’s mail forwarded to alternative addresses. Credit can then be obtained using that person’s information.

Carefully, take the time each month to look over your bank statements. You should keep an eye out for charges or withdrawals that weren’t made by you. These and other inconsistencies should be reported by you immediately to your bank. Lost credit or debit cards will need to be reported right away to your bank as well, even if they have been missing for only a few hours.

Cody

Keith Londrie asked:




Identity theft, one of the most insidious forms of white-collar crime, is a federal crime under the Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act. It occurs when charlatans steal your personal and/or financial information to use your credit accounts, tap your bank accounts, get new credit in your name, file fraudulent tax returns, get cell phones in your name, access your insurance benefits, and so on. When someone steals your personal and financial information, your life may become a living hell, particularly if you don’t realize what has happened right away and the imposter has siphoned off funds using your name. This makes adopting strategies for identity theft prevention all the more essential. The steps to take for prevention are really simple.

Identity theft crimes make headlines more and more every day. You hear about them on the news or read about them in the papers. The Federal Trade Commission, the leading governmental agency addressing the problem of identity fraud, has reported a dramatic increase in the incidence of this crime. Recently, FTC released a survey that revealed identity fraud claimed a whopping 27.3 million victims over the past five years and result in over $53 billion annual losses to businesses and financial institutions. Accurate and up-to-date information is the most critical element in any identity theft prevention measure. For this reason, Federal Trade Commission launched a website annualcreditreport.com where all consumers are eligible for a free copy of their credit reports. By getting a free copy of your credit report you should be able to spot suspicious activity.

The old adage “Prevention is better than cure”, is very much applicable for identity theft prevention. While state governments, local and federal law enforcement agencies, and private organizations are taking new steps to minimize this threat, it is also crucially important for citizens to take responsibility for protecting their personal information. As an identity theft prevention measure, individuals can hire credit-monitoring services that alert them when there are changes in their credit report. Proper disposal of personal information and other sensitive material is a vital identity theft prevention technique. This could be accomplished by shredding documents. Do not allow intact documents to be thrown in garbage. To thwart phishing attacks, do not reply or click on links in the email that asks you for your account or billing information. Instead, contact the company cited in the email by telephone or by website you know to be genuine, to verify the contents.

Mary

Lana Leicester asked:




Any particular method of identity theft prevention cannot be considered as the success formula on a permanent basis, as the thieves have really talented as well as creative in the present scenario. But, there are certain procedures, which can be used to reduce the extent of victimization. Some of the important procedures are listed below. Some of them may be convenient, while some may be a bit inconvenient to be put into practice.

The credit cards should be signed regularly so that the identity thieves may find it tough to forge the signature. But, this method may be useful while tracking the criminal in the future, not to avoid the unintended use of card, as on most occasions, the salesman do not bother to check the signature. The phrase ‘SEE ID’ can be added before the signature, for adding the extra security too.

The extra amount of money, blank checks, credit cards, passport, or any other form of ID, which is not going to be used on a particular day, should not be carried by the person.

It is always advised not to carry the Social Security Number unnecessarily. Moreover, this number should never be used as a password or mentioned on the checks.

The PIN number should be kept secret by remembering the same and utmost care should be taken that the PIN is not written down on a piece of paper. Sometimes, people invite trouble by writing the PIN on the back side of the card, and the minute they lose their card, all the money is gone.

Choosing a difficult password as well as the PIN numbers may be useful in identity theft prevention. The common passwords such as date of birth, phone number, sequential number and name of the person should be avoided to be on the safer side. The password with the eight characters or more is considered to be quite safe.

Remember, the personal identity documents, purse or wallet should be kept in a safe place so that they cannot be located by the criminals with great ease.

To find many more handy identity theft prevention tips, click on the link given in the resource box below.

Amanda

Tim Gorman asked:




Everyday more and more consumers are falling victim to identity theft. In fact, the mere act of identity theft is growing at an alarming rate as more and more people find themselves victim of this insidious crime. Millions of dollars continues to be lost by consumers who are unaware that their personal and financial information has fallen into the wrong person’s hands. Fortunately there are some simple steps that you can take in order to help prevent identity theft from taking place. This article covers 6 tips on preventing identity theft.

Identity Theft Prevention Tip #1 – Never, I repeat never give your social security number to anyone unless it is an absolute emergency or is truly required to perform some function. Instead only be willing to use the last four digits of your social security number as a means of verifying who you are. Many companies have now adapted this method as one means of verifying your identity.

Identity Theft Prevention Tip #2 – Always make sure to check your end of month bills, especially your credit card bills in order to spot any charges that may not have been placed by yourself. Additionally make sure your bills actually arrive since many identity theft thieves are known to steal your mail in order to gain access to your personal information.

Identity Theft Prevention Tip #3 – Routinely order your credit report from one or all of the big three credit reporting agencies in order to check it for any errors or accounts that may have been opened or originated due to identity theft fraud. If you find a discrepancy on your credit report notify the respective credit bureau immediately in order to fix the problem and ensure that it was not a result of someone attempting to hijack your identity.

Identity Theft Prevention Tip #4 – Whenever you are asked to choose a password for any type of account or login make sure and take the extra step to formulate a password that will be difficult for an identity theft specialist to solve. Always avoid using easy to crack passwords that use your birthday or your spouse’s birthday as the password. These types of passwords are common and make easy target for thieves after your identity.

Identity Theft Prevention Tip #5 – Try to avoid giving out any of your personal information over the phone, in person or online if at all possible. One of the simplest ways to avoid becoming a victim of identity theft is to keep your private information private. Failure to do so can make you an easier target for someone to hijack your identity.

Identity Theft Prevention Tip #6 – Always make sure to shred any type of financial documents or paperwork that contains any of your personal information on it before throwing it away. This simple act, which can be done rather quickly and easily, will help to thwart any type of attempt on your identity by an identity theft thief. Don’t underestimate the power of safeguarding your personal information. It is your number one defense against preventing identity theft from happening to your or your loved ones.

Identity theft is a terrible crime and major source of frustration for anyone to have to go through. Utilize these 6 tips on preventing identity theft to safeguard your own personal information. These simple but effective tips will help keep your information where it belongs, in the privacy of your own safe keeping.

Jesus

Travis Stone asked:




One of the greatest fears that many people have is that they’ll become a victim of identity theft. Most people just have the “oh, well, it won’t happen to me” attitude. For 1 out of every 5 people, that’s the wrong attitude to take. Which one of those five are you? The most common type of identity theft is credit card fraud, usually through account takeover. In this type of crime, the thief gains access to a credit card and then, quite simply, starts making purchases with it.

What makes this type of fraud an identity theft is that often the perpetrator will call the credit card company, bank, etc. and attempt to gain more information about the account’s owners using a technique called “fishing.” With this technique, which is old hat among private investigators, the thief poses as the account’s owner and attempts to change the account information, upgrade the account for more credit, make a cash withdrawal, or otherwise manipulate the account. With enough information, many thieves can use one account to get into several more. A debit card could lend access to checking, savings, and even mortgage accounts through the bank.

Most banks and institutions have safeguards in place to prevent this total takeover of one of their customer’s accounts, but the best prevention is to stop the thief before he can attack to begin with. To do that, you need to follow these 10 ways to prevent identity theft by credit card. Most of them are easy, no-nonsense security measures that you likely already take everyday as a part of your lifestyle. Others are just small habits you need to practice to ensure your credit’s safety.

#1: Carry Fewer Cards

Sounds pretty simple, but it’s amazing how many people walk around with five, ten, or more credit and debit cards in their wallets. This is excessive and is tantamount to wearing five pounds of gold and diamond jewelry. Eventually, someone will decide to mug you. The more cards you’re carrying, the easier it will be for a thief to take over your identity and fleece you for all the money they can. Reduce the number of cards that you carry to two. If at all possible, do not use a debit card at all as they’re the easiest to use by thieves to get cash quickly and easily.

#2: Watch Your Card

When you use your card at a store or restaurant where it’s handed to an employee or waiter to process for you, keep your eye on the card at all times. Never let the employee walk away with your card and then come back later. It’s not as uncommon as people might think for people like this to take advantage of their situation to copy card information or do a “false swipe” into a reader to record the information for later retrieval.

#3: Never Use a Debit Card Online

When you shop online, never use a debit card attached to your bank account. No matter where your shopping is taking place, debit cards are the primary target of thieves. Instead, use a closed account like a pre-paid card, a credit card (they’re better protected), etc. Companies like PayPal and others that offer cards that are separate from your checking account are popular choices.

#4: Keep A List of Cards

Keep a detailed list or photocopy of all of your cards (front and back). Know the account numbers, expirations, phone numbers for reporting, etc. Keep this list is a very safe and secure place in your home or bank. If your wallet is stolen, your house robbed, or you otherwise have one or more cards stolen, this list could mean the difference between a few minutes to report the theft and a few hours while you find the information and the thief goes on a shopping spree… on you.

#5: Keep Your Social Security Number To Yourself

Don’t ever give out your Social Security or account numbers on the phone or through the mail if you aren’t 100% sure that the person you’re talking to and the business they represent is legitimate. When in doubt, don’t give it out! If a business calls you, say the utility company, and asks for personal information for identification, tell them you’ll call them back. Use the phone number in the phone book or printed on one of your bills to call them-not a number the person on the phone gave you. This verifies that the person is who they say they are and eliminates “fishing.”

#6: Keep Your Receipts

When you make purchases by credit or debit card, keep your receipt. Do not throw it away in a public trash container or even in your home garbage can without first marking out the account number or shredding the receipt. Most stores now print only the last four or five digits of your account to protect the information, but you only know if they did when you look to see that they did!

#7: Do Not Write Numbers on Checks

When paying bills, DO NOT write your credit card (account number) on a check when paying the bill. If the check falls into the wrong hands, a thief now has two ways to take advantage of you (check plus card). Checks preprinted with your driver’s license number are also a bad idea.

#8: Watch the Mail

When a new card or fresh checks are coming, make sure you know when they’re expected and are there to receive them. Better yet, have them sent to a secure box like a PO box or similar.

#9: Read Your Account Statements

Read your account statements thoroughly and every time they come to you. Some thieves (especially online) will steal a card number, use it once, and then forget it. This results in the much lower likelihood of them being caught. Many of the frauds never even get noticed as account holders often look only at the “total owed” line on the account and don’t read through line items.

#10: Order a Credit Report

Order a credit report from the three bureaus yearly (at least). They are required by law to give you one free report per year, so take advantage of it. Read through it and make sure that there are no credit accounts you are unaware of, no claims on your file that you didn’t authorize, etc.

Arthur

M. Allen asked:




Identity theft, the act of stealing someone’s personal information to use for illegal purposes is a crime that can damage your credit rating, your personal or business reputation, and most assuredly your sanity. Identity theft is also a crime that can be prevented. There are many things we can do to make it at the very least tougher for thieves to steal our personal information.

Check your credit reports regularly. Many smaller charges may never come to your attention but will land on your credit report. Check your credit report carefully and note any accounts that you are sure don’t belong to you. Also, when denied credit because of information in a credit report you are allowed to ask for a free copy of your credit report from the credit bureau that issued the negative information. Once a year, everyone has the right to request a free copy of their credit report from any or all of the three major credit bureaus.

Be wary of credit monitoring offers. Even when purchasing a copy of your credit report from one of the three major credit bureaus, the cost is usually about $9. Why pay the hundreds of dollars that are charged by credit monitoring companies to do the same thing you should do, check your credit report regularly.

Watch out for imposters. Many scam artists attempt to pose as companies you do business with. They can contact you via email, through the mail, or over the phone claiming to need you to verify your personal information. Your suspicion should be heightened if you are contacted by a company asking you for information they should already have. Before responding to the inquiries, you should contact the company and ask if the request is truly coming from them.

Guard your sensitive information. The security of your social security number should be highly important to you. Your social security number is the master key that unlocks your identity. With it, crooks can access most anything in your name. Many medical and government institution use your social security number as your account number. Most are able to give you an alternate number to use if you express to them that you don’t want your social security number used. You should only provide your credit card or bank account numbers when you are actually buying something. These numbers could be used to drain your finances without your knowing about it. Also, it is always best to memorize your passwords and PIN numbers. It is far too easy for someone to use these if they find them in your wallet or purse.

Secure your personal information. Your offline world is filled with pieces of paper with your personal information. Whether in your car, at school, at work, or at home you should do your best to secure sensitive information behind a lock. It is also best to send outgoing bill payments from a public mailbox or the post office itself instead of from your house mailbox. Sometimes even incoming junk mail can contain accurate personal information. To properly dispose of these it may be useful to have a small paper shredder.

Get off credit marketing lists. Credit bureaus compile marketing lists for pre-approved offers of credit cards. These mailing lists are a jackpot for scammers and identity thieves. They can use these to apply for a credit card in your name and change the mailing address so it is sent to them instead. You can usually get your contact information removed from these marketing lists by calling 1-888-567-8688.

Protect yourself when online as well. The first thing to know is that email is not a secure method of communication. Do not send sensitive information like credit card numbers, social security numbers, or financial account numbers through email. When doing business with a website, look for clues that tell if it is a secure website or not. Even when getting a message that states your information is encrypted while it’s transferred to the website, you still want to look for information regarding how secure your information is kept by the company who will now have it.

Stay up-to-date on information regarding scams and identity theft. The more knowledge you have, the harder it is for the crooks.

Jorge

Wade Young asked:




Shred. Shred anything that contains your private information. Thieves routinely rummage through dumpsters looking for items of use. Pieces of data are sold to perpetrators with laptops who wait patiently until enough knowledge is acquired to be valuable. Watch out for phishing. This is the practice of luring victims to a fake website via an authentic-looking email. The goal may be to get you to submit a password, for example. Do not respond to these requests. Instead, contact the company directly to find out if the communication is legitimate. Protect your debit card. Credit cards offer better protection, so use them instead when shopping online. Hand tricks. When handing your plastic to a cashier, keep your eye on it. Small, handheld devices can be used to achieve a swipe and download — a trick easily pulled off while your toddler has your attention. This scam is most easily pulled off in the back room where no one is watching, which is of particular concern when dining out. Major credit cards offer better protection, or pay cash at restaurants. Guard your pin. When inputting your pin, cover the keypad with your hand. You wouldn’t believe it, but a pair of binoculars may be watching. Another option is to obtain cash the old fashioned way — from the teller. Do not use your savings for overdraft purposes. If your primary account is compromised, your savings can be looted as well if the two accounts are linked. Choose your mortgage broker wisely. Your loan file is the mother lode. Financially speaking, it contains everything. Work with a professional who won’t toss your loan file in the garbage after it is no longer of use. Improper disposition of documents is rampant, and there are many bandits who regularly pilfer the dumpsters behind mortgage companies. Paying bills. Do not leave your bills in the “outgoing” box at your place of employment. Instead, deposit them directly in a USPS drop box, or pay your bills online. Properly dispose of old computers. “Deleting” doesn’t do the job. Use a cleaning program to make sure nothing is left behind. Security freeze. Consider putting a security freeze in place at Experian, TransUnion and Equifax. This prevents these agencies from releasing your information without your express written consent.

Copyright

]]> http://identityprevention.org/legal/top-10-identity-theft-prevention-tips/feed/ 0 http://identityprevention.org/legal/prevention-of-credit-card-identity-theft/ http://identityprevention.org/legal/prevention-of-credit-card-identity-theft/#comments Mon, 28 Feb 2011 03:58:43 +0000 admin http://identityprevention.org/legal/prevention-of-credit-card-identity-theft/ Continue reading →]]>

Sky Joe asked:




Credit Card Identity Theft involves the theft of your credit card or account number to make unauthorized charges to your account. If your credit card information falls into the wrong hands, you may be held liable for outrageous bills that were incurred by the identity thief. Thus, the importance of protecting your credit card information goes without saying.

There are many things that can be done to monitor bank accounts and other personal information to prevent identity theft. One way is to avoid giving out your credit card number in public or over the phone. In fact, if you really have to give out a credit card number, you should give out eight numbers then move the receiver away ( or cover it with your hand) say four more numbers then remove your hand and put your mouth back on the phone speaker and then completing the number. In this way, it will confuse the identity thief who happened to be eavesdropping your call!

In addition, it is advisable to make a list of or photocopy all of your credit cards. For each card, include the account number, expiration date, credit limit and telephone numbers of customer service and fraud departments. Keep this list in a safe place so that you can contact each creditor quickly if your cards are lost or stolen.

Before applying for a credit card, you should check with the bank or store on their procedure for safeguarding credit applications. It must be ensured that they are treated as strictly confidential documents and handled with caution. When you received the credit card by mail, you must immediately sign on the back of the credit card in permanent ink. If possible, use an signature that is difficult to imitate so as to reduce any forgery of signatures should someone try to misuse your credit card.

Another way to prevent credit card identity theft is to carefully examine each monthly credit card statement to ensure that every charge accurately matches your credit card receipts. You must bear in mind not to sign a blank charge slip. If forced to, you can use a low-limit credit card to thwart identity thieves. Furthermore, if you have any unused credit cards, cancel them so that their account numbers will not appear on your credit report. If an identity thief obtains your credit report, he could use the account numbers to obtain credit in your name. To prevent this problem, some credit reporting agencies truncate account numbers on credit reports.

Edith