ExpertRealEstateTips asked:

A proactive way to prevent identity theft is to freeze your credit file with the three credit reporting bureaus, Equifax, TransUnion and Experian. Freezing your credit file means no one can open a new account. It does not close your exisitng lines of credit, but it means that no one can open a new credit account or line of credit. If you’re young and trying to open lines of credit to establish your credit history you probably don’t want to freeze your credit file. However, seniors who don’t need to open more lines of credit and maybe have paid off their mortgage can consider freezing their credit to prevent possible identity theft. Also, consider freezing your credit if you think your personal information was compromised and you’re at risk for identity theft.

Arlene

Ty Wagner asked:




For a few years there has been a steady incline of identity theft protection services on the market. For a few years now you have been hearing about these services that promise, “To protect your identity”. Well there is one service that does this for you, your children and every other member in your family. The service is called FamilySecure. Family Secure child identity theft service is run by one of the top credit bureaus in the nation, Experian. This service is taking the identity theft services by storm with there low price and plans to protect multiple members in your family.

Family Secure identity theft Service is a service that provides protection for your entire family. With its quality service and guarantee, it’s impossible not to check the service out yourself and protect your family from one of the leading crimes in the United States of America today. Although new, FamilySecure is an identity theft protection service that is getting many people talking and wanting to see if this company does what they say they can do. Other service like Liflock, IDWatchdog, Identity Truth, and Identity Guard has plans that protect you as an individual pretty well, but when Family Secure stepped up there service and allows the entire family to be protected, it’s hard not to look more in to this service.

From my recent research, the program is getting positive reviews from consumers all around the United States. And with the rise of child identity theft, Family Secure is gaining steam at the right time. With the unlimited credit reports, child and family protection plan, Family Secure will be increasingly ahead of the competition. It’s the real defense of getting your identity protected and keeping your family safe from criminals hunting down your private information. With so many online hackers, pickpocketers, and other silly criminals that cause this horrible crime, according to Family Secure, they protect damages up to 2 million dollars just incase the worst happens or Murphy’s Law comes knocking at your door.

Family secure identity theft protection service is a one of a kind company that will protect your identity for years to come. With the increasingly rise of this crime, you owe it to yourself to get yourself protected. If you don’t want a service protecting your identity and important credit information, then find as much information about this subject and take steps everyday to keep your identity from being stolen.

Jeanette

Dave Ramsey asked:




1 in 12 Americans will become victims of identity theft.

- Today Show / MSNBC



How Can I Tell It’s Happened?

Your identity can be stolen by obtaining bank statements, credit card applications, checks from your trash or mail, purse or wallet, or getting your debit card number from a corporate database. Once a person has this information, he can wreck your good name. Since the crime may take days or even weeks before you noticed what happened, it’s easy for the criminal to commit several crimes before you’ve realized what occurred. This crime leaves your credit history in a mess and can take years to rebuild it.

Warning signs someone may have stolen your identity:

Checks disappear from your checkbook. Your credit report shows accounts you didn’t open. A call from a collection agency about a debt you didn’t incur. Bank and billing statements don’t arrive on time. 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 I Do?

If you think you are a victim:

File a report with your local police department and keep a copy of the report for your personal records. Obtain a copy of your credit report and look for any suspicious activity. Report any suspicious charges and accounts to the appropriate credit 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 to put a fraud alert on your credit report.

The three main credit reporting bureaus are Experian in Texas, Equifax in Georgia, and Trans Union in Pennsylvania. 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.

Rosemary

Tina L Douglas asked:




On the average, an identity theft victim takes at least 600 hours cleaning off their identity. The 600 hours include going around town getting reports and affidavits to prove the theft, checking out the things that have been compromised, and trying really hard to get their identity back. Considering the average time, that should be a lot of time recovering from a crime of which you were the sole victim.

Here’s the bad news: no individual can protect his or herself from identity theft 100%, even if he or she is covered by an identity theft company. But don’t let that get you down, of course, the good news is that you can significantly reduce the risk of getting victimized if you act immediately as soon as you realize that your personal information has been compromised.

Here’s what you can do:

1. Fraud Alert – you should immediately contact one of the three credit bureaus to report a fraud alert. It typically lasts from 90 days up to 7 years. When a fraud alert is set on your account, different business establishments are notified to take extra steps to confirm your identity when various actions are taken on your credit

2. Credit Report Security Freeze – this is one step higher than a fraud alert because when this is placed, a PIN or password will be required by establishments before anyone can check your credit report. Also, unlike a fraud alert, a fee needs to put a security freeze on your credit report.
3. credit reports – all individuals are entitled to receive one credit report from each of the three credit bureaus. If you are going to request for your credit report every four months, then you can surely monitor your credit all year long at four months interval.

4. Accounts Online – whenever your bank offers online services, you have to take advantage of this feature especially if it would allow you to view your accounts. You need to login periodically or check your account regularly so you can be sure that there are no unauthorized charges that have been made using your account. Do not write down or tell anyone your login information. Keep them simple and easily recalled.

5. Credit Monitoring – while credit monitoring can get pretty expensive, it is one of the most effective ways of detecting identity theft. As compared to the cost of ordering your credit report a couple of times a year, credit monitoring is way cheaper. Of course, you need to shop around and check out the best prices.

6. Social Security number — if put in the wrong hands, this can prove to be very fatal as far as your credit report is concerned. Whenever possible, do not carry your social security card in your wallet. Do not even write it down.

7. Check Order – your checks are less likely to get stolen when they are personally picked up. Stolen checks are another way for identity theft to take place. Utilizing your routing and checking account numbers, an identity thief can reproduce your checks and use them to make his own purchases. So whenever you order checks, it is safer to pick them up in the bank than having them mailed to you.

Vanessa

Gerri Stone asked:




Due to the current increase in identity theft, solutions and prevention tips are becoming a necessity for everyone. Many victims of identity theft are unaware that they have been targeted until months after the original crime. Your credit card bills could be missing for a month, and when you contact the financial institution, they tell you that there has been an address change that you did not authorize. You might be applying for a mortgage renewal, and discover that your great credit has been ruined by a scammer. This time lag gives the scammer a head start at spending all of your hard-earned money.

Most credit card companies have implemented identity theft protection to help you if you become a victim. You shouldn’t assume that you have protection because you deal with a major financial institution. Have them send you information about the type of protection you are eligible for, and how to access it if you ever need it. This type of information you want to have before you discover you need it.

Some specialty businesses provide identity theft solutions. They will help you take steps to protect yourself from becoming a victim of identity theft. They will give you checklists, internet references, and clear steps to take to resolve identity theft problems. Specially trained staff is available to help you fill out police reports, contact creditors and credit bureaus, as well as the FTC. They work with you to resolve the numerous problems that you will encounter as a victim of identity theft.

The best identity theft solution is to protect yourself, and acquire the information you need to keep yourself from becoming a victim. Guard your personal information, and only give it out if you are sure it is needed.

If you receive a call telling you that you have won a valuable prize, and they just need to verify your information, ask them to send you a written application. If they refuse, hang up the phone.

Regularly check your financial statements. Keep track of your charges, so you will know if any fraudulent charges have occurred. If you don’t receive your statements, contact the financial institution immediately. Your statements could be sent to an alternate address so you won’t notice the extra charges on your bill.

Never give out your social security number on the internet. If you frequently access your financial accounts online, run your anti-spy ware program before accessing your accounts. Frequently update your virus protection and anti-spy ware programs.

A common identity theft fraud is to send out emails that appear to be an official correspondence from a company that you do business with. They will tell you that there is a problem with your account, and they need you to send your social security number, or your credit card number to them to solve the issue. If you receive this type of request, do not respond to it, or click on the link in the email. You can either call the company to verify your information, or go to their website by typing their web address directly to the browser address bar.

As the incidence of identity theft increases, the criminals continue to develop new ways of attempting to get your personal information. The majority of them would rather take the easy way out, and victimize people who are unprotected, and unaware of the steps you can use to protect yourself. Be vigilant about protecting your personal information, and keeping your computer secure. That is the best identity theft solution.

Erin

Jon Arnold asked:




Do you use identity theft prevention measures? If not, you may want to start. Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes of this century and more than 10 million people find themselves a victim of it annually. The vast majority of this is simply not being cautious with who they share their personal information with.

If you discover that you have become a victim, you can probably anticipate paying at least $500 in cold hard cash to get the problems corrected. This is real money, and does not even count the 80+ hours of your personal time that you will also need to invest in writing letters, sending faxes, making phone calls, and trying to convince very skeptical debtors that it was not you that racked up all those charges. As these thieves continue to get smarter, you must also keep up on what is going on for the best identity theft prevention measures that you can use.

Everyone has heard that one of the best ways to not become a victim is to shred all mail that comes into your home. This is a great first step. Make sure that you use a shredder that cross-cuts the paper, since this will completely alleviate the ability to put the document back together. One often overlooked item to shred is magazines. Many magazines have preprinted order forms inside that have your name and account number on them, so tear off the address label and the order form before you throw them out.

The government has become aware of the prevalence and severity of this crime and has implemented some legislation aimed at identity theft prevention. The first thing is allowing you to get a free credit report once a year from each of the credit bureaus so that you can see activity on your account and identify activity that should not be there.

The credit reporting companies have also gotten into the act to help you prevent this crime. One way is to send them an “opt-out” which means that you no longer want any banks or financial institutions to mail you offers, even if you qualify. This is a great idea, especially because you may be tempted to sign up for what may appear to be great offers and then find yourself with financial problems due to over-extending yourself.

The credit bureaus also allow you to request a “credit freeze” on your account which will completely freeze your report. What this means is that nobody can run a credit report on you without your express permission. To get permission, it is a somewhat difficult process, and most identity thieves will not bother with this since there are so many targets that are much easier.

If you still feel vulnerable, you might consider buying identity theft protection. Two popular ways are either hiring a company that monitors you credit report and notifies you of any changes or there are companies available that will help you prevent it to begin with. Either type of company can be found online and charge a monthly fee for the service.

The crime of identity theft continues to grow every year, so the ball is in your court to take preventive measures. Be cautious of who you share your personal information with, both online and offline, and implementing these tactics can very well save you the huge time and expense involved with fixing the problem if you become a victim.

Bernard

Ram Gunjal asked:




Yes, that really is my social security number. I put it here because I am that confident that our system works. However, you should protect your social security number and do not share it unless necessary.

Our job is to protect your good name. As a consumer, you have rights that allow you to take more control over who uses your identity and how they use it. We do the mechanics, the details if you will, to enforce those rights. And we stand behind our service with our $1,000,000 Service Guarantee. We charge $10 per month to do it.

Some of what we do, you can do yourself for free. The difference is that the only thing we think about is how to protect your Identity. Think of it this way: all of us can change our own oil, but most of us have it done by specialists. We’d like to think that what we do is more complicated than changing oil, but you get the idea.

Click Here To Start Your Risk Free Trial Now

Here’s what we do:

First, once you confirm that you have a good faith suspicion that you have been or are about to become a victim of identity theft, we ask the credit bureaus to set free fraud alerts on your behalf. Usually, this is done through our automated systems and the alerts are set within an hour. From time to time there may be a hitch and we have to do the first one manually, usually because they have a different address on file for you. If this happens, we’ll tell you right away and do what needs to be done to get the alerts set. (In case you’re wondering, we don’t charge anything more for this and our Total Service Guarantee is still in effect from day one.)

Second, unless your suspicion changes and you tell us not to, every 90 days or so we ask the credit bureaus to do it again. You can do this for free if you’d prefer, but we make sure it gets done and that it gets done right. That’s where the oil change analogy we were talking about kicks in.

Third, we request that your name be removed from lists of pre-approved offers for credit cards and/or insurance. Several sources cite these type of pre-approved offers as one of the many ways identities can be stolen. Many of our members tell us that this alone is worth the price. Again, you can do this for free, but why not let us do it for you?

Fourth, we order your free credit reports on your behalf from the major credit bureaus and they are sent directly to you. We do this every year. You can also do this yourself for free (Pennzoil anyone?).

Fifth, hassling with lost or stolen wallets is no longer a problem with WalletLock™. If ever your wallet goes missing, just give us a call – anytime, anywhere – and a WalletLock specialist will help you contact each credit card, bank or document issuing company, cancel your affected accounts and complete the paperwork and steps necessary to replace your lost documents*, including your credit/debit cards, driver’s license, social security card, insurance cards, checkbook – even travelers checks – at no additional cost.

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Tammy

K. Petit asked:


How To Act Fast When You Encounter Identity Theft

Hopefully this will not happen to you; that’s what I always thought…save this or print it out to keep with your valuable information.

When you find out some one is accessing your account(s):

1. Notify your bank(s) and department stores. Cancel all existing accounts. (You will be able to open a new account immediately, don’t worry. Right now you need to stop the thief.)

All these creditors will require dispute forms to be submitted, and you will have to deal with each one separately.

2. Notify the credit bureaus. The big three are:

TransUnion: P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834-6790.

Report fraud: (800) 680-7289 and write to address above.

TDD: (877) 553-7803

E-mail (fraud victims only): fvad@transunion.com

Web: www.transunion.com

Equifax: P.O. Box 740250, Atlanta, GA 30374- 0241.

Report fraud: Call (888) 766-0008 and write to address above.

TDD: (800) 255-0056

Web: www.equifax.com

Experian: PO Box 9532

Allen TX, 75013

Report fraud: Call (888) EXPERIAN (888-397-3742) and write to address above.

TDD: Use relay to fraud number above.

Web: www.experian.com/fraud

One credit bureau will contact the other two (verify this). Also request they place a fraud alert, meaning companies have to call YOU before opening any account (good for 90 days; there is an extended alert if you have a policie report and evidence of fraud). Request only thelast 4 digits of you SS# are on your account. You should also place a security freeze, meaning no one can view your credit report without your permission – definitely do that.

There’s more. The credit bureaus will mail your reports, and you need to inspect them carefully, and, in writing, report back what is wrong with each acccount you find is in error. A sample is provided at www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/idtheft.htm#Resolving. Also tell the Credit Bureaus to remove inquiries from anyone during the time of the fraud, so they are made aware there was bad information. (I had no idea there were bogus cell phone services in my name; I mean, the service was real, but it wasn’t mine – I just had the bad credit!)

Sounds reassuring, but some companies ignore fraud alerts and continue to open accounts, so you have to keep checking, every few months.

Next, file a police report, for proof more than anything. You may get no help from law enforcement; just the way it is. Ask a lot of questions; is the report required on a local, county, or state level? They may not know themselves, so be persistent until you have some type of report in case a bill collector needs to see it.

I contacted debt collectors myself and reported that I was a victim of identity theft. Some people were really rude, but the law required them to report my allegation of identity theft. Again I had to submit this all in writing to the debt collectors and the creditors, and follow up until I received IN WRITING a confirmation that I was not responsible and the case against me was closed.

The fun continues; you need to notify the FTC:

The FTC’s uniform fraud affidavit form is available at www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/affidavit.pdf

I did not have any checks stolen, but if it happens to you close the account, notify the bank of which checks you are responsible, and request your bank notify ChexSystems, an agency that reports on checking accounts.

Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC)

* Guides for victims, www.idtheftcenter.org (Click on Victim Resources.)

* Phone: (858) 693-7935

* Web: www.idtheftcenter.org

* E-mail: itrc@idtheftcenter.org

* Write: P.O. Box 26833, San Diego, CA 92196

There are many more resources depending on your needs(mail theft, passport theft, etc.), but if you start at the ITRC they will be able to direct you.

I found my answer to preventing identity theft and what a lifesaver. I wish they had been around before!



Phyllis