Satoru Shiratori asked:




Identity theft is growing very quickly and is one of the biggest dangers facing Americans and millions of other people around the world. Identity theft is getting a lot of attention in the media for this reason. The media attention is making people aware of how important identity theft prevention protection is and causing people to consider their choices when it comes to protecting their identities.

Protect Your Car Information and Other Personal Information

Something that a lot of people don’t realize when it comes to identity theft prevention protection is that the information you carry in your car can be used by criminals to steal your identity. Things like your vehicle registration and insurance cards can be easily used by the smart criminals who know how to use the Internet for illegal activities. They can create new accounts and borrow money in your name with this information.

Something simple that you can do with regard to identity theft prevention protection is to have any bank and credit card statements you get sent to you online instead of in the mail. It can be dangerous to have this information in your mailbox because criminals have easy access to these statements especially when you are at work during the day.

Another tip to protect your identity is to keep your social security card in a safe place and never carry it with you. If a criminal gets your purse or wallet and finds your social security card, they can do a lot of damage to your finances. That is the one piece of information they want because they can easily borrow money in your name if they have it.

You should be careful about how much of your personal information you store on your cell phone because cell phones are often lost or stolen. If a thief gets your cell phone and finds personal information, you are at risk for identity theft and that can turn your life upside down. You do not want to have to spend the next year undoing what they have done to your finances and your life.

Another place to watch how much personal information you store is your computer at home or at work. It is incredibly easy for smart criminals who know their way around a computer to access this information by using viruses or other devious methods that break your computers security and let them see all your information. This can mean big problems for you!

A good way to get identity theft prevention protection is to check out the many companies that offer to help you protect your personal information and monitor your credit for suspicious activity. These companies will make sure that no one is using your personal information to open new accounts or get loans and alert you to any potential issues.

The thing to remember about identity theft prevention protection is that you want to make sure criminals have a very hard time getting to any of your personal information in order to avoid identity theft. Any work you have to do to keep identity theft from happening to you is well worth it when you consider the alternative. Keep the tips above in mind and protect your identity today.

Melissa

Jeff Kiser asked:




Identity theft prevention services do not exactly prevent identity theft. They simply make it much harder for thieves to use the personal information they have stolen, thereby protecting you against many of the techniques identity thieves use.

We give away personal information all the time. Any time you write a check at the store, charge airline tickets, rent a car, mail your tax returns, change cell phone service providers, or apply for a credit card you are giving away bits of personal information, such as your bank and credit card account numbers, your Social Security number and your name, address, and phone number. These bits and pieces are a treasure trove to an identity thief. Once thieves have this information, they can use it without your knowledge to commit fraud or theft.

For example, identity thieves can take your personal information to redirect your financial data, such as bank and credit card statements, to prevent you from noticing that your existing credit card or bank account is being used without your knowledge. Identity theft prevention services prevent this from happening. This doesn’t mean, of course, that a thief couldn’t have charged things on a stolen credit card, only that you would know about it sooner…assuming you check your monthly statements.

Protection services also prevent new accounts from being set up by identity thieves in your name. This protection is important because the only way you would know this had happened was when you began to be harassed by collection agencies or when you try to get credit, only to find your credit rating has been trashed.

Identity theft prevention services also help you should the thieves be successful, in that they will help you with the police regarding warrants as well as assist you with getting collection agencies to stop harassing you for debts that aren’t yours.

If you think that you don’t need these services because, after all, if you report your credit cards stolen, you won’t get charged for the bogus charges, think again. Identity thieves don’t just use credit cards. They can set up new cell phone accounts in your name. They can take out a car loan in your name. They can give your name should they be arrested then, when they don’t show up at court, a warrant is issued in your name!

Identity theft prevention services are inexpensive…generally around $100 a year per individual or $150 for households. If you aren’t a careful type, guarding your personal information, reading your statements carefully and noticing if they don’t arrive, shredding mail with identifying information, then an identity theft prevention service might be right for you.

Andrew

Charles F Lamm asked:




After Hurricane Wilma struck Ft. Lauderdale in 2005, the entire county went offline. No power, no computer. No computer, no Internet. You couldn’t buy gas because the electric pumps were out. You could only buy what groceries were still on the shelf if you had cash. Credit and debit cards were rendered useless.Things always go wrong at the worst possible time.

At the worst possible moment, hackers struck my PayPal account, overdrew my connected bank account and credit card, and left me penniless when I was most vulnerable.

As more and more crooks and cons become Internet savvy, identity theft is now the fastest growing crime in the U.S.

Identity theft falls into 4 categories:

-financial (stealing goods and services)

-criminal (fake identity when arrested)

-cloning (pretending to be someone else)

-business (using another’s business to obtain credit)

We mostly think of identity theft when a stranger uses our credit to obtain goods and services, but the others can be even more devastating. Try applying for a job after someone gave your identity when they were convicted and jailed for a felony.

Identity Theft Prevention:

1.don’t be free and easy with your Social Security number

2.don’t print your SSN on checks

3.don’t carry blank checks or credit cards you don’t need – you may not miss them when they have been stolen

4.be especially careful about giving your SSN over the phone or online

5.don’t throw away official government letters or credit card statements without shredding

6.secure your mail with a locking mailbox if necessary

7.sign new credit cards as soon as you receive them

8.do not leave credit card receipts behind at restaurants, gas stations, or stores

9.choose tough-to-figure-out logins, passwords, and PIN numbers

10.use different passwords for different accounts

11.change your PIN numbers and passwords every 90 days

12. do not carry your PIN numbers in your wallet or purse

13. change the passwords often for services like PayPal which are linked to your bank account and credit cards

14. put your phone numbers on the national Do-Not-Call Registry (1-888-382-1222 )

15. don’t give your phone number to those who don’t need it (stores – pay attention)

16. do a Google search for your own name and SSN to see what you can find out about yourself

17. choose online vendors carefully – Google before purchasing with a credit card – look for a secure site button

18. keep an eye out for shoulder surfers in public transactions

19. be wary of skimmers wherever your credit card is out of your sight (restaurants)

20. be careful with file sharing software – it can give hackers access to your computer

21. limit the amount of personal info you divulge on social networking sites

22. keep a close eye on laptops and thumb drives that contain personal information

23. review your monthly bank and credit card statements carefully, or check more often online

24. review your credit report at least once a year for suspicious activity or inquiries

25. keep a master record in a safe place with account numbers and phone numbers should your credit cards be stolen

Identity Theft Recovery:

If your personal data has been subject to identify theft, act immediately.

1.if your cards or ID were physically stolen, file a police report

2.call the big 3 credit bureaus, place a fraud alert on your credit cards, and obtain a free credit report

3.close any bank accounts and credit cards you believe have been used by identity thieves

4.dispute any charges or checks or withdrawals you have not authorized

5.contact DMV for a new drivers’ license and number if yours has been compromised

6.ask for a letter from each account resolving the dispute and verifying that the identity theft accounts have been closed

After the Hurricane Wilma hack, it took weeks to get PayPal to reverse all the charges and chase down the fraud. The paperwork at the bank seemed endless. Citibank canceled the old credit card and sent the new one out in record time.

U.S. Government statistics estimate it takes about 600 hours and $1,200 to counter identity theft and restore your good name and credit.

Prevention beats cure every time.

Lester

Abhishek Agarwal asked:


What Identity Theft is

Maybe you have heard many recent news stories concerning identity thefts. It is basically the use of your personal social security number, drivers license number or maybe even something like your mother’s maiden name (many internet sites ask for that), by an unathourized person, meaning someone other than your own self. That is not a very comforting thought, i am sure you will agree. It is good to stay prepared for the event that such misfortune may befall you. It does sound like too much at first. But imagine you go shopping, select your favorite trousers and when it is time to pay you are told your credit balance is next to zero on your card. Only you know that it cannot be so – now you would need to follow up with the bank etc. Here is how you can take measures to prevent identity theft

At the house

1. If you are the kind who likes to take some of your work home, be careful not to let your personal data files get mixed up with work files on your hard drive.

2. As far as snail mail post goes, it is wiser to drop it off at the post office yourself rather than to leave it unattended in the mail box. Also, if you suddenly decide to go on a trip, do call the post office and ask them to hold your letters until you contact them again.

3. Do not throw away used bills, credit card statements and other personal finance data. Throwing them in the bin would allow someone to get at that information, if they have already targeted you. Instead, it is better to destroy such papers. use a shredder!

4. Do not keep all your eggs in one bank basket! Allot different accounts to your social security, insurance policies and credit cards.

And at the work place

5. Get to learn about the safety of data at the office. Someone always does have access to all your data and it is probably the network administrator.

6. Many of us use the internet to make finance transactions today. If you have clients online that are rated badly by other users, try and find out why. Never give out personal information to anyone over the internet, unless it is a trusted company.

7. Use something like a Pay Pal account to make online purchases. Every time you use your credit card you are increasing the risk of identity theft.

8. Never give your social security number, card pin or other personal information to an unknown tele caller. On the other hand, if you have made the call for a reason, it may be ok to do so.

9. When ever you deal with a web site, look for their security policy.

Follow these steps and chances are, your identity will remain yours!



Jo

Charles F Lamm asked:


Stop identity theft by taking measures now to prevent someone from stealing your identity, your credit, and your good name. If criminals have stolen your identity, you must act now to recover before more damage is done.

After Hurricane Wilma struck Ft. Lauderdale in 2005, the entire county went offline. No power, no computer. No computer, no Internet. You couldn’t buy gas because the electric pumps were out. You could only buy what groceries were still on the shelf if you had cash. Credit and debit cards were rendered useless.Things always go wrong at the worst possible time.

At the worst possible moment, hackers struck my PayPal account, overdrew my connected bank account and credit card, and left me penniless when I was most vulnerable.

As more and more crooks and cons become Internet savvy, identity theft is now the fastest growing crime in the U.S.

Identity theft falls into 4 categories:

-financial (stealing goods and services)

-criminal (fake identity when arrested)

-cloning (pretending to be someone else)

-business (using another’s business to obtain credit)

We mostly think of identity theft when a stranger uses our credit to obtain goods and services, but the others can be even more devastating. Try applying for a job after someone gave your identity when they were convicted and jailed for a felony.

Identity Theft Prevention:

1.don’t be free and easy with your Social Security number

2.don’t print your SSN on checks

3.don’t carry blank checks or credit cards you don’t need – you may not miss them when they have been stolen

4.be especially careful about giving your SSN over the phone or online

5.don’t throw away official government letters or credit card statements without shredding

6.secure your mail with a locking mailbox if necessary

7.sign new credit cards as soon as you receive them

8.do not leave credit card receipts behind at restaurants, gas stations, or stores

9.choose tough-to-figure-out logins, passwords, and PIN numbers

10.use different passwords for different accounts

11.change your PIN numbers and passwords every 90 days

12. do not carry your PIN numbers in your wallet or purse

13. change the passwords often for services like PayPal which are linked to your bank account and credit cards

14. put your phone numbers on the national Do-Not-Call Registry (1-888-382-1222 )

15. don’t give your phone number to those who don’t need it (stores – pay attention)

16. do a Google search for your own name and SSN to see what you can find out about yourself

17. choose online vendors carefully – Google before purchasing with a credit card – look for a secure site button

18. keep an eye out for shoulder surfers in public transactions

19. be wary of skimmers wherever your credit card is out of your sight (restaurants)

20. be careful with file sharing software – it can give hackers access to your computer

21. limit the amount of personal info you divulge on social networking sites

22. keep a close eye on laptops and thumb drives that contain personal information

23. review your monthly bank and credit card statements carefully, or check more often online

24. review your credit report at least once a year for suspicious activity or inquiries

25. keep a master record in a safe place with account numbers and phone numbers should your credit cards be stolen

Identity Theft Recovery:

If your personal data has been subject to identify theft, act immediately.

1.if your cards or ID were physically stolen, file a police report

2.call the big 3 credit bureaus, place a fraud alert on your credit cards, and obtain a free credit report

3.close any bank accounts and credit cards you believe have been used by identity thieves

4.dispute any charges or checks or withdrawals you have not authorized

5.contact DMV for a new drivers’ license and number if yours has been compromised

6.ask for a letter from each account resolving the dispute and verifying that the identity theft accounts have been closed

After the Hurricane Wilma hack, it took weeks to get PayPal to reverse all the charges and chase down the fraud. The paperwork at the bank seemed endless. Citibank canceled the old credit card and sent the new one out in record time.

U.S. Government statistics estimate it takes about 600 hours and $1,200 to counter identity theft and restore your good name and credit.

Prevention beats cure every time.

===

Charles Lamm is dedicated to asset protection for the masses using his Asset Protection Iron Triangle program at http://www.corp-llc-bct.com . More information on prevention of and recovery from Identity Theft can be found at: http://corp-llc-bct.com/identity-theft/ . You can reach him at: asset-protection@corp-llc-bct.com .



Victoria