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

Jon Arnold asked:




You will want to do all that you can to prevent identity theft. Identity theft is a growing crime and its results can be devastating to the person whose identity is stolen. It can take years to straighten out or prove that your identity has been stolen. Identity theft prevention is something that you should take very seriously.

Most thieves can steal your identity simply from going through your garbage. Yes, you read that correctly. They will go through your garbage to get your tossed out credit card and bank statements. Never throw out this information in the trash. Buy a shredder that cross cuts the paper and credit cards that are put through. Shredding your financial documents is the first place that you can start to prevent identity theft. A decent cross cut shredder will probably cost under $75, but it is a wise investment and a small price to pay to prevent identity theft.

If you frequently use ATMs, make sure you can cover the keypad in such a way that no one can see what you are doing. If you notice anyone hanging around suspiciously or who is getting too close to you, leave the ATM immediately. There are thieves who are adept at shoulder surfing and can obtain your PIN number easily. You will be able to locate another ATM quickly enough to get your transaction done. If you have a bad feeling about a situation, it is best to listen to that inner voice and leave.

Never leave your outgoing mail in the mailbox for the postal carrier to pick up. Mail theft is another way that identity thieves can get your information. They can easily open your mail and change your address. Once that is done they can wreak havoc with your banking and credit card accounts and you won’t even know it for a month or two. It is worth the effort to mail your bills at the post office.

If you notice that your credit cards are about to expire, but you did not receive the new cards in the mail, call the credit card company. It is possible that someone changed your address and the new credit cards were sent to the thief’s address. Cancel in writing all credit cards that you no longer use. There is no reason to keep these accounts open and they are easy targets for identity theft. Keep a copy of the letter for your records so you have proof in case worse comes to worse.

Create different PINs and passwords for your accounts. If you are asked to provide your mother’s maiden name, don’t give it. Make up a maiden name! No one will know that it isn’t correct except you. Thieves will be able to find out your mother’s maiden name so it is not a name that is personal and original just to you.

If you can, have a mailbox that is a slot through your front door because it will prevent your mail form getting stolen from the mailbox. If that is not possible, consider getting a locking mailbox or having your mail get sent to a PO Box at the post office. This is one way to make your mail secure.

Samantha

Mike Selvon asked:




Identity theft prevention has become more important than ever, with the whole world connecting through the internet like never before. The new convenience of online transactions taking place in the blink of an eye has lured people away from bank lineups to check their accounts or pay their bills. Before you log-on to pay your bills, you should consider a few things about identity theft prevention.

It becomes important for consumers to know the principles of identity fraud prevention, since the concept is tied so closely with theft prevention. The two ideas really go hand in hand.

So the question becomes: How much personal information can the average person find about him or herself online that can be damaging if it fell into the wrong hands?

When considering theft prevention and the personal information readily available via the internet, it may surprise some people to know that even the most essential statistics quickly arrive at a criminal’s fingertips.

For example, sites like Anybirday give out, you guessed it, anyone’s birthday. A birth date is a critical piece of information for people concerned with identity fraud prevention, since most thieves are looking for just this type of personal information to commit identity theft.

Other websites should be of concern for those trying to optimize identity theft prevention measures. Record search sites like Completed Detective and Find Someone can locate previous and current addresses with only a person’s first and last name. Criminal and civil court records are available through public databases.

Of course, the biggest possibility for identity theft comes from online accounts. While the Internet Age has made it easier for us to do our banking and pay our bills, any online account has the potential to be compromised. These include:

* Bank Accounts

* Services like PayPal

* Accounts for your bill paying services.

* Individual accounts with online merchants

A poor practice of identity theft prevention is online accounts protected by a simple password or PIN (personal identification number), like your birthday or your mother’s maiden name.

Many people are inundated with passwords and stick to simple ones they can remember. That’s a huge advantage for an identity thief. A good password should have a random numbers, letters, and special characters like an exclamation point.

Guard your passwords, personal identification number (PIN), and anything that could be used as an answer to a security question, like your mother’s maiden name. Even the most trusted person you know could unknowingly let your private passwords slip.

The internet can be convenient and fast, but it is also a haven for possible information compromise. These simple suggestions are the first steps towards identity theft prevention and there are many more suggestions out there, all you have to do is take the time to protect yourself.

Brenda

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

MIKE SELVON asked:


Identity theft prevention has become more important than ever, with the whole world connecting through the internet like never before. The new convenience of online transactions taking place in the blink of an eye has lured people away from bank lineups to check their accounts or pay their bills. Before you log-on to pay your bills, you should consider a few things about identity theft prevention.

It becomes important for consumers to know the principles of identity fraud prevention, since the concept is tied so closely with theft prevention. The two ideas really go hand in hand.

So the question becomes: How much personal information can the average person find about him or herself online that can be damaging if it fell into the wrong hands?

When considering theft prevention and the personal information readily available via the internet, it may surprise some people to know that even the most essential statistics quickly arrive at a criminal’s fingertips.

For example, sites like Anybirday give out, you guessed it, anyone’s birthday. A birth date is a critical piece of information for people concerned with identity fraud prevention, since most thieves are looking for just this type of personal information to commit identity theft.

Other websites should be of concern for those trying to optimize identity theft prevention measures. Record search sites like Completed Detective and Find Someone can locate previous and current addresses with only a person’s first and last name. Criminal and civil court records are available through public databases.

Of course, the biggest possibility for identity theft comes from online accounts. While the Internet Age has made it easier for us to do our banking and pay our bills, any online account has the potential to be compromised. These include:

* Bank Accounts

* Services like PayPal

* Accounts for your bill paying services.

* Individual accounts with online merchants

A poor practice of identity theft prevention is online accounts protected by a simple password or PIN (personal identification number), like your birthday or your mother’s maiden name.

Many people are inundated with passwords and stick to simple ones they can remember. That’s a huge advantage for an identity thief. A good password should have a random numbers, letters, and special characters like an exclamation point.

Guard your passwords, personal identification number (PIN), and anything that could be used as an answer to a security question, like your mother’s maiden name. Even the most trusted person you know could unknowingly let your private passwords slip.

The internet can be convenient and fast, but it is also a haven for possible information compromise. These simple suggestions are the first steps towards identity theft prevention and there are many more suggestions out there, all you have to do is take the time to protect yourself.



Valerie

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 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.



Darryl