Saurabh K Jain asked:




Life after bankruptcy has never been easy. Besides other unpleasant outcomes, these days, a new kind of threat called the “identity theft” may also target you after you have been declared as bankrupt. Different types of credit offers may be solicited to you and you may also get engaged in different credit-related transactions, such as applying for new credits or purchasing new assets on installment. Such cases are a strong indication that you are being targeted for identity theft.

What Exactly Is This Scam

Identity theft is a new kind of consumer fraud, as per which a third party steals your identity in order to misuse the same illegally. Most of the time, they target people who have been declared as bankrupt by the bankruptcy court. The most common way to steal a person’s identity is by collecting vital personal information about the target, such as his or her bank account numbers, credit card details, date of birth, and social security number. After gathering all the information, the thieves may use your identity for various purposes, such as obtaining credit cards, opening bank accounts, obtaining state identification cards, and even driver’s licenses – all in your name, but only to fulfill their own malicious objectives. Such thieves have also been found to fraudulently purchase houses and cars. What is more, they can even get married on your name. Therefore, if you have not been very careful, identity theft can make your life after bankruptcy extremely difficult.

You Are The Soft Target

If you are one of those who filed a petition for bankruptcy and have also been granted the same, you can be a soft target for these identity thieves. Not that stealing your personal information is easy, well that is in fact easier than it would have been before being declared bankrupt, but the main reason why they target people like you is that you probably do not have enough resources to fight them back. They try to take advantage of your poorly situation. The only way to prevent such nasty things to happen is to be extra careful. Prevention is the key here. Always remember that once it happens, it will take several years to fix.

What The Victims Can Do?

There is nothing in the bankruptcy laws that could help you in this regard. However, there are still several steps that you can take in order to protect you.

You can file a report of the crime to the police. Do not forget to keep a copy for yourself. You may need it at a later stage. This report will help you prove to the creditors that it was not actually you.

It is also a good idea to file a complaint with the FTC. FTC stands for the Federal Trade Commission, which is a governmental agency, especially formed to investigate identity theft cases.

Life after bankruptcy can be easier if you keep your eyes open and take the right step at the right time.

Tony

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

stungundotcom asked:

Social Security Numbers have become our national ID. You dont need to give out your SSN to everyone who asks. www.IDTheftSecurity.com

Lester

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

Tyler Previd asked:




The short and simple answer is yes. Definitely. The longer answer can be as long as you want it to be!

I could tell you horror stories that would make you cringe about people that have gotten their identity stolen by dirty criminals who buy and sell people’s good names on the internet and off. It’s a terrible thing but it happens every day. Imagine having a company that monitors every thing that goes on regarding your name.

For example, if somebody tries to open a new credit card under your name, you’d get a phone call. Once you confirm that it’s not you, the criminal is denied! Wouldn’t that feel good knowing that you won the battle against a criminal who was about to steal your identity? You’d be surprised how often your mail gets hijacked or your information gets searched for on the black market.

There are so many hackers out there that can put programs on your computer that harvest everything that you type on your keyboard. Then, they have user names, passwords and even credit card numbers that you typed yourself! If you didn’t type in any credit card numbers, they can still access them by using your passwords to log into your bank account online and/or any other subscription or pay site that you are a member or customer of.

Still wondering “Should I Buy an Identity Theft Prevention Plan?” I feel good knowing that I can comfortably go about exposing my information. I feel so protected that I wouldn’t even mind showing my social security number to anyone that wanted it! The company that protects my identity also guarantees that I won’t lose any money…even if my identity does somehow get stolen! Up to $1,000,000 to be exact. Best of all, it only costs me $10 a month.

I could go on forever about why you should buy an identity theft prevention plan but you probably see the point by now. Good luck…and keep your good name!

Oscar

Randy Vezina asked:




When a child is born, a parent may apply for a Social Security number for that child. A child’s Social Security number is very much sought after by identity thieves. The child identity thief could be a family member (uncle, aunt cousin), another adult who has access and is allowed in your home, someone who has stolen your mail or hacked into your computer. We think we know who the child identity thief could be, but we don’t.

Most parents apply for the baby’s SSN so that they can claim the child on their taxes and you must submit the SSN on the official tax forms, so now, anybody who has the means to see that tax form can copy the child’s information. The child’s identity could be stolen at the hospital or at a health professionals’ office. What about the dishonest legal professional who sells the child’s identity to an unscrupulous client. It does not matter what profession a person is in, they have the potential to be dishonest.

The thief could be anybody. Typically, your not going to check your child’s credit rating (why would you), so your not going to know their identity has been stolen. Now the identity thief has more than a decade to create a new identity for him and gain credit cards, loans, cell phones, utilities, bank accounts, drivers license etc. etc. The crime is not discovered until your child has grown and applies for her first education loan, apartment, credit card or job! By now, the trail has become ice cold and your child’s credit record has been cut to ribbons. In all likelihood all of the accounts opened in her name have been purchased by a collection agency.

It would be very difficult for your child to repair what has happened because of the difficulty in tracking down the original loan applications and transaction records if the original account has been through several hands because of companies merging and being bought-up. Our children need to be taught about the dangers of providing their personal information and your personal information when they are logged onto the net. Today’s kids have a burning desire to log into the many chat rooms and social networking sites and they may be asked for personal information on a registration screen or by an identity thief.

The preventative identity theft company, LifeLock, has already launched the first-of-its-kind Children’s ID Theft Prevention Program. Now, LifeLock’s subscribers can add the children’s ID theft program to their existing full suite of ID theft preventative services. The children’s theft prevention program is for minors 16 years and younger. A recent study in the state of Utah revealed that 1,800 Social Security numbers assigned to children 12 years of age and younger had been forged, according to the state’s Identity Theft Task Force.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has advised that between 5% and 7% of identity theft victims are under the age of 18 and if you include college-aged individuals, it is almost 20%.

“Due to the extreme increase in ID theft among minors, we have taken the initiative to develop a first-of-its-kind program to protect children,” said Todd Davis, CEO of LifeLock. Tracking credit bureau activity and monitoring depository accounts are considered standard when dealing with identity theft. But Davis insists that working with the Social Security Administration and identifying work activity from unusually young minors is a red flag that warrants further investigation. “LifeLock is in the process of working with local and federal agencies, as well as leaders in Washington D.C. to lead the efforts in protecting our children from identity theft. This is a critical aspect of our overall service,” continued Davis. “As the Utah investigation demonstrated, sadly, there are numerous victims yet to be discovered.” LifeLock subscribers can pay $10 per year for the Children’s ID Theft Prevention Program through which LifeLock will regularly audit the credit bureau, monitor depository banking accounts, and track any unusual “work activity” with the Social Security Administration on behalf of LifeLock’s youth customers. All minors enrolled in the program will also benefit by LifeLock’s standard $1 million guarantee.

Francis

Jason Gluckman asked:




Identity theft is a malicious action that involves the taking of a victim’s identity (name, birth date, and address, for example) and using this personal information in order to obtain money from the victim’s bank account, to apply for loans, and even to establish accounts with various companies. While no one can totally prevent this activity from occurring, there are some positive steps to take to decrease the risk of becoming a victim.

At least once a year, you should check your credit reports from credit reporting agencies. This way, you will be able to determine unauthorized accounts and fraudulent activities that will surely arouse your suspicion.

Guard your social security number since identity thieves can easily access this. If you will not be using it for any transaction for the day, better leave your Social Security card in a safe place at home.

Make sure that when you give out your personal information orally, strangers are not within your distance because they may try to eavesdrop and overhear the information you give. And if your conversation is by phone, be suspicious of telephone solicitors. You should never provide the person you are talking to any information not unless you are the one who initiated the call.

Use a crosscut paper shredder to destroy papers with confidential information. This is better than throwing them away in a wastebasket, as anyone can search through the discarded papers and get the information written on them.

And lastly, since the Internet is the easiest place for identity thieves to gain access to your personal information, see to it that you delete any suspicious email requests without replying to them. Never a use password that contains any of your personal information like your birthday or your email address.

These steps are important in order to decrease people’s risk factors of being identity theft victims. Simply follow all these precautions, and be on the look out at all times.

Steve

Tony Evans asked:




What exactly is identity theft? The most recent statistics indicate that identity theft may be the fastest growing crime in the United States. The estimated cost of this crime is more than $50 billion dollars a year, with the average loss to the victim’s personal information being more than $6,000.

There are many things that you can do to help avoid being a victim of this crime. In this article we will describe things that you can do to help protect yourself as well as what to do if you become the victim of identity theft.

Purchase a shredder and tear up all unneeded financial papers. Shred all of the credit card offers you receive in the mail and do not want. Thieves can and often will rummage through your garbage, and all they have to do to obtain the card is sign your name. Do not use simple passwords when banking or conducting any financial transactions online. The best passwords are long ones, or passwords that contain a combination of numbers and letters. Don’t furnish your Social Security number, credit card number, or any financial information to anyone over the phone. Banks won’t ask for this information over the phone since they already have it. Don’t carry your Social Security card or any seldom-used credit cards in your wallet. If you don’t use them, don’t carry them. When you order personal checks, have as little personal information as possible printed on them. You should never put your phone number or social security number on your personal check.

If you do suspect that you have become the victim of identity theft there are some things that should do immediately. First call the fraud units of the three major credit bureaus and request a fraud alert be placed on your credit file. Next,you should report the suspected crime to your local police department. Make sure that you obtain a copy of police reports because creditors will often require confirmation that there was an alleged crime before they will conduct investigations. Next, request copies of your credit report from the credit bureaus to see if any fraudulent accounts were opened without your knowledge or. Call all creditors with whom your identify or identifying data may have been fraudulently used. Also, contact all financial institutions wherever you have accounts that an identity thief has acquired your account or where an account has been opened in your name without your knowledge. You should also place stop payment orders on any outstanding checks that have not cleared, as well as change your debit card, account, and PIN. Write down the names and phone numbers of people with whom you discussed your case and keep all original reports and supporting documents. You should also contact The Federal Trade Commission, this is the federal clearinghouse for identity theft protection and identity theft prevention. The many complaints about identity theft that the Commission receives assist it, and many other law enforcement agencies, track down, investigate and prosecute identity thieves. You can file a complaint with the FTC by contacting the Consumer Response Center by phone. If you determine that you are the victim of identity theft do not panic, but remember some of the guidelines mentioned in this article.

Jennifer

Mike Selvon asked:




It is a sad state of affairs when a senior citizen finds that his or her identity has been stolen through a scam. Perhaps they were not educated on preventing identity theft because they did most of their business and personal transactions in person.

But with more turning to the internet to stay connected, they are left open. Even sadder than that are the children who have had their identities stolen from institutions that are supposedly safe. Identity theft prevention has to cover children now just as much as adults and senior citizens.

One way to begin identity theft prevention for your child at an early age is to be aware of when and how you use their social security number. Most schools need to have their social security numbers but far too often teachers will have you fill out personal information sheets for the teacher’s use in the classroom.

You do not have to list your child’s personal information on these sheets. If the teacher asks for the child’s social security number, then inquire why they need it. The same goes for daycare centers, activity groups or any organization that asks for it.

If the group claims that they need it for identification purposes, then you can always go to your local Department of Motor Vehicles and ask for an identification card. Just explain to the organization that preventing identity theft is of great importance to you.

There are countless news stories of an identity thief using a child’s information to create a new identity for themselves. The information provided to the organization could be easily stolen. You can do your part to stop identity theft before it begins by just using this little bit of common sense.

If you are worried that your child’s information has been compromised by a loved one or a care giver, then you need to report identity theft right away to the proper authorities. The identity thief needs to be caught and then appropriately punished for his or her actions. This will help you correct all of the information on the credit reports. Yes, even children who have had their identity stolen will have a credit report.

Identity theft prevention begins at home. Your job is to protect your child from danger and identity thief is definitely a danger to your child’s future. Keep your their information private and be careful about who has access to it. The more you do now; the better off the child will be later down the road when it comes to their financial future.

Ramon

Laura Evans asked:




While there are no measures that will completely stop someone from stealing your identity, there some basic identity theft prevention steps that you can take to make stealing your identity more difficult.

Types of identity theft

There are two kinds of identity theft: account takeover and application fraud. Account takeover identity theft occurs when someone gains access to your credit cards and starts charging products and services to them. Application fraud identity theft occurs when someone is able to get your social security number and enough other information about you to open up new accounts under your name.

While account takeover is nasty, application fraud is even more difficult to fix because victims may not be aware that credit fraud is occurring. This makes it essential to review your credit report every year. You can receive a free credit report from each of the major credit reporting companies (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion) once every 12 months. Get them and check to see if everything about your credit looks normal. In addition, you can get a free credit report within 60 days of a company denying you credit or insurance so that you can make sure no one has been fraudulently using your credit.

Identity theft protection for credit cards

One way to reduce the risk of unauthorized use of your credit cards is to simply reduce the number of credit cards that you use. Take all of your credit card receipts home and shred them so that an individual cannot get your credit card number by rooting through the trash. Keep a list of your credit card numbers, expiration dates and the phone numbers of issuers in a safe place – not in your wallet or purse – so that you can easily get them if your cards are lost or stolen.

It’s usually a good idea to avoid handing your credit card to servers or retail employees and letting them walk off with it. While the great majority of these people are honest, a few high-profile cases of identity theft have been committed by unscrupulous employees who wrote down or photocopied credit card numbers. Keep your card and the employee in sight at all times. Most restaurants can bring a credit-card reader to your table. If they can’t, follow the employee to the card reader or ask to pay at the bar, which almost always has its own card reader.

Consider installing a locked mailbox at your home. While this may not prevent a very determined person from stealing your new credit card or other important information, it will slow down a more casual criminal.

When you’re shopping, and particularly if you’re shopping online, always try to use a credit card rather than a debit card. You’re legally protected if someone uses your credit card to make fraudulent purchases, but you might not be protected if someone steals your debit card number and wipes out your bank account. It’s also much easier to cancel or reverse charges on a credit card if the site that you buy from never ships you what you ordered.

Identity theft protection for passwords and PINs

Be careful when you use password or PIN numbers while in a public place. Thieves can use cell phones to take pictures of your credit card and memorize your PIN. Check the door openers on ATM machines and card readers at supermarkets before using them. Some sophisticated identity thieves will replace these devices with fakes that capture your personal information.

When you’re choosing a password or PIN number, do not pick easy numbers, such as your birthday or your phone number. Some identity theft is committed by people you know, such as friends and roommates, who are likely to start trying to guess your password with these obvious choices.

Change your passwords at least twice a year. If you have trouble remembering your passwords or PINs, keep them in that secure place with your credit card information. Never leave passwords near your desk, and never carry PINs in your wallet or purse, as this makes it easy for a thief to use your credit and ATM cards. Never, ever write PINs on the back of your cards – this is the first place thieves will look for them.

Identity theft protection with your computer

Most of the same tools that protect your computer from viruses offer identity theft protection as well. Be sure to use an antivirus program and a firewall, and secure your wireless network with WEP codes and MAC Address Filtering to prevent unauthorized use. Be sure to run virus scans at least once a week.

Don’t keep a copy of account numbers and passwords on your computer in a database or word processing document, no matter how secure the computer. Computers have a high resale value on the black market, making them a popular target for thieves. If yours is stolen, what began as a physical loss will escalate into identity theft if someone opens that file. Print the information out, store it in a secure place, and delete the original files.

Never open e-mail or instant messenger attachments from people you don’t know. Some of these can contain keyloggers and other spyware that records your personal information and sends it back to thieves.

Don’t respond to any e-mail asking you for personal information or account numbers. This is known as phishing, and the phony e-mails and Web sites can look just like a site that you trust. Remember that financial services companies never ask for your information by e-mail. If you get a request for this information, even if it’s from eBay or PayPal, look up the customer service number on the Web (not in the e-mail) and call the company directly.

If you sell your computer, delete all your personal files and use a registry cleaner, if needed, to scour out all of your personal information. If you have CDs for your computer’s operating system, the best solution is to completely erase the hard drive and reinstall the OS. If you don’t have the disk, a computer support company can reinstall your OS for a fee.

Eric