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

SBARTSTV asked:

Identity Theft Prevention Tips from TrustedID.com CEO Scott Mitic TrustedID Offers Tips to Help Consumers Protect Themselves from Identity Theft [08-Jan-2009] Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in America, affecting approximately 15 million consumers per year, or one new victim every two seconds. Armed with personal information such as Social Security numbers, credit card numbers, names and addresses, identity thieves can drain their victim’s bank accounts and commit fraud in their name. The latest forms of this crime have expanded to medical, child and social networking identity theft. With the ever-increasing amount of consumer data that is available on the Internet, it’s becoming easier for cyber criminals to piece together the elements they need in order to steal someone’s identity. In the current economic downturn, more and more instances of credit fraud and data theft are being reported across the country, and unfortunately no one is immune. Fortunately, there are some simple and immediate steps that consumers can take to proactively protect themselves from identity theft. Available video includes tips and comments by Scott Mitic, consumer advocate and CEO of TrustedID on how people can prevent ID theft and what they should do if they suspect it has already occurred, as well as related pick-up shots showing some common elements that e-criminals use to commit identity theft.

Amber

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

SBARTSTV asked:

Identity Theft Prevention Tips from TrustedID.com CEO Scott Mitic TrustedID Offers Tips to Help Consumers Protect Themselves from Identity Theft [08-Jan-2009] Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in America, affecting approximately 15 million consumers per year, or one new victim every two seconds. Armed with personal information such as Social Security numbers, credit card numbers, names and addresses, identity thieves can drain their victim’s bank accounts and commit fraud in their name. The latest forms of this crime have expanded to medical, child and social networking identity theft. With the ever-increasing amount of consumer data that is available on the Internet, it’s becoming easier for cyber criminals to piece together the elements they need in order to steal someone’s identity. In the current economic downturn, more and more instances of credit fraud and data theft are being reported across the country, and unfortunately no one is immune. Fortunately, there are some simple and immediate steps that consumers can take to proactively protect themselves from identity theft. Available video includes tips and comments by Scott Mitic, consumer advocate and CEO of TrustedID on how people can prevent ID theft and what they should do if they suspect it has already occurred, as well as related pick-up shots showing some common elements that e-criminals use to commit identity theft.

Tamara

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

SBARTSTV asked:

Identity Theft Prevention Tips from TrustedID.com CEO Scott Mitic TrustedID Offers Tips to Help Consumers Protect Themselves from Identity Theft [08-Jan-2009] Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in America, affecting approximately 15 million consumers per year, or one new victim every two seconds. Armed with personal information such as Social Security numbers, credit card numbers, names and addresses, identity thieves can drain their victim’s bank accounts and commit fraud in their name. The latest forms of this crime have expanded to medical, child and social networking identity theft. With the ever-increasing amount of consumer data that is available on the Internet, it’s becoming easier for cyber criminals to piece together the elements they need in order to steal someone’s identity. In the current economic downturn, more and more instances of credit fraud and data theft are being reported across the country, and unfortunately no one is immune. Fortunately, there are some simple and immediate steps that consumers can take to proactively protect themselves from identity theft. Available video includes tips and comments by Scott Mitic, consumer advocate and CEO of TrustedID on how people can prevent ID theft and what they should do if they suspect it has already occurred, as well as related pick-up shots showing some common elements that e-criminals use to commit identity theft.

Jonathan

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

SBARTSTV asked:

Identity Theft Prevention Tips from TrustedID.com CEO Scott Mitic TrustedID Offers Tips to Help Consumers Protect Themselves from Identity Theft [08-Jan-2009] Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in America, affecting approximately 15 million consumers per year, or one new victim every two seconds. Armed with personal information such as Social Security numbers, credit card numbers, names and addresses, identity thieves can drain their victim’s bank accounts and commit fraud in their name. The latest forms of this crime have expanded to medical, child and social networking identity theft. With the ever-increasing amount of consumer data that is available on the Internet, it’s becoming easier for cyber criminals to piece together the elements they need in order to steal someone’s identity. In the current economic downturn, more and more instances of credit fraud and data theft are being reported across the country, and unfortunately no one is immune. Fortunately, there are some simple and immediate steps that consumers can take to proactively protect themselves from identity theft. Available video includes tips and comments by Scott Mitic, consumer advocate and CEO of TrustedID on how people can prevent ID theft and what they should do if they suspect it has already occurred, as well as related pick-up shots showing some common elements that e-criminals use to commit identity theft.

Vincent

Rudy Dhondt asked:




You may not realize it, but while you are surfing on the internet it is possible that identity thieves try to capture data from your computer.

Your hard disk may be stuffed with, names, addresses, logins and passwords and even credit card numbers. Every time you connect to the internet you create a certain internet history.
Webmasters and online companies store cookies on your computer to make logging in easier for you,
but if you are not careful enough this information might also reach the wrong people.

People who are full of eagerness to use your data to their own advantage. There are several ways in which the identity thieves try to capture your data. It all happens when you do not use a secure internet connection. Most of the time they try to install spyware on your computer to collect the personal data and this information is automatically sent back to them.

The data may consist of temporary internet files, such as log ins and passwords, names and addresses, browser history and these can be used to reconstruct your internet behaviour.

What can you do to avoid identity theft?

A good start if you are not yet equipped with an internet security software package is deletion of internet history and the cookies in your browser. These can be set in the internet options of your browser to do the job automatically everyday.

But these are only basic precautions. The best protection is offered by the huge range of internet security packages. A good internet security software protects your computer from identity theft by the means of a firewall, which makes your computer invisible for the internet. This is the most important part of the internet security software.

A webfilter will avoid phishing sites from trying to get into your computer and collect passwords and log ins and even credit card numbers. Phishing sites send emails and act as if they are big companies like eBay or Paypal.

An anti-spam filter may be another addition to the package, but it is up to the user of the software to use it or not. Chances are that important emails end up in the spam folder.

Another way that thieves use to steel your information on the internet is by offering free software. There may be hidden files in the software that settle on your hard disk to collect important data and send these back to the sender as described above, better known as spyware.

And of course your internet security package wil provide a good anti-virus program which should be updated on a regular basis.

Is it wrong to do credit card payments on the internet?

It is not wrong to do credit card transactions on the internet, provided that your computer is equipped with internet security and that you keep an eye on your browser. During secure payments there must be a padlock visible in the right hand corner at the bottom of your browser. This means that the data you type in will be scrambled with code to make it impossible for identity thieves to capture your credit card numbers and security code.

If you apply all of the above given advice you will not have to worry about identity theft and have a good night sleep.

Joshua