Prevent Identity Theft

New technology enables us to communicate in ways we have never been able to before. Yet with it comes the very real possibility that we can become victims of identify theft. This can be a devastating and stressful experience and try as we might to prevent it, there is always some new method these predators will find to cause us grief. In order to protect yourself from identity theft, here are some simple rules to follow.

• Check your credit reports annually and issue a fraud alert with each agency (Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion).
• Purchase a shredder so that you can destroy documents, mail, or anything that has your name and address on it.
• When shopping online, ensure the site is encrypted and has the lock at the bottom right hand corner of your screen.
• Never give out personal information online such as your social security number.
• Never give out personal information to solicitors who frequently call.
• Ensure pin numbers for credit cards incorporate letters and numbers. Memorize the pin number; never carry it with you.
• If you use an ATM machine, ensure no one is standing behind you with a cell phone.
• If you purchase a gift for someone online, ensure that the bill is not sent along with the gift. It may contain your credit card number on it.* If you pay credit cards online, and opt to not receive paper bills each month, make sure you check your online statements frequently.
• If your card is lost or stolen, notify the credit card company immediately.
• If your purse is stolen, notify the police and file a report. Contact credit card companies, your bank, and any other agency if applicable.
• Never leave your purse or wallet on the front seat of your car for any reason.
• If you expect a bill and it doesn’t arrive, notify the company immediately.
• Always post your mail. Do not leave it in your mailbox for the mail carrier.
• If you obtain a money order from the post office or bank, do not discard the carbon. Take it home with you and shred it.
• Cut up all expired credit cards before discarding them.
• Carry no more than one credit card in your purse. Keep it in a separate compartment, in a change purse, or in a pouch attached to the inside of your clothing.
• If someone arrives at your front door who claims to be a utility man or policeman, do not open the door. Call the police if you are suspicious.
• Many credit card companies now have virtual passwords and/or numbers to prevent fraud. Sign up for this service.
• Change your online password every 3 weeks.
• Do not open any links in emails from eBay or PayPal if you have not made any recent transactions. First, forward the phony emails to: spoof@ebay.com or spoof@paypal.com. Then, go to the sites directly to determine if there has been any attempt at fraud.
• Do not open any emails from individuals or companies you do not know.
• Do not respond to instant messages unless you know who the person is. When in doubt, block them.
• Ensure you have the best online security software available on the market today.
• If you have good Internet security software, it will automatically alert you to threats as well as when to run a full PC scan.
• If you utilize a cable modem, unplug the PC cable from the modem every night.
• PayPal offers an identity protection key which allows you to utilize a set of numbers every time you log in to PayPal or eBay. The cost is $5.00.

$9 per month or $1,180, You Choose!

Did you know that a victim of identity theft loses, on average between $500 and $1,180, and that is only monetary losses. That does not take into condiseration the time and stress involved with restoring ones identity.

Think it can't happen to you, think about these numbers:

• According to a study done by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in 2003, nearly 27.3 million Americans were victims of identity theft in the 5 years prior to the study.

• Nearly 9.9 million Americans are identity theft victims annually.

Other important statistics include:

• Americans spend 300 million hours a year resolving identity theft issues.

• Identity theft costs consumers and businesses nearly $53 billion dollars.

• 52% of all identity theft victims, or approximately 5 million people, discovered they were victims by monitoring their account.

This last statistic actually contained some good news. 52% of victims became aware of the fact that their identityhad been stolen. Unfortunately, though, it was after the fact.

Since the time of the FTC study, it has become much easier to monitor your accounts. To see your credit report, click here: See your credit score on FreeCreditReport.com

Today, there are also a number of companies that help you proactivily monitor you credit. The leading company in this area is LifeLock Identity Theft Services. LifeLock provides a proactive identity theft service, specializing in the prevention of identity theft rather than the reporting of it. LifeLock was founded in 2005 and is already considered the industry leader. They also provide a guarantee. To see more information, click their banner on the right.

You have a choice. You can protect yourself with LifeLock or you wait and become a victim.

Remember, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Identity Theft - Governemnt Resources

The US government has a number of websites which cover the subject of identity theft. In this article we will look at a few of them which can help you fight identity theft and give you any information you may be requiring in this area or lead you to other resources that can help.The first website that everyone should know about who is looking into the subject of identity theft is the Federal Trade Commission government website. The Federal Trade Commission is one of the government departments you will need to contact in the case of identity theft. The Federal Trade Commission offers a number of identity theft resources such as their Deter, Detect, Defend Brochure in PDF format; “Take Charge: Fighting Back against Identity Theft”; “What to do if your personal information has been compromised”; a test on identity theft; as well as links to various other identity theft resources.The Department of Treasury government website also has information on identity theft and links to identity theft resources. These resources are divided into sections including a DVD companion learning guide, documents on how to obtain credit reports; identity theft tips, forms and facts; Phishing and others.The IRS website also has some information on identity theft and links to a couple of identity theft resources. It contains some information about what you can do to prevent identity theft, what you should do if you think you have been a victim of identity theft, and how your tax records are affected.The US Department of Justice government website also has information on and links to identity theft resources. There is some information on identity theft – what it is, how to prevent identity theft, as well as what the Department is doing about it. In the section on what to do if you have become a victim there are links and contact details of different resources as well as other links in a separate section under government and non-government resources.A number of state specific government websites also offer identity theft resources and you can use the search engines to find websites for your specific state.In conclusion, a number of government websites offer links to identity theft resources. The most important of these and the one quoted most often by the others is the Federal Trade Commission website. You can also find information under the Department of Treasury, IRS, and Department of Justice websites, as well as on state specific government websites.You can also find more information on Identity Theft Software and Identity Theft Statistics. Preventidentitythefthelp.com is a comprehensive resource to find how to secure your ID.Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Will_Robins

Identity Theft - Scarry Statistics

Identity theft is closer to you than you may realize. Every year millions of people are affected by identity theft in one way or another. Some cases are on a large scale and others are very small, but still threatening. This article will look at some identity theft statistics that may make you take notice.Did you know that approximately one out of every twenty three people in the US will become an identity theft statistic this year? Reports show that nearly five percent of the people living in the US will fall victim to some type of identity theft crime, and the numbers are growing each year.The federal trade commission reports that identity theft complaints are on the rise each year. The FTC says that they received nearly forty percent more identity theft complaints than the previous year.The most common identity theft statistics show that nearly ten million Americans reported that their identity had been used to open bank accounts or apply for credit cards without their knowledge.The identity thief opens up a checking account with a few pieces of the victim’s identity and then proceeds to write bogus checks. This is becoming all too common some identity theft statistics show.Identity theft cost consumers nearly fifty million dollars last year alone. That is an amazing identity theft statistic all by itself. Some credit card companies are finally taking the necessary steps to help their customers to avoid identity theft, but you still must monitor your credit and other personal information.You can avoid becoming one of the next identity theft statistics by applying some simple methods to protect your identity. You should make photo copies of everything in your wallet so that if you do become an identity theft statistics you will at least be able to stop the thieves from doing much damage.There are programs that help people avoid becoming one of the next identity theft statistics. These services place a lock on all your personal information so that if someone does get some identifying information from you they will not be able to do anything with it.For more information on Identity Theft try visiting http://identitytheftnow.com, a website that specializes in providing helpful tips, advice and resources to include Identity Theft Statistics and more.Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tom_Turner