The Identity Theft Guardian

If you think that identity theft can never happen to you, think again. Just take a look at statistics concerning identity theft, and you can see that the crime of identity theft is closer to you than you may realize.

According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), identity theft affects as many as 10 million Americans each year. Nearly 5% of the people living in the US will become an identity theft victim and the numbers are increasing each year. The FTC even reported that they currently received nearly 40% more identity theft complaints than the previous year. What is more alarming is that identity theft costs businesses and financial institutions nearly $53 billion annually.

The most common types of identity theft are credit card frauds, communications service fraud, bank fraud and loan fraud. Credit card fraud is when someone else uses your credit or uses your personal data to apply for a credit card. Meanwhile, communications service fraud deals with someone opening a cell phone or utility services account using your information without your knowledge. For bank fraud, a common scam is the thief opens up a checking account using your identity and then proceeds to write bogus checks.

For years, identity thieves get valuable personal information through stealing mail, snatching purses, or searching garbage for discarded bank statements or credit card receipts. With rapid technological advancement, most identity thieves now employ phishing. Statistics reveal phishing to be the most dangerous of all identity thefts as it uses both social engineering and technical subterfuge.

Phishing is when the victim receives an email that appears to be from a bank or other financial institution. The victim is then told to click a link and verify his/her account information or supply personal identity data. The victim believes the link to be a legitimate site when in fact the identity thief now uses the victim’s data to gain access to account information and empty the bank account. Phishers can also take out credit cards in the victim’s name, and steal ISP account information.

According to the latest findings of the research group Gartner, close to 60 million Americans reported receiving a phishing email, and about 1.7 million people have been victims, costing banks and credit card companies approximately $1.2 billion in losses.

All these figures and information about identity theft are definitely alarming. To avoid being the next identity theft statistic, it’s better to take measures to protect yourself against identity theft like keeping your personal information private, subscribing to an identity theft service, and many more. These are just simple steps that take only a few moments of your time. These few moments are indeed worth the while considering you can either spend countless hours trying to manage the damage done by identity theft.



By: Bernard Pragides

About the Author:

People who become victims of identity theft often have to bear a lot of problems that results from the theft; therefore it is better to avoid theft altogether when possible. And luckily there are several identity theft solutions for families that are very useful for the prevention of these identity thefts among the family members.

Identity theft solutions for families start with the family members themselves. Points to consider include:

1) Many identity theft solutions are very simple things to follow like avoiding giving out personal information about any member in the family to any outside person. The children may disclose information, therefore, the useful information like passwords of accounts, and other things should be kept away from them.

2) Another way in which identity theft can occur is due to the loss of any official papers containing private information; hence it is advisable that all such papers should be properly preserved in a safe manner and copies and unneeded documents destroyed with a shredder. The passwords of the accounts should never be written down on paper. All this information should remain only in the mind of the owner or in a safe place.

3) The theft may also occur if a person leaves or moves from his house and still has his mail sent to that address. Therefore, identity theft solutions for families also include the proper provision of the information about the changes in the address.

4) Identity theft solutions for families also include joining only standard organizations and commercial companies. This is because in order to join any organization, it is often required of members that some personal information about the person or his family be shared. In addition to this, everybody in the family should be aware not to provide information to any person who is not officially from that company.

5) In addition to the above-mentioned offline identity theft solutions for families, there is also need of precautions for online identity theft for families. The occurrences of online identity theft are more frequent today than those happening offline. Thieves do it with the help of the virus spyware and other hacking software. Online, they enter the PC system and then they can take away the information that is stored on the PC. Therefore, identity theft solutions for families includes the use of spy ware protecting software.

6) Identity thefts also occur due the use of the internet. Many members of the families have email accounts, online bank and other types of accounts. The information related to these accounts and other additional information provided to these accounts may leak through them. Therefore, identity theft solutions for families includes all the measures to prevent this from happening.

In short, online and off, all family members should not provide unnecessary information for their accounts, and they should carefully choose their passwords. This will enable scammers from hacking your accounts. In fact, a weak password is among the major causes of all the hacking of online accounts and information.

Many times some unnecessary pop ups or some links appear on the screen. Clicking on them should be avoided at all times.



By: Bernard Pragides

About the Author:

Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in America today. More than 9.9 million Americans were the victim of many types of identity theft scams in 2004, which ended up costing them almost $5 billion. Most identity theft victims suffered sever financial damage and even financial ruin because they thought identity theft would not happen to them. No matter what your current financial state is like, where you live, or what your spending habits are, you are a target for identity theft. The truth is that everyone is at risk for identity theft, but fortunately there are things you can do to prevent identity theft from happening to you.

It may seem simple, but shredding all documents you receive that contain any of your personal information is one of the best ways to prevent identity theft. This includes credit card receipts, bills, and pre-approved credit applications. This important step alone can give you great protection against identity as the majority of identity theft originates from financial documents that were thrown away or intercepted.

You should also remember never to give your personal information to anyone over the phone, through the mail, or on the Internet. Identity thieves will often claim to be from various sources including your bank, the government, or even law enforcement to get you to divulge your personal info. You should always keep your personal information private in order to prevent identity theft. If you are contacted by a legitimate institution, make sure you check the validity of their claim and do not give information on the first contact. Call or contact the company directly to make sure it was really them who contacted you.

It is also important to check your credit report from all three major credit bureaus once a year to make sure everything is accurate and there is no suspicious activity. If you find an error or something suspicious dispute it immediately to protect your credit and prevent identity theft. Always be aware of when your bills should arrive every month and always check them over carefully to make sure there are no unknown charges. Identity thieves will steal your credit card statements and other bills and then use the information for their own gain. This type of identity theft has been around for years and is the oldest type of identity theft.

Another way to safeguard your identity is not to use common numbers as ATM passwords. Your birthday, address numbers, and part of your social security number are all easily accessible to thieves who steal your wallet and ATM card and will allow them easy access to your cash. You should also never carry your social security number in your wallet in case it is stolen. Your social security number should be safeguarded at all costs and you should also be very discriminating in who you give it to. Generally the only people you need to give it to are your employer, doctor, and financial institution. If another company asks for it, find out why they need it and decline to give it to them if they do not need it for tax reporting purposes.



By: Manny Vetti

About the Author:

The term Identity Theft refers to an illegal action of opening someones credit account statement without his/her permission, stealing vital information about an individual and then utilizing this information to view or use his credit account or make any transaction in his name. Identity theft may also be referred to as Identity Fraud.

With more and more people becoming technological savvy, it has become quite easy for a common criminal to steal the identities of other people. In fact this problem has spread at an alarming rate across the world. If you are one of the witnesses or the victims of an identity thief, do make an urgent report of it right away. This action of yours will surely save you from further losses.

In order to stop identity fraud or theft from happening to you, numerous safeguards or defensive plans have been put in place. These plans will work only up to a certain level but what is required in totality is the alertness on the part of consumer. While making an identity theft, a cheat usually accesses your SSN (social-security-number) as well as other significant details in order to facilitate an effective utilization of your identity.

Below are some of the steps that a person is recommended to adopt in order to reduce the risk of falling prey to the identity theft.

* Report the identity theft as soon as possible to the local police department in your area.

* Immediately contact the fraud department of your bank as well as those of your creditors.

* Make a theft report to the federal trade commission as well.

* Last but not least, report your identity theft to the three major credit bureaus: Equifax, Trans Union and Experian.

Notifying all the three credit bureaus as soon as possible is the most important step that a victim can take. The main reason behind this is the fact that the identity thief may try to obtain your credit by making use of the false identity. If you have reported to the credit bureaus about the theft and asked them to place a fraud alert on your credit report it should detour the thief. Along with this, try to get a copy of the credit report so as to determine the degree of un-lawful activity that has taken place using your identity. Besides this, a copy of the credit report statement can show other fraud activities or disputed actions carried out in your name.

Following is the sequence of steps followed by the credit bureaus upon report of the identity theft:

* Post the security alert on the credit report file.

* Drop the identity theft victim out of the various offers or pre- approved for credit issuance.

* Mail a copy of credit file to the victim of identity theft.

To summarize, we can say that identity theft can prove to be very critical for a victim of the theft. So, it is always recommended to follow all the precautionary measures to control it.



By: Jay Delgado

About the Author:

With so many people out there just waiting to steal your financial information, it is no wonder that more and more people are starting to take advantage of their local identity theft resource center.

These places cannot only help you prevent identity theft but they can also help you report identity theft to the proper authorities. The identity theft resource center is something that everyone should consider looking into since id theft is happening on a daily basis.

Identity theft can ruin your credit and can cause you a lot of personal hardships until it all gets straightened out. This is why going through an identity theft resource center is so much better then trying to do it all on your own.

An identity theft resource center would be able to spot unauthorized activity on your credit report a lot faster then you ever could because of the computer technology that they have. Of course, you could always try to do it yourself but you will not be able to watch your reports as closely as an identity theft resource center.

Simple To Get Started

While it may seem like a complicated system, getting started with an identity theft resource center is actually very simple. All you have to do is find a company that you know and trust and give them a call. Once they have all of the information they need from you, you simply sit back and enjoy life while they monitor everything for theft.

The identity theft resource center will automatically alert you upon finding something strange. Once it is determined that it is thief that is taking place, they can help you alert the proper authorities so action can be taken.

All you have to do is simply pay them a monthly fee for their services and the fees are generally not all that expensive. Of course, the exact amount you pay will vary from one identity theft resource center to another but they are all still pretty reasonable in price.

And for the comfort and peace of mind that comes along with having an identity theft resource center on your side, the money is surely worth it. If you are still not sure, you should at least give it a try for a few months to see how you like it. If you are not satisfied you can always cancel their services and track your credit on your own.



By: Bill Protresi

About the Author:

The crime of identity theft by employees is reaching record numbers, maybe because of a heightened awareness of the crime, or progress made by many states in detecting this crime as well as enforcing stricter penalties. Consumers are not the only ones who can benefit from the awareness of how easy and common the practice of identity theft is. Employers also need to be aware of the threats to their business when employees are able to take advantage of access to personal information and use it to commit identity theft.

Important Facts Employers Should Know about Identity Theft:

The number one source of identity fraud involves the theft of employee records.

A recent study by Michigan State University revealed that over 50% of identity thefts occur in the workplace.

The majority of identity theft is committed by employees hired to perform low-level tasks, such as data entry.

90 percent of these crimes involve payroll or employee records.

10 percent of these crimes involve customer information.

Examples:

Pizza Hut

A number of complaints in Ebensburg PA, about unauthorized purchases were made and upon investigation, police found one common denominator among the identity theft victims. All of the victims had used a credit card in the Ebensburg Pizza Hut within one month. A thirty-year-old employee of the Pizza Hut was charged with making $6,700 worth of internet purchases using bankcard numbers and names of Pizza Hut customers, as a result of their access to this information. The thief was charged with seven counts of each identity theft, access device fraud, and theft by unlawful taking, theft by deception and receiving stolen property.

Police have encouraged all patrons of this restaurant check their statements carefully, as they could have been victims and not even know it. Similar events were also investigated and linked to a Subway restaurant in the Pittsburg area. Dinner out can really be expensive, especially when using your credit card, maybe we should all think about paying cash next time.

Southeast Missouri State University

A former Southeast Missouri State University employee downloaded over 800 student’s names and social security numbers. Although there is no evidence that the social security numbers had been used to apply for credit at least two had been used in an attempt to log into student accounts. Students are being advised to obtain fraud alerts and security freezes on their accounts. The former employee, a hall director, was indicted on two charge of identity fraud and one charge of computer trespass.

“In Georgia, unauthorized possession of such data is a felony. In Georgia you don’t have to show the person used the data in any inappropriate way. Possession is enough,” said Dr. Dennis Holt, vice president for administration and enrollment management.

Employers, did you know that the Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act hold employers responsible for these crimes? Any employer whose action or inaction, leads to breach of employee information can be fined by state and federal governments and can be sued in civil court. Class action lawsuits can be brought against employers for both actual and punitive damages.

These stories are just a few examples of what can happen with employers do not properly screen, train and monitor employees to protect their businesses and their customers. It is important to be aware of state laws for possessing, using and even disposing of customer’s personal information. Companies can be held liable for their employee’s actions that put people at risk for identity theft, even it an identity theft hasn’t occurred, as is the case in Georgia and as Radio Shack and other companies found out in Texas, when employees threw credit applications in the trash; applications which held all the information needed to commit identity theft. It is important that businesses be informed, proactive and vigilant in training, screening and monitoring their employees in an effort to protect your customers, other employees and your business.



By: Lisa Carey

About the Author:

Identity theft (ID theft or identity fraud) is the deliberate appropriation of an individual’s personal information to impersonate that person in a legal sense. Stealing someone’s identity enables the thief to make a frightening number of financial and personal transactions in someone else’s name, leaving the victim responsible for what might turn out to be a mind-boggling turmoil in his or her life. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) keeps records on identity theft, and, not surprisingly, the number of incidents reported increase each year. The recent identity theft statistics reveal that ID theft affects as many as ten million Americans each year! According to FTC’s identity theft statistics, the losses to businesses and financial institutions total nearly 53 billion dollars annually.

These identity theft statistics further reveal that the most common types of ID thefts are credit card frauds, communications services fraud (such as opening a cell phone or a utility services account using someone else’s information), bank fraud and loan fraud. For years, the primary cause of identity theft has been good old-fashioned or low-tech analog crime. Impersonators rummaging though mailboxes, snatching purses or searching the garbage for discarded bank statements or credit card receipts. Rapid advances in technology have seen a plague of sophisticated phishing attacks. Identity theft statistics expose phishing as the most dangerous of all ID thefts that uses both social engineering and technical subterfuge.

Phishing can have serious financial consequences. In a phishing attack, the victim is sent an email that “appears” to be from a bank or other financial institution. The victim is then told to click a link and verify his/her account information or supply personal identity data. The link appears to be a legitimate site, but is in fact a scam. The moment he/she enters sensitive data, the identity thief gains access to account information and can empty the bank account. Phishers can also take out credit cards in the victim’s name, steal ISP account information and do other financial damage. In its latest report on identity theft statistics, the research group Gartner says that close to 60 million Americans reported receiving a phishing email, and 1.7 million people have been victims of identity theft, which cost banks and credit card companies $1.2 billion in losses.

You must take steps to protect your account information, social security numbers, passwords, etc. Now. Always memorize and shred important documents that you are discarding. Don’t simply throw these types of documents away!



By: Keith Londrie

About the Author:

ID Theft and Identity Theft Prevention

Identity theft affects over 9 million Americans alone each year. As the degree of damage varies from individual to individual, the lasting effects are nearly the same. ID theft ultimately affects your credit score. And in many cases ID theft can cause major damage without the victim even realizing it at first. Identity theft can occur simply by a ID thief obtaining a person’s identifying information such as their name, Social Security numbers, credit care and other account numbers and more.

There are many ways thief can use a person’s identity and not just so they can steal money and buy home theater systems or take lavish vacations, like the recent college-aged thieves caught after years of stealing credit to finance expensive vacations, but many will even steal such information for paying their own rent, telephone bill or even checking out books at the public library.

There are many ways in which an identity thief can obtain your information. Many of the methods used more frequently include going through your trash, going through your mail and stealing a credit card statement in order to obtain your credit card number, email scams, stealing purses and wallets, and even an employee at a restaurant or store jotting down your credit card number as they are running your card.

These events and more can really damage a person’s credit report and overall score which could take a while just to get back in order.

So how can a person protect themselves from identity theft? The most effective way to combat identity theft is to check your billing statements regularly as well as monitor your credit report regularly. Monitoring ones credit does not have to occur daily. But, if done on a monthly basis, one can see any discrepancies on their credit report soon after a potential identity theft occurrence appears on their credit report or billing statement.

Despite the fact that the ID theft occurrence may not be entirely the credit holder’s fault, the lasting effects become that victim’s responsibility to discover and fix. However, there are now services that provide identity theft protection which can be found in more detail at our site. These services can help you keep a close eye on your credit and all identifying information and help prevent identity theft overall.



By: S. Michael Windsor

About the Author:

Crooks are becoming more inventive in how they take your identity. Bravery is not a must any more, nor is guns and knives or any physical hurt. Now days it may possibly be your neighbor or a person you pass in the mall. We can by no means be too cautious with our identity.

Whatever system the lawbreakers use, mail theft, account invasion, dumpster diving, the end result is the same: An nave person like you is ripped off.

Think about this for a moment; what is a very low-tech technique use by thieves to pull off identity theft? It is simply stealing mail from unsecured mailboxes. Thieves have been stealing mail out of unsecured mail boxes for many years; but it has only been in the current time that thieves have come to recognize the profit to be achieved from the financial information they can get. How safe is your mail box?

Mail theft happens most of the time, according to the figures, at places where unprotected and easy to get to mailboxes are these are mailboxes without a lock and in common places. Does your mailbox fall into this type?

Thieves know how to and carry out, using outgoing stolen mail, obtain sufficient indispensable information to begain a new account with the victims (your) name. Crooks can take pre-approved credit card application, change the address to a new address, and then send it in. Criminals can steal a credit card statement, lift the account number, and buy goods or services. A thief can watch your incoming mail for a new credit card or ATM card, steal it, and charge thousands of dollars to it in one afternoon.

What about the red flag on your mailbox? One mail carrier said, The postal service call those red flags the steal me flags. Start taking your out-going mail to the post office or drop US mail boxes on your way to or from work. Thieves can and will do much damage with what they remove from your mailbox.



By: Ramon Ross

About the Author:

There is a lot of advise on how to avoid identity theft. Shred your mail. Don’t give personal or private information over the phone. Check the mail every day and stop mail delivery when out of town. Keep all documents safe and secure. Do this, do that, watch out, jump over this bar, duck under this bar, snake through this hoop and cross fingers and prey like heck. These are good procedures to follow. They just won’t help when the government leaves millions of records unsecured, or AOL releases millions of personal searches, or a business is hacked and it’s databases are compromised. Go to Google News and do a search on “identity theft”. Read the stories. There are hundreds, thousands and sometime millions of identities compromised every day. It is not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when virtually every personal identity will be compromised.

There are three primary steps everyone should take in protecting their identity.

Number one is monitor your credit. Identity theft almost always begins with your credit. It is where you are most likely going to be targeted by criminal activity. It is the easiest way to compromise an identity too.

Number two is 24×7 access to legal counsel. Identity theft and the laws and government protections are complicated. If you are compromised you will need legal assistance in every state where your identity was fraudulently used. Also, who do victims call in the middle of the night when they’ve been arrested on a warrant for a crime they didn’t commit? The brother-in-law or best friend that is an attorney can help you with the occasional speeding ticket, but would be useless if your identity were stolen. Seriously, just ask them yourself. With the right plan and company, this is a very affordable service for all people. What is critical is that you get more then just monitoring and absolutely do not waist money on identity theft insurance. More on this later.

Three, you need identity restoration services. Just read the stories on the net about how lives have been ruined by identity theft. Once an identity is stolen it could take the average individual year, even a lifetime to restore their own good name. It would mean hundreds of hours stolen from the victim too. Hours stolen from work and the family. Having a profession service that specializes in identity restoration is imperative. The best companies can restore and identity in as little as a few months, and most of this time is caused by the bureaucracies they deal with. Bureaucracies that you would have to deal with if they weren’t.

Identity theft insurance is practically worthless. Most of these policies give money to the victim so they can fix the problems themselves. Hopefully, it’s already painfully clear that an individual can’t fix this problem on their own. Identity protection and restoration needs to be handled by professionals. Please don’t wait to get covered.

One great solution to identity theft protection is Identity Theft Shield from Kroll Background America and Pre-Paid Legal Services.



By: Frank Brammer

About the Author: