Protect Yourself Against Identity Theft This Tax Season

Between January and mid-April, Americans across the country will be bracing themselves, preparing and filing for the 2011 tax season. Important documents, forms and financial summaries will be sent out to each individual and then sent back out with tax returns.

This increase in the transfer of sensitive information makes tax season a prime time for identity theft. The forms that come and go through the mail are easy targets for potential predators, who often strike during the daytime hours when many people are at school or work.

Fortunately, there are ways to protect your identity during tax season. Here are a few tips to help you avoid becoming a victim.

- One good way to prepare for confidential mail is to open a P.O. Box. This ensures a secure area where only you can freely access your mail. In addition, the post office does background checks as well as supplying surveillance equipment should you have a question about tampering. - Similar to going on vacation, you can choose to have your mail held at the post office, and then pick it up when it is convenient for you. Your mail will never leave the building, and when you do pick your mail up, the post office will verify your identity. - Another option is to install a secure mailbox. A secure mailbox typically features a lock and key, just like the door on your home. Although it is not as secure as keeping your mail at the post office, some consider it more convenient. - Choosing to receive your financial statements online decreases the paper trail of your private information, and is becoming increasingly popular. You should still use security precautions, such as complex passwords and network locks, in order to ensure privacy. - Actively monitor your mail, and try to keep a calendar of when you expect certain documents to arrive. If you have questions or experience a delay, call the sender in order to verify the status and avoid potential theft.

The first step to safeguarding your identity is a proactive approach to protecting your personal information. The tax season brings with it an increased chance of identity theft, but by taking precautions, you can make sure your information does not fall into the wrong hands.

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Travel Tips: Avoiding Travel Fraud, Overcharges and Identity Theft

Whether you travel abroad or at home, alone or with family it can be a fun filled time, but just because you are away from home, it does not mean you can drop your guard. Unfortunately there are people out there who prey on tourists and travelers. Here are some of the most common travel scams and how you can avoid them.

The Hotel Front Desk Credit Card Scam

The hotel front desk calls your room late at night and they say your credit card information did not go through after you checked in, and that they need your information again. The problem is that it is not the front desk calling, it is a scam artist who has called the hotel and has asked for your room number. Before you know it, a stranger has your credit card information.

The easy way to avoid this common scam is to not give your credit card information out over the phone. Take the time to walk down to the hotel front desk in your pajamas if necessary so that you can confirm that it was an employee who called your room.

At Your Service

Fraudulent room service charges are becoming more common. You order your food and 20 minutes later your meal arrives at your door. Before handing over the food, your waiter or waitress demands that you pay them the full amount for your food in cash. Unfortunately, many travelers are falling for this scam.

If you order room service, your meal will be billed to the card that the hotel has on file for you. Never pay cash for room service. If this happens to you, call the front desk and tell the hotel manager immediately.

The Distract and lift

While you are at an ATM someone approaches you and asks you a question, you turn to them and pay attention to what they are saying, in the mean time, their accomplice just ran off with the cash that the ATM dispensed.

If you are at an ATM (even in your home town) never take your eyes off of the ATM, even if someone asks you a question. Just tell them to wait until you are done, but never take you eyes off of the machine. The same applies if you are walking down a street. If someone asks you a question, keep on walking. Pickpockets like to the use the distract and lift method too.

Public Transportation

Taxi drivers know when they are dealing with tourists and they will often take the longest route possible, or they will start the meter off at a higher rate because they think they can get away with it. The best way to avoid this is to agree a fee upfront before you even set foot inside the taxi.

Also make sure that the there are handles on the inside of the doors. Yes it sounds crazy but, there have been reports of travelers not being able leave the taxi with out paying a ridiculous fee first. When you get to your destination, if the driver starts to create a scene over the fee, shouting police a few times will make the driver leave the scene in a hurry.

The dropped wallet

If you see a wallet or other valuable item on the floor, do not pick it up, this is the classic dropped wallet scam. If you touch it, someone will be running at you screaming thief. They will make you pay a large sum of money or they will threaten to call the police on you. Go to the nearest store and tell an employee what you have found. Let them be the ones to pick up the wallet or call the police, it is best to just leave it well alone.

The Timeshare

The famous timeshare is still doing the rounds. Running into a timeshare salesman while traveling is as guaranteed as you having to complete your yearly taxes. If you are approached by a timeshare sales man do not fall for his sales pitch, and definitely do not fall for the offer of an amazing free gift.

Sure, you will get a free gift after 3 hours of high pressure sales pitches, but you will end up paying more in shipping than the free gift is actually worth. The best thing to do is ignore the salesman. Just keep on walking, do not talk to them, they will soon lose interest and you will not lose the money you have in your wallet.

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Yes, Identity Theft Can Happen to You!

Many articles have been written about ID theft but what many people fail to understand is that they are not immune, even if they have been cautious with their pertinent information. Identity thieves are using more and more methods to obtain information, some of them are very crude while others are highly sophisticated. This article explores a few of the nefarious uses a stolen identity is used for and offers some common sense preventative measures.

One of the simplest forms of ID theft is from your checking account. You do not have to have stolen checks to be the victim of this scheme. Anything that has your checking account number on it can be used to steal your money. All the thief has to know is which bank the account is from. The way it works is simple. Popular software such as Quicken, VersaCheck, Quickbooks, Checksoft and others are used to make checks "from scratch". The thief uses your account number and your bank's routing number to write a check in someone else's name. This name usually matches the ID of someone who is paid to cash checks for the ID thief (they rarely ever use their own information). When the check is presented it goes through the check verification process without any problems, even the scanner that reads the magnetic ink on the bottom of the check. In a moment your hard earned money is in someone else's pocket.

In order to prevent this from happening you must be extremely cautious of anything that asks for your account number, whether in person or online. Use your debit card at the check out stand. If you must write a check use the computerized check that allows you not to actually turn over a physical check to the attendant. If you must hand over a physical check then do not leave the register until you see your check put into the proper location in the register.

The other common targets for your information are you garbage and your mail. The solution for the garbage is simple; make sure that you never throw away anything that hasn't been shredded if it contains any personal information whatsoever. As for the mail; this is a little more difficult in some circumstances. If you are using an old fashioned mail box such as on a rural route, consider changing to a mailbox service instead. It is just as easy for a thief to drive up and take your mail as it is for the mailman to drive up and leave it in your box. Driving to a mailbox "store" may be a little more of a hassle, but not nearly the hassle you will have if you have to try to clean up the mess an ID thief will make of your life if they get your information.

One of the things you really need to look out for is to make sure your address is always up to date AND correct. Mislabeled mail is to blame for much information falling into the wrong hands. This may sound simple but it happens daily and is the source of untold problems for the victims. Make sure your mail gets to you where you are now. Banks and other financial institutions should be updated directly. Do not rely on the postal service to forward your mail. Go into most large apartment complexes and see the number of mislabeled envelopes sitting out for anyone to grab because they were put into the wrong box. Sometimes this is the error of the postal carrier, but more often it is mail from someone who was never updated on the recipients new address.

The watchwords are caution and awareness. It might sound like overkill but do not allow your information out of your sight, regardless of how innocent it might seem. Be aware of who you are giving your information to, and, more specifically, why you are giving it to them.

The old adage is that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. That has never been more true than today.

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Prevent Online Identity Theft By Following These 5 Tips

If you use the internet frequently, chances are you may be presenting yourself as a possible victim of online identity theft. One in every five people will have their identity stolen at some time in their lives. Not all become victims due to activities on the internet but nonetheless, internet identity thieves are becoming more and more elusive in their tactics. Because of this we need to keep our guard up now more than ever before. Here are some tips to help prevent becoming a victim to this deceitful crime.

1. Do not give out your personal information to people you don't know.

This may seem rather obvious to most people but it is surprising how trusting some people are. If something about a situation doesn't seem quite right, then go with your instincts.

2. If you are asked to update information from a financial institution by email, don't do it.

Identity thieves have been known to send spam emails made to look like they came from financial institutions. By clicking the link you are directed to a separate webpage identical to that of your financial institution. By entering your information, you are giving the identity thief full access to your account. Whenever you want to visit the webpage of your financial institution, make sure you type the address into your internet browser rather than using a link.

3. Do not make online purchases unless you are on a secure, trusted site.

Many people who are new to online purchasing fall for this one. Any time you are making a purchase and you are asked for your credit card information, look at the internet browser's address bar. Secure web addresses begin with "https". If it shows "http" do not enter your credit card information.

4. Select "difficult-to-crack" passwords.

Especially do this for highly private accounts like banks and financial institutions. You should consider using passwords with a mixture of capital and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols. Passwords should be at least 8-10 characters long but the longer the better. Also, make sure you are not using the same password for every site. A password cheat sheet can be created to help you remember the passwords and usernames for every site. Keep the cheat sheet in a secure but accessible location and do not save an electronic copy on your computer.

5. Make sure your computer protection software is up to date.

This day in age it is extremely important to have a good antivirus, anti-spyware and firewall installed on your computer and always kept up to date. There are many good free ones available but most of the time the free versions do not update automatically. It is usually a worthwhile investment to purchase a good internet security system that constantly updates by itself. This way you can set it and forget it.

Now that you know the top 5 tips for protecting your identity online, it's time to apply them. Remember, try to be aware at all times to whom you are giving information to. Only enter credit card information on secure websites and immediately delete strange emails. Also, do not get lazy with your password selection and computer protection software. They may someday save you a lot of financial and emotional burden and prevent you from becoming the one in five.

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Identity Theft and Children

Here in the U.S, shortly after birth, your child is assigned a social security number. That number is then used by the parents for taxes, health information for school records...etc. Identity thieves may gain access to these social security numbers by working at doctors offices, schools and insurance companies. Credit bureaus, for the most part, do not have the resources to check the viability and age that is attached to the Social security number so the information that gets attached to that number such as age and residence virtually goes unnoticed.

Addressing Child ID Theft

Sadly, the misuse of a child's social security information is often exploited by parents, relatives or someone related to the child for personal gain. Poor money habits and excessive spending may have ruined their credit rating and in the pursuit to get better credit often use the child's number to open new accounts which puts the burden of a bad credit rating on the child way before they can even apply for credit.

Eventually, the only way to rid the bad credit rating when the child becomes and adult is to have a new social security issued. That way the victim can start fresh. Even though it may take some time for the new holder of the number to establish their own credit.

Child Identity Theft is more harmful than people realize

The Government often ignores the problem because it is not really understood and a child cannot vote. There is only a handful of states that have passed legislation that specifically addresses the problem of Child Identity Theft and protecting their information. How do you check your child's information to make sure that his or her information is not being used by a third-party?

You can obtain a credit report connected to your child's social security number just as you would for yourself. Also, when you visit your child's doctor go through medical their file with the doctor to make sure that there are no discrepancies just as you would when you see your doctor.

I hope this information makes you aware of this crime as I want to assure you my goal is, not only to make people attentive, but to just be more diligent with your information and how you handle it. Protect your child's information and keep it safe from thieves that do not have your child's best interest in mind. Your Family depends on it.

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That's NOT Me! - When Your Identity Has Been Ripped

You buy things, right? 'Well, duh,' you might say, 'who doesn't?'

Of course you do. You are a person and you have a life. You do many things as 'you' - buy, sell, you name it, you have a life in this world. That's the good news - you're alive. The bad news is that someone else may just want to 'borrow' that life you've created.

While statistics vary, it is estimated that between 8.5 and 10 million people per year are victims of identity thieves and the threat is growing. And that's in the U.S. alone!

It's not important whether I am buying a butt scratcher or Bugatti - it is at least my money to spend! However, when ID theft takes place they take more than my money. They steal the blood, sweat and tears that went into making my life. These intruders seek to live the good life on my nickel, pence, shilling, or what have you.

A Definition

Identity theft describes the case when someone uses information that personally identifies you to pretend to be you. Impersonation is often used to describe identity theft. It is fraud, plain and simple. These crafty criminals go through a lot of hard work to steal a life you worked even harder to create. They sweep in, take what's yours, and drain it.

Types of ID Theft

Here's a short list of the types of identity theft that can be pursued by criminals and used for profit:

Medical Computer and online Credit card Bank accounts Investment, pension and trading accounts Social Security Driver's license Passport Corporate and business

How Is It Done?

Dumpster Diving: Be aware of what you are throwing out, whether at home or the office. Credit card bills, pre-authorized credit cards, and anything with names, addresses, account numbers, passwords, social security numbers, PINs, and a host of other pieces of personal information can be used. I have three words for you to deal with all this paper - shred it all.

Skimming: You know when you pay with your credit or debit card? Yeah, skimming is when they sneakily store your card information in a device for later extraction. Most of us hand over our credit cards to staff in restaurants and retail outlets. Most times there are no consequences, but there is always a risk.

Phishing: This is impersonation at its finest! When you get an email that pretends to be your computer security software, email admin, bank or credit card company, or a government entity, beware. Your about to be had! Some software programs are so sophisticated that they will mimic the site you're attempting to do business with, placing corporate logo and other legitimizing images to deceive you into believing it is really legitimate.

Look, when the 'site' asks for about every piece of personal identification information under the guise of attempting to 'verify' your identity, look out - not legit. It can be extensive - mailing address, phone number, birth date, account numbers, PINs, and social security number. Institutions warn customers that they would never ask for that kind of detail in an unsecured network setting, and not even in an apparently secure one. Another sign you may be in the wrong place is when your computer redirects you to a different page location. Check the URL address. If it doesn't look right, it probably isn't.

Hacking: We have all heard of hackers, but these are thieving hackers after information from your personal computer or from an institution in a 'stealing in bulk' kind of style. This can also be done in locations where free open wireless systems can be easily monitored and data stolen. Locations like coffee shops and airports are favorites.

'Old Fashioned' Stealing: Yes, stealing, good old fashioned stealing, which includes snatching purses, wallets or even copying employment files from someone's office.

Defending Our Identity - To War!

While it is just another pain in the rear, being more alert just seems necessary in this day where making life easier creates new sets of risks at the same time. Buying on the web and online banking and bill pay are great conveniences, to be sure. We can reduce our chances of getting ripped off by being a bit more careful with routine activities - buying, selling, handling personal mail, bills, and even junk mail. Deter these thieves by shredding documents and protecting your personal information. Keep personal information locked up, including passports, account information, user names and passwords, and social security numbers.

Detect suspicious activity by being proactive and vigilant. I (Kermit) recently had a case where I suspected I had been duped by an online 'phishing' program. Immediately afterward (after berating myself for letting it happen), I notified my credit card company of the possible breach. They watch such accounts more closely and move promptly to replace the card.

While I'm poor at it, I know it is wise to regularly review my credit report and make sure to challenge suspicious charges, claims, or activities. If it goes bad, it can be really bad. There is the emotional cost and financial, of course, but the time and cost of cleaning up the damage to your name and reputation (credit report) can take years.

In sum, defend yourself by being alert and proactive in monitoring your identity. I want to make sure you have enough of your identity intact, and money, to afford our products and services in the future.

It may just be a good idea to subscribe to reputable companies who will be another set of eyes on your identity - only they're working for you, not against.

Identity Theft - Different Ways People Steal Your Identity   Identity and Theft: Solving The Identity Theft Nightmare   Identity Theft Facts   Identity Theft By Family And Friends