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.

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Where To Find Info On Identity Theft

If you want to find info on identity theft you really don't have to look very far. Just flip through your local paper and I can pretty much guarantee that you'll find some incident of an information compromise before you leave the first section.

Since its been on everyone's mind for nearly a decade ID theft statistics are commonplace in magazines, newspapers, TV, radio and any other form of media that you can get your hands on.

There are a couple things that come to mind when you're looking for info on identity theft and that is Statistics and Causes. The statistics have, for the most part, remained steady when it comes to the frequency of the crime. The monetary loss per year hovers around 53 Billion dollars. That's equivalent to buying 1000 one million dollar homes ever week for one year. How would you like to be the real estate agent that gets the commissions for those sales? An important thing that you have to remember about Identity theft stats is that, 99.9% of the time, the number that is being reported is LESS than what has actually occurred. The reason for the discrepancy is that there are people out there that do not know that their identity has been stolen at the time the information was compiled. So the number I quoted earlier of a loss of 53 billion dollars per year...it's a low estimate.

Right now the number that stands out for the amount of people that having their identities stolen per year is around 9-10 million. There are a lot of reports out there that attempt to pinpoint exactly what these numbers should be but there are so many variables that have to be taken into consideration I, personally, don't see how it can be done.

Some info on identity theft has actually created federal legislation. Personal information being stolen from businesses has been an epidemic to the point the government created the Red Flag Rule. This required legislation puts the responsibility of protecting employee and client information on the shoulders of the businesses due to the fact that over 52% of identity theft comes from information breaches in companies.

Oh...just in case you are interested here's some stats on identity theft that I think you'll be interested in...there's a 1 in 5 chance that you'll be a victim this year. Are you protected?

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Get Protection From Online Identity Theft - Acquire Life Lock

It's a typical day for you, time for you to browse the web, get updates from your social networking sites and do some online shopping. You found a very neat leather bag, the one you believed would never exist, the one that had a mystery compartment -- of course you're not going to waste your time, so you purchase it with your credit card. You wait for a confirmation of your purchase, then what comes instead is a notice that tells you that there's something wrong with your credit line. Wait, how did that occur? You know that you keep tabs on all of your acquisitions and you haven't even gotten fifty percent the designated credit for your card type, you even pay your yearly fees before the due date and make sure there aren't any overlooked payments. Days later, you learned what happened by chance: your credit account got hacked when you made an unsecure transaction. The moral lesson: if you had life lock to guard you online, you could have been saved.

The internet has become a big big world of possibilities; you can improve your persona, generate income and meet lots of people from around the globe. And along with positive possibilities comes the so unwanted negative ones which are delivered by hackers and fraudsters -- thieves who disguise themselves as good guys who want to assist you with business, et cetera. After they get your trust and you permit them to gain access to some of your data (that with just a couple taps and commands inputted by their brilliant hackers), everything you hold dear could vanish, or even worse, you could get blamed for cybercrimes that you never even heard about. You shouldn't be one of the ten million each year who have fallen prey to these identity snatchers, arm yourself and sign up for the best identity theft protection service that you can get.

Current comparisons made by theft labs on five identity theft safety services demonstrated that lifelock has incredible security and restoration capabilities. It works pro-actively with its alert system that constantly monitors for deceptive or fishy dealings made online with your name. They send you notices either through phone or mail and they immediately do the restoration of your name and credibility for you. Now, isn't that remarkable service? You won't have to take such aches and pains to make several phone calls and emails that may even be thought of as non genuine by the company that's been transacted with by the offender. They also remove you from pre-approved credit card offers (which web experts say are well-known identity fraud sources) and junkmail listings that deliver spam which you might provide your information to.

As an added measure where you can participate in checking your protection online, you get free credit reports annually so you can see if there are any distrustful entries relating to your account. You may even avail of their bonus feature for lost wallets or purses -- you are allowed one call to the security company and you may ask for an agent to cancel all your credit cards as well as other accounts and replace all of your identification, and what's great is they are capable of doing this for you even if you lost your wallet or purse in another country.

Don't stress yourself by worrying about identity thieves. Get some secure feeling by allowing life lock to take care of you online.

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Methods of Identity Theft

Skimming If you're at a restaurant or store and you hand over your credit card try to keep an eye on the card because when you can't see what the employee is doing it's an opportunity for them to skim the card. Using a card with a low limit can reduce your exposure to financial identity theft. Thieves like to target the "high-value" cards such as platinum and gold cards. Also, don't use a card that is linked up with your checking account. That's a recipe for disaster as the thief can literally empty your checking account. Remember that by law your fraud liability is different between transactions with a debit card and a check card.

Shoulder Surfing When someone is trying to get financial information such as PIN codes, passwords, account numbers or any other personal information from peering over your shoulder. This basic and simple technique, believe it or not, is still being used today. To reduce the chances of being caught "High-Tech" shoulder surfers sit in their cars with a video camera the has a telephoto lens to record the card number and PIN. Some older machines still print the entire account number on the receipts so do not toss your receipt at the convenient trash can next to the ATM.

Fake ATM Machines When the government De-Regulated the ATM machine it made it possible for anyone to purchase and maintain them. The best way to ensure that you don't use a crooks machine is to use the ATM at your bank or established banks. When approaching an ATM scan the area around you and the machine to make sure there is nobody suspiciously hanging around. Is the ATM well-lit at night? Being aware of your surroundings will greatly reduce this type of scam.

Mail Theft There are still a lot of mailboxes around here in this country and when you put a letter in the box to be sent out you raise the "Flag" that signals to an Identity thief that there might be personal information inside. Thieves have brazenly gone through neighborhoods collecting mail disguised as a substitute mail carrier and in general residents don't give it a second thought. There have also been cases where legitimate mail carriers have actually been recruited by Identity Thieves to steal information or bank statements for them to use. Having a Secure Mail box or a P.O box is the best way to rid yourself of this problem.

As I have stated before there are many methods of ID Theft as "Identity Theft is only limited by the creativity of the thief." Just be aware of your information and how it is being used.

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Avoiding Text Message Frauds

The invention of text messaging - and particularly, the widespread adoption of cellular data plans that allow for unlimited texting - has been a real boon for the honest and law-abiding citizen. Text messages, also known as Short Message Service (SMS), provide a tremendous convenience for today's busy people. They let us alert loved ones that we'll be a few minutes late, gossip with friends in quiet places, and send key information to coworkers or friends. Unfortunately, this same convenience and ease of use makes text messaging an area that is ripe for exploitation by the unscrupulous and criminal element.

If you text, you've probably received "spam" marketing text messages uninvited in your inbox; if you weren't on an unlimited plan, you may have expressed a few choice words at having to pay an extra charge for the privilege of seeing an unwanted advertisement. But text spam is an irritant at worst; the real threat comes from "smishers," identity thieves using the SMS system to try to trick or extort personal identity from unwary consumers.

These scammers will usually send a faked message that pretends to be an official communication from your financial institution. The fake text will ask you to contact someone in the office at a provided phone number or to click on a link embedded in the text message to visit a web site from your cell phone's browser. The phone number leads to a boiler-room crime ring, and the web site is a fake, designed to look like the real site, but it is, in fact, completely in the control of the identity thieves. Once they have you on the phone or on the web site, a smooth talking operator will attempt to get your identity information, such as your account number(s), your social security number, your home address, etc.

Sometimes spotting smishing attempts can be very simple, as when there are obvious misspellings in the message, the name of the financial institution is slightly wrong, or the request for information is blatantly obvious. Unfortunately, many smishers have grown much more sophisticated; their dummy sites look and work just like the official site, and the people working the phones or the online chat system at the website are very knowledgeable and skilled at emulating real financial industry professionals.

There are four key defensive techniques.

One, be suspicious to the point of paranoia about your passwords and account information. No reputable financial institution will ask you to provide, to verify, or to confirm such information over an unsecured phone or Internet chat line, and they will NEVER call you or text you to ask you to provide or confirm such information in order to avoid an account closure or other dire consequence.

Two, you can further protect this information by ensuring that you always have strong passwords for your accounts at financial sites, using a different password for each account so that one lucky guess doesn't open up your entire portfolio to these hackers.

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Prevent Yourself From Identity Theft

Digital identity theft is a tremendously increasing crime in the modern era. As the fast pace of progressing technology is increasing in the world, so are the methods and the different criminally minded criteria. According to the survey of the recent past years, more than 9 million cases of identity theft were reported in the United States alone.

Online identity fraud is a nightmare and is a major cause of concern to the people who are virtually inclined to the utilization of online banking services, online shopping services, e-commerce or the conduct of any financial transactions that takes place online. Hackers working online often monitor the financial transactions of these innocent and less aware people.

It is crucial to alert the online users about the threats of the online robbery for the protection from identity theft. The common base for the increasing familiarity of the threat of digital id theft is the frequency by which hackers analyze the profitable ratio of the variety of criminal activities.

The most vital step to initiate protection from identity theft is to protect account numbers, passwords, pins and social security numbers. This information is most often stolen online so any person using online banking is prone to it.

The online scams are more likely to happen to those people who exchange their information online. The most illegitimate way to mislead people is through the process called "phishing". This involves sending spoof emails to individuals by the fake online thieves impersonating a financial institution or an online merchant. The spoof site that appears actually belongs to the thief or online hacker. When you enter your information, they have it and can use it against you.

The best protective way to safeguard from these online threats like phishing, spyware, and hackers is identity theft monitoring. The protection from such threats can't be managed, but some protective measures can prove to be beneficial. Avoid giving your personnel information, photos, address and phone numbers on social media sites such as Orkut, Facebook, MySpace and Twitter.

Another effective way to secure your personnel identity and information is to use best online identity theft monitoring service. These services help the person using online services in the form of e-shopping and e-banking to uncover hacking attempts, monitor privacy and send alerts to take the appropriate actions. Along with that, such services also alert you if there is a threat of personal identity fraud, credit fraud and purchase fraud online.

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Modern World Protection From ID Theft

No matter what corner of the modern world you are reading this, chances are good that you have heard that identity theft is a big problem.

There are a number of ways in which identity thieves can breach your security and gather your personal information. The good news is that your protection from ID theft will be much easier to manage when you know what to watch out for.

Let's start with email. Most of us get dozens of them every week. If you're one of those that does get a lot of email, you need to be especially aware of online protection from ID theft. For example, one good tip is to delete any email that is from anyone that you do not know.

Unfortunately, many of the people who run online "phishing" scams through email know how to get around any basic knowledge about protection from ID theft. They do this by concealing their true email addresses and disguising them to look like they are from reputable sources like banks, utility companies, and financial institutions.

For example, imagine getting an email that looks like it is from your bank. The email might say that some of your accounts have been breached and so the bank will need to verify your personal information.

That email may or may not get your instincts about protection from ID theft to kick in at all, since it looks official and the communication sounds urgent.

However the reality is that this particular email did not come from your bank at all. If you supply the personal information that is asked for without worrying too much about protection from ID theft, you have just willingly breached your own security.

These are the sorts of ways that identity thieves can steal your information online, but they can also steal your information in other more common ways, too.

Believe it or not, one of the easiest ways is over the telephone. All a thief has to do is call you up and claim to be from your bank, your credit card company or any company that you do business with.

Once again though, protection from ID theft needs to be your number one priority and squarely in your mind at all times.

It is important to remember that legitimate companies understand the need for discretion with personal information. They really do want to encourage your security, peace of mind, and protection from ID theft.

So, any company that you do business with is not going to ask you to give them personal information over the phone or email. Businesses know better.

Instead they might send you regular mail correspondence or phone you and have you call them back at the number on your bill, statement or credit card.

In the end, the best way to do business with your bank or credit card company is to do it in person. If the company is too far away for that, you can simply call them at a verifiable phone number.

Generally when people call you asking for personal information, it's a clear sign of identity theft about to happen. Remember this for your own security.

Protection from ID theft doesn't just happen automatically. In fact, it often happens or doesn't happen because of you and your actions.

Be sure to pay very close attention to who you give your personal data to at all times, no matter how official the request appears to be

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Tips on How to Avoid Identity Theft

Identity theft is one of the fastest growing white collar crimes costing businesses and individuals billions of dollars each year. One of the easier methods used to steal someone's identity is to obtain paper documents that have personal and financial information printed on them. This can include: old tax returns, bank statements, credit card statements, contracts, utility bills, receipts, and much more. Fortunately, there are a number of ways to prevent identify theft. It just takes implementing a number of important protection measures for both hard copy document protection and online security protection. Below is a list of tips on how to avoid identity theft:

Document Shredding Services: Preventing identity theft by using the services of a document shredding company is vital to keeping sensitive documents out of the hands of criminals. It is essential to enlist the services of a document destroying company to permanently destroy all of your sensitive documents as soon as they are no longer needed for record-keeping or for compliance purposes to keep the documents out of the hands of criminals. The shredding services include either picking up the documents and taking them to the shredding facility to be shredded, or a truck is sent to the place of business where the documents will be destroyed on-site using a document shredding machine that is on the truck. The documents are safely collected and shredded with no chance of being viewed or stolen by another party for the purpose of identity theft. Upon completion, the document shredding company will send a certificate of destruction which is legal confirmation that the documents were permanently destroyed.

Review Credit Card and Bank Fraud Policies: Check with your financial and banking institutions to see if they have the technology that automatically detects potential fraudulent activity or is it up to the customer to detect and report fraudulent activity.

Online Phishing Scams: It is essential to delete any emails that appear to be phishing scams. A common phishing scam is when the fraudster send an email that looks like it came from an actual bank. They will request that you click a link to update some information on your account. Never follow those links. As well, report any phishing scam emails to your financial institution.

Proper Password Protection: Create passwords that would be impossible for someone to guess. Don't use something like your birth date, last name...etc. Create a strong password that is hard to crack. If you use the same password for everything, you are putting all of your accounts at great risk. Use different passwords for different sites and change them regularly.

Today, identity thieves thrive on the collection of personal and financial information of individuals and businesses. It is important to take the proper security measures to prevent identity theft, particularly for a business as it can be financially devastating. They could lose millions in sales and millions in lawsuits if they are found liable for the data theft. It is now vital that businesses safeguard their sensitive data, which includes their safe disposal. Document shredding services is an effective way to keep sensitive documents out of the hands of identity thieves.

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   Identity Theft - 5 Ways You Can Become a Victim - Identity Theft Protection and Credit Card Fraud   Five Myths Concerning Identity Fraud   

Outsmart Identity Crooks With Lifelock

Identity fraud statistics continue to grow and more people are getting victimized each day. Criminals are getting more advanced and moving very fast, stealing Social Security numbers and selling credit cards and bank account numbers and passwords in illegal black markets. Worse, recurring data breaches endanger millions of personal and private records. All these are pretty valid reasons to get yourself protected. One effective way of getting protection from these unlawful activities is through Lifelock.

Over the years, the company has been protecting consumers that number in the millions and has been doing so ever since it started its campaign against identity theft. Identity criminals are getting smarter so what system is being used to block them? Through the brand's Identity Alert system which provides customers with wider identity coverage, more control, and early notice of possible identity risks. The company makes this possible by keeping an eye on countless databases and a number of data records that span various entities from banks, mortgage lenders, auto lenders, utilities, and retailers. Every time the system detects that a customer's information is used, it sends a notification through phone, email or regular mail. If the transaction is found to be a counterfeit, Lifelock's remediation team then moves to restore the credit.

Compared with credit monitoring, the Identity Alert system is more efficient. This is because the former merely informs consumers of unlawful activities that transpired involving their credit. The Identity Alert system does more than that. It helps affected consumers repair their credit and spare them from the headaches related with recovering from identity theft situations. Reestablishing your credit normally takes time, is pricey, takes a great deal of effort and causes emotional stress. In addition, there is absolutely no guarantee that you could deal with all the pressure and anxiety typically associated with situations when details are stolen. Therefore, if you want to avoid all that hassle, the Identity Alert system is a very valuable service to have.

Obtaining the service also poses a whole gamut of advantages and benefits for you. Among one of these is that you will be automatically taken out of pre-approved credit card offers, which have been discovered to be potential sources of identity fraud. Another is that the service can get you your free annual credit report on a yearly basis. This then allows you to monitor and see if there are future problems and inconsistencies at all the three credit bureaus. Moreover, you also get the advantages of WalletLock, a valuable service you are able to count on in the event that you reduce or misplace your wallet. It features the ability to get in touch with a representative and have them cancel your account and replace your notification.

They have added two new services to provide customers with more protection. The first one is Erecon, a service that scans the Internet's black market and illegal websites to check if your private information is being sold and informs you about it. The other one is TrueAddress, a service that checks databases nationwide to see if your address was altered, a tactic performed by crooks to send your mail their way so they can steal your information. Having Lifelock to protect you from identity fraud is a wise decision. This way, you won't be subjected to criminals who steal your identity for their own good.

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   Identity Theft - 5 Ways You Can Become a Victim - Identity Theft Protection and Credit Card Fraud   Five Myths Concerning Identity Fraud   

Instant Steps That Every Identity Theft Victim Must Take

Being online frequently is common for both personal and profession reasons. Whether we use social networking, banking or have professional websites, we have to create an online identity. But these online identities are not always safe, which is a major concern. The more we use these services, the more potential threat there is of online identity theft.

To protect you from identity theft, credit monitoring is invaluable. Credit monitoring is the process of continually observing a credit history in order to detect any suspicious activities or changes and can help to make sure you are given the full credit rating you deserve. With credit monitoring services you can easily fight back against identity theft, save yourself from losses and maintain your reputation online.

Some of the ways to protect yourself from online identity theft are:

· Become aware of any unfamiliar debts on your credit report. You have the right to review your credit report 1 time per year for free, so it is advisable to keep an eye on the reported creditors listed in your name.

· If you receive an unexpected letter of an address change there is a probability someone is trying to steal your identity. You should immediately inform the post office that you have not requested this and to have you physical address restored.

· Even children can have their identity stolen. If your child is under 13 years old and you are concerned that his/her identity is being misused, you can contact the credit bureaus requesting your child's financial credit report.

· Victims of identity theft should put a fraud alert on their credit report as soon as they learn their identity has been compromised. They can file a 7 year fraud alert to help shield your identity.

. Use credit monitoring services online to get complete benefits and to protect yourself from online identity theft.

You can find several credit monitoring services online offering this service. They can send instant alerts and inform you if your identity is stolen and misused. They also assure you that you will be immediately informed about anything that is suspicious or unusual in your credit report. These various credit monitoring services can help you get your identity secured and protected. Make the most of these services to get complete credit and identity protection online. The hackers are developing more ways to ruin your reputation online, start protecting yourself today to get a better and safe tomorrow.

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   Identity Theft - 5 Ways You Can Become a Victim - Identity Theft Protection and Credit Card Fraud   Five Myths Concerning Identity Fraud