Are You a Victim of Identity Theft?
Filed Under Identity Theft
Identity theft is a huge problem in the United States, and it is a crime that is growing rapidly each and every day. How can you tell if you are a victim of identity theft? What are the signs?
The best way to find out if you have been a victim of identity theft is to check your credit report. We recommend that you check your credit report from all three of the major credit bureaus at least annually. You are entitled to a free annual credit report from all three bureaus, so you really have no excuse for not doing so.
If an identity theft opens up a new financial account in your name, it will most likely show up on your credit report. This is why checking your credit report is a great place to see if you have been a victim of identity theft.
Other tell-tale signs are as follows:
- Receiving credit cards that you didn’t apply for.
- Being denied credit or having to take less than favorable credit terms when you should be eligible for better terms.
- Getting phone calls from creditors that you have never opened an account with.
- Failing to receive your normal credit card bills. An identity theft will change the address on your accounts to cover their tracks.
As you can see, there are some fairly obvious signs that your identity has been compromised. You want to make sure that you do all that you can do so that you do not become a victim of identity theft.
Fortunately for you, there is quite a bit that you can do to prevent identity theft. Check out the other posts in this blog to see what you can do to make sure you don’t become a victim of ID theft.
Identity theft is a big problem and it is only getting bigger. You must do all that you can to ensure that you do not become a victim of identity theft. We recommend that you use a service, such as LifeLock, to lock down your credit report and make it much harder for you to become a victim of identity theft.
Tags: id theft, id theft protection, idenity theft, identity protection, Identity Theft, Identity Theft Insurance, identity theft prevention, Identity Theft Protection, Prevent Identity Theft, preventing identity theft
Fraud Alerts and ID Theft
Filed Under Identity Theft Insurance
One excellent way to prevent identity theft is through the use of fraud alerts. In this article, we will discuss what fraud alerts are and how they will help you prevent identity theft.
A fraud alert is something that is put on your credit report to indicate that you suspect that you might become a victim of ID theft. If you are concerned about your identity, then you are entitled to ask that a fraud alert be placed on your credit report with all three of the major credit bureaus. This is a free service that you are entitled to do to protect your identity. A normal fraud alert last for 90 days, at which time you can renew it for another 90 days.
If you have actually been the victim of identity theft, then you are allowed to put an extended fraud alert on your account with all three credit report bureaus. You will need to provide the credit bureaus with proof of you being an identity theft victim, via a police report. Once you supply the credit bureaus with this proof, the extended fraud alert stays on your account for seven years.
The purpose of either type of a fraud alert is to cause companies that are in the process of issuing credit in your name to contact you first to verify that you are indeed asking for a new line of credit to be opened up with your personal information. This way, if somebody is in the process of committing ID theft with your personal information, they will not be successful as the issuing company must first contact you to confirm that you want to open up a new account.
You can see how useful of a tool fraud alerts are in preventing identity theft. Yes, they may be a bit of an inconvenience if you are actually trying to open up a new line of credit account. However, the amount of heartache that you will be saving yourself from having since you are doing your best to prevent id theft, is well worth the minor bit of aggravation having a fraud alert on your account may cause.
There are companies, such as LifeLock, that will put the fraud alert on your account every 90 days for you, so that you don’t have to worry about remembering to do so. This is just part of the service that LifeLock offers you to help prevent identity theft. Check them out to see what they can do for you!
Identity theft is a big problem and it is only getting bigger. You must do all that you can to ensure that you do not become a victim of identity theft. We recommend that you use a service, such as LifeLock, to lock down your credit report and make it much harder for you to become a victim of identity theft.
Tags: id theft, id theft protection, idenity theft, identity protection, Identity Theft, Identity Theft Insurance, identity theft prevention, Identity Theft Protection, Prevent Identity Theft, preventing identity theft
Phishing and Preventing Identity Theft
Filed Under Prevent Identity Theft
We previously talked about pretexting, which is a method of stealing your identity via the telephone. Today we want to talk about phishing, which is similar to pretexting, but it is an online form of identity theft.
So the online version of pretexting is called phishing. Phishing is generally performed via email. You will receive a very official looking email from a bank or other online company that has something to do with your finances. A very common phishing attempt is performed while impersonating PayPal or eBay.
A lot of the time, the phishing email will be impersonating a bank or other financial institution that you have no connection with, so it will be very obvious that it is a phishing attempt. Other attempts to steal your identity will be via impersonating financial institutions that you do have a business relationship with.
The email will have a link you are supposed to click on. This link will take you to a website that looks exactly like the real financial institutions website, but it will be a fake, only there to perform ID theft. The fake website will ask for your password and login information. Once they have this, they will log into the real website and drain your account dry.
If you receive any email which claims to be from a financial institution that you do business with, never click on any links within that email. Instead, go directly to the website and login like you normally would. Then go to the messaging center of the website to see if they indeed did send you an email.
If they sent you an email, then you can do whatever it is asking of you from within the website that you just logged into. If there is no sign of any email being sent to you, then you must assume that the email you received is a phishing attempt and is out to commit identity theft.
Always be wary of any financial institution email you receive in your inbox. Always assume it is an email that is trying to commit ID theft. Always double check to make sure the email is legitimate. It is your identity that you will be saving!
Identity theft is a big problem and it is only getting bigger. You must do all that you can to ensure that you do not become a victim of identity theft. We recommend that you use a service, such as LifeLock, to lock down your credit report and make it much harder for you to become a victim of identity theft.
Tags: id theft, id theft protection, idenity theft, identity protection, Identity Theft Insurance, identity theft prevention, Identity Theft Protection, Prevent Identity Theft, preventing identity theft
Pretexting and Preventing Identity Theft
Filed Under Prevent Identity Theft
Pretexting is the practice of obtaining your personal information under false pretenses. It is one way that crooks perform identity theft and is something that you must be aware of so that you can prevent it from happening to you.
Pretexting is very much against the law, but it is a common practice of somebody who wants to steal your identity. An example of pretexting is someone may call you up and claim that they are conducting a survey. They will ask you a few questions that are personal in nature. They are enough to call up your bank and impersonate you, thus starting the process of identity theft.
Another method of pretexting is a crook who calls you up impersonating your bank and requests that you give them your Social Security Number and other private, personal information to “verify” that you are the owner of the account. Once you supply the crook with this personal information, they have all that they need to commit ID theft.
ID theft crooks are very clever in the methods that they use to obtain you personal information so that they can assume your identity. You have to be very wary of anybody who is calling you asking for private, personal information. They will do their best to set your mind at ease, but they will have the worse of intentions.
Never give out any personal information to anybody that calls you. If you feel that the call is legitimate, ask to call them back. If they insist on getting the information without you calling them back, then you can just about be guaranteed that they are a fraud and are out to steal your identity.
Do not become a victim of identity theft. Be smart when it comes to protecting your identity. Take control of your personal information and only give it out to those that have proven to you who they are and why they need it. Be smart when it comes to preventing identity theft!
Identity theft is a big problem and it is only getting bigger. You must do all that you can to ensure that you do not become a victim of identity theft. We recommend that you use a service, such as LifeLock, to lock down your credit report and make it much harder for you to become a victim of identity theft.
Tags: id theft, id theft protection, idenity theft, identity protection, Identity Theft Insurance, identity theft prevention, Identity Theft Protection, Prevent Identity Theft, preventing identity theft
Ten Best Practices to Prevent ID Theft
Filed Under Prevent Identity Theft
With the rise of ID theft being a problem in our country, we thought we would talk about a few things that you could do to protect yourself from becoming ID theft’s next victim. Here is a list of best practices you should be following in order to prevent ID theft.
- Do not carry your Social Security Card on your person. Keep it in a safe place at home (ie, in a home safe).
- Before throwing anything away, shred anything and everything that has any personal information on it. This includes anything with even your name and address on it. You can never be too safe.
- Purchase a mailbox that locks, or use a PO box at your local Post Office to receive your mail at. Mail theft is a leading way to steal your identity.
- Do not open any email attachment unless you are 100% sure that you know the source and are expecting an attachment from the source. You cannot be too careful!
- Do not fall victim to an online phishing scam. If you receive an official looking email from your bank, or other financial institution, never click on a link in the email. Always log directly onto the financial institutions site and look to see if they actually sent you the message.
- Never discuss any of your personal information in a public setting. Always be aware of your surrounding if/when you are talking about sensitive, personal information.
- Do not use your Social Security Number as an identifying number for any accounts. This is like handing your personal financial information to a identity theft on a silver platter.
- Check your credit reports at least annually. You are now able to receive a free annual credit report from all three credit agencies. Do it!
- Never give out any sensitive, personal information to someone that calls you. If you believe they are legitimate, ask for a number to call them back at. Any real company will have a number you can call back at, making sure they are legitimate.
- Use your common sense. If it doesn’t feel right, then it probably isn’t!
These are just some of the things that you can do to prevent ID theft. It isn’t hard to implement these simple suggestions, and they will help you not become a victim of identity theft.
Identity theft is a big problem and it is only getting bigger. You must do all that you can to ensure that you do not become a victim of identity theft. We recommend that you use a service, such as LifeLock, to lock down your credit report and make it much harder for you to become a victim of identity theft.
Tags: id theft, id theft protection, idenity theft, identity protection, Identity Theft, Identity Theft Insurance, identity theft prevention, Identity Theft Protection, Prevent Identity Theft, preventing identity theft
Identity Theft Statistics
Filed Under Identity Theft
We thought we would provide you with some rather eye-opening statistics. Further proof why you need to highly consider ID theft protection.
There were over 48 Million identity records lost or stolen last year. Some notable heists include:
- 40 million credit card numbers stolen from Cardsystems
- 3.9 million financial records lots by CitiFinancial
- 150,000 records of individuals sold to a suspected criminal company by ChoicePoint
- 310,000 records stolen from a LexisNexis database
- 1.4 million credit card numbers stolen from a DSW Shoe Warehouse database
- 100,000 records stolen from UC Berkeley
- 1.2 million government worker records lost by Bank of America
We could go on and on and on. It seems like on an least weekly basis, there is some sort of identity theft crime being reported in the news. Most of these being from a well-known company that is entrusted with your sensitive personal data.
If you cannot trust the companies that you have no choice but to trust, what are you to do? Unless you crawl under a rock and totally wipe away any trace of your identity, then you have to take matters into your own hands.
Remember, no one cares about your identity more than you. It is up to you to ensure that you take the appropriate measures to protect yourself from ID theft. It is as simple as trusting yourself to be your own advocate. You cannot trust anybody else!
Identity theft is a big problem and it is only getting bigger. You must do all that you can to ensure that you do not become a victim of identity theft. We recommend that you use a service, such as LifeLock, to lock down your credit report and make it much harder for you to become a victim of identity theft.
Tags: id theft, id theft protection, idenity theft, identity protection, Identity Theft, Identity Theft Insurance, identity theft prevention, Identity Theft Protection, Prevent Identity Theft, preventing identity theft
Government Agencies Not Protecting You From Identity Theft
Filed Under Identity Theft Protection
If you already didn’t have enough reason to invest in some identity theft protection, here is some living proof. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is reporting that most federal agencies are not doing enough to protect personal information they are in care of.
Following the 2006 Veteran’s Affairs incident that put at risk veteran’s personal information, the White House Office of Management and Budget put forth a series of five recommendations aimed at curbing future events that could lead to identity theft.
You might remember that in 2006, a computer hard drive containing millions of names, birth dates and Social Security Numbers was stolen from a VA employee’s home. The hard drive was later recovered, but this incident highlight the need to increase the security of sensitive, personal information that is in the care of government agencies, to reduce the potential of identity theft.
The GAO recently released a report outlining the compliance of 24 federal agencies that were supposed to comply with the five recommendations put out after the 2006 VA incident. Only two agencies met with all five recommendations. Two of the 24 had met with none of the recommendations, while the other federal agencies met the recommendations to varying degrees.
It is incredibly disturbing to think that these federal agencies place the security of personal information at such a low level of urgency. To think that while we are required to provide a federal agency with sensitive, personal information, they are not taking the problem of identity theft seriously and are not doing enough to prevent identity theft.
This just goes to show that you need to take your identity security in your own hands and do everything that you possibly can to make sure that you do not become a victim of identity theft!
Identity theft is a big problem and it is only getting bigger. You must do all that you can to ensure that you do not become a victim of identity theft. We recommend that you use a service, such as LifeLock, to lock down your credit report and make it much harder for you to become a victim of identity theft.
Tags: id theft protection, idenity theft, identity protection, Identity Theft Insurance, identity theft prevention, Identity Theft Protection, Prevent Identity Theft, preventing identity theft
File Sharing Identity Theft Risks
Filed Under Prevent Identity Theft
Do you use one of the popular file sharing services? If so, then do you know that you are putting yourself at risk for idenity theft?
Millions of people around the world use one of the many popular file-sharing services to swap files, including millions in the United States. File sharing, or peer-to-peer networks requires you to make at least one folder on your computer accessible to anybody on the Internet. A typical problem is that many people use the same folder for file sharing as they do for keeping private information and documents.
All an identity thief needs to do is a simple search of your folder to see if you have any personal information in it that they can use to commit identity theft. Tax forms, credit reports and student loan applications are just some of the things would-be id thieves are looking for to commit id theft.
You also have to be especially careful if you have children in your house. They more than likely will at one time or another use a file-sharing network to download their favorite television show or music file. If they are doing this on a computer that you store sensitive personal information on, then you need to be aware of the potential issues this might cause. You need to take the appropriate steps in preventing identity theft.
If you are going to be utilizing the services of any sort of file-sharing, or peer-to-peer network, then you had better have a computer that is used only for these purposes. If you only use the computer for file sharing, then you do not expose yourself so much to identity theft by storing sensitive personal files on the same computer. Using a separate computer is a great step to take in idenity theft protection.
While you may have the best of intentions when you are using a file-sharing service, you have to take the appropriate precautions so that you do not fall victim to identity theft. Preventing identity theft really starts with common sense. Taking that first step is the most important thing that you can do to securing your identity.
Identity theft is a big problem and it is only getting bigger. You must do all that you can to ensure that you do not become a victim of identity theft. We recommend that you use a service, such as LifeLock, to lock down your credit report and make it much harder for you to become a victim of identity theft.
Tags: id theft, idenity theft, identity protection, Identity Theft Insurance, identity theft prevention, Identity Theft Protection, Prevent Identity Theft, preventing identity theft
Arizona Leads the Nation in Identity Theft
Filed Under Identity Theft
Recent figures from the Federal Trade Commission shows that Arizona leads the United States in cases of identity theft. The figures are for the year 2006 and go on to show a state-by-state look at the nation and the rate of identity theft claims.
Arizona tops the list, followed by the District of Columbia, Nevada, California and Texas. However, just because you don’t happen to live in one of these states doesn’t mean that you don’t have anything to worry about when it comes to identity theft.
The report indicates that there were 148 cases of identity theft per 100,000 people in the state of Arizona. People in the age category of 50+ are hit especially hard with 23 percent of all identity theft cases.
In the worse cases of ID theft, consumers that have their personal information stolen are refused new loans, have lost their jobs, have wages garnished or have been arrested for crimes that they did not commit. Identity theft can really make a mess of your life and can take years to clean up and cost you a lot in terms of both money and time.
You should really consider investing in your financial future an purchase an identity theft insurance policy from a reputable company. You hopefully will never need the services offered by such a company, but for pennies a day, how can you afford to go without? ID theft protection should be at the top of everybody’s mind. Is it on yours?
Identity theft is a big problem and it is only getting bigger. You must do all that you can to ensure that you do not become a victim of identity theft. We recommend that you use a service, such as LifeLock, to lock down your credit report and make it much harder for you to become a victim of identity theft.
Tags: id theft, id theft protection, idenity theft, identity protection, Identity Theft Insurance, identity theft prevention, Identity Theft Protection, Prevent Identity Theft, preventing identity theft
Tax Rebate Checks and Identity Theft
Filed Under Prevent Identity Theft
The Internal Revenue Service has issued a warning about the upcoming tax rebates checks and criminals intent on committing identity theft. There seems to be new scams popping up very rapidly since the announcement of the pending tax rebate checks.
Identity theft criminals are using the telephone and e-mail to impersonate the Internal Revenue Service and steal your identity. In recent weeks, a large number of consumers in all parts of the US have received phone calls from people who are impersonating IRS employees. The person making the calls is trying to steal your identity by claiming that you are eligible for a decent sized tax rebate for filing your taxes early. They then ask for your banking information so that they rebate can be direct deposited. In reality, they are planning on committing identity theft.
Also very common is an email claiming to be from the Internal Revenue Service stating that the tax payer is eligible for a tax refund of a specific amount. The recipient is asked to click on a link in the email which takes them to a website asking for all sorts of personal information. Again, this is an attempt to commit identity theft.
The Internal Revenue Service does not send unsolicited emails about tax account matters, so you should just ignore any such email. The IRS also does not make phone calls about the upcoming tax rebate. Again, these all are attempts to steal your identity.
If you do fall victim to such an identity theft attempt, the thief will use your personal information to run up charges on credit cards, empty your bank account, apply for new loans and commit other crimes. This is why it is of utmost importance to do everything you can for identity theft protection.
Identity theft is a big problem and it is only getting bigger. You must do all that you can to ensure that you do not become a victim of identity theft. We recommend that you use a service, such as LifeLock, to lock down your credit report and make it much harder for you to become a victim of identity theft.
No tag for this post.
Older Posts »