Identity theft is rapidly becoming the most popular crime of the new millennium. In an age where most of our daily transactions are conducted electronically, criminals are finding more and more ways of infiltrating computer systems once thought to be impervious. What’s especially frightening is that they require only a single successful attempt in order to steal everything that is your life. That one victory in accessing your data can result in financial ruin, or worse, criminal activities which are attributed to you because they were committed under your identity. Fortunately, there are ways to prevent identity theft, and options which you can pursue if you should ever become a victim of this terrible crime.

The best way to avoid the consequences of identity theft is to not become a victim in the first place. You’ll need to take some added precautions in your daily life in order to discourage identity thieves, but it will be well worth your time to do so.

Use of the internet is one of the most common causes of identity theft. We apply for jobs, go shopping, and even handle our banking over the internet. This makes it a prime target for identity thieves! In order to protect yourself, it’s important that you’re conscious of the vulnerabilities in your computer. Programs known as spy ware and viruses are capable of quietly infiltrating your system and wreaking all sorts of havoc. They might even be monitoring what you’re typing and then sending that information along to the malicious recipient. As such, it’s vital that you purchase good anti-virus software, which is available in virtually any retail computer store. Reputable anti-spy ware programs can be found freely on the internet and are quite effective.

Another effective protection against internet-based identity theft is called a firewall. This is essentially an addition to your computer which prevents hackers and other infiltrators from accessing your system any sensitive data contained therein. Firewalls can take the form of either internal software programs or external hardware devices which attach to your computer. Some forms of wireless internet routers also come equipped with firewalls. Acquiring a firewall, in whichever form you choose to apply one, is absolutely vital for anyone who stores or transmits personal information through their computer. Some users keep several firewalls raised at all times! After a point, attempting to break through layer upon layer of defenses is simply not worth the identity thief’s time, which means that personal information protected in this fashion is far more secure.

Of course, identity theft in the physical world remains a threat worthy of paying considerable attention to. It’s vital that you retain any personal documents in a secure location, particularly with sensitive information such as your Social Security Number. You’d do well to store this sort of paperwork in a solid lockbox, which is then kept in a location that is both safe and out of sight. This may sound a touch paranoid to you, but identity theft is not unheard of in the wake of home robberies. Similarly, be aware of your surroundings when you have a reason to carry these documents on your person. Have a look over your shoulder before presenting such information to anyone, and when inputting your bank PIN number at the ATM or grocery store, cover the keypad with one hand as you type with the other. Such precautions might seem overly simple, but they do work.

Should you become a victim of identity theft despite the above precautions, it is vitally important that you don’t wait to take action. Your first move should be to contact any one of the three major credit bureaus in the United States (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) and request that they place a fraud alert on your credit report. The bureau you make this request of is then obligated to pass the word on to its counterparts. A fraud alert means that you will automatically be opted out of any pre-approved offers of credit and insurance for up to two years, and it also enables you to work with the bureau to wipe fraudulent charges from your records. You should also promptly file a report with your local police department. Not only does this begin the investigative process, it also enables the credit bureaus to instantly delete fraudulent charges and information without having to conduct their own investigation.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Identity Theft

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One of the main parts of an effective identity theft protection system is to simply be aware of what information you are giving out and to whom you are giving it. This may seem obvious, but today0s technology makes it a little more difficult, especially as more and more consumers move to the internet to pay bills, apply for loans, manage accounts, etc.
Identity theft thieves have taken the internet by storm. One of their favorite identity theft tactics is phishing. Phishers lurk the dark hallways of the internet trying to acquire your most sensitive information — usernames, passwords, credit card numbers 0 by sending you emails posed as your friendly neighborhood financial institution.
A Very Brief History of Phishing
It has been said that phishing got its start on 0 shocking! 0 AOL. A phisher would comprise an elaborate email appearing to come from AOL itself and request that the recipient verify their password and/or billing information because something was supposedly wrong with their account. Once the phisher had the information, they would access the account and use it for nefarious purposes, typically to spam even more people with additional phishing emails.
AOL went on the attack in 1997 to shutdown phishing activity. […]

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Identity theft is a fast growing problem within the US and many other countries. There are many victims desperately trying to put their lives back together after an unknown person has taken everything from them. Identity theft is when someone uses your name, address, social security number (SSN), bank or credit card account numbers or other identifying information without your knowledge. With this information they then are able to open accounts, commit fraud and other crimes all in your name!

It would appear that Identity Thieves are using this as a career and are very experienced in what they do. They can use a number of low and high tech methods to gain access to your personal identifying information.

A person wishing to steal someone’s identity can get information from businesses or institutions by stealing records from their employer, bribing an employee who has access to the records, conning information out of employees or hacking into the organizations computers.

A less glamorous way to steal an identity is to rummage through your trash, the trash of businesses, or dumps in a practice known as dumpster diving.

Identity thieves obtain credit reports by abusing their employer’s authorized access to credit reports or by posing as a landlord, employer or someone else who may have legitimate need to the information.

As your credit or debit card is processed identity thieves steal the account numbers in a practice known as skimming.

They steal wallets and purses that contain credit and debit cards as well as identification.

Mail is stolen which includes bank and credit card statements, pre-approved credit offers, new checks or tax information.

All they have to do is complete a change of address form to divert your mail to another location.

And the more confident identity thief may scam the information from you by posing as a legitimate person or government official.

Unfortunately there are many consequences to becoming a victim of identity theft. Once the thief has your personal information he can go on spending sprees. Buying ‘big ticket’ items such as computers (these can be sold easily) using your credit and debit account numbers.

It is easy for an identity thief to open a new credit card account using your name, date of birth and social security number. Needless to say the thieves do not pay the bill and the delinquent account is reported on your credit report.

The imposter changes the mailing address on your credit card account so that it will take some time before you will realize there is a problem. By this time he has probably taken out auto loans in your name as well.

With your information it is easy for the imposter to establish phone or wireless service in your name.

He will more than likely open a bank account in you r name and write bad checks on that account. Another useful trick for them is to file for bankruptcy under your name to avoid paying debts or to avoid eviction.

If arrested at any time they can give the police your name and when they do not show up for the court appearance a warrant for arrest will be issued in your name.

So as you can see it is very easy to become a victim and the consequences can be enormous and take a long while to sort out. It is essential to do everything within ones power to protect their identity from these thieves.

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Identity Theft

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