Of course, this means that you have to familiarize yourself with the potential dangers you are exposed to when documents containing personal information are accessed by thieves. The best way to prevent identity theft is to be aware of all your personal ID numbers, such as bank accounts, driver’s license numbers, SSN, credit card numbers and so on.

Do not share or lose important documents

There are many ways in which a thief can get access to your personal information. Once they have access to it they will pretend to be your legal representatives and will operate all sorts of transactions using your identity. You can however prevent identity theft by always being aware of the whereabouts of your personal information. Make sure to store all important documents in a safe and hidden spot in your home and keep on eye on them while at work. Do not share sensitive information with people that claim to be representatives from a bank or any other institution - check them out first and see if they really are who they claim to be. Being a little suspicious with anyone demanding personal information is one of your best defenses against identity theft.

Proper document disposal prevents identity theft

Beware of “dumpster divers” - a name used for thieves that retrieve personal information from the garbage you throw out of your home or workplace. Try to prevent identity theft by making sure documents, envelopes, faxes and printed e-mails are disposed of properly - by using a paper shredder - nut just crumpled up and thrown in the waste basket. There are various effective paper shredder models available on the market and they will increase the security of your discarded documents. In fact, shredders are an accessory required by the new 2005 FACTA law for any business that has one or more employees.

Online identity theft techniques

Spoofing tricks the user into giving the perpetrator personal information, such as credit card numbers, the social security number, diver’s ID and so on. Internet identity theft is even more dangerous than regular ID theft, where the thief steals personal documents or recovers personal information from the garbage. With a stolen wallet, you are at least aware that you might become a victim of identity theft. On the other hand, the Internet identity theft schemes will leave you clueless and it might take months before you discover the theft. E-mail spoofing uses addresses and headers that make the e-mail seem like it was sent by a trusted source. IP spoofing allows thieves to get unauthorized access to a PC while link alteration redirects users to the hacker’s site. Here are a few tips, recommended by the FBI, that will allow you to decrease the chances of falling a victim to Internet identity theft.

Tips on avoiding ID theft

Access websites cautiously - especially if you follow a link from an e-mail.
Internet identity theft is often triggered by unsolicited mail - never give out any personal information to such e-mails. Some spoofing techniques warn you that your account (e-mail, Pay Pal and any other type of account) is in danger of being terminated if you do not provide your password or other information - be aware of such schemes.
Online payment is quick and easy, but always go with a trusted intermediary and payment processor. Your ISP should learn about any form of internet identity theft, which will enable them to prevent future problems. Secure sites begin with a “https” in the URL address bar. There should also be a lock symbol (icon) in the bottom part of your browser.

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If you sell on eBay, or if you have an online business, listen up. There are several tax issues in the news right now that could have a huge impact on the way you do business.The first issue, and the one that is getting the most attention, is Congress’s push to get the IRS to force brokers (companies such as eBay and Amazon) to report personal data on their customers.In this proposal, brokers (such as Amazon and eBay) would be required to report names, addresses, and gross proceeds of each customer that completes more than 100 separate transactions and generates more than $5,000 in gross proceeds each year.Most likely, companies will report this information for all of their customers because they won’t know who will meet the criteria above until the end of the year.This proposal could cause problems for smaller companies. Not only will collecting this information be costly, but smaller companies may not have the technology to keep this data safe from hackers. The Center for Democracy and Technology is concerned about the safety of the personal data collected, and rightly so, given how much fraud and identity theft takes place today.The proposal could have […]

Full Article At: KnowHow-Now.com Articles

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What is the definition of identity theft? As defined by the Federal Trade Commission, “Identity theft occurs when someone uses your personal information without your permission to commit fraud or other crimes. While you can’t entirely control whether you will become a victim, there are steps you can take to minimize your risk.”

Identity theft is a growing problem in the country according to police, the federal trade commission, and credit reporting agencies. Despite your best efforts to protect your personal information, it can still occur. Shredding personal information such as documents that contain your name, address, social security numbers, account numbers is highly advised. When you mail bills, they should be dropped off at the post office.

Despite my best efforts, this now has hit home with me. Someone used my name and title to secure a loan for a home. I called the local police department to report this incident and they closed the case because I did not know who had created this bogus letter used to secure the loan. I attempted to find out who had done this with both the mortgage broker and the lender and neither one would help.

Tax preparers can sell their client list to third parties with consent from the client. This is a 30-year-old regulation that is under revision by the IRS which determines how tax preparers can seek consent to use or disclose information. National Taxpayer Advocate Nina Olson believes that disclosure of tax related information is not strong enough and preparers can determine what constitutes disclosure.

The American Institute of Public Accountancy (AICPA) recently sent out a letter to over 330,000 members notifying them of a lost hard drive that contained personal information
(i.e. name, address, and social security numbers) of its members. This is the organization who dictates how Certified Public Accountants must perform. They have given Certified Public Accountants a year of free credit monitoring and tried to assure members that less than one percent are affected by identity theft. If you do the math, that computes to approximately 3,300 professionals that are now at risk. I resent that fact that they still carry my information after over five years. I have not been a member for greater than 5 years and personal information was not safeguarded adequately. They have changed their procedure of requiring social security numbers in the data base they maintain, but this is like shutting the gate after the horse gets out.

There is a growing problem in this country and our ethics are slipping. Individuals who are professionals are committing crimes against their clients and the general public. No one will speak out against their own profession for fear of retaliation by their peers. This is in any profession and it is time to stop. Medical information which contains personal information is being outsourced to foreign countries that do not follow our stricter guidelines. Accounting and tax information is also outsourced to foreign countries as well as legal documents through attorneys. There is a cost savings to these professionals, but who pays the ultimate price - the client does.

There is a saying that money is the root of all evil. Money itself is not evil. Money is power. People are control hungry and misuse power. They are in control and love the feel of power and use it to hurt others. This also has happened to me in a business relationship. You can see it in the headlines daily. When are we going to fight back? When are we going to do something about this situation?

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