Identity Theft Articles

Becoming a victim of identity theft is something that you should be aware of these days. With the occurrence of identity theft on the rise, each day that passes increases the possibility that you might become a victim of this crime.

You should be taking certain precautions to make sure that your personally identifying information is secure, but there is only so much you can do. By using an identity theft protection solution, you are taken greater steps to ensure your identity is safe.

LifeLock is an identity theft solution that works by placing fraud alerts on your credit reports with the three main credit bureaus. Whenever an account is being opened in your name, you are first contacted regarding the new account. You have to confirm the account is actually to be opened, thus preventing a thief from using your information to get credit.

By continually monitoring places such as the Internet, LifeLock is always checking for suspicious activity regarding your personal information. ID theft criminals will sell personal information to make money. Because they monitor the normal sites were such activities occurs, LifeLock takes a proactive approach to theft protection.

And because they offer a $1 Million Total Service Guarantee, LifeLock is really standing behind the fact that they can protect you from identity theft. If your identity was to be stolen while you subscribe to LifeLocks service, they pay up to $1 Million to fight your identity theft. This is definitely a comfort to have such a company supporting you when it comes to identity theft protection.

LifeLock offers plans for individuals and kids. Currently, they do not have a solution that covers your entire family. There are competitors that have such a plan, so if this is of great importance to you, there are other ways to go.

LifeLock offers one of the most comprehensive identity protection solutions currently available. It will be hard to find a solution that offers better coverage for what LifeLock currently offers from just $9 per month.

Make today the day you start using LifeLock to protect your identity. Since identity crimes are on the rise, you need the best protection currently available. LifeLock is a great choice and they offer incredible protection for a very small price.

In 2001 there were 750,000 people who were victims of identity theft in the U.S, 1 out of 5 people became a victim of this crime by someone they know. Even when you think you are protected these thieves can still get to your information. Be aware of entering sweepstakes contests, donating to organizations you do not know about, junk mail, spam emails subscribing to magazines and someone posing as a telemarketer taking surveys. You even have to watch out for warranties, 1 of 50 become a victim of identity theft every year.

When giving out your info beware of the Internet there are a lot of scams out there, beware of your roommates, employees, house searches, service men, family and technicians anyone that has access to your home. It is easy to become you once your identity has been stolen:

1. They call the credit card companies pretending to be you, change the address on the account, open up credit card accounts in your name and you won’t find out about it for a while because of the change of address.

2. Opening up wireless phones and home phones in your name and utility bills will not pay the bills so they file for bankruptcy so they won’t have to pay for them.

3. Take out loans in your name, purchase cars, homes and write checks.

4. Use your social security card to get birth certificate, and drivers license

5. Create a criminal record in your name.

Your identity can be stolen in so many ways like shoulder surfing, that is when you are at the ATM and someone is looking over your shoulder for your information. The Internet, your purse being stolen, registration forms for products, order forms and applications. Do not carry your social with you, be careful who you give your social security number to and when you do give it out ask questions like:

Why do you need it? What is it being used for? Will it be shared with others? You have the right to refuse to give out your social but if you do be careful. Instead of throwing your papers in the trash shred them, never put bill payments in the mailbox always take them to the post office to mail and get a lock on your mailbox. If you do become a victim call all you major companies right away to put a hold or stop on your accounts and contact the three major credit bureaus to file a complaint of fraud.

When becoming a victim you can get coerced into doing things like paying for the credit that has been charged to your account, getting phones calls from bill collectors never pay for anything that you did not do and make sure you got to all the court meetings. For listings of the three major credit bureaus click on link if you or someone you know is a victim.

Be safe it’s a cold cold world we are living in.

Identity theft is a very common scam all over the world. More and more people have been a victim of it. It is very common even in the internet.

Be very careful in using the internet and divulging your personal data. Scammers may be able to gain access to your most private accounts like ATMs or savings account. They could not only steal your money, but they could also pose harm to your loved ones.

When scammers get access to your credit card PIN numbers, they could use it to purchase goods all at your expense. They could also use it to pay bills and other utilities.

Always be very careful with your dealings online. Be extra careful if you are using a public computer. Check if the computer you are using has an anti-spyware. This software prevents scammers from tracing your browser history.

Make sure the websites you go to are legitimate. There are ways to check the legitimacy of a website. Be smart, and don’t be easily trusting in inputting personal data asked of you. If needed, confirm the legitimacy first by calling up the office or asking around from people you trust.

Credit cards nowadays are very easily copied. Once you give them out to a salesperson for swiping, you’ll never know if it will be copied illegally. One way to protect yourself is to put passwords. This way, your credit card may only be used once the right password has been inputted. Of course, make sure you keep a copy of your password in a very secure place.

Some scammers will pose as an employee of government agencies. They will approach you and ask you some personal questions. To be always on the safe side, it is never wrong to ask them for proper identifications. You can also call up their offices and ask if indeed the surveys these employees are conducting are really valid.

Always keep pertinent personal data accounts and information in a very safe and secured place. If you do not trust your memory, write them down and store them away in places that only you will find.

Always check your statement. People have the nature of not checking their bank accounts because they are so busy. It is important to check your statements because there might have been fraudulent charges already. Also check if your statements arrive on time. This is important because someone may have used fraudulent change of address.

Ask for a regular credit report. Everyone is entitled to it. This can be done once a year for information updates. Most institutions have these added services for free.

Times are hard and scammers abound. Never be on the trusting side. Protect yourself always. Be smart with your dealings and take good care of your hard earned money.

Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in Canada and the USA. In fact, the FTC estimates that as many as nine million Americans a year fall victim to identity theft.

Identity theft has been called the crime of the information age. The Internet has simplified our lives immensely by increasing the accessibility of personal information. Unfortunately, identity thieves have taken fall advantage of the ease of access online of peoples personal information, such as your name, Social Security number, and credit card number. The crooks steal and use this information, without your permission, to commit crimes such as fraud.

Don’t cut up your credit cards and cancel your Internet connection just yet. Experts say that the key to protection from identity theft is prevention. Fortunately, there are some simple steps that you can take to help prevent you from becoming yet another victim of identity theft.

• Review credit card and bank account statements as soon as you receive them. Better yet, on a regular basis check your credit card and bank statements online to ensure no unauthorized charges have been made. If your bank account or credit card statements are more than a few days late, call them to check your account balance and to make sure that they still have your correct address.
• Don’t have blank checks mailed to your home. It is a good idea to pick them up at the financial institution instead.
• Never give personal identifying information over the telephone or the Internet unless you initiated the contact.
• Don’t ever respond to an email query from a financial institution, auction site, or anyone else for that matter to confirm your identity on a website. Legitimate organizations will never ask you for this info via email, so you should never reveal it.
• Never click the hyper links in an email, even if it looks perfectly legitimate. Get into the habit of typing the URL into your browser instead.
• If you are not the customer of the financial institution or other company that’s trying to get financial or personal info from you, delete the email. It is probably a phishing scam. You can also forward the spam to spam@uce.gov as well as the company or financial institution that was spoofed in the email. If you are insist on visiting the site linked in the email, provide them with a password that you know to be false. If the site accepts the password, you will know that it is not legitimate.
• Use anti virus, anti-spyware, and firewall software and keep them up to date.
• Never email personal or financial info, as email is not a secure way to transmit info.
• Avoid supplying your Social Insurance number (Canada) or Social Security number (USA), or for that matter personal information of any kind, over the telephone or online unless you initiate the contact.
• Check your credit reports once a year. If you are a victim of identity theft there should be some telltale signs, such as a new account you didn’t open or an address change you never made.
• Cancel accounts you don’t use or seldom use.
• Memorize PIN numbers and passwords. NEVER write them down.
• Don’t leave mail in your mailbox overnight on weekends. Promptly remove mail from your mailbox. If going away for any length of time have the post office hold your mail for you. Deposit outgoing mail at the post office.
• Shred or tear up unwanted documents that contain personal information before discarding them in the trash.
• Never leave receipts at bank machines, bank wickets, in trashcans, or at unattended gasoline pumps. Make sure that you destroy paperwork you no longer need.