Protecting Our Identity

Have you ever yelled at your credit card executives and asked for clarification of some entries on your bill? Don’t worry this is a common case scenario. Maybe you did not use those service or goods and are being forced to pay for someone else who has used your name and identification and committed a fraud. Some fraudsters hack your security code or personal information for their personal use and then they use it.

Identity theft is the fastest growing commercial theft in the 21st century and on September 11th the FBI discovered that 11 of the hijackers were using credit cards and driver’s licenses and passports with identities lifted from stolen credit cards or passports, isn’t this alarming?

Are you busy thinking about your privacy and your financial information? Are you worried about it being leaked? Don’t panic as you can safeguard your information from criminals. The hackers hack your information very easily from computers and then charge the merchandise to your account.

This can be understood with the example of a thief stealing your name, date of birth and social security number to take ownership of your accounts and credit cards!

So if you wish to safeguard your identity, stop mentioning your security number or your drivers license number on your checks as this makes identity theft easier. With one misplaced check; a con artist can memorize your driver’s license number as well as security number and from this track down the remaining details or perhaps forge your signature.

6 Ways To Protect Yourself From Identity Theft

Financial institutions as well as banks are working towards protecting their customers’ identities. Prior to doing this they inform the customers about the slight inconvenience which may be caused to them.

Efforts to protect identity theft can include:

1. Burn or shred your financial information which contains the social security number.

2. Start using your password instead of your maiden name.

3. Never use your social security number until and unless it is unavoidable.

4. Check your credit report twice a year to detect any faults or any thefts.

5. Remove your maiden name from all your mailing lists which are operated by credit agencies.

6. If you have ever felt like a victim, then please report your case immediately to the credit card company or any other business establishment from where you feel this theft has occurred.

It’s easier to be a victim of identity theft if you don’t check your credit card statements often. So make sure you keep an eye open. Sometimes small figures on your statements will appear and you don’t know where its from. Check it out because if it happens every month, you’ll be loosing a lot of money in the long term. It has happen to be not once but 3 times!

By and large, this type of identity theft crime is always a low-tech operation, despite the consequences of well-publicized instances of hackers breaching into websites and pilfering millions of dollars though credit cards. So shield all information as far as possible to guard against identity theft.



By: Neil Farman

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cacy of technologies has generated intricate crimes to be possible. Have you watched those films featuring a group of local goons stealing a highly-guarded museum operating right at a backyard? How about flicks in which ordinary Mr. Joe transforms into a very rich and powerful businessman after “pilfering” another person’s identity? So do I make myself clear: technology makes no bounds for what can be done today. Let’s speak about the mentioned films here …

Identity theft is a fast-growing crime in the world, most especially in America. The Federal Trade Commission estimates that 10 million Americans experience identity theft every year. That’s really a lot, huh! With your own ID, criminals may get a credit card, open a new line of credit, rent an apartment, or open a telephone account. They can practically create, or more aptly waste, a life at your expense. The victim may not find out about the theft until after the crime is complete or until you are contacted by a debt collector. Now that’s really awful!

So how do you define identity theft anyway? According to identitytheftlabs.com, the definition of “identity theft” varies from Webster’s to Wikipedia and others. The Web site suggests that the FTC, in this case, does a fine job of outlining the situation. Identity theft, says FTC, is when someone uses your personal information, like your SSN, name, bankcards, etc. without your authorization, to perpetrate fraud or other crimes.

How serious is this kind of crime? Identity theft is a very serious crime. While some victims can resolve problems quickly, others spend thousands of dollars and vast amount of time to resolving damage to their good name and credit records. Some victims of identity theft may lose out on job opportunities, or have education, housing, or car loans rejected. In rare cases, people have been arrested for crimes they did not commit.

Identity theft can be avoided if you keep your identity at utmost privacy. But then again a lot of organized theft rings operating online and offline to steal your identity. These criminals are always one step ahead and constantly trying to find ways to overcome obstacles to their operations. Having stored your identity and information on any server puts you at potential risk for identity theft.

There are identity theft protection plans being offered by financial institutions which reimburses for out-of-pocket expenses up to a certain dollar amount and helps with the process of contacting creditors, writing affidavits and filing reports. Some plans are free as part of checking or savings account and others may charge a monthly fee.

But there is a better way to avoid identity theft… avoid it at the onset! With services provided and accessible online, there are companies that extend proactive identity protection from these possible issues for just $0.25 to $0.30 per day. These companies not only furnish the best protection from identity theft but also support their services with identity insurance guarantees of up to one million dollars.

Among others, LoudSiren, LifeLock and Trusted ID are good examples of companies that have combined a few basic technologies into very affordable and valuable services. You can easily decide for yourself which company to choose by comparing the track records of Lifelock, LoudSiren and Trusted ID. Additionally, there are also available online reviews for these companies that cater to theft protection.



By: Charles White

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Identity theft protection definitely is something that you must be mindful of in this day and age. Identity theft continues to be one of the most common and most serious of crimes that are being committed the world over today.

In order to develop a comprehensive and meaningful identity theft protection plan or program, you do need to understand the different methods that identity thieves employ to perfect their crimes. Through this article you are provided information about phishing and identity theft.

Like many people you may be involved in using the Internet and World Wide Web a great deal. You may even shop and transact other types of business online in this day and age. Therefore, you need to make sure that you employ appropriate identity theft protection tactics while online, including tactics that protect you against phishing schemes.

The reality is that when it comes to identity theft protection and phishing, education is the most important element of guarding against phishing. Through this article, you are provided the tools you will need to protect yourself against phishing.

A common phishing schemes involves your receipt of an email containing an advertisement for a well known retailer. The email advertisement contains a link to the site. If you click on the link you will be transported to a site that may very well look precisely like the merchant being advertised. You will have no reason not to believe that you are not at the site operator by the well known retailer. However, you will not be at the site. You will be at a fake venue established for the sole purpose of snatching your personal and financial information.

You definitely need to be on guard against this type of scam as part of your identity theft protection efforts. There are other variations on the theme – including an email allegedly from your bank or some other financial institution – asking you to update your account information. In fact, this is also a scam. If you click through using the link you will not be taken to the bank’s website but to a sham venue. At this venue, an identity theft will snatch any information you might enter.

In the end, you should never provide any personal or financial information through a link in an email. This needs to be a general rule when it comes to identity theft protection practices. You should go directly to the reputable site itself by typing in the URL in a new window.



By: Bernard Pragides

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Medical identity theft, by definition, is what results when a thief steals someone else’s social security number or health insurance information in order to obtain medical benefits of their own, particularly in the form of hospital visits and prescription drugs. The two facets of medical identity theft involve financial breaches of security and healthcare fraud. Long-term detrimental effects can easily result from this increasingly prevalent type of identity theft.

Medical identity theft is not as easy to detect or reverse as are the more common forms of identity fraud. This type of identity theft has left victims with tainted health records, medical histories, and diagnoses. Victims may receive bills for medications, tests and even surgeries that they never received. In order to ensure your own adequate identity theft protection, always be on the look out for medical service bills, records and notations that are not and were never applicable to your own history. If at any time you receive a bill for a service you never received, or you’re asked questions regarding an unknown medical condition, you’ve probably been victimized. Some victims of medical identity theft have even received faulty blood transfusions due to their records indicating the wrong blood type. So not only can this crime ruin your credit, it can also be potentially life-threatening.

Thieves often fail to pay their shares of insurance deductibles and co-pays, leaving their victims to receive credit reports detailing unrecognizable medical debts. Having a working knowledge of identity theft prevention techniques will help you protect yourself from this damaging crime. It is estimated that 1 in 6 Americans don’t have insurance, making it very tempting for some people to engage in medical identity theft, especially when emergency situations arise. If, heaven forbid, someone uses your personal data in an emergency care facility, they are very likely to get away with it as these facilities cannot refuse care and are less likely to catch the error in the first place.

To date, there are no government statistics as to the number of medical identity fraud cases occurring annually in the United States, but insurance providers and hospitals agree that this type of theft is presenting itself more and more. Approximately 250,000 Americans have been victims of medical identity theft thus far, according to the World Privacy Forum. If you think your medical records and insurance data are safe, never underestimate a thief’s ability to get their hands on your information. Because insurance companies share patient information, just because you clear up a tarnished medical history does not mean you’re always protected should you decide to switch to another provider.

Should a medical identity thief ever use your good name to seek treatment, you could be refused insurance coverage later–depending on the treatment they sought. It’s no secret that insurance agencies can and will refuse coverage to people with histories of certain drug use or pre-existing conditions. Here are a few medical identity theft protection tips for you and your loved ones to keep in mind:

• Any notices from your insurance carrier should be opened immediately. If you’re ever informed of or billed for treatment you didn’t receive, dispute it right away. Always shred these documents before throwing them in the trash.

• Be diligent about checking your credit report–this is important for any type of identity theft prevention. Strange medical bills need to be disputed with credit reporting agencies, as well as your insurance company.

• If you receive mail from a doctor’s office or hospital where you haven’t been a patient, don’t just assume it’s junk. Open these immediately, as they could be data theft notices or bills for services to which you weren’t privy. Let credit agencies know so they can put fraud alerts on your file. Also let your insurance company know right away.

• Suspect that you’re a victim of Medicare/Medicaid fraud? Call 1-800-HHS-TIPS (1-800-447-8477), contact the Department of Health and Human Services at 1-800-368-1019 or go to their website at http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/.

• Think you might have been the victim of medical identity theft? File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission ( http://www.ftc.gov/idtheft ) by visiting their website or calling their Identity Theft Hotline toll-free at 1-877-IDTHEFT (438-4338).



By: Temp

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Identity theft protection must be a number one priority for you in this day and age. The fact is that you simply cannot ever really let your guard down when it comes to 21st century identity theft protection. The reality is that even when you are having an enjoyable dinner out you must make sure that you have proper identity theft protection in place.

You might initially think that there is no real way in which you can fall prey to identity theft while you are dining out. The fact is that in this day and age a significant number of people from around the world actually have fallen to prey to identity theft after dining out even in finer restaurants. In order for your identity theft protection program to be fully in place you need to understand the risks you face in regard to identity theft even when you are having a pleasurable dinner out on the town.

In this day and age, in most instances when people dine out they tend to use a debit or credit card to pay the tab. You are likely such a person. Because you are likely to use a debit or credit card, you actually are handing over to a person you do not know (your server) a good deal of financial information. You are providing them your credit or debit card to satisfy your tab. And your debit or credit card actually can provide a person a great deal of information – indeed, really enough to begin the process to stealing your identity.

The fact is that in most restaurants the server removes the credit or debit card from your sight. There are some exceptions to this practice; however, in most instances your credit or debit card really will end up out of your sight at least for a short amount of time. Therefore, even if you have other identity theft protection practices in place, you are still at risk.

There are a surprising number of individuals involved in the food service industry that actually work at deals with identity thieves. These servers and other types of employees gather credit card and other information from their customers and turn around and sell it to these identity thieves.

The only sure way of fully protecting yourself against this type of practice is to pay with cash. However, that is not always convenient. With that in mind, you are well served to always monitor your credit or debit card – perhaps checking your account every couple of days online. In this way, you can detect any unauthorized transaction immediately. Moreover, you will want to check your credit reports regularly to make sure that no unauthorized accounts have been opened up in your name.



By: Bernard Pragides

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