Protecting Our Identity

Taking care of our children we often control the websites, the emails, the text messages of them. It is quite important that they won’t be involved in inappropriately online. But can we imagine that our children may become the victim of identity theft?

Many children have the credits and do not use them, saving money or waiting to be grown-ups. So, they are the excellent target for identity theft. Some day they want to use their credit card and learn that it is blemished.

Statistics informed that in 2005 500 thousands of children were exposed to the unfair actions of identity theft. He used children’s Social Security Numbers, got credits in children’s names.

So, we should protect our children from identity theft, but how can we do this? Keep the following instructions.

Restrict access to your personal online sources.

Protect the social security number of your child from any intervention in. Don’t inform schools, medical services about it.

Keep your important documents in the reliable place (locked box or cabinet with the lock).

Keep the SSN of your child private and give it if it is very necessary.

Give your children their SSN or Birth Certificate, when they will become older. Scan the important documents and put them under key.

Protect your information and the information of your children keeping in the computer by using anti virus software and other means of protecting.

Be careful even with close people, because often identity theft gets the necessary information from them. Don’t pay attention to what people will talk about you. Good parents should be aware of all dangers that their children may be exposed to.



By: Adolfo Thomas

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Identity theft has become the crime of the 21st Century. Criminals steal personal information from others and then “pose” as their victim to secure mortgages and loans, open new credit or make purchases on existing accounts, or even access their victim’s bank accounts to steal their money.

It’s difficult to control identity theft. First, it’s hard to know when it’s happening. Second, because the thief is using a false identity, it’s hard to catch and prosecute them.

Federal and state governments are doing what they can to prevent identity theft by passing new legislation identifying it as a crime worthy of prison time and then trying to enforce the laws. Businesses are developing and installing better security on their computer systems and trying harder to protect their customers’ personal information from hackers.

But, at least in today’s world, preventing identity theft falls largely upon us, the individual consumer. Here are some tips to help you protect yourself from this malicious, damaging crime:

Here are some ways to prevent identity theft:

1. Protect your mail with a lock

Whether using your residential mail box or renting a box at the Post Office or postal service, be sure your mail is protected from the eyes and hands of greedy criminals. Stealing mail that contains personal information is perhaps the biggest source of identity theft today.

2. Rent a box from your Post Office or a postal service

Especially if you’re frequently away from home, you’ll enjoy better personal security if you keep your mail where others have their eyes on it when you’re away. And you can let the service know who is authorized to open your mailbox if necessary. Keep the key with you, and don’t lend it to people you’re not sure about. Use this service for posting your outgoing mail as well. Don’t leave it attached to your residential mailbox where anyone can pick it up. Finally, ask the Post Office to hold your mail while you’re gone on long trips. It will be much more secure at the post office than in your mailbox.

3. NEVER give out personal information over the phone.

Some identity thieves pose as representatives for a charity or a telemarketing or polling firm to fool you into trusting them enough to get your personal information. Don’t even give your birth date to them! Ask if you can call them back. Better yet, simply hang up. You don’t owe these callers a thing!

4. Have a private, unlisted phone number

You’ll be more secure if the only people who know your number got it directly from you. And give your phone number to those people you trust. Ask them not to share it with others unless they ask you first. You have a right to your privacy. Don’t use the unlisted number on internet or printed forms either. And if you do get calls from telemarketers, tell them to “Take my name off your list.” By law, they can’t call you again for a year when you make this request.

5. Keep your PINs and passwords in a safe place

If you don’t feel comfortable memorizing your PINs and passwords and feel you must write them down. Be sure you store your lists in a locked, secure location. Don’t let anyone else know where you keep the information, and don’t lend the key to anyone. Also, store your PINs in a different location as your plastic cards. A thief who can’t guess your PIN will end up getting locked out of the system. This will be a good warning sign for you, and it will protect your money! Also, if don’t intend to use a credit or debit card, don’t carry it with you. Not only will this protect it from being stolen, it’ll help you stay within your personal budget!

6. Keep a photocopy of your wallet’s contents in a safe, locked place

Make sure you have a record of the contents of your wallet or purse. That way, you can easily report to each company if and when your belongings are lost or stolen. In case of loss, immediately notify every company involved and ask them to freeze your account.

7. Be smart when you choose your passwords

Avoid using common passwords based on your birth date, an anniversary, your phone number, or your pet’s name. Mix letters with numbers and symbols. Avoid using the same password for all your accounts, but be sure each of your accounts is password protected. Finally, change your passwords at least twice a year.

8. Get regular credit reports

Request your one-time-a-year free credit report. You have a right to it. And if you can afford the additional cost, it would be better to get regular updates throughout the year. Intervals of 3 to 6 months will help you keep close track on your accounts and allow you to catch suspicious activity sooner. Call the three major agencies to get your report:

Equifax: P.O. Box 740241 Atlanta, GA 30374-0241

For emergencies, call 1-800-525-6285

Experian: P.O. Box 2002 Allen TX 75013

For emergencies, call 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742)

Trans Union: P.O. Box 1000, Chester, PA 19022

For emergencies, call 1-800-680-7289

9. Review your bills when you receive them, and keep them in a locked safe place

Be sure to note all purchases and transactions on your monthly statements to be sure you are familiar with them. If you find a transaction you did not authorize, act on it immediately. Notify the company of your suspicions and submit a dispute with the vendor. Save your old statements for at least a year in case a problem arises. And keep your personal papers under lock and key. This would include birth certificates and social security cards; applications for mortgages, loans, and credit cards; and bills, invoices, and monthly statements. These documents are rich with personal information that will be a goldmine to an identity thief. If you can, keep these papers in a safe deposit box where only you and one other trusted person know the location and/or have a key.

10. Invest in a good paper shredder

The best way to protect personal information on papers you don’t want to keep is to use a cross-cut paper shredder to destroy them before you throw them away. This should include outdated credit receipts, credit application copies, insurance forms you don’t need anymore, physician invoices and reports, old checks and bank statements, and expired credit cards you don’t intend to renew or use again. Do yourself a favor and immediately shred pre-approved credit applications.

11. Be careful with your credit cards

If at all possible, ask for a photo ID type credit card. And when you use it, note whether the clerk checks your signature against the one on the card. If they don’t, you might want to avoid that store in the future. Don’t let a waitress or waiter walk away with your credit card. Better to pay cash at restaurants than to risk the copy-it-while-I-have-it scam.

12. Use common sense online

Use encrypted or secure servers when you sign into financial accounts or make online purchases. Do not do business with websites you haven’t heard of before. Don’t open files sent to you by people you don’t know. For that matter, don’t open e-mails from strangers. Delete them immediately. Install and maintain current anti-virus, firewall, and adware software to block and delete malicious cookies and spyware before it does any damage. Set your browser to refuse to open pop-ups without your approval. Be careful and suspicious online. You can’t see the person or people at the other end, and you don’t know what their intentions are. Limit your online purchases to well known businesses and places where you already have an account.



By: Abhishek Agarwal

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Identity theft has recently become a widely recognized problem, although it only started being mentioned in literature in the 1990’s. It is one of the fastest growing crimes in the world and therefore one which we do all need to be aware of and take precautions against. In this article we will look more specifically at what identity theft is in order to give you more background in order to fight identity theft and credit card identity theft.

Identity theft consists of any crime where a criminal uses a person’s personal information such as name, social security number or other personal identification facts in any illegal manner. This may include credit card identity theft where the criminal uses the person’s name and details to either open up a new credit card in the other person’s name in order not to pay and so works up debt in the other person’s name; or taking details of that persons credit card and creating a fake copy which they then use. It may also consist of medical identity theft where a criminal uses someone’s personal details and medical information illegally. For mopre info see http://www.preventidentitythefthelp.com/Identity_Theft_Statistics/ on Identity Theft Statistics.

Credit card identity theft may occur in a number of different ways. Firstly, someone could scan the information off your credit card while you are not watching and use it to create a duplicate card; they could actually steal your card and use it for their own purposes; or they may open a credit card in your name, using your details but a false address and never pay the bill.

Identity theft occurs when people get hold of your personal details either through credit card skimming, stealing mail out of your mailbox or trash or perhaps breaking into hospital records or other places where your personal details are kept.

In order to best protect yourself against identity theft you should ensure that any paper that you put into the trash is properly shredded beforehand, that you request not to be on any mailing lists for credit offers and opt out of other mailing lists where people send you information in the mail. You should also ensure that your credit card never leaves your sight in stores or restaurants and if you are unsure of the place rather try to pay by cash. Learn as much as you can about identity theft in order to get more information on how to protect yourself.

In this article we have tried to briefly summarize identity theft and credit card identity theft. It is a fast growing crime and one for which we all need to protect ourselves. Personal information may be stolen and used in a number of different ways and you should be aware of these ways and how you can best fight identity theft.



By: Wade Robins

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Did you know that 52% of all identity theft victims discovered that they were victims by monitoring their accounts with some sort of monitoring service? That percentage represents approximately 5 million people. Identity theft is the modern day plague affecting our wallets instead of our physical well-being. Tales of identity theft are cropping up all across the United States at lightning speed and are on the rise internationally. This trend is expected to continue with identity thieves getting younger and smarter.

You have worked hard all of your life to have a good job, above average home, and good credit. Realizing how easy it could all go away should be incentive enough to investigate something to protect your investments. If you have not already done so, you need to enroll in the most robust identity theft protection you can find and do it now.

There are a lot of different products on the market that will help you protect what is rightfully yours. Do the homework and investigation to find the right identity theft protection product out of the many on the market. Some provide reimbursement coverage while most provide credit alerts when any activity is noted in your credit file.

True, there are measures you can take to assist in your personal protection but they do not always work. I can list each of the preventative ways to safeguard your information but, quite frankly, if a thief wants your identity they will get it if they believe you are of value to them. ID Thieves are more sophisticated these days and are not just counterfeiting new checks based upon stolen account numbers anymore. Some are even stealing their own children’s identities. If they are doing that to their own children then imagine what they will do to steal yours.

The age of checks is going away and is being replaced by debit cards and/or credit cards but that opens up even more problems. If you are using the internet to do transactions you are at immense risk even if you have virus protection and a firewall on your computer. All it takes is a company that has your personal and financial information to be breached and your identity is out in cyber world for all to see.

In summation, the best identity theft protection is due diligence as well as a company working for you behind the scenes watching your back. Get the peace of mind you deserve while you work hard and continue living the American dream.



By: Curtis K. Collins

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Most people think that it won’t happen to them. When it does, they are shocked. They feel violated, and worse, they are often well on the road to financial ruin before they even know that a crime has been committed against them. You guessed it. We are talking about Identity Theft, and if this has happened to you, you may actually need an identity theft attorney.

As much as we hear about identity theft today, few people know what steps to take when they first realize that their identities have been stolen. Most people mistakenly think that they can handle things on their own, and don’t seek ‘outside help.’ This is the worst mistake that you can make, and the chances for recovering from the identity theft just became slimmer.

It is true that there are steps that you need to take. Obviously, you need to notify your bank and cancel your bank cards. You need to call the driver’s license office in your state and the social security administration. You definitely need a copy of your credit report, and you may even need to contact the State Department to ensure that nobody is using your identity to obtain a passport. There is much to do, and it takes time.

Even if you start taking all of these steps, you still most likely need an identity theft attorney. Here is what will happen without one. You get your credit report, and discover that someone is using your good name - and your good credit - to obtain expensive items. If you’re lucky, they haven’t used your credit card, but there is a good chance that even if they didn’t use your existing credit cards, they have obtained other credit cards, as well as lines of credit, in your name.

You see this, and you start contacting these companies, and even banks, to let them know that the person who opened the line of credit in your name is not you. You expect the company to take immediate action to get this off of your credit report, but that is not going to happen. In fact, they are most likely going to treat you like a criminal. They will essentially tell you that you are responsible for thousands of dollars and that if you don’t pay; they are going to take legal action against you. You see, most businesses are not set up to deal with the effects of identity theft. They just want the money that is owed to them, whether you are the one that owes that money or not. Their records say that you owe it.

This is why you need an identity theft attorney from the get-go. The identity theft attorney will work with you to contact creditors and credit bureaus. The attorney will then work with you to get the documentation that the companies and credit bureaus require, so that the negative report can be removed from the company files, as well as your credit file. The identity theft attorney will follow up to ensure that everything was done correctly, and will work to make sure that your good name is actually protected, despite what someone else may be doing with your information. If for some reason a company or credit bureau is grossly uninformed, your identity theft attorney will take legal action against them, so that a judge can give them the schooling that they need - usually at their expense.

Identity theft is a serious problem today, and you can be affected by it before you know it. If it happens to you, the best thing that you can do for your peace of mind, and your good credit, is to get in touch with an identity theft attorney right away. The worst thing that you can do is to try to fix things on your own. In fact, you will find that trying to correct the problems caused by identity theft without legal guidance is more costly than paying an identity theft attorney in the long run.



By: Steven Jones

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