Protecting Our Identity

Identity theft, or simply ID theft, is the fastest growing crime in America. The reason is simple; it pays and often the criminals off with light sentences. This article offers ways to prevent identity theft.

You should also know that that there are different forms of identity theft. Some of these are as follows:

1. Full identity theft: someone steals your data and then goes on to live as you. He/she will pose or disguise his/herself as you, obtain an identification documents and then clean you out - that is bank account, credit lines etc.

2. Credit hijacking: The thief will simply use your name and good credit to open new credit lines and then go on spending sprees, of course, without paying the bills. You only realize when you either get denied credit, get a call from your bank or some other bank or creditor, or receive a bill you have no idea about.

3. Synthetic identity theft: This involves using bits and pieces of personal information from several victims to create a whole new identity. This is perhaps the most difficult form of ID theft to detect.

There are the obvious precautions anyone can take and often offered as preventive ways. These will probably stop a petty thief, but the modern ID thief is much more sophisticated.

These mundane identity theft prevention ways include advice such as “shred your documents”, “don’t carry your social security card in your wallet”, and “don’t throw documents in the trash” and the like. Good measures, but the sophisticated thief would laugh at these.

You can stop most ID thieves on their tracks by placing a fraud alert on your credit file with the three major credit bureaus. Unlike credit monitoring, which alerts you after the fact, with a fraud alert you get contacted before any new credit lines are opened.

A fraud alert is only good for three months. After three months, you have to renew it, which the bureaus are not enthusiastic to do as they make money by selling your information to third parties for marketing purposes (which they cannot do if you have a fraud alert on your file).

You should also invest in a good antivirus and spyware remover for your computer. Keystroke loggers can get downloaded into your system, without you realizing it. Keystroke loggers track everything typed into a computer and then report back to the scammer via the Internet.



By: David Kamau

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Identity thieves steal your personal information for many reasons. Among those are to obtain credit (money) using your credit information, but also medical benefits, Veteran’s benefits and employment.

Why would anyone steal your identity just to get a job? For many reasons, for example some people are in the United States illegally and do not have a social security number. Some people can not pass background checks, or have a criminal background that would keep them from getting jobs. Whatever the reason, Social Security Numbers are hot merchandise, if yours can be gotten, it can be sold.

“Misuse of another individual’s SSN is a violation of federal law and may lead to fines and/or imprisonment and disregarding the work authorization provisions printed on your Social Security card may be a violation of federal immigration law. Violations of applicable law regarding Social Security number fraud and misuse are serious crimes and will be prosecuted.” According to the Social Security Administration, The crime is considered a felony under federal and state laws and may result in fines and imprisonment.

In order to determine if there has been any use of your SSN to obtain employment, it is important to review your W-2 each year to determine that your social security benefits are being accurately reported and that the correct SSN is being used. Next, review your Social Security Statement issued to you each year. Check your statement against your W-2 to determine if there are any discrepancies. One way of determining if your SSN has been used illegally will be by monitoring the information on you benefits statement; which may state that benefits have been accessed or that the amount paid in maybe greater than the number reported on your W-2. To obtain a copy of your Statement of Benefits you may call the SSA toll-free at 1-800-772-1213.

Are you responsible for the taxes on the wages resulting from someone being illegally employed? Probably not, and the taxes are paid directly through the employer. As a result that money is just sitting in an account held by the federal government.

What about Social Security Benefits? What happens to the money paid in through two people employed and using the same social security number? It is estimated that approximately 420 billion dollars in federal funds are sitting in “limbo.” The government calls this the Earnings Suspense Fund. The money has been paid in, but there is no one to credit the funds or benefits to. This is because in many cases the user of your social security number is also using either their own name, or a fake name. The only people that benefit from this extra payment are the federal government as well as the imposter who is able to be employed. Each government agency (IRS and SSA) have a list of mis-matched numbers, that don’t belong to the names that are using them, so what are they doing about it?

Illegal use of your SSN is very difficult to find out about, unless you happen to apply for a job at the same place, or if they are also using it for theft of your credit information.

If after reviewing your benefits and wages information you are suspicious, take the next steps. Request a credit report to see if credit has also been obtained using your identity. If so, it is time to move quickly in order to rectify the errors in your employment, social security and credit history.

If you determine that your social security number has been compromised, you must contact the Social Security Administration and report it. Reports are made to the Social Security Administration (SSA) Office of the Inspector General. You may file a complaint online at www.socialsecurity.gov/oig, call toll-free: 1-800-269-0271, fax: 410-597-0118, or write: SSA Fraud Hotline, P.O. Box 17768, Baltimore, MD 21235.

Can you get a new social security number if you suspect that your number has been used? Maybe, but not always. The SSA will not issue a new number in the following circumstances: it was lost or stolen and no proof of damage has occurred, you are trying to avoid detection of poor credit or a criminal record, or you are trying to avoid some form of legal responsibility. However it is up to you to prove to them that your number is being used illegally, that you are not attempting to avoid credit collection or any other actions possibly pending against you.

Be proactive and try to protect and repair the damage yourself. File a report with the Social Security Administration, Federal Trade Commission and the three major credit agencies. However, without the issuance of a new Social Security Number, you are still at risk so you may want to consider using all the credit protection available to you such as placing fraud alerts on your credit report, credit freezes and consistent monitoring of your credit report. To report Identity Theft you may contact the Federal Trade Commission via telephone 1-877-438-4338.

You may find it necessary to consult with an attorney to protect your current and future benefit rights. Know your rights and stand up for them. Credit lenders or collection agents may attempt to threaten you or force you to pay for outstand debts incurred by use of your information. Consult with law enforcement officials, an attorney, the State’s Attorney General and consumer credit counseling organizations to determine what your rights and responsibilities are and you can assert them.



By: Lisa Carey

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Identity thieves are constantly on the lookout for any documentation they can use to smoothly acquire another person’s identity. The number one document that will open almost any door for these unscrupulous characters is your Social Security card. Once a thief has obtained your Social Security number, the path to assuming your identity is now wide open and ready to be trampled upon. Therefore, your Social Security number should always be protected at all costs. Don’t become a victim of Social Security identity fraud.

You will be required to present a valid Social Security card to the personnel office when you embark on a new job. Once your employer has recorded the number, the safest thing for you to do, in order to protect your identity, is to store your card in a secure location. Never carry your Social Security card on your person, in your wallet or in the glove box of your car.

But what do you do if, despite your best efforts, you discover someone is using your Social Security number for fraudulent purposes? You must act immediately. File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission either by phone (1-877-438-4338) or via the Internet at www.consumer.gov/idtheft . Do not procrastinate on this as identity thieves are extremely adept at rapidly assuming your persona and they can cause unlimited damage to your credit rating in very short order.

If you suspect that someone else is using your Social Security number for work purposes, you should immediately contact the Social Security Office. Identity thieves can wreck havoc with your income tax and if left to their own devices can cause you untold grief with Uncle Sam and the IRS. It could take months or even years and probably a ton of money to prove you have been a victim of identity theft, so quick action on your part is essential.

Should you suspect that someone else is using your Social Security number fraudulently to retain employment, you can also go Online at www.ssa.gov/mystatement and check your Social Security Statement, which records all earnings posted to your Social Security record. Should your suspicions be confirmed and you discover errors on your statement, you should immediately contact your Social Security Department. Again, procrastination can be devastating as unravelling these records is time consuming and fraught with red tape.

Should the unthinkable happen and you can confirm that someone else has access to your Social Security number and is creating havoc with your credit, you will get little or no satisfaction from the Social Security Administration. Although they may be willing to eventually cancel your Social Security number and issue a new one (which, incidentally is no mean feat), they will offer no help in trying to repair your damaged credit rating. The onus is on you to try to repair any damage from Social Security identity fraud.

You should immediately telephone the fraud department of all your creditors and then follow it up in writing for your own records. Request that your account be flagged with a fraud alert so that no further credit card charges can be incurred without your express knowledge and authorization. Ask that the creditors forward a statement to the credit reporting agencies explaining your problem. Make sure this notation contains contact information, including your telephone number, so that you can be reached if any further charges show up on your record.

Request a copy of your credit report from each of the 3 major credit-reporting agencies. Be sure to contact all three as sometimes creditors are registered with different credit bureaus because of logistics and geographical restrictions. You may contact them On- line, but to be on the safe side, a telephone call - followed up in writing - may get you quicker results. Contact information for the three major credit-reporting agencies can be found at the bottom of this article.

File a police report - chances are that you are not the only one whose identity has been compromised by these criminals. Police Departments now maintain extensive files on known identity theft rings and they may be able to help you get your identity back a little quicker.

Social Security Identity fraud is a very serious matter. Dealing with the various government agencies to clarify your Social Security records is a time consuming and often frustrating experience. Therefore, to avoid having to deal with such a task, you should always, always make every effort to keep your Social Security identity is safe and out of the hands of criminals.

Contact information for Credit Reporting Agencies:

Equifax: 1-800-525-6285 www.equifax.com

Experian: 1-888-397-3742 www.experian.com

TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289 www.transunion.com

The above Social Security identity fraud article is for information purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice.



By: George Dodge

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Identity theft is a serious crime and it can lead to devastating results in thousands of people. There have been several cases of persons committing suicide because his identity was stolen. Relationships, plans, and dreams are destroyed because of identity theft. This is why the government is taking steps in addressing the rising problem of identity theft. However, it seems that these cyber-thieves are very talented. They are difficult to catch. This is why it is up to the individual to take measures to protect against identity theft. Here are the key tips that every individual must keep in mind.

Keep the social security card in a secret and secure place. This means that an individual should never place his social security card in his wallet. This card might be as good as the driver’s license but it contain one extremely sensitive information, which is the nine-digit social security number (SSN) that identifies a person and unlocks bank and credit information. Thus, leave that card out of the wallet. In connection with the idea of protecting the SSN, an individual should never tell it to strangers and should never reveal it in an online form.

Shred any document or paper that contains important information. An individual will regularly receive mail and documents that contain important information about his person, such as bank account number and credit card account number. These documents must be shredded, as opposed to simply throwing them in the garbage can. Identity thieves have been known to go through trashcans to retrieve the said information.

Think first before you click. Identity thieves who use the internet have learned to copy websites and use these websites to steal information. Such websites are called phishing websites. For example, the identity thief or scam artist will copy the website of a bank. A client of this bank, who absentmindedly logs into the online banking site, will be facing a webpage that asks for information. This webpage would explain that it is updating information about the bank’s clients. And the gullible client may simply fill out the form and click the “OK” or “SEND” button.

Before clicking the button or sending vital information in the internet, an individual must first check the URL (Universal Resource Locator) of the webpage that he is facing and determine if it is authentic. For example, the authentic website for eBay is http:ebay.com and the fake one is https:ebay.com. There is a one-letter difference. This does not mean that the “https” indicate a phony website. In fact, the additional s is desirable when entering personal information. This letter s, along with a symbol of a lock at the bottom screen, indicates that the website is secure.

And lastly, always check the details, especially the details on the bank account statement and the credit card bill. Some people, upon receiving the credit card bill, postpone the opening of the envelope because they don’t want to see how much they must pay before a specified due date. This habit can be damaging because these people do not immediately know if there have been unauthorized use of the credit card.



By: Puripong Koomsin

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The first and most important thing you can do to become better prepared and protected against identity theft is to lose the attitude that “it could never happen to you”. Identity theft is much more common than most people believe, and the belief that it won’t happen to you leaves you much more vulnerable than someone who actively takes steps to protect themselves against the crime. Identity thieves are able to obtain information they need to assume someone else’s identity- often with little effort.

Take Care to Protect Personal Information

Do you shred information before you throw it away? The easiest way for identity thieves to gather information to assume your identity is through the paperwork you throw in the trash. You may as well hand a thief your credit card, social security card and driver’s license if you’re throwing out (without shredding) credit applications, resumes, credit card and utility bill statements.

Sometimes thieves will intercept your incoming or outgoing mail by taking items from your mailbox. With enough information, perhaps gathered through various bank statements or credit card applications, the data can be pieced together by a thief to use your name to apply for loans and credit in your name. You may want to consider mailing documents from a post office mailbox rather than a personal mailbox- the little red flag you put up on your box to signal your mail carrier that you have mail waiting for pick up is also a signal for identity thieves of a potential victim!

Preventing Identity Theft

Other than shredding paperwork prior to throwing it away, there are a few other methods you can use in order to protect yourself against identity theft:

Cut credit cards into tiny pieces before throwing away, even if the card has expired, and throw the tiny pieces into more than one trash bag so even if one bag is found the card could not be put back together.

Report any stolen or lost credit cards immediately.

Destroy receipts, tax information, credit card applications, mortgage information or cancelled checks before throwing away- and keep such documents in files in a locked file cabinet inside your home. Don’t rule out the possibility of the babysitter or housekeeper or guests taking paperwork lying around your home.

Keep a close eye on your credit reports and credit card statements to watch for anything out of the ordinary, or transactions you know you didn’t make. Investigate anything suspicious immediately.

If You Are a Victim of Identity Theft

Victims of identity theft often spend months or years trying to recover from the crime. Not only may it cost victims money, but their credit score is going to be ruined and will take work and time to repair. While the three major credit bureaus do have policies for fixing credit scores and reports after identity theft crimes have occurred, it does take a long time for the errors to be corrected and repaired.

Before the report and score is corrected, the victim is going to have a difficult time obtaining any sort of financing (from credit cards to student loans to car loans or mortgages). In some extreme cases, identity theft victims are even arrested for crimes they didn’t commit.

Being a victim of identity theft interrupts your life. It is far easier to take appropriate steps to protect yourself than it is to repair your credit reports and credit score after your identity has been stolen.



By: Debbie Dragon

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