Greg Shuey asked:




The best identity theft protection can be hard to find and incorporate into your daily habits. Identity theft is becoming a crime of choice these days because it is so easy to get away with. It is approximated that over 7 million individuals fell victim to identity theft last year and this year is supposed to reach close to 10 million. Scary huh?

The good think is, you have a few options when it comes to protecting yourself from becoming an identity theft victim. Most of the thing that can, and will protect you, have to be done by you all the time. There are also services you can purchase that do a lot of the work of protecting your identity for you. No matter what, to get the best identity theft protection, you need to do some things yourself.

Here are a few things you can and need to start doing today.

You need to watch your mail like a hawk. Mail is one of the easiest ways for a thief to get a hold of your personal information. All they need to do is get a bank statement, medical bill, credit card bill, or others and your identity is toast. They can also steal other things out of your mail like money and items purchased over the internet or phone and are mailed to you.

Have you ever shredded your personal documents that you don’t want to keep around the house? How about those pesky credit card offers that you get in the mail every day? If you are already in the habit of tossing those in the mail, you are giving a dumpster diver the perfect opportunity to find and steal a new identity for him or herself. Go out today and buy a good shredder, not just a regular shredder, but a cross cut shredder that can shred up to 6 pages at a time. Shred everything! Even stuff that doesn’t need to be shredded. Better safe that sorry!

Be aware of shady store employees when paying by debit or credit card. You should never let your credit card be out of your sight. This has mostly been a problem in the restaurant industry when the individual serving you takes your card away to run it. How easy would it be for them to quickly write down your credit card information and start stealing money from you?

Never, never, ever give your personal information out over the phone, this is called phishing. This happens when someone calls posing as someone from your bank or credit card company asking you to verify your social security number. Don’t do it! They already have it and would never ask for that over the phone. Immediately hang up and call that institution and verify that it was not them and report it.

You just need to be aware of everything that is going on around you and in your personal life. You are smart and can protect yourself, but some people get lazy. Remember, the best identity theft protection can be done by you! Work hard to protect everything you have worked so hard to build.

Cindy

teacher4u25f asked:


I saw on the news several years ago a place to check your credit report online for free and it was safe…no scam or id. theft
on the internet..

Jorge

moni asked:


Is it considered illegal identity theft if someone, just temporarily borrows another person’s identity with no intention to defraud anyone, or ruin anyone’s credit.

For example, if a person with no SSN uses a relatives name and SSN to buy a Prepaid Direct Deposit Cash Card to verify Paypal & so that family/relatives/friends, can easily send them money as needed?

Suppose that this person is in this country on an extended vacation & wants to sell on eBay some of the stuff they bought. Since they don’t have an SSN or US bank account to verify Paypal, can they set up an eBay/Paypal account in their relatives name, and use their SSN to buy a “No ID required(except for SSN) prepaid Direct Deposit ATM cash card” to verify their account, and get money.

If there is no intent to defraud, or actions to that effect (like applying for credit cards & running up huge bills then defaulting on payments) then is it considered identity theft & is it a crime?

Calvin

Tamjid H asked:


Hello, I want to know where Grand Theft Auto 4 for Windows(PC) save files are located. I have an offline Microsoft Games for Windows ID in which allowed me to save files. If I reinstall XP(after formatting C drive), will they go away?Please help.

Patrick

Sdlfk L asked:


I bought cigarettes for the grocery store and the lady asked for my license as usual, but this time she entered my id number into her computer and saved it to the stores database. Why would they do this and is this legal? also concerned about identity theft?
I know they usually enter my birthydays but this time she literally entered my FULL ID number into the computer and clicked SAVE.

Calvin

John v asked:


These days of id theft how would you publish a book or website

Allan

B. Carson asked:




It is very important to get online identity theft protection. Protecting yourself online from identity theft could be one of the most important things that you can ever do for yourself, your finances and your future.

Approximately 10 million people are affected each and every single year from the personal crime of identity theft. A lot of people are finding it increasingly difficult to stop in this crime in its tracks. In fact this crime costs the average person and businesses approximately $221 billion a year worldwide.

Most people feel that by simply hiding their personal information such as credit card numbers and Social Security numbers will be enough to prevent this personal crime from happening to them. Some might even go as far as shredding each and every single document that has their personal info on it.

However the crime has become more advanced. They now have the technology to piece together the shredded documents you have worked on which makes all the work you did useless.

It is very important to safeguard yourself with better solution to prevent this crime from happening to you. There is an online id theft protection solution available that will take your protection a step further.

This online id theft protection makes sure you are full protected by giving you fraud resolution assistance, credit and ATM card protection, child monitoring services, and most of all a financially backed guarantee that if anything was to happen to you will be covered. And this crime can often cost the average person $15,000 a year just to try to rebound from the effects of identity theft.

Amy

B. Carson asked:




Identity theft has been occurring more often lately. Protecting against identity theft has become more increasingly important nowadays because of this. It is estimated that approximately 10,000,000,000 people are affected each and every single year because of this crime.

This crime has no prejudice. Children are affected and elderly are also affected. Basically if you have an ID card or a Social Security number you will at one point be possibly become a victim of id theft. It is estimated that 70% of the victims of id theft will never get rid of negative information on their records as a result of this crime.

A lot of people think that simply shredding all their important documents with their information on it will be enough to stop this crime. Some even go as far as to hide their Social Security number and avoid using it whenever possible.

Unfortunately 45% of the people who do these things have a chance at becoming a victim of identity theft at some point. In order to safeguard yourself from the damaging effects of ID theft it is much better take your protection to the next level. There are solutions available that will help safeguard you from being a victim of ID theft.

The best protection against identity theft should benefits for you including fraud resolution assistance, ATM and visa card protection wherever you go, child monitoring services in case in case one of your children ever becomes a victim of ID theft and also most importantly a financial guarantees to cover you if you ever become a victim of this silent crime. Protecting against identity theft is an important step you should take in protecting your name and your finances.

Ernest

Jon Arnold asked:




Why do you need protection from identity theft? If you understand how easy it is for someone to steal your identity then you will have no doubt in your mind why you need identity theft protection.

You see, for someone with ill intentions getting a hold of just a small amount of information can be damaging to you. Such items of information are your name, address and your date of birth as well as your telephone number, and of course the “big mama” piece of information, your Social Security number. This type of information is found daily by going through your trash or obtaining the information from you. You should also keep in mind that statistics have shown that at least half of the victims of identity theft knew the person who stole their identity. Therefore, it is in your best interests to keep an eye out on your identity if someone holds some type of resentment against you as well as anyone who seems a bit nosy for getting personal information from you, and you should never trust your personal information to anyone you know is an addict of any kind.

Keeping your eye on your mailbox is also a wise idea, concerning the information that comes daily through the mail. In addition, you should never leave any important information in your glove box of your car, or if you do, always keep it locked. You might also keep in mind that most identity thieves have no problem with dumpster diving, and obtaining your information from your trash.

It should be understood that the best protection is prevention; therefore, you should always question why anyone wants your personal information and whom you choose to give this information. Keep your wallet and purse safe; protect your information by using safes or safety deposit boxes. If you do find yourself a victim of identity theft, you should immediately put a freeze on all your accounts while getting in touch with the credit bureaus to establish a fraud alert. Contact your local law enforcement department and fill out a report.

When disposing of any important papers they should always be shredded. Some people even go as far as cross shredding these materials making them even harder for someone to tape back together. It may take some time to do, but it is a good idea in the end, you may also choose to have your bills sent to you via email rather than by paper mail.

When it comes to passwords, it will serve you well to memorize these numbers rather than writing them down for someone to find later and use against you. While this may be time consuming and a real brain work out, in the long run it will protect you well. When you use your information online, it is also in your best interests to use websites that feature a secure server. This means that no one is able to access your information for other reasons than the merchant for your single purchase.

Briefly, it is so much easier than most honest people even realize, for someone to commit identity theft in their names. Usually this is something that never even crosses their minds, until the dreaded day they find themselves holding the short end of the stick while trying to straighten up a big mess that could have been avoided. If only they had educated themselves on identity theft as well as the many different ways that are available to protect themselves.

There are various companies out there offering identity theft insurance, where the CEO of one of those companies actually posted his Social Security number on the front page of their web site! When you consider the amount of personal time you will need to spend to straighten out a huge mess if you find yourself a victim of identity theft, the cost of insurance may be something for you to seriously consider.

Duane

Ck Dillon asked:




Small Business Owners, Wake Up!?

Have you heard Identity Theft (IDT) is the ‘Fastest Growing Crime in America.’

If you are a small business owner, here’s a not-so-veiled warning. How you react when identity theft happens in a business under your control, could mean the difference between losing money, losing your business, or jail time for you and your managers.

The FTC and other agencies are now rigorously enforcing laws that are concerned with IDT. Identity Theft is so out of control that the government is placing the burden on business owners to safeguard the Non-Public-Information (NPI) of customers and employees.

If NPI is lost under the wrong set of circumstances, it may result in fines up to $1,000,000 per occurrence, up to 10 years jail time for executives, and/or removal of management.

What are the wrong set of circumstances? The information was lost, period.

Are you familiar with Facta, Hipaa, Coppa or Gramm-Leach-Bliley Laws?

FACTA: Are you a business owner or manager?

Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA) applies to every business and/or individual who maintains, or otherwise possesses, consumer information for a business purpose.

You, the employer, have a direct financial liability for identity theft under FACTA. Even if you did nothing wrong with respect to safeguarding the information, the FACTA Law allows you to be named as a defendant

HIPAA: Are you in charge of a doctor’s office, clinic, etc?

Provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA, Title II) specifies administrative, technical, and physical security procedures to assure the confidentiality of electronically protected health information.

Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act

The Financial Modernization Act of 1999, includes provisions to protect consumers’ personal financial information held by financial institutions. Do you know what businesses are considered ‘financial?’ You’ll be surprised.

COPPA: Are you a Daycare Owner? Do you know one?

Among other edicts the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act requires that commercial web sites obtain parental consent (under most circumstances) prior to collecting any personally identifiable information from children whom they know to be under the age of 13.

The Cost to Businesses

Employees can take up to 600 hours, mainly during business hours, to restore their identities. If you experience a security breach, of your affected customer base :

20% will no longer do business with you 40% will consider ending the business relationship 5% will hire lawyers.

According to CIO Magazine, The Coming Pandemic, Michael Freidenberg, May 15, 2006…”When it comes to cleaning up this mess, companies on average spend 1,600 work hours per incident at a cost of $40,000 to $92,000 per victim.”

The Bottom Line

How many thousands will it cost you to defend yourself? Fines levied by the FTC and other government entities could potentially damage your reputation to the point of closure of your business.

Betsy Broder of the FTC says she understands that most small businesses cannot be expected to hire a full-time privacy specialist.

‘We’re not looking for a perfect system”, Broder says. Stolen Lives, ABA Journal, March 2006. “All businesses must be able to show they have a security plan in place. We need to see that you’ve taken reasonable steps to protect your customers’ information”.

It simply makes good business sense to be pro-active protecting your company.

Think About This

When It Comes To The Law: If you’re not protected from the law, you’re subjected to the law. If you don’t know your rights, you don’t have any rights.

Marcus