Apr
27
Where can I get homeowners insurance quote anonomously without disclosing SSN, birthday, current ins. co?
Filed Under Insurance | 5 Comments
homedocny asked:
I’ve been a victim of ID theft before and dont trust brokers, agents and online websites with these details they really dont need to give me a quote.
Bessie
I’ve been a victim of ID theft before and dont trust brokers, agents and online websites with these details they really dont need to give me a quote.
Bessie
Apr
6
Identity Theft Protection – Insurance For Your Identity, Part Two
Filed Under Insurance | Leave a Comment
Jack Wingate asked:
Identity Theft is a relatively new phenomenon. Unfortunately, this new phenomenon is also highly misunderstood by the general public. In Part One of our series on Identity Theft Protection, you learned some high level facts about Identity Theft and some various precautions you can take to guard your Identity. While Part One gives some practical tips to reduce your exposure to Identity Theft, you must first gain a better understanding of what Identity Theft actually entails.
Identity Theft – It’s Not Just Financial
Unfortunately, most people believe Identity Theft is just about “Financial” Fraud. The fact is, “Financial Fraud” accounts for approximately 30% – 40% of all Identity Theft. While this form of ID Theft is the most obvious, it is also the easiest to discover and recover from. Most financial institutions (Banks & Credit Card Providers) have systems in place to detect fraudulent activity on a person’s account. These same institutions typically have “reimbursement” plans in place to return any funds taken from or charged against their customers’ accounts. There are limitations and time constraints placed on these “reimbursements”, so it is imperative you read your financial institution’s policies as they relate to fraudulent activity.
While you know about Identity Theft with regard to Financial Fraud, you must also understand that the majority of Identity Theft involves theft for something other than Financial Fraud. Let’s look at a break down of the Non-Financial Forms of Identity Theft:
Driver’s License Employment Government Medical (fastest growing segment)
Of course, you could potentially break down Identity Theft into many more segments and categories, for our purposes we will focus on these major categories.
Who Are The Victims?
According to a recent study, there were approximately 10 million victims of Identity Theft in 2008. As should be expected, households with higher incomes were twice as likely to be victims of Identity Theft as low income households. What may be unexpected is that those households considered to be “higher income” had household incomes of $70,000 or higher (that is only a man and wife making $35K each).
Discovery & Recovery
One of the disturbing facts about Identity Theft is that 38-48% of people discover the theft within three months and that approximately 18% of victims do not discover the theft until 4 or more YEARS have passed. While identity thieves have access to advanced technology and systems to steal our identities, there are similar technologies and systems in place for the public to discover these thefts. The problem is, the general public has been slow to adopt these strategies (the it won’t happen to me syndrome).
As disturbing as the previous statistics are, the most important statistics deal with the Recovery of one’s identity. The average victim of Identity Theft (according to a 2004 study) spends 330 hours repairing the damage caused by a theft. The vast majority of victims spend between 3 months to 1 year. As we all know, time is precious. The fact is the actual monetary loss resulting from an Identity Theft is only about $1,200. The real cost of an Identity Theft is in the time spent recovering from a theft. The math is simple, take your hourly wage rate and multiply by the time spent recovering your ID (example a person that make $30K per year earns approx $14.42 per hour / multiplied by 330 hours (average) equals $4,758).
Hopefully this article has given you an understanding about the types of Identity Theft as well as the cost(s) associated with a theft. Combined with the knowledge gained in Part One of this series, you should now be prepared to determine if you need to look for “Insurance” and what “Insurance Plan” is best.
Lucy
Identity Theft is a relatively new phenomenon. Unfortunately, this new phenomenon is also highly misunderstood by the general public. In Part One of our series on Identity Theft Protection, you learned some high level facts about Identity Theft and some various precautions you can take to guard your Identity. While Part One gives some practical tips to reduce your exposure to Identity Theft, you must first gain a better understanding of what Identity Theft actually entails.
Identity Theft – It’s Not Just Financial
Unfortunately, most people believe Identity Theft is just about “Financial” Fraud. The fact is, “Financial Fraud” accounts for approximately 30% – 40% of all Identity Theft. While this form of ID Theft is the most obvious, it is also the easiest to discover and recover from. Most financial institutions (Banks & Credit Card Providers) have systems in place to detect fraudulent activity on a person’s account. These same institutions typically have “reimbursement” plans in place to return any funds taken from or charged against their customers’ accounts. There are limitations and time constraints placed on these “reimbursements”, so it is imperative you read your financial institution’s policies as they relate to fraudulent activity.
While you know about Identity Theft with regard to Financial Fraud, you must also understand that the majority of Identity Theft involves theft for something other than Financial Fraud. Let’s look at a break down of the Non-Financial Forms of Identity Theft:
Driver’s License Employment Government Medical (fastest growing segment)
Of course, you could potentially break down Identity Theft into many more segments and categories, for our purposes we will focus on these major categories.
Who Are The Victims?
According to a recent study, there were approximately 10 million victims of Identity Theft in 2008. As should be expected, households with higher incomes were twice as likely to be victims of Identity Theft as low income households. What may be unexpected is that those households considered to be “higher income” had household incomes of $70,000 or higher (that is only a man and wife making $35K each).
Discovery & Recovery
One of the disturbing facts about Identity Theft is that 38-48% of people discover the theft within three months and that approximately 18% of victims do not discover the theft until 4 or more YEARS have passed. While identity thieves have access to advanced technology and systems to steal our identities, there are similar technologies and systems in place for the public to discover these thefts. The problem is, the general public has been slow to adopt these strategies (the it won’t happen to me syndrome).
As disturbing as the previous statistics are, the most important statistics deal with the Recovery of one’s identity. The average victim of Identity Theft (according to a 2004 study) spends 330 hours repairing the damage caused by a theft. The vast majority of victims spend between 3 months to 1 year. As we all know, time is precious. The fact is the actual monetary loss resulting from an Identity Theft is only about $1,200. The real cost of an Identity Theft is in the time spent recovering from a theft. The math is simple, take your hourly wage rate and multiply by the time spent recovering your ID (example a person that make $30K per year earns approx $14.42 per hour / multiplied by 330 hours (average) equals $4,758).
Hopefully this article has given you an understanding about the types of Identity Theft as well as the cost(s) associated with a theft. Combined with the knowledge gained in Part One of this series, you should now be prepared to determine if you need to look for “Insurance” and what “Insurance Plan” is best.
Lucy
Oct
22
Randy Vezina asked:
We have written this article for all the Teenagers, and your moms and dads.
Millions upon millions of teenagers are using the Social Networking Sites to chat with friends and meet new friends. The majority of people online are probably ok, but the law of averages demands that some are not. Some people are, quite frankly, stalkers and identity thieves. Those of you looking for a relationship may be the most vulnerable for a stalker. The identity thief and the person who wants to do you physical harm intentionally hunts for people who are open, trusting and looking for a relationship. They will put the time and effort into gaining your trust and finding out everything about your identity. Protect your identity. You must think before posting something on your blog.
If you post photo’s that show adult content and text about engaging in mature conduct you may very well be inviting people who want to harm you and identity thieves. Please be discreet and use good judgment. If you wouldn’t want your mom or dad to see it, then don’t post it. Never make your full name public and even your first name is may be a mistake. Instead, you could use a nickname. By doing this, no one will know who you really are, unless you want them to. Identity thieves are also online when you are, looking for those who post their address, phone number, driver license number, Social Security number, student ID number, and date of birth and the town you live in.
The identity thieves have the knowledge and skill to figure out a Social Security number when they have your year of birth and town you were born in. It would be fine to post the year you were born or your age, but when the thief or stalker combines this info with where you were born, they have the ability to figure out your SSN.
When meeting new people online you must never give your personal information to anybody. Just know that 15% of all identity theft is committed by a family member or real good friend who the victim thought they could trust. As far as I can tell, most teenagers join the social sites so they can meet someone new. Most of the time the new people you meet, are fun and decent. But the problem is that the identity thieves and stalkers have joined the same site as you and they are hunting.
If you do decide to meet someone in person, meet them somewhere public, like a mall or a restaurant with good parking and lots of lighting. A coffee shop is a good place to meet. Why not ask one your friends to go with you so you’re not alone? Protect your identity and don’t tell the new person where you live and meet somewhere that is at least ten miles from your home. When it is time to leave, walk to your car by yourself because they may write down your license number or follow you home when they see the kind of car you drive. Don’t go to their house until you really know them and when meeting someone new let your parents know where you are going and when you’re coming home.
Don’t worry about hurting anybody’s feelings if you don’t want to meet, just politely tell them your not interested and remember that these identity thieves and stalkers are quite good at their trade and they know how to sound sincere. If you are having a party please be careful about inviting new people. Your new friend may be ok but he may bring friends who are creeps and they are coming over only to steal items or look around the house for items and entry points so they can break in later. Always meet new people somewhere other than your place and trust your inner feelings (gut).
Lonnie
We have written this article for all the Teenagers, and your moms and dads.
Millions upon millions of teenagers are using the Social Networking Sites to chat with friends and meet new friends. The majority of people online are probably ok, but the law of averages demands that some are not. Some people are, quite frankly, stalkers and identity thieves. Those of you looking for a relationship may be the most vulnerable for a stalker. The identity thief and the person who wants to do you physical harm intentionally hunts for people who are open, trusting and looking for a relationship. They will put the time and effort into gaining your trust and finding out everything about your identity. Protect your identity. You must think before posting something on your blog.
If you post photo’s that show adult content and text about engaging in mature conduct you may very well be inviting people who want to harm you and identity thieves. Please be discreet and use good judgment. If you wouldn’t want your mom or dad to see it, then don’t post it. Never make your full name public and even your first name is may be a mistake. Instead, you could use a nickname. By doing this, no one will know who you really are, unless you want them to. Identity thieves are also online when you are, looking for those who post their address, phone number, driver license number, Social Security number, student ID number, and date of birth and the town you live in.
The identity thieves have the knowledge and skill to figure out a Social Security number when they have your year of birth and town you were born in. It would be fine to post the year you were born or your age, but when the thief or stalker combines this info with where you were born, they have the ability to figure out your SSN.
When meeting new people online you must never give your personal information to anybody. Just know that 15% of all identity theft is committed by a family member or real good friend who the victim thought they could trust. As far as I can tell, most teenagers join the social sites so they can meet someone new. Most of the time the new people you meet, are fun and decent. But the problem is that the identity thieves and stalkers have joined the same site as you and they are hunting.
If you do decide to meet someone in person, meet them somewhere public, like a mall or a restaurant with good parking and lots of lighting. A coffee shop is a good place to meet. Why not ask one your friends to go with you so you’re not alone? Protect your identity and don’t tell the new person where you live and meet somewhere that is at least ten miles from your home. When it is time to leave, walk to your car by yourself because they may write down your license number or follow you home when they see the kind of car you drive. Don’t go to their house until you really know them and when meeting someone new let your parents know where you are going and when you’re coming home.
Don’t worry about hurting anybody’s feelings if you don’t want to meet, just politely tell them your not interested and remember that these identity thieves and stalkers are quite good at their trade and they know how to sound sincere. If you are having a party please be careful about inviting new people. Your new friend may be ok but he may bring friends who are creeps and they are coming over only to steal items or look around the house for items and entry points so they can break in later. Always meet new people somewhere other than your place and trust your inner feelings (gut).
Lonnie
Oct
6
Should I pay for ID theft protection?
Filed Under Insurance | 3 Comments
Ben O20 asked:
I bank with Lloyds TSB and they offer a service called http://www.privacyguard.co.uk/ to protect you against ID theft. It costs £6.99 a month and was after some advice on if it’s worth it. Should banks not cover this by default? I’m pretty cautious with post/emails and what web sites I visit, I shred my post but I know people that have had ID theft and still concerned it could happen to me?
Catherine
I bank with Lloyds TSB and they offer a service called http://www.privacyguard.co.uk/ to protect you against ID theft. It costs £6.99 a month and was after some advice on if it’s worth it. Should banks not cover this by default? I’m pretty cautious with post/emails and what web sites I visit, I shred my post but I know people that have had ID theft and still concerned it could happen to me?
Catherine
Jul
28
Matthew Stanton asked:
Your identity is probably the most important physical aspect that you have. In business transactions, in making loans, in school and work requirements and even in just proving that you exist, your identity becomes a very significant factor in your life, if not the most. It marks your existence and protects the material or immaterial things that you claim as your own.
Now imagine someone else being able to control the very things you worked hard for. What could be crueler than that?
Identity theft is a reality nowadays. More and more people become victims of this crime, which involves stealing financial and other gains by impersonating someone else. Stolen identities can also be used by criminals to conceal themselves from government authorities or to make transactions that they could not have obtained otherwise.
This theft, although a sad and frustrating one, is a reality nonetheless. Therefore we cannot just act hastily, especially when it comes to disclosing personal information. We need not just be naive and hope we would not be the next victims, for the truth is, we could be. Here are some tips on precautionary measures that we should keep in mind:
Hasty Information Disclosure Is A No-No
It is not advisable to disclose any kind of personal information to another person whether via telephone, email or personal conversation when one does not know the other person well. In this world, it has become a fact that we could not trust anybody very easily. This is not a point on cynicism; merely a precautionary measure on any kind of manipulation. When you are not too sure about a persons background (especially if exchanges are made only via email or phone), you should be careful not to reveal any personal information that may be used to pull off an impersonation of you.
Completely Destroy Any Personal Record You Wish To Throw
Criminals can easily obtain any personal information written on or stored in a piece of paper or computer. When you want to throw away these kinds of things, make sure that it is completely destroyed as to not be of any use when obtained. For documents, one could burn them and for computers, one could make sure that everything is deleted from the hard drive.
Look Out For Bogus Offers
Criminals usually advertise offers, especially job offers, in order to entice people to apply and thus be compelled to hand in personal information like your full name, address, contact number and other details. You should look out for this. You could make sure that the job offer and the company offering the job is legitimate by researching about it or calling for information on it. Granted, you may badly need a job, but it would not take too much time and it certainly would not hurt to make sure you are not being manipulated. After all, the problems you would encounter would be greater if you became a victim of identity theft.
It is good to embrace life with every ounce of optimism, but as crimes grow nowadays, can never be too cautious. When something of great importance is at risk, like the possibility of being cheated off an identity, one should always take every measure possible to make sure this does not happen to you.
Jack
Your identity is probably the most important physical aspect that you have. In business transactions, in making loans, in school and work requirements and even in just proving that you exist, your identity becomes a very significant factor in your life, if not the most. It marks your existence and protects the material or immaterial things that you claim as your own.
Now imagine someone else being able to control the very things you worked hard for. What could be crueler than that?
Identity theft is a reality nowadays. More and more people become victims of this crime, which involves stealing financial and other gains by impersonating someone else. Stolen identities can also be used by criminals to conceal themselves from government authorities or to make transactions that they could not have obtained otherwise.
This theft, although a sad and frustrating one, is a reality nonetheless. Therefore we cannot just act hastily, especially when it comes to disclosing personal information. We need not just be naive and hope we would not be the next victims, for the truth is, we could be. Here are some tips on precautionary measures that we should keep in mind:
Hasty Information Disclosure Is A No-No
It is not advisable to disclose any kind of personal information to another person whether via telephone, email or personal conversation when one does not know the other person well. In this world, it has become a fact that we could not trust anybody very easily. This is not a point on cynicism; merely a precautionary measure on any kind of manipulation. When you are not too sure about a persons background (especially if exchanges are made only via email or phone), you should be careful not to reveal any personal information that may be used to pull off an impersonation of you.
Completely Destroy Any Personal Record You Wish To Throw
Criminals can easily obtain any personal information written on or stored in a piece of paper or computer. When you want to throw away these kinds of things, make sure that it is completely destroyed as to not be of any use when obtained. For documents, one could burn them and for computers, one could make sure that everything is deleted from the hard drive.
Look Out For Bogus Offers
Criminals usually advertise offers, especially job offers, in order to entice people to apply and thus be compelled to hand in personal information like your full name, address, contact number and other details. You should look out for this. You could make sure that the job offer and the company offering the job is legitimate by researching about it or calling for information on it. Granted, you may badly need a job, but it would not take too much time and it certainly would not hurt to make sure you are not being manipulated. After all, the problems you would encounter would be greater if you became a victim of identity theft.
It is good to embrace life with every ounce of optimism, but as crimes grow nowadays, can never be too cautious. When something of great importance is at risk, like the possibility of being cheated off an identity, one should always take every measure possible to make sure this does not happen to you.
Jack
Jun
5
Randy Vezina asked:
As a member of the U.S. Military and away from your usual posting, you should consider placing an “Active Duty Alert” on your credit report. This alert will help to minimize your risk of identity theft while your deployed. A persons credit report contains the most vital personal information, including your home address, how you pay your bills, whether you have been sued, arrested or filed for bankruptcy. It is routine for banks, insurers, employers, utility companies and businesses to use the information in your credit report to evaluate your application for a mortgage, credit card, car loan, cell phone and much more. With you away, perhaps on the other side of the world, identity thieves have a perfect opportunity to use your personal information to open new accounts in your name. The thieves will most probably not pay the bills and the delinquent accounts show up in your personal credit report.
Fraudulent and inaccurate information may affect your ability to get a loan, rental housing, car insurance or credit card when you return to the U.S. or long after your return. This is why we suggest you place an active duty alert because according to the Federal Trade Commission, the alert requires creditors and businesses to verify your identity before issuing credit or opening an account in your name. The active duty alert makes it much more difficult for the identity thief to use your personal information in an illegal way. The active duty alert will last for one year unless you ask to have it removed sooner. If your deployment exceeds one year you may place another alert.
Amendments to the Fair Crediting Reporting Act allow you to place the active duty alert. To place the alert or remove it, just call the toll free number of one of the nationwide consumer reporting companies, and they are Equifax, Experian, or Trans Union. These reporting companies will ask for meaningful proof of identity and could include your Social Security number, your name, address and other identifying information.
Equifax: 1-800-525-6285; quifax dot com
Experian: 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742); experian dot com
TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289; transunion dot com
You only need to contact one of the above companies to place your alert because the company you call is required to contact the other two. The other two will now place their own alerts on their version of your credit report. Contact information could change before your alert expires and then you would have to update it. When the active duty alert is in place, your name gets removed from the nationwide consumer reporting companies’ marketing lists for pre-screened or preapproved offers of credit and insurance, for two years.
You may ask to have your name placed on the lists, if you want, before deployment. Please realize that your friends and family know for quite some time that your going to be deployed and one of them could, without knowing it, say something that gets back to an identity thief. Imagine what the thief could do with your identity while you’re gone for an entire year. Protect your identity, because identity theft is real and growing in America.
Do you want to learn about Identity Theft Prevention & Identity Theft Protection. Stop Identity Theft with LifeLock. LifeLock can guarantee identity theft never happens to you. To see how lifelock identity theft protection works
Leo
As a member of the U.S. Military and away from your usual posting, you should consider placing an “Active Duty Alert” on your credit report. This alert will help to minimize your risk of identity theft while your deployed. A persons credit report contains the most vital personal information, including your home address, how you pay your bills, whether you have been sued, arrested or filed for bankruptcy. It is routine for banks, insurers, employers, utility companies and businesses to use the information in your credit report to evaluate your application for a mortgage, credit card, car loan, cell phone and much more. With you away, perhaps on the other side of the world, identity thieves have a perfect opportunity to use your personal information to open new accounts in your name. The thieves will most probably not pay the bills and the delinquent accounts show up in your personal credit report.
Fraudulent and inaccurate information may affect your ability to get a loan, rental housing, car insurance or credit card when you return to the U.S. or long after your return. This is why we suggest you place an active duty alert because according to the Federal Trade Commission, the alert requires creditors and businesses to verify your identity before issuing credit or opening an account in your name. The active duty alert makes it much more difficult for the identity thief to use your personal information in an illegal way. The active duty alert will last for one year unless you ask to have it removed sooner. If your deployment exceeds one year you may place another alert.
Amendments to the Fair Crediting Reporting Act allow you to place the active duty alert. To place the alert or remove it, just call the toll free number of one of the nationwide consumer reporting companies, and they are Equifax, Experian, or Trans Union. These reporting companies will ask for meaningful proof of identity and could include your Social Security number, your name, address and other identifying information.
Equifax: 1-800-525-6285; quifax dot com
Experian: 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742); experian dot com
TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289; transunion dot com
You only need to contact one of the above companies to place your alert because the company you call is required to contact the other two. The other two will now place their own alerts on their version of your credit report. Contact information could change before your alert expires and then you would have to update it. When the active duty alert is in place, your name gets removed from the nationwide consumer reporting companies’ marketing lists for pre-screened or preapproved offers of credit and insurance, for two years.
You may ask to have your name placed on the lists, if you want, before deployment. Please realize that your friends and family know for quite some time that your going to be deployed and one of them could, without knowing it, say something that gets back to an identity thief. Imagine what the thief could do with your identity while you’re gone for an entire year. Protect your identity, because identity theft is real and growing in America.
Do you want to learn about Identity Theft Prevention & Identity Theft Protection. Stop Identity Theft with LifeLock. LifeLock can guarantee identity theft never happens to you. To see how lifelock identity theft protection works
Leo
May
15
Airports and Identity Theft
Filed Under Insurance | Leave a Comment
Randy Vezina asked:
First thing we want to point out is that the airline pilots, stewardesses, maintenance staff, restaurant staff, baggage handlers, ticket agents and all other airport employees show up every morning to begin their work day so that they can earn a paycheck.
Well, so do the pickpockets, luggage thieves and other identity theft criminals. After arriving, you may decide to give your bags to one of the skycaps. Don’t assume your bags are going to end up at the ticket counter, follow behind him and keep an eye on the bags. When you get to the ticket counter place your luggage between you and the counter, and if your kids are with you, assign them the important task of watching the luggage while you’re busy with ticket agent. Follow your carry-on luggage or briefcase as it goes through the x-ray machine because this is where some of the thieves carry out their distraction thefts. A distraction theft happens very quickly and is well rehearsed.
A thief will be ahead of you (sometimes a beautiful woman), and cause a short distraction and your briefcase disappears. After finishing at the ticket counter try and imagine how many authorized and un-authorized persons will have opportunity to access your luggage, so keep your wallet, credit cards and other identifying information on your person. The pickpockets and luggage thieves are looking for someone who is in a hurry and distracted and if your hurrying for a flight, you will be distracted.
Get to the airport early. If your at a bar or restaurant, place your luggage in-front of you with your foot through the straps. When using a washroom stall, don’t place your bags in-front of you, because the identity thieves are waiting for this and will simply grab your bags and hurry to a pre-determined exit. Place your bags beside you with your foot through the strap and try and use a corner stall if you can. Ladies, put your purse strap around your neck when in the stall. Remember, the thieves are waiting for what best works for them and they will grab your coat, purse or jacket from the hook on the stall door and they know that you are not in a position to give immediate chase.
Don’t be the last person to board the aircraft. If you are one of the first to board you will be able to place your carry-on bag in an overhead locker directly across the aisle from your seat, where it will always be in clear site. You won’t have clear site if it is directly above your head or 4 rows behind you. Pickpockets may board the plane with you, so ladies, don’t store your purse under your seat where the thief behind you may quietly remove a credit card or driver’s license.
After arrival, go to the baggage carousel right away and stand where you can retrieve your luggage as soon as it comes down the Shute. Thieves will sometimes wait at the luggage carousel and watch for a suitcase that is making full circles and steal it. Some of the thieves have engineered and constructed harmless looking baggage theft devices by converting an original, large suitcase. The suitcase bottom is equipped with a series of hinges and springs, and the thief looks for a victim seated at a restaurant, bar or waiting area who is busy talking or sleeping etc. and simply walks over and places his suitcase over your smaller bag or suitcase, your bag is swallowed up by the larger suitcase and the theft is complete. This form of baggage theft may even be accompanied by some sort of distraction that is long enough for you to become distracted so that they can commit the theft.
The distraction is almost always something that is not uncommon for the surroundings, e.g. a man and a woman quarrelling, one person greeting another in a loud, excited manner or something real simple , like someone dropping a handful of change. These pickpockets and other thieves are intelligent, they know how to dress, how to blend in, they know who is a good victim and they practice, practice, and practice before arriving for work.
Do you want to learn about Identity Theft Prevention & Identity Theft Protection. Stop Identity Theft with LifeLock. LifeLock can guarantee identity theft never happens to you. To see how lifelock identity theft protection works
Esther
First thing we want to point out is that the airline pilots, stewardesses, maintenance staff, restaurant staff, baggage handlers, ticket agents and all other airport employees show up every morning to begin their work day so that they can earn a paycheck.
Well, so do the pickpockets, luggage thieves and other identity theft criminals. After arriving, you may decide to give your bags to one of the skycaps. Don’t assume your bags are going to end up at the ticket counter, follow behind him and keep an eye on the bags. When you get to the ticket counter place your luggage between you and the counter, and if your kids are with you, assign them the important task of watching the luggage while you’re busy with ticket agent. Follow your carry-on luggage or briefcase as it goes through the x-ray machine because this is where some of the thieves carry out their distraction thefts. A distraction theft happens very quickly and is well rehearsed.
A thief will be ahead of you (sometimes a beautiful woman), and cause a short distraction and your briefcase disappears. After finishing at the ticket counter try and imagine how many authorized and un-authorized persons will have opportunity to access your luggage, so keep your wallet, credit cards and other identifying information on your person. The pickpockets and luggage thieves are looking for someone who is in a hurry and distracted and if your hurrying for a flight, you will be distracted.
Get to the airport early. If your at a bar or restaurant, place your luggage in-front of you with your foot through the straps. When using a washroom stall, don’t place your bags in-front of you, because the identity thieves are waiting for this and will simply grab your bags and hurry to a pre-determined exit. Place your bags beside you with your foot through the strap and try and use a corner stall if you can. Ladies, put your purse strap around your neck when in the stall. Remember, the thieves are waiting for what best works for them and they will grab your coat, purse or jacket from the hook on the stall door and they know that you are not in a position to give immediate chase.
Don’t be the last person to board the aircraft. If you are one of the first to board you will be able to place your carry-on bag in an overhead locker directly across the aisle from your seat, where it will always be in clear site. You won’t have clear site if it is directly above your head or 4 rows behind you. Pickpockets may board the plane with you, so ladies, don’t store your purse under your seat where the thief behind you may quietly remove a credit card or driver’s license.
After arrival, go to the baggage carousel right away and stand where you can retrieve your luggage as soon as it comes down the Shute. Thieves will sometimes wait at the luggage carousel and watch for a suitcase that is making full circles and steal it. Some of the thieves have engineered and constructed harmless looking baggage theft devices by converting an original, large suitcase. The suitcase bottom is equipped with a series of hinges and springs, and the thief looks for a victim seated at a restaurant, bar or waiting area who is busy talking or sleeping etc. and simply walks over and places his suitcase over your smaller bag or suitcase, your bag is swallowed up by the larger suitcase and the theft is complete. This form of baggage theft may even be accompanied by some sort of distraction that is long enough for you to become distracted so that they can commit the theft.
The distraction is almost always something that is not uncommon for the surroundings, e.g. a man and a woman quarrelling, one person greeting another in a loud, excited manner or something real simple , like someone dropping a handful of change. These pickpockets and other thieves are intelligent, they know how to dress, how to blend in, they know who is a good victim and they practice, practice, and practice before arriving for work.
Do you want to learn about Identity Theft Prevention & Identity Theft Protection. Stop Identity Theft with LifeLock. LifeLock can guarantee identity theft never happens to you. To see how lifelock identity theft protection works
Esther
Mar
15
Child Identity Theft
Filed Under Insurance | Leave a Comment
Randy Vezina asked:
When a child is born, a parent may apply for a Social Security number for that child. A child’s Social Security number is very much sought after by identity thieves. The child identity thief could be a family member (uncle, aunt cousin), another adult who has access and is allowed in your home, someone who has stolen your mail or hacked into your computer. We think we know who the child identity thief could be, but we don’t.
Most parents apply for the baby’s SSN so that they can claim the child on their taxes and you must submit the SSN on the official tax forms, so now, anybody who has the means to see that tax form can copy the child’s information. The child’s identity could be stolen at the hospital or at a health professionals’ office. What about the dishonest legal professional who sells the child’s identity to an unscrupulous client. It does not matter what profession a person is in, they have the potential to be dishonest.
The thief could be anybody. Typically, your not going to check your child’s credit rating (why would you), so your not going to know their identity has been stolen. Now the identity thief has more than a decade to create a new identity for him and gain credit cards, loans, cell phones, utilities, bank accounts, drivers license etc. etc. The crime is not discovered until your child has grown and applies for her first education loan, apartment, credit card or job! By now, the trail has become ice cold and your child’s credit record has been cut to ribbons. In all likelihood all of the accounts opened in her name have been purchased by a collection agency.
It would be very difficult for your child to repair what has happened because of the difficulty in tracking down the original loan applications and transaction records if the original account has been through several hands because of companies merging and being bought-up. Our children need to be taught about the dangers of providing their personal information and your personal information when they are logged onto the net. Today’s kids have a burning desire to log into the many chat rooms and social networking sites and they may be asked for personal information on a registration screen or by an identity thief.
The preventative identity theft company, LifeLock, has already launched the first-of-its-kind Children’s ID Theft Prevention Program. Now, LifeLock’s subscribers can add the children’s ID theft program to their existing full suite of ID theft preventative services. The children’s theft prevention program is for minors 16 years and younger. A recent study in the state of Utah revealed that 1,800 Social Security numbers assigned to children 12 years of age and younger had been forged, according to the state’s Identity Theft Task Force.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has advised that between 5% and 7% of identity theft victims are under the age of 18 and if you include college-aged individuals, it is almost 20%.
“Due to the extreme increase in ID theft among minors, we have taken the initiative to develop a first-of-its-kind program to protect children,” said Todd Davis, CEO of LifeLock. Tracking credit bureau activity and monitoring depository accounts are considered standard when dealing with identity theft. But Davis insists that working with the Social Security Administration and identifying work activity from unusually young minors is a red flag that warrants further investigation. “LifeLock is in the process of working with local and federal agencies, as well as leaders in Washington D.C. to lead the efforts in protecting our children from identity theft. This is a critical aspect of our overall service,” continued Davis. “As the Utah investigation demonstrated, sadly, there are numerous victims yet to be discovered.” LifeLock subscribers can pay $10 per year for the Children’s ID Theft Prevention Program through which LifeLock will regularly audit the credit bureau, monitor depository banking accounts, and track any unusual “work activity” with the Social Security Administration on behalf of LifeLock’s youth customers. All minors enrolled in the program will also benefit by LifeLock’s standard $1 million guarantee.
Do you want to learn about Identity Theft Prevention &
Sean
When a child is born, a parent may apply for a Social Security number for that child. A child’s Social Security number is very much sought after by identity thieves. The child identity thief could be a family member (uncle, aunt cousin), another adult who has access and is allowed in your home, someone who has stolen your mail or hacked into your computer. We think we know who the child identity thief could be, but we don’t.
Most parents apply for the baby’s SSN so that they can claim the child on their taxes and you must submit the SSN on the official tax forms, so now, anybody who has the means to see that tax form can copy the child’s information. The child’s identity could be stolen at the hospital or at a health professionals’ office. What about the dishonest legal professional who sells the child’s identity to an unscrupulous client. It does not matter what profession a person is in, they have the potential to be dishonest.
The thief could be anybody. Typically, your not going to check your child’s credit rating (why would you), so your not going to know their identity has been stolen. Now the identity thief has more than a decade to create a new identity for him and gain credit cards, loans, cell phones, utilities, bank accounts, drivers license etc. etc. The crime is not discovered until your child has grown and applies for her first education loan, apartment, credit card or job! By now, the trail has become ice cold and your child’s credit record has been cut to ribbons. In all likelihood all of the accounts opened in her name have been purchased by a collection agency.
It would be very difficult for your child to repair what has happened because of the difficulty in tracking down the original loan applications and transaction records if the original account has been through several hands because of companies merging and being bought-up. Our children need to be taught about the dangers of providing their personal information and your personal information when they are logged onto the net. Today’s kids have a burning desire to log into the many chat rooms and social networking sites and they may be asked for personal information on a registration screen or by an identity thief.
The preventative identity theft company, LifeLock, has already launched the first-of-its-kind Children’s ID Theft Prevention Program. Now, LifeLock’s subscribers can add the children’s ID theft program to their existing full suite of ID theft preventative services. The children’s theft prevention program is for minors 16 years and younger. A recent study in the state of Utah revealed that 1,800 Social Security numbers assigned to children 12 years of age and younger had been forged, according to the state’s Identity Theft Task Force.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has advised that between 5% and 7% of identity theft victims are under the age of 18 and if you include college-aged individuals, it is almost 20%.
“Due to the extreme increase in ID theft among minors, we have taken the initiative to develop a first-of-its-kind program to protect children,” said Todd Davis, CEO of LifeLock. Tracking credit bureau activity and monitoring depository accounts are considered standard when dealing with identity theft. But Davis insists that working with the Social Security Administration and identifying work activity from unusually young minors is a red flag that warrants further investigation. “LifeLock is in the process of working with local and federal agencies, as well as leaders in Washington D.C. to lead the efforts in protecting our children from identity theft. This is a critical aspect of our overall service,” continued Davis. “As the Utah investigation demonstrated, sadly, there are numerous victims yet to be discovered.” LifeLock subscribers can pay $10 per year for the Children’s ID Theft Prevention Program through which LifeLock will regularly audit the credit bureau, monitor depository banking accounts, and track any unusual “work activity” with the Social Security Administration on behalf of LifeLock’s youth customers. All minors enrolled in the program will also benefit by LifeLock’s standard $1 million guarantee.
Do you want to learn about Identity Theft Prevention &
Sean