How you can Help Prevent Identity Theft
How can I prevent Identity theft from happening to me? Never leave your receipt or slip in the ATM or gas pump. Pay attention to your habits, lock up or organize and file your bills, and bank statements. Shred them using a cross shredder before throwing them away.
In a recent article in MSN Money their research showed that 32% of people said they had been a victim of identity fraud by a friend or family, and 13% were victimized by a co-worker. Beware! These people know your patterns and habits.
Some steps you can take to avoid becoming a victim of Identity theft are:
Get a copy of your credit report from all three credit bureaus. (FREE as of 9/1/05!)
Experian, PO Box 2002, Allen TX 75013 www.experian.com 888-397-3742
Equifax, PO Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30348 www.equifax.com 800-685-1111
Trans Union, PO Box 4000, Chester, PA 19016 www.transunion.com 866-887-2673
Opt out of mailing lists by contacting the credit bureaus above.
Opt out by reading the privacy notice that comes with your credit card and following the instructions.
Call the national Do Not Call Registry at 1-888-382-1222 or visit www.donotcall.gov be sure to call from the number you want to register
Do not carry your Social Security Card in your wallet
Do not print your Social security number on your checks
Do not get your social security number printed on your drivers license
Do not carry your Medicade card with you, Medicade #s are your Social security number
Delete any emails from Nigeria, or lottery or prize notifications before opening
Stop credit card offers 888-5-OPT-OUT
Remove your name from national mailing lists by visiting www.the-dma.org or write to:
Mail Preference Service
PO Box 643
Carmel, NY 10512
Install firewall and virus protection software on your computer
Password protect your computer and private personal files
Format your hard drive or physically destroy when disposing of your old computer
When you order new checks, get your first initial printed on them instead of your first name
Use a cross shredder to shred your bills and bank statements or any junk mail
Bring your mail to the post office or secure mail box rather than leaving it in a rural box.
Use only one designated credit card for online purchases
Be sure all online purchases are made through a secure server notice the lock icon and how the URL address changes from http to https. The S means SECURE.
Do not carry your PIN # in your wallet
Do not use your date of birth as a password or PIN.
Do not give out personal or financial information over the phone.
Grind up or shred back up CDs you are throwing away.
Check your online banking account at least 3 times a week and change your password often.
If you feel you have been a victim of identity fraud, contact the Department of Justice, consumer protection division. They offer mediation with identity theft; they also have a hot line for consumers that is available 8-5 Monday Friday. They maintain a database of written complaints that goes back to 1998. They offer seminars to school, seniors or your group.
Be aware that 40 million crooks obtained credit card numbers this past year, Be Suspicious. Also be aware that most identify theft is not reported, especially when it involves family members, so the statistics are off. These statistics show that consumers lost $5 billion last year when in actuality it is closer to $50 billion. There have been an estimated 9.9 million victims in America.
Michelle Dunn has over 17 years experience in credit and debt collection.
She has written 5 books in her Collecting Money Series. For more information on Michelles services or to order any of her books please email her at michelle@michelledunn.com or visit www.michelledunn.com& www.credit-and-collections.com
Secure your Privacy from Spyware and other Adware programs. Mitch JohnsonKnown by several different names, from spyware to malware or internet parasites, surveillance applications are installed on your system to monitor your internet activities and reveal your surfing patterns and purchasing habits. Spyware also extracts email addresses, hijacks browsers and records credit card numbers, bank accounts and password information.
The information gathered by a spyware application is sent back to the intruder who typically uses it to bombard you with pop up and email advertisements. More serious consequences occur when credit and bank information is obtained by spyware and used for identity theft or credit card fraud. Spyware also compromises the fast and efficient functioning of your computer as it builds up and uses the systems resources. Computer crashes occur with extreme infections which can lead to malfunctions in your registry keys and memory.
To avoid spyware and adware and protect your privacy users must be cautious when surfing the internet. Beware of freeware and shareware programs as they usually install spyware as well, without the users knowledge. Install and regularly use a good spyware scan and removal tool. An effective anti-spyware program will detect and remove all possible infected files.
The scanner should perform a deep system scan in order to catch files infected that usually go unnoticed.
Most spyware scanners have a removal feature as well but for those that do not a list of detected spyware files is still complied at the end of the scan. This list given by any spyware tool tells the details of that particular spyware as well as its location on your computer. If there is not removal feature on your program you can try manually deleting them.
Mitch Johnson is a successful freelance author that writes regularly for http://www.1st-in-remove-spyware.com/, a site that focuses primarily on spyware detection software, as well as tips on how to avoid spyware from popping up on your computer. His articles have also been featured on related spyware sites such as,
http://www.best-in-spyware-detection.com/as well as http://www.best-sypware-removal-reviews.com/
In a recent article in MSN Money their research showed that 32% of people said they had been a victim of identity fraud by a friend or family, and 13% were victimized by a co-worker. Beware! These people know your patterns and habits.
Some steps you can take to avoid becoming a victim of Identity theft are:
Get a copy of your credit report from all three credit bureaus. (FREE as of 9/1/05!)
Experian, PO Box 2002, Allen TX 75013 www.experian.com 888-397-3742
Equifax, PO Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30348 www.equifax.com 800-685-1111
Trans Union, PO Box 4000, Chester, PA 19016 www.transunion.com 866-887-2673
Opt out of mailing lists by contacting the credit bureaus above.
Opt out by reading the privacy notice that comes with your credit card and following the instructions.
Call the national Do Not Call Registry at 1-888-382-1222 or visit www.donotcall.gov be sure to call from the number you want to register
Do not carry your Social Security Card in your wallet
Do not print your Social security number on your checks
Do not get your social security number printed on your drivers license
Do not carry your Medicade card with you, Medicade #s are your Social security number
Delete any emails from Nigeria, or lottery or prize notifications before opening
Stop credit card offers 888-5-OPT-OUT
Remove your name from national mailing lists by visiting www.the-dma.org or write to:
Mail Preference Service
PO Box 643
Carmel, NY 10512
Install firewall and virus protection software on your computer
Password protect your computer and private personal files
Format your hard drive or physically destroy when disposing of your old computer
When you order new checks, get your first initial printed on them instead of your first name
Use a cross shredder to shred your bills and bank statements or any junk mail
Bring your mail to the post office or secure mail box rather than leaving it in a rural box.
Use only one designated credit card for online purchases
Be sure all online purchases are made through a secure server notice the lock icon and how the URL address changes from http to https. The S means SECURE.
Do not carry your PIN # in your wallet
Do not use your date of birth as a password or PIN.
Do not give out personal or financial information over the phone.
Grind up or shred back up CDs you are throwing away.
Check your online banking account at least 3 times a week and change your password often.
If you feel you have been a victim of identity fraud, contact the Department of Justice, consumer protection division. They offer mediation with identity theft; they also have a hot line for consumers that is available 8-5 Monday Friday. They maintain a database of written complaints that goes back to 1998. They offer seminars to school, seniors or your group.
Be aware that 40 million crooks obtained credit card numbers this past year, Be Suspicious. Also be aware that most identify theft is not reported, especially when it involves family members, so the statistics are off. These statistics show that consumers lost $5 billion last year when in actuality it is closer to $50 billion. There have been an estimated 9.9 million victims in America.
Michelle Dunn has over 17 years experience in credit and debt collection.
She has written 5 books in her Collecting Money Series. For more information on Michelles services or to order any of her books please email her at michelle@michelledunn.com or visit www.michelledunn.com& www.credit-and-collections.com
Secure your Privacy from Spyware and other Adware programs. Mitch JohnsonKnown by several different names, from spyware to malware or internet parasites, surveillance applications are installed on your system to monitor your internet activities and reveal your surfing patterns and purchasing habits. Spyware also extracts email addresses, hijacks browsers and records credit card numbers, bank accounts and password information.
The information gathered by a spyware application is sent back to the intruder who typically uses it to bombard you with pop up and email advertisements. More serious consequences occur when credit and bank information is obtained by spyware and used for identity theft or credit card fraud. Spyware also compromises the fast and efficient functioning of your computer as it builds up and uses the systems resources. Computer crashes occur with extreme infections which can lead to malfunctions in your registry keys and memory.
To avoid spyware and adware and protect your privacy users must be cautious when surfing the internet. Beware of freeware and shareware programs as they usually install spyware as well, without the users knowledge. Install and regularly use a good spyware scan and removal tool. An effective anti-spyware program will detect and remove all possible infected files.
The scanner should perform a deep system scan in order to catch files infected that usually go unnoticed.
Most spyware scanners have a removal feature as well but for those that do not a list of detected spyware files is still complied at the end of the scan. This list given by any spyware tool tells the details of that particular spyware as well as its location on your computer. If there is not removal feature on your program you can try manually deleting them.
Mitch Johnson is a successful freelance author that writes regularly for http://www.1st-in-remove-spyware.com/, a site that focuses primarily on spyware detection software, as well as tips on how to avoid spyware from popping up on your computer. His articles have also been featured on related spyware sites such as,
http://www.best-in-spyware-detection.com/as well as http://www.best-sypware-removal-reviews.com/
Labels: against_guard_identity_theft, help_identity_theft, identity_internet_theft, identity_law_theft, identity_online_theft, identity_reporting_theft
Posted In Online Identity Theft Protection at
10:55 PM
