How To Protect Yourself From Online Identity Theft

Even though it's becoming much harder to steal an identity online, it's critical that you do everything you can to protect yourself from online identity theft. It only has to happen once to totally turn your whole life upside down.

With the new Internet security measures, it's becoming harder to steal an identity. But just one instance of identity theft can wreak havoc on your life as well as your finances. The more you understand how a criminal steals an identity, the better chance you have to protect yourself from online identity theft.

If a crook can get a name, age, sex, mailing address, Social Security number, and driver license number, they can take over an identity to buy products, charge on credit cards and even draw money from bank accounts.

There are a few ways you can reduce your risk and protect yourself from online identity theft by following these identity theft protection tips:

Keep all of your passwords as private as possible. No bank or financial institution will ever email you asking you to log into your account to verify your password with links in the email. This is an online scam that you should be conscious of so you won't become fair game.

Also, you should never store your passwords, Social Security number or account PIN numbers in your computer. If your computer gets a spyware virus the hacker has everything he needs to take over your identity and take all of your money.

Another way to protect yourself from online identity theft is don't use the same password on all of your online accounts. Can you imagine how fast a criminal can wipe you out financially with a password that works on every single account?

Identity theft protection is a very necessary part of any transaction on the Internet. Before you make any purchase online, make certain that the web site you are giving your credit card data to has a secure server.

This is one of the easiest ways to shield yourself from online identity theft. Secure pages begin with https instead of http, and a picture of a small gold lock is displayed in the lower right part of your screen.

To verify the name of the server that appears on the digital certificate, double-click the lock icon, and then check the name that appears next to "Issued to". If the name appearing next to "Issued to" is different from the name of the web site that you are giving your credit card number to, close your browser and leave the site.

In one moment, what took you years to establish financially, could all be wiped out turning your life completely upside down. Common sense and identity theft protection awareness goes a long way in determining if you will become a victim or escape this horrible crime. However basic these tips seem, they do work and offer you a chance to protect yourself from online identity theft.

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Identity Theft Protection and Identity Theft Prevention

Identity theft is the growing national epidemic. There are literally hundreds of ways you can loose your all important credit ratings through identity theft, as it happens with a hundreds of thousands of Americans every year. There are more numbers of identity theft cases reported than there are robberies filed. Preventing identity theft is a simple matter of playing it safe. Identity theft protection relies on the old adverb better safe than sorry. Preventing identity theft is the key to identity theft protection. Here are certain guidelines for preventing identity theft and the 3 identity theft protection laws:

Identity theft protection Law # 1:

1. Protect your Social Security number and never say it aloud in a public place.

2. Never give out your SSN, credit or debit card number or other personal information over the phone, by mail, or on the Internet.

3. Never carry any card in your wallet that contains the Social Security number (SSN), unless required.

4. Always, take credit card receipts with you. Never toss them in a public trash container.

5. If the state of your residence uses the SSN as the driver's license number, it is strongly recommended that you contact your Department of Motor Vehicles and request a different number.

6. Never permit your SSN or driver's license number credit card number to be written onto your checks.

7. Do not have your SSN or driver's license number printed on your checks.

8. Ask your financial institutions to add extra identity theft protection to your account.

9. Shield your hand when using a bank ATM machine.

10. Always use a gel pen for issuing checks.

11. Never have new checks mailed to you.

12. Never leave envelopes containing your checks anywhere, when you pay bills.

13. When creating passwords and PINs, do not use any characters that relate to personnel information.

14. Never record anything in your wallet. Memorize all your passwords.

15. Carry minimum number of credit cards, debit cards and avoid carrying your birth certificate, Social Security card or passport in your wallet except when needed.

Identity theft protection Law # 2:

16. Be proactive and shield all your data in a safe place. Maintain a list and photocopies of all your credit cards, debit cards, bank accounts, and investments and telephone numbers of the customer services and fraud departments, in a locking cabinet or safe along with all your personal information and canceled checks.

17. Use credit cards instead of debit cards to shop online and automate as much bill-paying as possible from your checking account.

18. It is important that you install a locked mailbox at your residence for enhanced identity theft protection.

Identity theft protection Law # 3:

19. Review all your financial data as often as possible. Federal law entitles you the right to one free credit report each year from the three credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion; use it. If you are a victim of identity theft, your credit report will indicate that.

20. Look at your Social Security Personal Wages and Benefits, Approximate Statement each year to check for deception.

21. Review credit card, bank and phone statements, including cellular phone bills every month.

22. Maintain services of Identity Theft Protection and Recovery Company. Better safe than sorry.

23. Identity theft protection includes protecting your PC from hackers. Load some sort of blocking software on your home systems for preventing hackers to obtain personal confidential and financial data from your hard drive.

24. Update your anti-virus product, everyday.

25. Always protect your files through passwords that contain sensitive personal data.

26. If doing online transactions for shopping, only trust on companies that provide transaction security protection.

27. Never just delete files that contain personnel information, make sure to remove this data by using a strong "wipe" utility program.

28. Never respond to spam email messages.

With the emergence of new technologies, new markets and new jobs; thieves have found a new commodity to steal. Your identity is worth a lot of credit. Victims of identity theft have found it the hard way. Identity theft protection is the only means to be safe from the pain and anguish of having loans accredited to your name. Preventing identity theft requires a proactive approach. Better safe than sorry.

I have been writing for a long time but now i have started submitting it online.

Tips To Prevent Identity Theft

Identity theft cannot be 100% fully prevented. To do so would require a policy of never sharing financial information with anyone, anywhere, anytime. You would not be able to conduct financial transactions in society with that policy. And even if you were able to, your information is already in the records of your physician, bank, the IRS, department of motor vehicles, etc. There is no way to remove this information. Therefore you could become victim to identity theft. However, there are steps you can take to reduce those chances. Internet mail is one of the main sources that perpetrators of identity theft are using to gain access to your personal information. The perpetrator may send threatening emails, or emails that seem appealing. Emails requesting personal financial information are linked to identity theft and arrive in millions of mailboxes worldwide each and every day.

In most cases, no one person is being specifically singled out to become the next victim. It is just not worth the effort involved. Identity thieves are not interested from whom they are stealing the identity from. Instead they focus on targeting as many people as possible as it is a numbers game. The more people they target the higher are the chances that someone will be tricked into volunteering personal financial information.

The senders of these emails are challenging the receiver by using deception, hoping the receiver will give out personal information, such as bank numbers, PIN and passwords, Social Security numbers and other precious information that the thief can use to gain control over your identity. Often these emails state that a bank account or Paypal account has been frozen until information is verified. The victim, being worried that pending transactions will not clear properly, will follow the demand of the email that account information be "updated". The criminal who sent the email will always include a handy link to click on for updating the requested information. Never click on those links.

If you want to avoid identity theft, there are several emails that you may want to bear in mind are SPAM, and you should completely ignore them. One is the forzen account along with a request to update your personal financial information. Another is a claim that you have won x amount of cash, and to act now to receive your prize. If you have not joined a contest, then chances are you have not actually won a prize. A third is an email claiming that you could receive scholarships or grants to attend such and such a college; to earn your degree act now by providing your personal information. These are all fake and designed by criminals to steal your personal financial information. Delete them without a second thought!

Companies that already have your personal information, such as your bank have no reason to ask for this again in an email. In fact, most banks clearly state in their Terms & Conditions that they will never send electronic mail requesting information from the customer at any time. Giving your personal information to someone that sent an email that has your bank name listed in the header is only asking for trouble.

Identity thieves are extremely creative when it comes to stealing identities, including sending emails in respected names. The prestigious FDIC was targeted by thieves; the sender sent emails to recipients of the bank requesting that they provide personal information to avoid closure of their accounts. Microsoft was also targeted by thieves when emails were sent to various inboxes requesting the receiver to download patches to protect their computers. Once the receiver downloaded the attachment, a dangerous virus took control of their computer, leaving a backdoor entry that would give the hacker access to the information stored on the computer.

EBay is also a target for thieves. EBay scams abound. False Paypal payments are common, as well as false or counterfeit checks. Be very wary of anything purported to be from EBay that seems fishy. If you have to think twice about the legitimacy, it is likely a scam. Beware. Here are some helpful tips for you to avoid identity theft as much as possible: 1) Do not open emails if you do not trust the sender.

2) Never give out your personal information over the internet, unless you know that the company can be trusted and is using encryption to secure the web page(s). If Paypal or EBay request your information, which they never have done to this author. go directly to their home page, log into your account there, and see if the request is associated with your account. Never click the link in an email requesting information.

3) Do a background check on any site you are thinking of giving your information to or you are considering buying from. This includes calling the state attorney general's office. 4) Change your PIN numbers and passwords regularly, at as minimum every 6 months. 5) Do not post even general financial information on forums, bulletin boards or discussion boards online.

6) Conceal your personal information at all times, including at home. 7) Never give your personal information over the phone line. 8) When using ATM or other machines to make deposits, withdrawals, or purchases make sure no one sees you type in your PIN number.

9) Do not just throw personal information, such as bank statements or letters containing your postal address, account numbers or any sensitive information in the trash. This is a favorite place for criminals to search. Put it through a shredder first.? 10) Never mail your tax return by putting it in your mailbox with the flag up. Criminals will drive neighborhoods during tax season searching for tax returns. These are the ultimate sources of information for identity theft.

Greg Roy is a leading identity theft author. To find out more about the increasing danger of identity theft, please visit http://identi.ty-theft.com.

Identity Theft - When It Happens To You

So, you've just realized that someone has stolen your identity and is racking up debt left and right, and you want to put a stop to it, but you don't know what to do. Well, keep reading, because in this article you will learn exactly what to do when you are a victim of identity theft. Once you have absorbed this information, act quickly, because the sooner you start fighting for your identity, the sooner you will win.

You will probably receive a phone call from a creditor stating "you" just either made a large purchase and they suspect fraud or you open your credit card bill as you do every month and be amazed at some extra charges that are on there. Call your credit card company immediately. Rarely, will you be liable for charges over $50, and many credit card companies wave the first $50 in the case of fraud. Check with your bank, you will usually be given a choice to close your account and reopen a new one or some banks will put a "watch" on your account and you will have to log into your account and manually approve every charge and check before it is cleared. This usually goes on for a period of 30-60 days. The latter isn't the best choice as it is labor intensive to do and your account isn't protected from fraud as it would be if you simply closed it out and reopened a new account.

After you have done all the initial damage control. The next thing to do when you realize that you are a victim of identity theft is to notify the credit bureaus. Report the situation to the three major credit reporting companies- Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. You can do it online or in writing, and you must tell these companies that your identifying information has been stolen and is being used by another person fraudulently in your name. Ask them to flag your file with a fraud alert, and ask that all creditors call you before extending credit in your name. A consumer statement will be put on your file and it will alleviate your fears of bogus accounts being opened for about 3 months.

Due to provisions of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, you can only place an initial fraud alert for 90 days. The credit bureaus will then send you a notice displaying your rights as an identity theft victim. As soon you receive this, write to each of the three credit bureaus to request two things; An extension of the fraud alert to seven years, and a free copy of your credit report. Remember to include an identity theft report when you send your letter in order to authorize the seven year alert. Whenever you communicate with the credit companies, you should refer to the number given to your credit report and always use verified return receipt mail. Also, make sure you save all credit reports and related information for your records.

As soon as you get your three credit reports, carefully examine each one. Report all fraudulent and inaccurate information in writing to the credit bureaus, as well as to the credit issuers, following the instructions that are provided with the credit reports. As soon as you notify the credit bureaus about the fraudulent information, the bureau is required to strike that information from future reports. The bureau will also notify the credit grantor of the fraudulent account(s). If it isn't included in the report, ask the credit bureaus for the contact information of the credit grantors.

Also, tell the credit bureaus in writing that you want them to remove all inquiries that have been created due to fraudulent access. You should also ask the bureaus to contact anyone who has received your credit report in the last six months so they can be informed about the fraudulent and inaccurate information. Numerous inquiries can lower your credit score, so work diligently on getting those inquiries removed from your personal credit report.

Though these measures should set you back on track and protect your credit from the fraudulent information, they may not completely stop it from happening again. Because of this, be sure to monitor your credit reports, there are many online services that will help you monitor your credit report. We recommend Experian Triple Advantage. Along with getting your credit report online with credit score, you also get 30 days free credit monitoring service. With this service you can start the dispute process online! Often times, once you have started the process you will be able to obtain a second free report from the credit bureaus, and in many states you will be able to access your credit report more frequently. If you notice that the fraudulent information is still happening, notify the proper bureaus instantly. If the problem persists for very long, you may want to consider freezing your accounts for awhile if possible to prevent any more damage.

Identity theft is an unfortunate event when it occurs, but you can fight back and get your life back quickly!
Liz Roberts is a loan consultant with New Horizon and has been providing consumers and business owners with loans since 1989. Visit this site for a list of bad credit credit cards