Protecting Your Social Security Number From Identity Theft

Any victim can tell you identity theft is no laughing matter. The hoops you may have to crawl through for weeks or even years to come, in trying to straighten out your life, can elicit far more tears than laughter. These tears would be most certainly tears of frustration as you do anything and everything to reinstate your good name and most probably your good credit.

Those of you who have no identity theft insurance, which means most of you, will spend at least a part of your day notifying businesses and agencies, credit reporting entities and credit card companies. You will write letters that will need to be notarized, claiming you are indeed the unwitting victim and not the architect of some nefarious plot to ruin your own reputation. Meanwhile, until the matter is cleared, you may suffer mightily as your credit score plummets and bills come due. Bills for things you never purchased.. This translates into being denied credit for products and services you really want or paying higher, penalty interest rates for having such lousy credit.

Identity theft begins with nine little numbers. These nine numbers can mean the world to you. They are the nine digits comprising your Social Security Number, and they are as vulnerable to corruption as a politician at a lobbyist convention. Chances are your Social Security has been disseminated, accidentally or for a job. You probably have it in your wallet and on your computer. It may be crumpled up in your trash can; along with the other papers you didn?t bother shredding. With your Social Security Number and your date of birth safely in hand, an identity thief is off to the races.

These are but a few ways thieves gain access to your Social Security Number. There are even creepier ways, including Internet and database hacking. Then there is your new found lover, the Mr. or Miss Possible you met somewhere or even online. This is the person you dated, brought home and after you fell asleep they went roaming your house, rifled your desk or purse, or rummage your computer for your most intimate files. Doesn?t happen? When you discover to your chagrin someone took out a credit card with your name but at a different address, you?ll know the answer.

To an even greater extreme, your Social Security, accompanied by your date of birth can enable an identity thief to not only acquire credit in your name, but maybe a passport, which can used by or sold to some of our more unsavory members of this planet. While there is an adage that there is no such thing as bad publicity, it?s questionable whether there is anything positive about having your identity associated with a terrorist who just made the headlines on CNN.

Losing your identity to someone else will not only damage your credit and create all sorts of legal troubles. You can face psychological difficulties as well. Besides the task at hand to make your life whole once again, you will feel violated and abused. After all, our very identity is based on?well?our identity, and if some louse has usurped it for his own purposes, then it is understandable that until you repair the damages you feel you have lost at least a little piece of yourself. Identity theft is also embarrassing, because it will become incumbent upon you to explain to everyone that matters why your life has been rendered upside down.

Perhaps the worst part about identity theft is it may be quite awhile before you realize how much damage has been done. If someone applied for credit or ordered credit cards in your name but at a different address, months can pass before you are located and notified of your lapses by either the credit service or the collection agency they send after you. It is a rude awakening the day you get that first call and throughout the day begin to wonder what other shoes may begin to drop. More often than not, if someone secured credit in your name, they will secure more, running the limit in many cases. From that day on you are facing the grim ordeal of cleaning up the mess.

Not all identity theft will relate directly to credit acquisition and unlawful purchases. In Border States especially but no exclusively you may find undocumented workers have somehow come upon your social security number. Perhaps, again, you neglected to shred the sensitive information you dumped into your trashcan. Perhaps he bought it from one of hundreds of peddlers who sell phony documents and someone else?s Social Security Numbers to undocumented workers questing increasingly to appear like legitimate immigrants.

In any event, you Social Security Number is not only used by that one undocumented worker. Chances are he has handed it out to his twelve best friends and family members. You don?t believe me? A woman called me recently to inquire as to why different names appeared on a Social Security Trace she ordered as part of a background check. It seemed odd to her that strange names would be appearing along with her employment candidate on the same document. As a favor, I ran her Social Security Number, and to her considerable chagrin, there was a male name attached to her number as well.

Can this be a problem? Often it is fairly benign and nothing comes of it. But then problems can arise, depending on your new bedfellow?s general behavior and whether he or she attempts to either get credit using your Social Security Number, or whether he or she is suddenly identified as part of a drug cartel or stolen car ring. These things do happen, and they happen when you need it least and least expect it. With the world growing increasingly crazy, what with terrorists and miscreants of every stripe the last thing you need is to be the target of a federal manhunt.

All right, so some of this I may have exaggerated. But not by as much as you think. So, how do you protect against it? Do you call the Social Security Administration? Go ahead, and see what happens there. If it wasn?t so pathetic and frustrating it may even be funny. They can?t do much, they will probably tell you. They are understaffed and overmatched and inundated all at the same time.

So what do you do? First get identity theft insurance. It may not protect you, actually, but most policies will notify you when there is suspected abuse of your credit cards and presumably good name. Credit Card Insurance provides services will assist you in repairing the damage done to your credit and reputation. The insurance will also be helpful in shortening the time and effort involved in making everything whole again. There are numerous policies, many given by credit card companies. I would suggest you shop around.

Run a credit check on yourself on a regular basis. Don?t access just one credit card service, but run all three major reporting companies. They are Experian, Trans Union, and Equifax. There are deals all over the Internet where you can run all three credit services for a total of $25. It is best to run it at least every six to eight months. Monitoring your credit scores on all three services is money well spent.

Finally, we get down to the cheapest and often the best preemptive defense against identity theft, that is besides doing all the foolish things that were mentioned in the earlier paragraphs. Run your own Social Security Trace. There are a variety of reputable companies that should be willing to run your number. Some may require a consent form, verifying you are who you really say you are. This only assists you in protecting your identity, so I would never let that be an obstacle.

When you run your Social Security Trace you will be able to ascertain what names are attached to your number. Sometimes, due to mixed financial efforts, you might your spouse attached, and that is seldom worth concern. It is the strange name or, in some cases, strange names that should cause some alarm. As I noted earlier, this could be undocumented workers who usurped your Social Security Number to appear as a legal worker. Or, worse case scenario, it could be someone out to use your name for their own personal gain.

Once you know that someone has stolen your number, you can notify the appropriate credit services and authorities that there may well be an interloper. You can request they screen any purchases on you accounts and notify you when there are transactions in other cities. Identity Theft insurance will help with that. You can notify the legal authorities, and maybe they will help you track it down. In any event, the faster you become aware that someone has stolen your identity the greater the chance you will minimize the damage.

Finally, there is no reason to live your life with a siege mentality. It is wise to remain aware and to be sentient, especially with regard to who may have stolen your identity. Remember, credit is great but don?t abuse it. Most importantly don?t allow someone else to abuse it for you.

You have only one name. Keep it to yourself.
 

UK Identity Theft

The UK like the United States of America is facing ongoing problems regarding identity theft. New technology enhancement has issued developments, such as PINS and Codes to use credit cards, however, studies are showing that the as technology advances so does criminals. Few credit cards now have chips integrated into the cards to prevent identity theft, however, thieves have developed new strategies that match the developments and it is making it easier for the thieves to steal identities.

In the UK identity theft is an immigration crime-related action verses the purposes that thieves will steal identities in America. The thieves often steal identities because they are illegal residents in the UK and in order to remain in the country a new identity is required. After interviewing a gentleman in England, he claimed that postmasters stole identities sometimes, since the postmaster could make profit by selling the cards to immigrants. With this information in hand, you can see identity theft has many reasons and purposes, thus making it difficult for authorities to understand the crimes.

In the year of 2004, over eleven million victims lost their identities to theft, thus this figure does not include the number of victims in the UK and other countries. In comparison to the early 90's the number of identity theft has increased enormously, and the reason that the numbers escalate is that policyholders are unwilling to make the necessary changes to protect identity as reason of money and credit. Thus, the policyholders are not the only sources responsible for the ongoing crime of identity theft. While policyholders are more concern about making profit, they do consider risks to a large degree since victims of identity theft reach the policyholders and extend throughout the world.

Unfortunately, a victim of any crime often is treated far worse than criminals are treated, thus criminals often have more rights than the victims. The problem is due to the Criminal Justice System who is in constant study of resolving problems, and under the control of various sources, thus restricting their ability to change laws at a giving time.

In order for the crimes to fall in place, as they should, rather in order for the law to work harder than they do, citizens of the world must make a stand and fight by protesting the laws. Each person that makes a stand adds to the changes in our system. While studying the Criminal Justice System I found that these sources are one of the most flawed areas of help in our system. If we want to stop identity theft, thus we as the people need to rise and protest to State Representatives, Congress, Governors, and other leaders in the world. Once you start the protesting you should never cease, since the only way we can have better laws is if we all work together to make the laws work.

The truth is the government allows particular developments and dismisses to the public developments that will protect them from identity theft. When a person becomes a victim of identity theft, it is a long-lasting victimization, since the law rarely cares about the individual that lost his/her identity, rather they are more concerned about the large companies losing money because of the crime. The law claims to be working hard to resolve the problems, but if you ever have been a victim of identity theft you know this is an outright lie.

In the UK, it is said that the people do not have a right to obtain copies of their credit reports and in the US; people are allowed one free copy per year of their reports unless they apply for credit and are denied. Thus, this means that anyone offering financial agreements or extending credit have the right to our reports more so than we do. Is this fair? No. simply put the laws are backwards and will continue to be backwards until stands are made that forces them to act according to their pay. We as the taxpayers are victims of policyholders, law, government and so forth. Thus, identity thefts are a minor problem compared to the bigger problems we have in the world.

Tony Robinson is an International Author, Webmaster and Security Guru. Check out his Identity Theft Protection Tips at http://www.officialidentitytheft.com/

Identity Theft: The road back

A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine mentioned that one of his co-workers recently recovered his stolen identity. I asked how long the process took. "Only two years" he replied. Compared to the six year nightmare suffered by one of my business associates, "only" maybe appropriate. However like most victims of identity theft, my friend's co-worker probably thought in terms of "when". As in, "When will I get my life back?"

Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, a non profit consumer organization, reported that identity theft victims spend on average 175 hours trying to recover their identity, often over a period of years. Factor in out of pocket expenses which usually total, usually over $1,500 according to the Federal Trade Commission and recovery gets painfully magnified.

What are the steps to identity restoration? It starts with obtaining a police report. You're going to need it for contacting the many and I mean many different agencies and organizations, including the Social Security Administration, The Federal Trade Commission, all of your financial institutions, the 3 major credit bureaus, the Passport Office, The Department of Motor Vehicles, the Post Office, and other law enforcement agencies as well as the Medical Information Bureau, since identity thieves now target hospitals and doctor's offices. All of these places must be sent a fraud notification alert.

It is vital that you contact other law enforcement agencies. The databases of local and federal authorities must be searched to ensure no criminal activity exists on your identity.

Concerning your financial institutions, get them to cancel your credit cards and close your bank accounts. Find out from your bank about any suspicious activity, such as accounts tampered with or opened fraudulently. Reopen new bank accounts with password verification.

When contacting the credit bureaus make sure your credit report reflects the identity theft and gets flagged with a fraud alert. Dealing with all these organizations requires constant follow up. Make sure you keep a record of who you talk to along with the date, time and action taken. Many victims received assurances from the various bureaus and agencies that the matter would be resolved only to find the identity theft remained and that were still liable. If you do this yourself, be diligent. Constant follow up all the way to the end.

This also requires knowing your rights. According to the Fair Credit Reporting Act of 1992, you must be told not only what's in your file but if that information is being used against you. The Federal Trade Commission recently expanded the rights available to victims of identity theft including your right to get negative information due to fraud blocked from your records.

Stay Away from "credit repair "companies". No matter what they advertise, there's usually nothing they can do to help you with identity theft. Some of them even offer to help you
apply for credit under a new identity. Hello? When trying to eliminate fraud from your record you don't want to create more fraud!

Advise the utility companies. Many identity thieves open telephone accounts, purchase cable television or establish credit with the gas & electric companies. It's not just bank accounts and credit cards.

If necessary get counseling. Identity theft can be a shattering experience not just economically but emotionally. Many victims feel ashamed and humiliated. It's not their fault of course but the feelings remain. A network of support groups and counselors exists if you need it.

The road back from identity theft can take time, money, and cause much stress and pain . But with follow up, support and belief that the nightmare will end...the nightmare WILL end.

Don't go it alone. Get free information concerning identity theft protection, 24/7 monitoring and fast restoration.
Go to http://digbig.com/4cmcg now.

Daryl Campbell owns and operates WintheMarket.com a home based company that helps people build and protect their internet business.

 

Cyber Fraud & Identity Theft Prevention

There are many people out there that have DSL or cable connections that don't have proper firewalls or up to date antivirus programs in place. Too many think it just came with the computer. This can create a breach and your privacy violated. The General Accounting Office now puts identity theft at 750,000 victims a year. Victims spend an average of 175 painstaking hours to undo the damage.

There are things you can do to protect yourself especially regarding your computer. First and foremost, don't store your personal information on your computer. Someone harvesting that kind of information can literally go through thousands of computers in the hour you spend watching your favorite television program. Virus' can infect your system and relay that information in alot less time. Make sure your firewalls and anit-virus software is up to date. If you don't have them - get them. You don't have to be the most tech savy person to do it either. For the average user, you can find security information, news and products presented in plain language at quantum-links.com http://www.quantum-links.com to keep yourself and your computer running current and up to date.
Beware people who come asking for your personal information. This is becoming commonly known as PHISH. Services you already have do not email you asking for you to resubmit your information. PayPal had some of it's customers caught in this net recently and had to issue an email telling them not to respond. Instead of replying with your information, email them back asking for a telephone number by which to contact them directly. It is doubtful that they will respond with one. If they do, you can check out the number in a number of ways to make sure it's for real. One way is to use the reverse listings available on many search engines. My favorite is http://www.refdesk.com>.

Check your credit report at least once a year. Have a fraud alert put on your accounts. This is a flag that asks creditors to contact you before opening any new accounts. This may impede opening instant accounts. But, the security seems well worth the inconveinance. You can also order credit watch services from them that contact you when there is unusual activity. Here are links to the big three: