Identity Theft: The G.I. Blues

Tom Nelson retired from the military almost twenty years ago. In that time, Nelson has spent many years living and working overseas. ?If my VA ID is fraudulently used by someone in the States, one: it could take me months to find out the theft has occurred and two: if it did happen God knows how long it would require to fix it from overseas?, Nelson told the Seattle Post Intelligencer.

On May 22 Nelson and 26.5 million U.S. veterans awoke to the news their personal information including name, address and social security number had been stolen from the home of a Department of Veteran Affairs? employee.

Why the employee took this highly sensitive information home is anyone?s guess and according to the FBI the computer disc containing this information was subsequently recovered. What infuriated veterans however wasn?t the actual theft but that the theft went unreported for two weeks.

The news is shocking yet many veterans groups are not surprised. They point to Congress? Computer Security Report Card which year after year has given the VA a failing grade. Government auditors also warned of possible security breaches at the agency. Through all of this the VA took no action.

VA Secretary Jim Nicholson?s recent proposal of free credit monitoring for veterans up to one year was shot down by the Bush Administration. According to the Washington Post the decision is based on the opinion of the FBI which stated it had a "high degree of confidence" that thieves had not accessed the files containing the names, Social Security numbers and birth dates of millions of veterans and active-duty military personnel. Hopefully they?re right but for many veterans its now a time of wait and see.

Veterans can however request a credit freeze. Yes it stops the victim from easily opening a new account but a credit freeze is the most effective weapon against identity theft. Checking your account every other day isn?t a bad idea either. For further information and assistance veterans can call 1-800-333-4636 (1-800-FED-INFO).

Peggy Foster, a veteran and VA services asst at the University of Colorado-Boulder, told the Colorado Daily,? It happened to me before and everything was stolen. Now I?m very cautious about giving my information out.?

?The government bombards us with so much in the military. It?s important when you?re a veteran to pay more attention.?

With the glut of information in our 24 /7 world, Ms Foster?s advice applies not only to military personnel but the rest of us as well.

Daryl Campbell?s website http://fightidtheft.winthemarket.com provides free tips,resources, featured articles from experts and up to the minute news concerning identity theft and fraud.

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.

Identity Theft: It Won't Happen To Me

"I got bad credit, I'm not worried"

"It happened to a friend of a friend"

"I've got other priorities now"

"All it takes is guarding your Social Security number"

"I can trust the people around me"

These quotes are all too common regarding identity theft. The problem is the Federal Trade Commission, various law enforcement agencies and identity theft experts have stated there are no 100% guarantees and the numbers for identity theft keep getting worse

"I got bad credit so I'm not worried"

Just recently KFLY TV in Lafayette Louisiana reported that 2 men were arrested for stealing the identity of 2500 people. Identity thieves don't run credit checks before they steal your identity.All they need to do damage is a little bit of your personal information.

"It happened to a friend of a friend"

This one should really alert people. The reason ? Everybody now knows somebody that's been victimized. That alone tells you what an epidemic identity theft has become. Last year 10 million people had their identities stolen. Many experts think that number will double this year. They also fear the 10 million figure is too low. Why? Many victims don't report the crime.

"I've got other priorities now"

Once your identity is stolen there is only one priority: Getting it back. On average it can take 175 hours and out of pocket expenses totaling 15,000 dollars according to the FTC.

"All it takes is guarding your Social Security number"

In February of this year Bank of America announced that 1.2 million federal employee credit card accounts may have been exposed to identity theft. Last year, Visa and MasterCard announced that 40 million cardholders maybe at risk when the database of their third party processor was broken into. Many of these people no doubt guarded their Social Security number faithfully but thru no fault of their own they're at risk.

"I can trust the people around me"

This one hits home and may hurts the worst. 50% of all identity thieves are known by the victim. Family members, friends and neighbors do more damage than total strangers.

There are other reasons people give. Yes it may never happen to you but identity theft is now a full blown epidemic that affects everyone.

Phishing Scams, A Growing Identity Theft Menace

There is no doubt that identity theft is a growing problem and we should all try to educate ourselves to avoid being a victim of this often devastating crime. It seems that criminals are using increasingly ingenious methods to gain access to our private and valuable personal information and computer users must be aware of criminal information gathering techniques known as phishing.

You may have heard about phishing scams in the news recently because so many have fallen prey to this clever methodology employed by tech savvy criminals. We are all busy in today's fast paced world and it's hard to keep up with every new threat and development so the purpose of this article is to describe what phishing is, and how you can avoid being a victim.

Phishing attacks employ strategies of social engineering and technical subterfuge in the attempt to obtain an individual's personal identity data and financial account information. Social-engineering schemes use fraudulent e-mails which attempt to direct consumers to counterfeit websites, often perfectly replicating legitimate business sites to trick recipients into releasing financial data such as credit card numbers, account passwords, user names and social security numbers. Using recognizable company names of banks, online retailers and credit card companies, phishers are often able to secure this private data. Technical subterfuge schemes usually plant spyware and crimeware onto user computers to access personal data directly, most often utlizing Trojan keylogger spyware.

What can we do to avoid such clever deceptions? First of all just knowing that the threat exists is very important and many individuals report that they had never heard of phishing before becoming a victim. In addition there are several practical precautions we can all take to minimize our exposure to risk.

1. Be wary of any email containing urgent requests for financial information suggesting your immediate response is required, statements designed to upset and excite the respondent are often included to elicit a quick reply. These emails often demand user names and passwords as well as SSN's. Legitimate businesses never ask for confidential data via email and none of this information should ever be sent by email as security is severely compromised.

2. If you question the authenticity of an email don't use the links embedded in the email to access the company webpage, instead type the URL of the company in your browser to insure you are looking at the legitimate website. You can also phone the company to insure an email request is authentic and companies today are aware of phishing threats and will generally appreciate being informed of a potential problem.

3. Financial information should only be communicated through a secure website or by telephone and never by an email request. Secure websites always have https:// preceding the web address rather than just http:// in the browser address window.

4. Check your online accounts on a regular basis even if you have no transactions, dormant and little used accounts are common targets for online predators. Carefully review your credit card statements for unauthorized transactions and make sure you shred them if not retained for your records.

5. Make sure your browser is updated regularly with the latest security patches and you should also have an anti-spyware program installed and running at all times.

Take these necessary precautions to avoid your exposure to the identity theft problem known as phishing.

Jim Hutton researches and writes on the subject of identity theft and you can view the entire Identity Theft Article Library at:

Identity Theft Prevention

Identity Theft Awareness - Getting to Know This crime

Identity theft is on the rise. The starting point in the fight against identity theft is prevention. Major corporations are just starting to incorporate identity theft awareness into their overall security awareness programs to educate their employees, clients and vendors on the minimum security measures that must be and are expected to be taken. Like I always say, it is your information and only you can initiate the efforts and take the steps to protect them. Whether you are an individual concerned with the security and privacy of your own personal information or that of your family, or, a company concerned with the personal information of your clients and employees, you must have identity theft awareness and take the steps to educate yourself first, and then others who also handle your information. This could include your kids, your accountant, attorney, vendor, and a bunch of others.

Contrary to all beliefs, the information security and protection business is not an old profession. Information privacy is even in its infancy in my opinion. Take a look around; social security numbers are floating around every where from the doctor's office to the internet like they're piece of worthless junk, while the same social security numbers are heavily relied on to identify us. Businesses ask for our social security numbers, names, phone numbers, addresses, zip codes (interestingly enough, zip codes are used to validate our identity and ownership of the credit card we use at the gas pump), and other piece of information in public and expect us to respond back with the information while surrounded by other people.

Do we really believe that identity theft can be fought while we continue to treat and handle our personal and most valuable information in such manners? One of the information security principles is that, all information is not born equally. As a society, we need to determine what information is critical to us, and apply more stringent security measures to protect them.

If we rely on social security numbers as a main source of identity validation, then we must treat it differently than our home phone numbers. I have further described this philosophy in my identity protection system, KAOS?.

In a lot of the identity theft cases, the responsibility is shifted to the consumers for the time being. Besides a few laws that make identity theft a crime, or limit the credit card liability to $50 if discovered and reported timely, consumers are left in the dark. For one thing, they don't know what piece of their personal information is really important and how to protect them; second, if they get hit with identity theft, they are on their own and at the mercy of the financial institutions to solve their problem, the same institutions that are not held responsible for luring consumers into buying their products or falsely handing money to thieves who claimed to be you. People are lured into getting a bunch of credit cards or other credit accounts, forced to reveal their personal information in public, or enticed to apply for multiple mortgages or Home Equity Line of Credits (or HELOC) and left alone when hit with identity theft because businesses who lured the consumers into sharing their personal information with them in the first place, did not tell them that there is an increased and proportional risk with the number of times they share their information with others, or won't take responsibility when the crime occurs.

It all starts with identity theft awareness. Be aware of what's at stake, what needs to be protected, why and how. Take responsibility in case no one else does. Educate your family and friends about the risks of identity theft. Inquire and monitor the security practices of those whom you share your information with. Businesses are forced to share their privacy policies with you. Read them carefully and don't do business with those who do not make you comfortable with the way they intend to protect and share the information you entrust them with. Please visit www.identity-theft-awareness.com for free identity theft solutions.

Henry Bagdasarian is a certified information security, privacy and audit expert with many years of experience with major international companies. Nominated for Security Executive of The Year Award (2006). Created the identity protection and theft prevention KAOS system available free of charge on his identity theft web site, www.identity-theft-awareness.com.

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.

Copyright ? 2006 Spyware-Information.com All Rights Reserved.

Spyware-Information.com offers you spyware removal, free spyware cleaners, downloads, anti spam software, valuable tips and regularly updated spyware and identity theft articles.

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.

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

Preventing Identity Theft

Unfortunately, one of the growing trends in today?s society is identity theft. Identity theft can happen to anyone and while most identity theft happens online due to hacking, there are dozens of situations where personal information was lost or stolen by a third party . If you are a victim of identity theft your credit rating can suffer. Here are some tips on combating bad credit and identity theft.

If your wallet has been lost, credit card stolen or your computer has been hacked it is important to notify all three credit bureaus immediately (Experian, Expedia and Trans Union). Usually, you will be able to put a block on your account, only allowing a new credit card or loan to be opened with your prior approval. Besides notifying the credit bureaus it is important to complete a police report for your records.

If you have been a victim of identity theft or would like to prevent identity theft the best preventive measure is to regularly request a copy of your credit report. Credit reports are usually given out for free to most US residents, depending on your state upon request each year. For people that think they have been a victim of identity theft, it is a good idea to request a credit report every six months or less.

Reviewing your credit report can usually tell if theft or fraud has occurred. You can easily see if a new account has been opened or new loans have been taken out. You then can contact the appropriate authorities being the lender and police. You may also want to talk to a lawyer regarding your legal rights.

Don?t be a victim of bad credit due to theft and fraud; take a look at the above advice on how to protect yourself from having bad credit due to identity theft or fraud.

Connie Barker is the owner of several financial websites including those that deal with Preventing Identity Theft

Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft

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. Spam or Phishing emails are linked to Identity Theft and arrive in millions of mailboxes worldwide.

In most cases, no one is being 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 fooled.

Now these thieves are acting on greed and intend to get rich by stealing the identities of people. The senders of such 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.

Although Identity Theft has become of big public interest in the last few years, the tactics that are used are nothing new. Some of the well known hackers that have broken into military computers and stolen information from financial institutions have been using social engineering for decades. They did not spend months trying to break a complex password. They simply picked up a phone, rang someone and persuaded them to divulge sensitive information to them, such as a password!

So if you want to avoid Identity Theft, then the emails that you may want to bear in mind are SPAM that claim that you have won x amount of cash, and to act now to receive your prize. Well if you have not joined a contest then chances are you have not actually won a prize. A good example is an email that claims you have won $32,000 and requests that you pay the tax on the winning, and to please respond now in order to receive this prize. Or you may receive an email claiming that you could receive scholarships or grants to attend such and such a college and to earn your degree act now by providing your personal information. These are all bogus so delete them!

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

Identity Thieves are thinking of everything when it comes to stealing identities, including sending emails in respected names. 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. Some thieves purchase items on EBay claiming that they have sent the seller a check that amounts to more than the purchase price and that the seller should send the remaining amount back to the purchaser by electronic form, or else say through Western Union. The checks were found to be counterfeit and so the seller was being tricked into handing over money.

Here are some helpful tips to help you avoid Identity Theft: 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).

3) Do a background check on any site you are thinking of giving your information to or you are considering buying from.

4) Never give your personal information over the phone line.

5) Do not post personal information on forums, bulletin boards or discussion boards online.

6) Conceal your personal information at all times, including at home.

7) When using ATM or other machines to make deposits, withdrawals or purchases make sure no one sees you type in your PIN number.

8) Change your PIN numbers and passwords regularly.

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. Put it through a shredder first.

David McKone has been involved with network security for several years, providing secure networks for both small businesses and large corporate clients. Sign up for my free newsletter and receive my special report "Computer Security" absolutely free at Computer Security

Identity Theft: Dont Be The Next Victim

This article which you are about to read has been written because I have been a victim of Identity Theft and I know what huge problems this creates, not to mention the severe losses involved. If I can help just one person avoid this I will be happy.

We have all at one time or another received an email directing us to visit a familiar website where we are being asked to update our personal information. The website needs you to verify or update your passwords, credit card numbers, social security number, or even your bank account number.

You recognize the business name as one that you have conducted business with in the past. So, you click on the convenient take me there link and proceed to provide all the information they have requested. Unfortunately, you find out much later that the website is bogus. It was created with the sole intent to steal your personal information. You, my friend, have just been phished.

Phishing (pronounced as fishing) is defined as the act of sending an email to a recipient falsely claiming to have an established, legitimate business. The intent of the phisher is to scam the recipient into surrendering their private information, and ultimately steal your identity.

It is not as easy as you think to spot an email phishing for information. At first glance, the email may look like it is from a legitimate company. The From field of the e-mail may have the .com address of the company mentioned in the e-mail. The clickable link even appears to take you to the companys website, when in fact, it is a fake website built to replicate the legitimate site.

Many of these people are professional criminals. They have spent a lot of time in creating emails that look authentic. Users need to review all emails requesting personal information carefully. When reviewing your email remember that the From Field can be easily changed by the sender. While it may look like it is coming from a .com you do business with, looks can be deceiving.

Now before you read any further I just want to jump in here and say that I really do hope that you will find this information helpful. I am not trying to frighten you in any way, just make you aware of what is going on out there. So, having said that, lets continue.

Also keep in mind that the phisher will go all out in trying to make their email look as legitimate as possible. They will even copy logos or images from the official site to use in their emails. Finally, they like to include a clickable link that the recipient can follow to conveniently update their information. A great way to check the legitimacy of the link is to point at the link with your mouse. Then, look in the bottom left hand screen of your computer. The actual website address to which you are being directed will show up for you to view. It is a very quick and easy way to check if you are being directed to a legitimate site.

Finally, follow the golden rule. Never, ever, click the links within the text of the e-mail, and always delete the e-mail immediately. Once you have deleted the e-mail, empty the trash box in your e-mail accounts as well.

If you are truly concerned that you are missing an important notice regarding one of your accounts, then type the full URL address of the website into your browser. At least then you can be confident that you are, in fact, being directed to the true and legitimate website.

Let me conclude by saying that this article is just by way of introduction to the subject, there is a lot of information available both in your local bookstore, on the internet, and indeed in my blog, so happy researching.

john savage has a Blog which you should read if you cannot afford to be hacked, cracked, or impersonated. Click Here to visit

Reporting Identity Theft

Have you been a victim of identity theft? Do you think that your identity is in jeopardy, and that somebody has taken it upon themselves to use your personal information as their own? If this sounds like a situation that you are in, you will definitely want to look into reporting your matter to the appropriate agency. By doing this, you will be able to document your problem which will go a long way in ensuring that everything is taken care of appropriately.

If you are interested in reporting identity theft you will need to know who to speak with. The reason that most people don?t report this sort of theft is because they simply don?t know who to call. You should never let this hold you back from reporting identity theft.

The first place that you may want to contact is the Social Security Administration. Even if they can?t directly help you, they will be able to point you in the right direction. The Social Security Administration can be reached by calling 1-800-269-0271.

The Federal Trade Commission may also be able to help you out, or point you in the right direction. They can be reached via phone at 1-877-IDTHEFT.

If you know that your credit card information has been stolen you will not want to waste time with the Social Security Administration or the Federal Trade Commission. You will want to call your credit card company direct, and tell them what happened. This will allow them to put a freeze on your card, and quite possibly assist you in tracking down the problem.

By reporting identity theft, you are doing more than just helping yourself. You are also helping other people who have been victims, as well as people that can become a target at any time. If you feel that your identity has been stolen, make sure to report it right away.

Brazilian living in North Carolina, USA since 1996. Married, one teenager daughter. Professional background: Computer Systems Analyst Vision: Improve people's health and wealth. Help needy children. Web page: http://www.etorres.ws

How Phone Verification Fights Identity Theft

Just like anything on Earth modern society has some kind of balance. So on one hand we have a progressive electronic community and on the other hand we have army of internet criminals whose both work and fun consists of so called identity theft.

As the main weapon of a scammer is his anonymity the main purpose of a Site Owner consists in confirmation of Users identity.

There are some methods to verify website user's identity. Confirmation by email is used when it concerns password reminder service; e-merchants use AVS checking to authorize their customers as true cardholders while processing credit cards in e-shops and so on.

But it's not enough. Passwords can be stolen through so called phishing. And Address Verification System is used in US and Canada only and moreover its scheme is rather imperfect.

There should be another solution.

And it does exist.

Telephone verification is a kind of universal method to verify user's identity. It works as follows:

A. A user enters his personal data including phone number at a certain site and presses "submit" button.

B. Phone verification system initiates a call to this number.

C. After greeting a system asks to enter pin-code that a user sees on the screen using a phone keypad.

D. A user enters pin-code and hangs up.

After a call is done system passes a merchant user's country and city by phone number area code, phone number type and matching of pin-code entered and pin-code shown on site. Some companies e.g. Proveout.com provides Geo IP research in addition to telephone verification. This allows to compare IP address data with phone number data (whether country and city identified by IP address matches the ones identified by phone area code).

It is a lot. It is surely enough to define whether a Customer is a person he seems to be - a real website user and a real cardholder.

Optionally system can ask a person to confirm his identity/order by saying something like his name or any other information that is recorded. Afterwards, such recordings can prove that a person had indeed used certain service (ordered certain goods). A Site Owner can download a wav-file with a recorded voice message of a customer at any time as it is saved on server of telephone authorization service provider.

This is telephone verification and how it works.

Where telephone verification is used

1. E-commerce. Identity theft is a serious problem for plenty of merchants. Telephone verification helps to reduce fraudulent transactions. Customer just passes the standard procedure of authorization and proves that he is a true cardholder. Recorded message with Customers voice can afterwards become a proof of ordering a good/service by a certain person.

2. Any website where registration/authorization is required. VoIP telephone verification can be used at the registration stage in order to confirm users' identity (e.g. it's of high importance at different forums, online communities, online financial services etc). Also it can be used in case a user has lost his password. Sending it to a specific email address doesn't guarantee Site Owner cannot be completely sure that password reminder procedure isn't initiated by a scammer with an idea to manage somebody's personal data. Passing telephone verification by user can prove his identity.

3. Sites with free content limiting. Very often different companies carry on advertising campaigns that permit using their online services for free for certain time (trial periods). In order to anticipate multiple signing up (which is a bad experience for a marketing report) each new registration can be verified in order to prove that use hasn't signed up before.

4. Sites offering region limiting services. In some countries it is prohibited to distribute security software to certain countries. Using telephone verification service Site Owner can be sure that his new registered user doesn't live in one of these countries. Phone number area code helps to reveal user's location. This service is even more effective when it is used together with Geo IP research.

VoIP telephone service can be used for automation of webmaster's work by programming scheduled phone calls with a request of certain info or a confirmation of certain info. E.g. you can automatically initiate a call when a new order with shipment requirement is submitted in order to confirm shipment details. In case you're an owner of an internet-catalogue you can initiate a call e.g. once a month to the members of your catalogue in order to confirm that their sites still exist with the same domain names, so to confirm their membership.

You can use VoIP telephone verification as a perfect marketing tool. For example you can supply your Clients with information concerning some changes in their maintenance by phone or automatically play them greeting messages on specific dates.

To sum it up, I'm to say that there is a great variety of variants on how VoIP telephone verification can be used in internet space. You can offer another ways according to your e-business. It gives great opportunities to communicate with your Clients without being bounded by electronic means (email, ICQ).

Alexa Foster is a specialist in web development and internet marketing. Visit http://www.lommeks.co.uk

Identity Theft: The G.I. Blues

Tom Nelson retired from the military almost twenty years ago. In that time, Nelson has spent many years living and working overseas. ?If my VA ID is fraudulently used by someone in the States, one: it could take me months to find out the theft has occurred and two: if it did happen God knows how long it would require to fix it from overseas?, Nelson told the Seattle Post Intelligencer.

On May 22 Nelson and 26.5 million U.S. veterans awoke to the news their personal information including name, address and social security number had been stolen from the home of a Department of Veteran Affairs? employee.

Why the employee took this highly sensitive information home is anyone?s guess and according to the FBI the computer disc containing this information was subsequently recovered. What infuriated veterans however wasn?t the actual theft but that the theft went unreported for two weeks.

The news is shocking yet many veterans groups are not surprised. They point to Congress? Computer Security Report Card which year after year has given the VA a failing grade. Government auditors also warned of possible security breaches at the agency. Through all of this the VA took no action.

VA Secretary Jim Nicholson?s recent proposal of free credit monitoring for veterans up to one year was shot down by the Bush Administration. According to the Washington Post the decision is based on the opinion of the FBI which stated it had a "high degree of confidence" that thieves had not accessed the files containing the names, Social Security numbers and birth dates of millions of veterans and active-duty military personnel. Hopefully they?re right but for many veterans its now a time of wait and see.

Veterans can however request a credit freeze. Yes it stops the victim from easily opening a new account but a credit freeze is the most effective weapon against identity theft. Checking your account every other day isn?t a bad idea either. For further information and assistance veterans can call 1-800-333-4636 (1-800-FED-INFO).

Peggy Foster, a veteran and VA services asst at the University of Colorado-Boulder, told the Colorado Daily,? It happened to me before and everything was stolen. Now I?m very cautious about giving my information out.?

?The government bombards us with so much in the military. It?s important when you?re a veteran to pay more attention.?

With the glut of information in our 24 /7 world, Ms Foster?s advice applies not only to military personnel but the rest of us as well.
Daryl Campbell?s website http://fightidtheft.winthemarket.com provides free tips,resources, featured articles from experts and up to the minute news concerning identity theft and fraud

Identity Theft: It Won't Happen To Me

"I got bad credit, I'm not worried"

"It happened to a friend of a friend"

"I've got other priorities now"

"All it takes is guarding your Social Security number"

"I can trust the people around me"

These quotes are all too common regarding identity theft. The problem is the Federal Trade Commission, various law enforcement agencies and identity theft experts have stated there are no 100% guarantees and the numbers for identity theft keep getting worse

"I got bad credit so I'm not worried"

Just recently KFLY TV in Lafayette Louisiana reported that 2 men were arrested for stealing the identity of 2500 people. Identity thieves don't run credit checks before they steal your identity.All they need to do damage is a little bit of your personal information.

"It happened to a friend of a friend"

This one should really alert people. The reason ? Everybody now knows somebody that's been victimized. That alone tells you what an epidemic identity theft has become. Last year 10 million people had their identities stolen. Many experts think that number will double this year. They also fear the 10 million figure is too low. Why? Many victims don't report the crime.

"I've got other priorities now"

Once your identity is stolen there is only one priority: Getting it back. On average it can take 175 hours and out of pocket expenses totaling 15,000 dollars according to the FTC.

"All it takes is guarding your Social Security number"

In February of this year Bank of America announced that 1.2 million federal employee credit card accounts may have been exposed to identity theft. Last year, Visa and MasterCard announced that 40 million cardholders maybe at risk when the database of their third party processor was broken into. Many of these people no doubt guarded their Social Security number faithfully but thru no fault of their own they're at risk.

"I can trust the people around me"

This one hits home and may hurts the worst. 50% of all identity thieves are known by the victim. Family members, friends and neighbors do more damage than total strangers.

There are other reasons people give. Yes it may never happen to you but identity theft is now a full blown epidemic that affects everyone.

The Rise Of Credit Card Identity Theft

Personal identity theft is a huge runaway business made even easier with advances in computer technology. So far as credit cards are concerned, personal identity theft is now costing card issuer billions of dollars a year. To try and recoup some of these losses, card providers and now telling their customers that if they were in any way at fault in the theft of their identity, they could be comparable and liable for at least part of these losses. So, what exactly is credit card identity theft and how can you minimize it happening to you? Credit card identity theft

In short, credit card identity theft is when someone else manages to get access to your account. This can be done in one of three ways:

* firstly, and most obviously, they steal your actual card and use this card before you have had a chance to inform the provider. * second, the copy the details from your card and use the details to either make a new card to purchase items in shops or purchase items on the Internet. As you don't believe that the card has been stolen, you are not aware that the card is being used illegally and it may not be till your card is denied that you notice something is wrong * lastly, they neither steal the card, nor the details of your card but steal your Personal Identification Number (PIN) and then use that get access to large sums of cash. This rather clever method is used by way of copying your PIN details when you use an ATM to withdraw cash on your credit card. Again, as you are unaware that anything has happened, it takes sometime for the illicit use to come to your attention.

How to protect your identity

Basically, the only 100% way to protect your identity is to only use your credit card with people you know and trust. Unfortunately, that is not a realistic solution. Some of the following safety precautions, however, should be adopted:

* when you use you credit card in a shop, never agree to let the card go out of your sight; for example, if the attendant tells you they have to make a phone call in he backroom, tell then you are going with them * if the shop you use your card in uses the old carbon-copy paper system, never allow the shop to retain the carbon-copy. Take it with you and destroy it at a later date * never use your credit card on an unsecured website. At best the website should have an encrypted safety system, without which you should give serious thought to whether you should be using the services of another site * never use your credit card to withdraw money in an ATM you have not used previously. If you really need to withdraw money on your credit card, do so at the counter using the teller and not the ATM

If you adopt these minimal safety precautions you should be on your way to protecting your identity - and be less liable for any identity theft. One final consideration, given the choice between the Internet and shop, where would you think most identity theft occurs? If you choose the Internet you could be (currently) wrong - so be careful using your credit card in shops you don't know!

Joseph Kenny writes for the Loans Store and offer more information on personal loans and other loan topics available on site.
Visit today: http://www.ukpersonalloanstore.co.uk/

The Rise Of Credit Card Identity Theft

Personal identity theft is a huge runaway business made even easier with advances in computer technology. So far as credit cards are concerned, personal identity theft is now costing card issuer billions of dollars a year. To try and recoup some of these losses, card providers and now telling their customers that if they were in any way at fault in the theft of their identity, they could be comparable and liable for at least part of these losses. So, what exactly is credit card identity theft and how can you minimize it happening to you? Credit card identity theft

In short, credit card identity theft is when someone else manages to get access to your account. This can be done in one of three ways:

* firstly, and most obviously, they steal your actual card and use this card before you have had a chance to inform the provider. * second, the copy the details from your card and use the details to either make a new card to purchase items in shops or purchase items on the Internet. As you don't believe that the card has been stolen, you are not aware that the card is being used illegally and it may not be till your card is denied that you notice something is wrong * lastly, they neither steal the card, nor the details of your card but steal your Personal Identification Number (PIN) and then use that get access to large sums of cash. This rather clever method is used by way of copying your PIN details when you use an ATM to withdraw cash on your credit card. Again, as you are unaware that anything has happened, it takes sometime for the illicit use to come to your attention.

How to protect your identity

Basically, the only 100% way to protect your identity is to only use your credit card with people you know and trust. Unfortunately, that is not a realistic solution. Some of the following safety precautions, however, should be adopted:

* when you use you credit card in a shop, never agree to let the card go out of your sight; for example, if the attendant tells you they have to make a phone call in he backroom, tell then you are going with them * if the shop you use your card in uses the old carbon-copy paper system, never allow the shop to retain the carbon-copy. Take it with you and destroy it at a later date * never use your credit card on an unsecured website. At best the website should have an encrypted safety system, without which you should give serious thought to whether you should be using the services of another site * never use your credit card to withdraw money in an ATM you have not used previously. If you really need to withdraw money on your credit card, do so at the counter using the teller and not the ATM

If you adopt these minimal safety precautions you should be on your way to protecting your identity - and be less liable for any identity theft. One final consideration, given the choice between the Internet and shop, where would you think most identity theft occurs? If you choose the Internet you could be (currently) wrong - so be careful using your credit card in shops you don't know!

Joseph Kenny writes for the Loans Store and offer more information on personal loans and other loan topics available on site.
Visit today: http://www.ukpersonalloanstore.co.uk/

Identity Theft at Record Levels

In a country that prides itself on innovation and a citizen's right to privacy, why are we still living with the most antiquated personal credit scoring system in the world?

Our SSN (social security number) is the key to our financial existence. It allows the world to see the good, the bad and sometimes the downright ugly. We have no choice but to use this system to obtain credit, mortgages, insurance and even jobs. Having established the importance of this nine-digit number to us as individuals, why are we still using a system that appears to have been designed for the sole benefit of thieves and robbers? We may just as well walk around with a BIG SIGN pinned to our backs telling any criminal with half a brain "Great Credit - Please Rob Me - All information required listed below."

Anyone who has had the terrible misfortune to be affected by identity theft will know only too well how completely useless and ineffective our current system is. The pain can and normally will go on for many years. YOU ARE THE VICTIM OF A TERRIBLE CRIME! It would appear that everyone knows you are the victim of this crime, but the system has no answers for you. What seems like a very simple solution (remove these items from my credit report) becomes a MAJOR and very time-consuming challenge. The demand letters just keep arriving by the sack load and of course your credit score, the thing we are all judged by, keeps going down. It finally gets to levels we never knew existed before this nightmare began.

Before I outline a possible solution, lets look at the problem. We are asked to give up our SSN every time we need credit. How do we know where that information is going. We complete these credit applications and hand over our life story to someone we have never met before - our name, address, date of birth, bank account and SSN. This person normally takes the application to someone else, who either faxes it or puts the information into an online system. We have no idea where this information is going, so it's strictly "In God We Trust."

With identity theft (the so-called "white collar crime") hitting record levels, it time for the government to start looking after the citizens it's paid to protect. Why are we still using a system most 3rd world countries would laugh at? If we must use a credit score system as a measure of our ability to pay debts, then at the very least put in place a system that protects us from criminals. Why not make the SSN card a "Smart Card" with all our credit information held by a secure government agency. Before you all start crying "big brother," they already have it anyway. Just watch "Law and Order" or any "CSI" program and see how many times they trace someone from a credit card or cell phone. The smart card could have an account number, something like a credit card number. This number plus our zip code is the only personal information they would get. The dealers or stores would pay a small fee to the agency each time they requested a credit score. This would allow them to make a basic decision, yes or no. Should they wish to lend us the funds and we accepted their terms, they could give us an account/reference number that we could enter into a government run secured web site allowing us to complete their application form. This would ensure that only fully licensed lending organizations would be receiving our most personal information.

They (our leaders) would get the chance to put some real meaning into the words "serve and protect" - and we would get to sleep at night without the fear of being left penniless.

Have an opinion or a question you would like me to answer, then write me! Carl@freelocalpapers.com www.carlhampton.com

Carl Hampton is the author of the best selling book "From Credit Despair to Credit Millionaire". His financial column "Your Money Matter" is now syndicated in a large number of newspapers with a readership of over 4 million readers per week.

Selecting a Strong Password to prevent Identity Theft

Maintaining a secure computer is a good defense against becoming a victim of Identity Theft. Use a secure password. By secure, I mean a password that is not easily guessable, such as a word you may find in the dictionary. These types of passwords can ve found by someone using what is known as a "dictionary attack" This type of attack involves using the words that are found in the dictionary and comparing those to a hash that has been generated by the Operating System. If the attack matches the hashes, then the password has been compromised. Don't use birthdays or Social Security Numbers as well. It has been recommended that your password be at least 8 characters long, including small and capital letters, numbers, and special characters.

A password like "alphabet" can easily be compromised. If you were to change it up a little by making every other letter a capital, "AlPhAbEt", this will improve the security. You can then take it a step further and replace the "E" with the number "3", so then your password looks like "AlPhAb3t". Then take the "l" and change it to the number "1" or even the "!". So now the password looks like "A!PhAb3t". It will take a super computer an extremely long time to break this password. At this point the attacker would have to use a method known as "brute force". That means the attacker is taking every possible combination of numbers and letters and special characters and creating a hash to try and match the hash stored by the computer.

To prevent yourself from being subjected to a "brute force" attack, you can set up a security policy that will disable the account after a certain number of unsuccessful attempts.

To further prevent yourself from being compromised since there are programs that can download the hashes stored in your computer, you may want to set some kind of time limit for your passwords. A good example would be that the password would have to be changed every 90 days, and the same password can't be used within a 180 period. This will help ensure that if someone did get the hash of your password, that by the time it is compromised, it would be an obsolete password.

Try to check your logs to see if there have been any attempts on the password. This will certainly let you know if someone is looking at your computer in order to compromise the data that is stored on it.

By maintaining a secure password, you are ensuring that your private information will remain private.

For further information and tips, visit our site at www.whoelseisme.com

Founder of www.whoelseisme.com, we established a site to help those recover from Identity Theft and also how to prevent it from happening.

Beating Credit Card Identity Theft

Almost all property in the world can be stolen. Whether it be money in a bank, important documents, copyrights, and now even your intellectual property. Credit cards and ATMs are not spared from this situation, though these properties are protected with complicated passwords that only the owner knows. Recent news proved the world that cards cannot necessarily be stolen but the identity of the owner can.

According to some victims, they noticed that they have been paying their credit card companies more than the actual purchase they made. Troubled by the observation, the said victims extended their complaints to their credit cards companies.

The result was that, in the record of the companies the victims made transactions, not permitted by these victims. The companies later declared that the identities of the owners were stolen.

Knowing this reality, have you ever asked yourself, "How can I protect myself from these thieves?"

Well, if you have asked that question and still looking for an answer let this write-up be a help to you.

Securing your identity is never that hard. It will only cost you discipline and sense of responsibility. Mostly identity theft happens out of improper disposal of receipts and the like.

The receipt of a purchase contains almost all information pertaining to you that is essential in building your identity. Remember that every time you leave a counter you are asked to sign a piece of paper to validate your account and the transaction. Bear in mind that that signature is your identity.

Here are some suggestions of totally securing you identity over credit card thieves:

* Make a list of the products you purchased and make a draft a little of information about it. You may include the date of purchase, the price, place where you bought the product and other important data. These data are written in the receipt and therefore all you have to do is to copy it.

By doing so, you will always know the things you purchased and therefore be aware if any unauthorized purchases done when your bill comes. Aside from that, the list you made will surely help you organize your budget.

* Dispose your bills, credit cards applications, receipts and other confidential documents that contain your identity. A piece of paper with all necessary information in it will take a thief for an identity to be stolen.

If possible, do not use the shredder. You may rather burn these documents. If it does not need the document to be disposed, keep it in a protected place in your house, preferably a safe.

* Always keep an eye or keep your mails with you when falling in line at a bank. Regard them as cash.

* Improvise your mailbox in a manner that it locks by itself after your courier delivers your mail. That is to prevent thieves from stealing your mails as well

Morgan Hamilton offers expert advice and great tips regarding all aspects concerning Credit Cards. Get the information you are seeking now by visiting Credit Card Identity Theft