How To Protect Yourself From Identity Theft and PC Hackers

Identity theft is rampant these days, and the best way to avoid being a victim is to protect your self in any and all ways possible. You may be aware of some information here, but not all, so please read on, print this article, then implement everything and check mark off when completed. You'll feel safer and more in control. There are two lists here for you, online and offline protection.

Offline protection

Shred with a criss-cross shredder, everything that has your date of birth, social security number, signature, bank acct #, credit card #, tax ID#, balance transfer checks (unless of course you are planning on using them), credit card applications, etc. I don't go crazy here with mail that just has my name and address on it because that's public info, easy to get and it would be a part time job to do it! Be careful with some credit card companies who have sales/loan/special interest acct information on pages behind your normal account info pages. Often these pages have you full account number on them. Be sure to shred that part of it.

All it takes to run your credit report is your name, address, social security number and date of birth. Do not give your date of birth to anyone you don't have to. Never give your mother's maiden name to anyone except your back and credit card company. If they insist on one, and it's not a large institution, use a fake one; just pick something you'll remember.

Do not carry your social security card with you. Preferably, keep it in a safe at home or safe place no one would look. Don't give the number to just anyone. Don't carry all your credit cards in your wallet at the same time. Keep only the necessary ones in it. Unless you called the company directly yourself, do not give people over the phone, who claim to be from a certain company, any info without getting some proof first.

Online Protection

Use Mozilla Firefox as your Internet browser 98% of the time rather than Internet Explorer. It's safer. Occasionally, some websites are programmed specifically just for IE, so you don't have much choice.

Install anti-virus, anti-spyware, anti-keylogger software, a firewall and Spoof Stick on your pc. Many ISP's will give you the first 2 listed free. You should use at least 2 anti-spy ware programs. I use 3 and rotate my scans. I also use 2 anti-virus programs, one paid for anti-keylogger and one that's included in my anti-spyware. You can get Spoof Stick free, by downloading it from the Internet, but unless you remember to use it, it's worthless.

Here's what Spoof Stick will do; when you go online and click, type or paste a URL (web site address) in your browser window, Spoof Stick will show you what web site you are really on, on the top right of the window. There are hackers that make sites that look like the real thing, to try to get your information or infect you with viruses and Trojan horses. They may send you an email with a link in it saying they need to verify information regarding an account you have. This is called spoofing or phishing. You may actually have an account where they say you do, but it's probably not a real email from the company. Don't click on the links in it. If you think it's real, type in the company URL you would normally use into your browser. Verify with spoof stick you are on their site, in case they got hacked, and if everything looks ok, log in and see if they really need something from you. Get in the habit of always looking at Spoof Stick to verify the web site you are really on.

What's a key logger you ask? Well, they hack your computer, and can track your keyboard strokes, trying to get passwords to your accounts, so they can steal your money and or your identity. Always use the secure random keystroke (SRK) option if there is one. This is a separate keypad you use in a separate window to click on the letters and numbers of your passwords. Key-loggers cannot track it.

Passwords

Don't use the same passwords for everything! Depending on how many online accts or private membership sites you have, you may use duplicates for a few, if there's nothing really sensitive about the information in them. Always use separate ones for banks, credit cards or online acct like Paypal, e-gold etc. Use combinations of letter and numbers, not words that are easily figured out. Don't use your kids or pets name, your anniversary, birthday or anything other people know. Do not keep the actual passwords written out or typed on your pc. If you have too many to remember them all, as I do, write down a coded version of it and a coded version of the acct name and don't title the page!

I know it's difficult and time consuming to do all these things, but well worth it to avoid having your pc hacked and your identity stolen. If you do, read my article on what to do and what not to do.

Sandra Wellman is the owner of www.freefinanceinfo.org, where you'll find over 50 articles & books on credit repair, how to get out of debt, identity theft protection, refinancing, reverse mortgages, & student and auto loans

Victimized by Identity Theft

When a person is victimized by identity theft the person becomes a lifetime victim, simply put because regardless of how many times the law tells you they are working to resolve the problem, they are lying. As a victim of identity theft when I reported the second offense against me, the police ask few questions and gave me a report number with no other action behind it. I contacted the Federal Trade Commissions, reported the crime, and have heard nothing and to date (since 2000) the perpetrator is still active.

Once I contacted the credit bureaus they did nothing to remove the charges against me, rather they merely placed a resolved or other related comment behind the debt. Other people have suffered far more severe attacks on their life, including summoned to court for debts they never could have made. The people lived in one area of the world, while the perpetrator was acting in another area. It is pathetic that we as the victims must suffer the loss of our lives while few are taking the stand to stop the crimes.

In most instances of identity, theft if a company is not involved and reports the crime a single individual's will fall into the large group of people in society without receiving help from anyone. Often victims' of identity theft are denied credit and find it difficult to survive once the credit reports are affected. Some states permit freezing of the credit reports, which should be permitted in all states, since it denies anyone the right to review the credit reports, except the person that has the right ownership. Most states allow Fraud Alerts up to three months and sometimes permanently, however this only makes the victim look bad since nothing is removed from the reports.

Thus, identity theft is ongoing and it is up to us to protect our self from theft. It is difficult since technology advancements have proven to make it easier for thieves to gain access to nearly anyone's identity. The government has high-tech developments that protect their databases; however, identity thefts have proven that even this level of technology will not stop them.

New credit cards are developed that have chips in them that is supposedly sophisticated enough to prevent or slow theft, however thieves are far more advanced in most instances and accepts the challenge going above and beyond the chips. The World Wide Web is the single more convenient area where identity thieves frequent and often they use programs designed that are suppose to ward off hackers, crackers, spies and other harmful critters, however, the development has only made it convenient for the thieves to get in the doors to thousands of computers. Again, in 2004, more than eleven million people alone became victims of identity theft, and the majority of crimes committed were done abroad the Internet.

Some cases of identity theft report turned out to be neighbors, friends, and even family members. One case reported came from England when a couple moved to the states and when they left they learned that their identity was robbed of them, which led them to pain and suffering for years. The couple unfortunately received little if any help and were sent summons to appear in court for debts they did not initiate. Creditors and financial lenders often think of identity theft as an escape goat for people to get out of debt, and the victim is left standing even if there is concrete evidence showing that the person did not authorize the debts.

This leaves us all in a shamble; since we have to do everything, we can to avoid identity theft. If it was up to me, I'd say get rid of the credit cards and other materials that have potential links to thieves, however nowadays if you do not have a credit card you are basically considered an outcast. We live in a stereotyped, uncultured world where too many judges and assumers control the environment, thus think like a criminal and protect your self from everyone, including creditors, cops, lawyers, government officials and so forth to win the horrific increasing rates of identity theft victims.

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

Prevent Identity Theft by Checking Your Credit Report

You may not know it but you are entitled to a free copy ofyour credit report once a year from Equifax, Experian andTrans Union!

These three major credit reporting companies, maintain aprofile of how you pay your bills, what type of mortgageloan you qualify for and whether you've been sued or filedfor bankruptcy.

However, this free credit reporting service is not availablein all areas of the United States yet.

The service has been available in the twelve western UnitedStates since January 1, 2005. It is now available inMidwestern states since March 1, 2005.

On June 1, 2005 the service will be available to individualsin Southern United States and for those in the EasternUnited States starting September 1, 2005.

This service is provided under the Fair and Accurate CreditTransactions Act (FACT).It is in response to the raising number of identity thiefreported in the U.S.

The law lets you see what lenders, prospective employers orprospective landlords see.

An addition goal is to help you spot identity theft byletting you to see a list of all credit accounts open inyour name. For you to view your report regularly may be thebest ways you have to determine how your credit ratingstands and if you have been a victim of identity theft.

You have the ability to request one credit report from eachof the three credit reporting companies once a year.

The best way to make the most of this free credit reportopportunity is by ordering a credit report from one of thethree credit companies every three-four months. In that wayyou can monitor your credit regularly at no cost.

The official website that you can get your credit reportinformation is -- www.annualcreditreport.com.

Once you are at the site, you will able to link to the threecredit companies, Experian, Equifax and TransUnion, specialweb pages to get your credit report.

However, be aware of the advertising on each agency's freecredit report site that may lead you to believe that youmust purchase one or more of there other services, like yourpersonal credit score number, to get your free creditreport.

The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act does notprevent these credit reporting companies from advertisingtheir other services before you are able to get to your freecredit report.

When you are at one of the credit reporting companys sitepages it is not clear that you may get your free creditreport without purchasing any of the companys otherservices.

As you visit the credit reporting companys site you may getthe impression that you must pay to see your credit score(also called a FICO score) before you are able to see yourfree credit report.

This is not the case, your credit score is the numbercalculated on a scale between about 300 and 925. It is usedwhen you're buying a new car, house or other majorpurchases. You'll still have to pay one of the creditcompanies a fee to see that number. This credit score numberis different from the information within your free creditreport.

The official site is separate from the credit reportingcompanies regular sites, where you still must pay to getyour credit information.

In addition, there are a few look-alike sites you mayconfuse with the official free credit report site. Theseother sites may have been setup for outright credit fraud.Be very careful that you are working with the official sitesetup and maintained by Central Source, a joint ventureamong the three credit companies to process these freecredit reports -- www.annualcreditreport.com. If you receivean offer through the mail, via phone call or an email toprovide your credit report for a fee, it is probablyfraudulent.

Here's how to Request your free Credit Report

Online: www.annualcreditreport.com.

Or you can call toll-free: 877-322-8228

Or order by mail:Annual Credit Report Request Service,P.O. Box 105281,Atlanta, GA 30348-5281.

If you request report by mail you must mail in a requestform available on the site of the Federal Trade Commission:

www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/credit/docs/factactrequestform.pdf

The reports are sent to you within 15 days.

If you're ordering your report online, it's best to go tothe www.annualcreditreport.com site directly rather than togo through the one of the three credit reporting companyssites. You may get your free report at their sites but youfirst must go through their advertising for monthlycredit-monitoring programs and other services they offer toget your free report.

If you do this inquiry online, be sure to do your inquiryfrom your home computer because you'll need to have certainfinancial information handy to answer security questions.

You'll be asked a series of personal questions to make sureyou are the person that you say you are, including yourbirth date and Social Security number.

Central Source says its security protocols and measuresprotect personal information from unauthorized access orrecord alteration. In addition, your Social Security numberis encrypted for your additional protection.

And you can request that just the last four digits of thatnumber appear on your printed credit report.

As mentioned above, you may request one report from eachcredit company once a year. To get the best use of this freeservice, it's best to request your credit report from onecredit company this month and request your credit reportfrom another credit company about three-four months latter.Then request the third version of your report aboutthree-four months after that.

After you request the credit company that you want toprovide your credit report you'll be redirected to specialsite pages set up by each of the three credit companies.Each will ask you a series of personal questions to validateyour identity; the name of your mortgage lender, the amountof your monthly payment, the amount of your auto loan, etc.

Each of the three has a different look and feel:

~ Experian has a handy summary report that shows the numberof "potentially negative" items in your report and number ofaccounts in good standing.

~ Equifax shows an exhaustive list of accounts, what typethey are, when they were opened, the balance and creditlimit, last payment and account status.

~ TransUnion uses a color-coded series of boxes to showwhich accounts are current and which are overdue.

All three show who else has been looking at your creditreport, credit card companies seeking to approve you for acredit card offer, mortgage brokers, lenders trying todetermine the terms of a loan, or existing creditorsreviewing your account.

You can choose to just look at the information online orprint the complete report. Your credit report may be dozensof pages long to view or print.

All three offer links for disputing credit reportinformation or reporting an error. You'll also get theaddress and sometimes the phone number for each individualcreditor, handy if you need to follow up on an error.

You are also offered the option of submitting a "personalstatement" where you can explain your credit report in yourown words. The statement remains on file for two years.

Your basic credit report is free but as you go about gettingto your credit information, you'll have to contend withmultiple offers for fee-based products and services. You donot have to buy any of them to get your free credit report.The credit companies have loaded their pages with offers formonthly credit-report alerts, credit rankings, homevaluators or credit score.

Summery: Getting Your Credit Report

Free credit reports can be obtained once a year bytelephone, by mail or online from the official site operatedby Central Source for Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.

~ Online: www.annualcreditreport.com

~ Toll-free number: 877.322.8228

~ Mailing address:Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281,Atlanta, GA 30348-5281.

It will take up to 15 days to process phone and mailrequests.

You do not have to pay anything to get your free creditreport.

However, if you want to get a credit score or other extras,you may be charged a fee.

Additional reports can be obtained anytime directly from thecredit reporting companies at prices ranging from $9 for onereport from one agency to $34.95 for a combined report fromall three.

If you want to receive the reports by mail, you must mail ina request form available on the site of the Federal TradeCommission:www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/credit/docs/factactrequestform.pdf

For more information: Check out the FTC's site:www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/freereports.htm

You can also make a complaint online at that site address.

Credit Report Tips

You don't have to order all three reports at once. Staggeryour requests so you can view your credit over the year;i.e.: order one report now, the next report in three monthsand the third report in about six months. Then next year youwould be eligible for another free report from the firstcredit company. This currently only applies to those in theWestern and Midwestern U.S. The rest of the county will haveto want until their regional roll-out.

If you are planning a major purchase, you may want to getall three reports at once to make sure there isn't anyinformation that might affect your credit.

Read the report to make sure everything is accurate. Eachagency has an address or number you can call to reporterrors. If you are disputing an item listed, the creditagency is required to investigate. Inaccurate, incomplete orunverifiable information must be removed or corrected,usually within 30 days. For more information oncredit-report disputes, go online to the Federal TradeCommission at www.ftc.gov/credit.

If you have any technical problems, you get kicked off thesite, you never get a report requested by phone or mail, oryou only get one of the three reports you request -- writeto the joint mailing address, Annual Credit Report RequestService, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281, andexplain the problem.

If you have been the victim of identity theft, you areeligible to get a free credit report from all the agencieseven if you've already received your free annual reportunder the program.

If you have complaints about the program, contact the FTConline at www.ftc.gov/credit then click on "File aComplaint." or you can write to FTC Consumer ResponseCenter, 600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Room 130, Washington,D.C. 20580. You can also send a written complaint to theofficial credit-report site at the Atlanta address listedabove.

Steven Presar is a recognized small business technology coach, Internet publisher, author, speaker, and trainer. He provides personal, home, and computer security solutions at www.ProtectionConnect.com. He provides business software reviews at www.OnlineSoftwareGuide.com. In addition, he publishes articles for starting and running a small business at www.Agora-Business-Center.com. Be sure to sign-up for the SOHO newsletter at this site.

Identity Theft - Don't blame The Internet

 Identity theft also known as ID theft, identity fraud and ID fraud describes a type of fraud where a criminal adopts someone elses identity in order to profit illegally. It is one of the fastest growing forms of fraud in many developed countries.

In the UK identity theft is increasing at the rate of 500% each year and, according to Which Magazine, 25% of the population have either suffered from identity theft or know someone who has.

In the USA, a report issued by the Better Business Bureau revealed that, in 2004, over 9 million Americans became victims of identity theft with the total sum defrauded being estimated at $52.6 billion.

With figures like this, its no surprise that there is a certain amount of concern regarding computer and internet security. After all, the internet is basically a mechanism for exchanging information and the possibility that some of the information exchanged may be more than intended is never far from many internet users minds.

Its easy to imagine criminal masterminds worldwide using the internet to hack into computers in order to gain access to information with which to advance their devilishly cunning schemes. However, as revealed in the report, the facts of the matter are a little more down to earth and the internet, far from making you more at risk to identity theft, can help to significantly cut your losses if you do fall victim this form of fraud.

According to the Better Business Bureaus research the main methods by which criminals gain access to information used for identity theft fraud are as below:

Lost or stolen wallet, chequebook or credit card. 28.8%

Accessed as part of a transaction. 12.9%*

Accessed by friend, acquaintance or relative. 11.4%

Don't know, refused, no answer. 11.1%

Information accessed by corrupt employee. 8.7%

Stolen paper mail or fraudulent change of address. 8.0%

Obtained some other way. 7.4%

Computer spyware. 5.2%

Information stolen from garbage. 2.6%

Computer viruses and/or hackers. 2.2%

Emails sent by criminals posing as legitimate business. 1.7%

* 12.9% due to transactions 10.4% offline transactions, 2.5% online transactions.

In total, when the instances where information was accessed during transactions are subdivided into online and offline transactions, only 11.6% of the information used to carry out identity theft fraud was obtained from computers.

Of this more than half was obtained by the use of spyware, viruses or hacking the risk of which can be greatly reduced by installing the appropriate protection software and ensuring that this is kept up to date.

Not only did the survey reveal that the internet was not a major source of illegally obtained personal information, but it was also found that those fraud victims who checked their financial records using the internet, ATM machines or other electronic methods suffered financial losses which were, on average, 8 times lower than those of victims who used traditional paper statements to monitor their accounts. This very significant reduction was attributed to the rapid discovery of the fraud due to real time monitoring.

Of course, thats not to say that you shouldnt exercise caution when using the internet or take care to protect the personal information which you may have stored on your PC. However, as long as you install suitable virus, firewall and spyware protection, and keep this continually updated the internet can should be more of a help than a hindrance when it comes to avoiding identity fraud.
Hamish Hayward
Don't become a victim of identity theft. Get the facts.
http://www.id-theft-info.com