id theft fraud prevention

wowgolds989 asked:


Many people could not wait once the Internet into the wonderful world go wow, quickly landing the open interface. How can I do not know at this time there may be abhorrent process is monitoring the account password you enter, perhaps several months of effort on the sudden annihilation of the fly ash. But as long as usual to spend 1-2 minutes to me that these two points, you can make your account reduce the risk of theft of more than 80 percent.

1. Account, the password wrong input method

Because the procedures are now in the theft of surveillance, record players keyboard input, so attention to the import of the account, first take a look at him with no suspicious items or eyes, and then quickly chaotic sequence entering an account number, what is indiscriminate importation of sequence, that is, If your account is wowgold you first enter old, and then use the mouse positioning respectively enter wowg, which account wowgold input. And then use the mouse to point the password field, do not use tab key jump, is also ibid. Chaotic sequence input. So even if your machine is monitoring the importation of the procedure, it can not get your ID and password enter the correct sequence.

2.nip in the bud, the official line-by-mail to retrieve password function for retrieve password, and you can receive in the mail to wow your e-mail system, to amend your password above the link to this , You do not use that link, save the message. If the account were stolen, it can quickly to your E-mail a link to use this (link the expiration date has not yet been determined, we can try to test)

I do believe that as long as the above two points, account numbers were stolen will likely be much smaller, of course, the most thorough approach also fitted with a comprehensive network firewall (not the virus firewall, personal recommend the use of the virus Kaspersky 2006 + network firewall, But the system has more resources occupied, even if the hardware poor the point), each one week to update your password, etc

plus: Of course, if we do not have to exchange cards gold coins, the world’s comrades also theft and even less.

 

 



Duane

CK 604 asked:


My friends store, got broke in to and his credit card machine/Debit machine got rip out of his counter, I used his machine couple times that week,I am afraid of ID theft, Could they get my card info from the machine, I am worry. Please help.

Bill

Eric J. Nisall asked:


Back in March, I wrote a post in my blog regarding the increase in identity theft occurrences, questioning the need to pay firms to act as watchdogs when it can be done on your own at little out-of-pocket cost.  Well, it appears that you may be better off taking matters into your own hands after the founder of LifeLock has seen his own personal information compromised on numerous occasions.

You know the guy, Todd Davis, who in those television commercials gives out his own personal social security number in an attempt to convince you that his company can protect your information for a fee.  Well, as it turns out, he was wrong.  In an article posted by USA Today, lawsuits are mounting as details emerge regarding Mr. Davis’ own problems with identity theft. 

Without reiterating the entire article and the facts surrounding the issue, I will simply point out that Mr. Davis claims that there are no indications on any of his credit bureau reports of identity theft.  However, that point is misleading simply because as anyone knows, new information is not reported to the bureaus, or even posted immediately.  It may also be a case of a criminal simply not choosing to attempt to steal Mr. Davis identity at this particular point in time.  They may very well be laying in wait for a more opportune time to do so.  In either event, simply having his information compromised is the point that I stress.  Regardless of whether or not fraud is actually committed, the fact still remains that a paying customer can have their personal, confidential information hijacked.

 Now, can the same thing happen without paying a fee to a monitoring service?  Absolutely!  But, why would you spend even the $10 monthly fee if the result is the same as if you had been monitoring your own credit?  Simply put, if you take the information from the guide I wrote about back in March, and visit some of the links to consumer groups I have posted on my main business site for GreenBridge Advisors you can put yourself at a decided advantage over potential identity theives.



Randall

John Goldman asked:


The internet and email services have actually created easy opportunities to conduct business and stay in touch with your loved ones. However these online services have also created several ways for criminals to hack your email address and passwords so that they can ultimately steal your identity.

At one time people who stole identity of others had a hard time working on a process to get information of the person, but today things have become quite easy to deceive a target through email services. You might have every wondered how and why people steal your identity through email address. It is quite simply for them and when your identity is stolen the thief would pretend to be you and gain access to all your financial and personal records. They might even ruin your credit and even commit crimes in your name.

About email address theft

The main advantage in stealing your email address if for spamming and phishing. This email identity theft can easily convince others that any message or communication is conducted from a legitimate business or person. Therefore there have been huge cases reported for business email address theft. Therefore when you think that your conversation is held with a legitimate organization then you would probably share all your personal and financial information with them and this is called as phishing.

Why email address is stolen

The other common reason for email id theft is for spamming. Although most of the spam messages are blocked by internet service provider, the person committing email identity theft might send email to a firm or individual under the name of legitimate person and there are fewer possibilities for it to be blocked.

Email identity theft is also considered as identity fraud through which the hacker would use email id of the victim to get their all their information. However it is obvious that everyone would want to protect their email address but there are still crimes taking place. In this case you need to take extra precautions in protecting your email address.  

How to prevent email id theft

Be careful when using spam emails that ask for your social security number, bank account information, passwords and other personal info. It is important you check the mail’s reliability before disclosing this information. Internet phishing scams are a common issue in today’s cyber world. You might find some mails asking you to fill up several details such as mail id, password, credit card number on their form. It might have a high leeway of being scams. You might get some scam mails from the perpetrator asking you to update your credit card information in the form they provide. These mails must be stopped immediately as they can cause identity theft. You might even receive mails claiming to be from banks and might ask you for your bank account passwords. You should know that there are very rare cases of banks asking you for such information through mails. The mails which are written with several misspellings and grammatical errors would likely come under scams and might even be from identity thieves.

Edgar

Am asked:


Ok besides the @ssholes who go into it for information gathering to rip off people (like ID theft), the other side of dumpster diving is for free stuff even eatable food. I will admit that a lot of people throw away working computers by sitting them beside the trash been so it only makes sense that someone re-uses them instead of sending the toxic materials to go in a junk yard.

Lawrence

Nocita Carter asked:


Identity Theft is when someone uses another person’s social security number, driver license, name, address, telephone number and any other information about that particular person as their own. The unauthorized person that obtains this information without the other person’s knowledge uses this information to commit theft and fraud.

How does a person committing ID theft get my information? By going through your trash, hacking into a computer that you may use, securing a copy of your credit report, stealing credit card and debit card numbers that you may have, stealing your mail,completing a change of address form to reroute your mail to a different address, stealing your purse or wallet, and scamming information from you by posing as a business person.

How would I know if I am a victim of ID theft? If you receive credit card statements for accounts you did not apply for, you do not receive your mail, your credit is being denied and you do not know why, counterfeit checks are used to withdraw money from your bank account, you receive calls from collection agencies about bills for accounts established with your personal information that you do not know about,and other problems that you may have with your personal information.

Should I order a copy of my credit reports to find out if I am a victim of identity theft? Yes, you may want to consider doing this if you suspect that you are a victim of identity theft. You would want to order a copy of your credit reports from all three credit reporting agencies which are: Equifax www.equifax.com 1-800-685-1111; Experian www.experian.com 1-888-397-3742; and; TransUnion www.transunion.com 1-800-916-8800.

What should I do if my identity is stolen by someone? Contact the three credit reporting agencies as soon as possible and let them know that you are a victim of ID theft and ask them to place a fraud alert and your statement as a victim in your credit report file. Order a copy of your credit report from each agency to check the information on your report.

Contact the credit reporting agencies fraud units at these telephone numbers or addresses: Equifax: 1-800-525-6285, P.O. Box 74021, Atlanta, GA. 30374-0241:: Experian: 1-888-397-3742, P.O. Box 9532, Allen, TX. 75013:: TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289, Fraud Victim Assistance Division, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA. 92834-6790.

Should I close my credit and checking accounts if ID theft has occurred? Yes, you may want to consider closing your credit and checking accounts if you suspect identity theft. Contact your bank and creditors about your identity being stolen and consider closing your accounts and establish new ones.

If your checks are stolen, request that your bank notify the check verification company that they use. You may also want to contact the major check verification companies as well.

The major check verification companies that you would want to contact are the following: Telecheck, 1-800-710-9898 or 1-800-927-0188:: Certegy Inc., 1-800-437-5120:: and; International Check Services, 1-800-631-9656.

You may also want to contact a company known as Scan at 1-800-262-7771 to find out if an identity thief has been using your checks. In addition, you should also contact your local police department and report that your identity has been stolen.

Make sure that you file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission about your identity being stolen as well. You can file this report at www.consumer.gov/idtheft.



Lawrence

Tristan Dunston asked:


Australia is losing a billion dollars every year to identity theft, according to the Australian government, and nearly 90 per cent of Aussies are said to be concerned about having their identity stolen.

With identity theft reputed to be the fastest growing crime globally, what is being done to protect Australians from the growing menace posed by identity fraudsters?

The National Identity Security Strategy (NISS) was introduced by the Australian Government in 2005. This national identity strategy aims to tackle identity crime committed with the use of fake identity documents, such as passports and drivers’ licenses. Beefing up the ability of Australian authorities to spot fake identity documents lies at the heart of the strategy. Fake identity documents are used by fraudsters to steal benefits, such as Centrelink payments, and money from the banks.

$28 million dollars has been pledged to the roll out of the National Document Verification Service, a key plank of the NISS. The service will be an online system for checking the authenticity of identity documents, and will be accessible by government agencies. It could also be rolled out to the private sector, which would help banks and other companies verify the identities of consumers. The service will enable government officials to ensure documents presented were actually issued and the details contained within them are accurate.

Biometrics, a method of using the physical attributes of individuals to verify their identity, is increasingly being deployed by governments and private companies to combat identity theft.

Australia’s immigration service, the Department of Immigration and Citizenship, is collecting biometric data on new migrants. It is expected the collection of biometric details on ‘non citizens’ – such as photos, fingerprints, and, iris scans – will help national and international efforts to tackle identity fraud. The physical details of new entrants are being stored on the DIAC database, known as the Identity Services Repository.

Plans for a welfare services identity card system costing more than $1billion dollars were scrapped at the end of 2007 following the election of the Rudd Government. The Howard Government planned to give every Australian a biometric smartcard, including photo and individual health and welfare number. This was considered by many to be an identity card scheme in disguise. Reports suggested the smartcard scheme could have been ‘piggybacked’ by private companies, such as banks and financial institutions, as a means of tackling identity fraud.



The use of voice authentication technology to tackle call centre identity fraud is being researched by boffins at the University Of Canberra. The university’s biometrics scientists are working on systems which could enable companies to verify people using their voice patterns. This may avoid the need to send sensitive personal information abroad, reducing the risk of Aussies falling prey to identity fraudsters targeting call centres.

Tough new money laundering laws, which came into force at the end of 2007, will see tighter identity checks on Australians when opening up new bank accounts, using casinos or purchasing travellers cheques. It is expected the Anti Money Laundering and Counter Terrorism Finance Act will help to combat identity fraud in Australia. Financial organisations have to meet the strict identity check requirements of the legislation by the end of 2008. This act brings Australia into line with other countries, such as the UK and US, which have strengthened their money laundering rules.

The publication of court judgments on the internet has led the NSW Supreme Court to change the way it writes judgments. Personal identifiers, such as birthdates and addresses, which can be used to commit identity fraud will no longer be published in judgments.

Among the advice in the government’s identity theft self help guide “ID theft kit” is the need for consumers to regularly check their credit report to help spot any fraudulent activity committed against them. A free credit report can be accessed every year by writing to the credit reference agencies.



Mark

Mike Samadi asked:


(Copyrighted)

Dear friends and readers:

In my previous blogs and bulletins, I discussed ID theft/fraud and scams.

Listen to the reports/news about a neighbor (a couple) in an apartment stolen other neighbors ID and lived richly OFF those people’s IDs.

There are so many other ways for Identity theft Fraud.  Such as

1.  People looking over your shoulder in the stores.

2.  Stealing your mail from your mail boxes (home or post office).

3.  You losing your valet and not immediately reporting the loss to the police, your creditors and banks.  

4.  You provided your credit card to a company for a purchased and the company keeps charging your account when the authorized charge was only SUPPOSED TO BE for one transaction.  “fraud spree”

5.  ID assumption. Like the couple on the CNN news have done with their neighbors.  (go to the link above) 

6.  Electronic transactions.  A lot of us think that the internet or Cell phones are safe.  In fact they are the unsafest and the easiest method for Stolen ID or account information. 

7.  Lost your keys?  I have seen key chains and key valets in which the owners address is engraved on the valet of key chain.  What a silly idea!?!  If you lose your key and a stranger finds it, now you are letting the stranger where you live.  Why don’t you also note the hours you won’t be home and the combination to your safety deposit box and your security key code so that if he/she decided to visit your home (while you’re away), he/she would feel at home.  If I lose my keys, I will make it less troublesome for me and let the police know (IMMEDIATELY MAKE A REPORT).  If I have to take a drastic measure, I will change my house door locks and possibly do the same with my cars.

Making a report WILL PROTECT YOU IN DISPUTING CHARGES, ACCOUNTS and rescues you from a whole long list of other troubles.

“If the keys are surely lost, let it stay lost.”  Don’t invite strangers to your domain.

There are some websites that claim to be secured websites, but in reality they are not. 

I still like to do my “on-line” transactions over my land line phones.  If I truly have to perform an “on -line” transactions, I will LIMIT such transactions to particular TRUSTED companies and through ONE particular bank account in which I review every day *(as a lot of my transactions go through that account and it requires me to monitor the account closely).  You may say, “who has time to monitor an account daily?”.  Believe me when it is your money, credit and life “on the line”, you will protect it (IF YOU CARE).

Anyway, I don’t agree with some people who hand their credit cards to someone they recently met, their car keys to a newly found friends

Best of Luck,

Mike Samadi

Any questions?  Go to Q & A of http://www.MasterCreditRepair.net, read and post.  Go to the “Comment” page and post your story or comment.  Your personal information will remain confidential.  Joint my membership club (coming soon).



Kelly

Belinda Rachman, Esq. asked:


There are 5 kinds of Identity Theft but most people are just aware of credit card identity theft. That is just 20% of the problem. Here are all 5.

1) Driver’s License Identity Theft

2) Social Security Number Identity Theft

3) Character/Criminal Identity Theft

4) Medical Identity Theft

5) Financial Identity Theft

You are vulnerable to having your identity stolen. You have a significant investment in protecting your good reputation so the last thing you want is for someone to use your driver’s license to commit a crime, not show up for “your” trial which will result in a bench warrant being issued against you. That is exactly what more and more people are experiencing as victims of Driver’s License Identity Theft. If that were to happen to you, you would need a lawyer, probably in the middle of the night.

Given that only one in seven hundred identity thieves are caught, there will be no slowdown in this crime wave any time soon but you can protect yourself from being the next victim. You need a monitoring system that lets you know if a thief opens a post office box, files a change of address card, tries to buy a house or opens a new bank account in your name. If you are falsely accused of a crime due to someone stealing your identity you WILL need the help of the best lawyers.

Social Security – Did you know that on July 1, 2006, 32 states passed laws that require business owners to see a passport or Social Security card from each employee? The government admits that we have 10 million illegal aliens in the country, but business experts put that number between 25 – 30 million. But just for argument’s sake, let’s assume 10 million: if each one of those folks paid just in FICA withholding each week, ,000,000 would be going to the Social Security Administration on a weekly basis. Given they are FOUR TRILLION in debt, they have NO incentive to let the actual owner of the Social Security number know that another 10, 20, 80 people are using that same Social Security number since they only have to pay out to the real owner. But the IRS is going to take a real interest when they see how much “you” earned at your 10, 20 or 80 different jobs but none of “you” did the proper withholding. Your problem begins when the IRS notices that “you” did not pay the federal and state withholding taxes – the real “you” will have to hire an attorney to fight the IRS or you will just pay them because it is less expensive or you may spend years trying to convince the IRS that you didn’t earn that money

Medical – I met a woman the other day who recently went into the hospital for some test and they asked her how her arm was doing. She didn’t know what they were talking about. Apparently someone else had used her medical insurance to treat a broken arm. What if it would have been something more serious, like someone got a heart transplant using her insurance. That would effect her lifetime cap and it would definitely pollute her Medical Data Base if there was nothing wrong with HER heart. Medical identity theft effects your ability to get insurance, proper health care if unconscious and they are relying on wrong info/blood type/heart condition of someone else. HIPPA won’t let you into your own file if you admit that positive HIV test isn’t YOU. That broken arm is now in her medical database. Thank God it wasn’t something more serious. You are going to need a good lawyer to fight this battle to get the other people’s info out of YOUR file.

Driver’s License ID Theft – The government recently decided that the employees at all Department of Motor Vehicles needed to be able to recognize what the driver’s licenses of all the other states looked like so that when a resident of Florida moves to California, the CA DMV can recognize a “real” Florida license. In order to assist these employees, the federal government made up a little book with the EXACT specs on each state’s driver’s license. About a week after that book was mailed out to each state’s DMV it was already being sold on the internet, spawning a new and very lucrative business. All a criminal needs is a laptop computer, a printer, a laminator and that little book, and they have themselves a very prosperous little criminal enterprise. The police cannot tell the difference between the “real” license and the fake one. In fact, they can’t tell the difference between the “database you” and the “Real You” that looks back at you from your mirror!

Driver’s License ID Theft often affects your character/criminal Identity. A prostitute stole a teacher’s purse. She told her principal and friends about it so everyone knew it was possible that something bad might come of this theft. When a newspaper ran the story of the teacher being arrested for prostitution it wasn’t hard to explain to her friends and neighbors what had happened. It was a small town so everyone knew the teacher was a victim of id theft but is that teacher going to be able to change jobs and go to another town where they don’t know her? Her character has been stolen now.

Financial ID theft, this is the one everyone focuses on because we are losing billions each year to id theft. But here is the thing, you know those cute little commercials on TV with the man’s voice coming from the woman’s body and the woman’s voice coming from the man’s body. They talk about ZERO liability. That is a lie! If you don’t contest a bill within 60 days YOU are stuck with it and with our new bankruptcy laws you can’t discharge it. How are you going to contest a bill you never got. These ID thieves are doing change of address cards and having your mail forwarded to another place, a PO box or another residence. And by the way, the Postal Inspector I met the other night mentioned that the post office doesn’t ask for proof that the change of address card you are filing is actually YOU. Anyone can go into the post office and file a change of address card. So how can you contest a bill you don’t get? Sounds like you are going to need another lawyer. All of this ID Fraud stuff sounds like the lawyers full employment bill to me.

The Federal Trade Commission, which is the lead agency handling ID Theft, says that on average, it takes a person 600 hours to restore themselves after being a victim. That is FIFTEEN 40 hour work weeks. NO ONE has that kind of free time. People need the protection of having their credit monitored so they know if someone is opening new accounts, forwarding their mail or opening a PO Box in their name. There are lots of new companies that do credit monitoring but there is only one company that does restoration and that is Kroll Background America, Inc.

Kroll is the only company that was allowed to go below ground zero to remove the gold from the vaults after 9/11. When the FBI, CIA and Saudi government could not find where Sadam hid the Saudi money that he stole, the Saudis hired Kroll. Kroll found it, recovered it and returned the money to the Saudis. The Security and Exchange Commission hired Kroll to discover where all the Enron money went and the City of San Diego hired Kroll to investigate and do the forensic accounting on the recent pension scandal. If our government and big corporations hire Kroll to protect them, why wouldn’t you?



Marvin

mistahfantastic asked:


More specifically, is there any other way to buy things online w/o a credit/debit card. I can’t get a bank account or credit card, (my credit blows atm due to a little id theft). I’m purely a cash man at the moment. Are there any gift-cards etc you would recommend purchasing, and where. Thank-you for your time

Jill