id theft fraud prevention

William Harty asked:




If you’re paranoid by thought of your identity being stolen then you have very good reason to. It is more needed then ever these days to know how to prevent identity theft from the millions of lurking criminals who steal identities every single day. Did you know that 1 in 25 people just in America will have their identity stolen each and every year? If that hasn’t happened to you yet, you better consider yourself very lucky.

Here are 3 helpful tips to use that will prevent identity theft from happening to you.

1 – Never give your private information to people over the phone, especially if you do not currently have identity protection. It is extremely easy for anyone to tap into your phones these days and there countless individuals and businesses that make a living as pretending to be your local bank or energy company.

2 – Always use bank owned ATM machines. Did you know of how many erroneous ATM machines are out there? Their sole purpose is to get your credit card numbers and store them. Be extra cautious of this if you live in the big city especially.

3 – Shred all of your documents, especially the important legal ones. There are numerous cases of criminals easily stealing identities simply because its available in recycling bins. You do not want to toss your private information when anyone can easily pick it up.

I hope this has helped you understand how to prevent identity theft more so you can avoid being the next statistic. If you really want to feel secure it is best to have identity protection as well.

Eddie

atrescuecom asked:

A RESCUECOM franchise operator offers computer advice to protect computer users from identity theft through their internet connection. Learn more about RESCUECOM at www.rescuecom.com

Clarence

CreditSecretsBible asked:

www.CreditRepairPublishing.com IDENTITY THEFT PREVENTION How to prevent ID Theft with nothing but your telephone. Listen. You don’t need identity theft insurance. It’s a joke. Have you ever read the guarantees on those things? Has more holes in it than swiss cheese. All they’re doing is charging you to do what you can do yourself. We’re not talking about you doing your own root canal here. Were talking about making a some phone calls… and then setting a reminder on outlook express to make 1 phone call every 90 days. It’s a joke. You don’t need to pay $150 a year (or more) for Identity Theft Insurance. Well, maybe you do, if you want to support someone in an MLM or Network Marketing Company (maybe). Hey, I’ve bought crazy juices, vitamins even a dumb water filter just to get my friends to quit bugging me about their MLM opportunities before. I admit it! There you go. But when it comes to ID THEFT PREVENTION, that’s different. You can do it better yourself. Just watch BOTH videos parts 1 and 2. Together they are worth a couple hundred bucks. No kidding! Listen. You’re going to learn how to get your credit reports not once a year but twice a year – FOR FREE! Not only that. No one is going to be able to get approved for ANY credit ANYWHERE without the creditor first calling you at the telephone number on your credit report! How you like them apples? and… were just getting started. You’re also going to learn how to protect yourself from all the people (like in hospitals in …

Bobby

B. Carson asked:




Shocking statistics are clearly showing that identity theft is on the rise. This crime affected almost 10,000,000 victims in 2008. And this is a 22% increase from the previous year. And 71% of id fraud happens within the week of a persons personal data being stolen. And with this crime being known as the silent crime what can you do to protect yourself?

What a lot of people tend to do when they feel that they might be at risk of this crime is that they believe it is better for them to use their credit ATM card restaurant and pretty stop shopping online with their cards. This is a common misconception for many people that are paranoid about identity theft. Even though there might be some minor risk to using your personal information online, however using your personal information in the restaurant can actually be even more dangerous.

The reason why is because some of the smart thieves target those that works as waiters in restaurants. They offer money to these waiters that work in restaurants in order to collect your personal information. And since in some cases these waiters might often take your card to locations where you might not be able to see them swipe your card they can easily swipe your card twice.

The first swipe is for the transaction for your meal and the second time is on a pocket-sized instrument used to store your personal information onto. This poses quite a major risk personally and financially. So what can you do to safeguard yourself from this problem? What is the best way to protect your personal identity from prying eyes? Some people might resort to shredding documents and they think this is enough to protect themselves.

This is not effective enough especially with the advancement in technology in this day and age. The best way is to get proven guarantee protection from trusted organizations. you will be informed of any sudden changes made on your credit report and as well as any inquires immediately made.

This allows you to stay ahead of the game in the battle against identity theft. At this moment you’re still vulnerable to getting your identity stolen until you take action to protect yourself immediately. The sooner you get yourself protected from this personal crime the better off you will be personally and financially. And the right protection will allow you to sleep easy at night.

Cindy

BrooksInternational asked:

Brooks International presents John Sileo. www.brooksinternational.com . John Sileo, author and speaker, became an expert at ID theft prevention and mitigation strategies during a two-year fight to recover his reputation and credit. Furthermore, John Sileo was a victim of two separate forms of identity theft. He speaks professionally to associations, corporations and consumers on issues of identity theft, data security and privacy.

Pedro

Dan Riffle asked:




While identity thieves will use any data possible to assume the identity of another, their bread and butter revolves around your name, social security number, account numbers and credit card numbers. With this information, an identity thief’s next vacation is right around the corner. That is why these items should be your most guarded.

Identity thieves have come up with many inventive ways to steal your identity. Some are very technical, some not so much:

o Do you have an outside unlocked mailbox? Why? This is the first stop for an ID thief. Your mailbox allows easy access to your bank statements, credit card numbers, mortgage statements, 401k account information. Your mailbox is an open book to your life. Close it.

o Have you ever received an email from a financial institution with which you have no association and the subject line states that they need your account information to process a transaction (or similar situation)? This is a “phishing” attempt. They cast out their line into the email ocean of millions of addresses hoping only to bait one unsuspecting fish. While you might not have an account with the financial institution they’re using, thousands of people will. How many of those people will be caught off guard? By the way, these emails, if you open them, appear very official and can even appear to link back to the actual institution. Don’t fall for it.

o Does your company website list information about you, maybe in the form of a small bio and a picture? Ouch! Now the identity thief has your employment history, your college information, and so on. The same thing goes for publicly listing your resume. Couple this information with information found in the phone book and the identity thief has your history along with whatever they can garner from your unlocked mailbox.

o They might steal your trash. You’ve seen a movie or twelve in which a criminal steals somebody’s trash and finds out all about them. This is a tactic commonly know as dumpster diving. (A simple fix for this? Buy a shredder, shred everything twice and divide everything into multiple trash bags. This way one trash bag shouldn’t contain the entire shredded remains of any single document.)

o They might pose as a telemarketer from a company they know you do business with and call you to upgrade your service or convince you to buy some add-on. They will be very convincing because they will have your account number, last payment amount, your address and any other bit of information they can glean from the statement they stole from your…you guessed it…unlocked mailbox. They’ll convince you to add on that service or purchase that new whiz-bang gizmo. “Now, sir, all I need is your credit card number, the three digit code on the back of your credit card and your date of birth and we’ll place the order for you today.” Ouch.

o Outright theft. Some identity thieves just don’t have time for elaborate hoaxes or technologically advances scams. They just steal your purse or wallet whenever they see an opportunity. Another thing they might steal: employee records. It’s amazing the information provided in an employee file!

o They might fill out a change of address form and have your statements sent directly to them.

o They might know you! The identity thief might be your brother, cousin, best friend or…spouse. It isn’t unusual for identity theft victims to get played by someone they know. This is the most unfortunate of circumstance because there’s not much you can do to prevent it outside of never talking about your personal information. This, however, can be hard to hide from a spouse or close relative.

This is just a small list of possible ways to have your identity stolen. Most of the above situations can be avoided with a little forethought and planning. Understanding that identity theft is always a possibility is the first step in avoiding it.

Martin

Ryan Wegman asked:




Identity theft it happens all too often in this country. I heard this story from a close friend of mine a few years ago. It blew my mind away to learn just how far people will go to harm another. No there was no domestic violence or beating, no gunshots fired or a knife inflicted wound. Just a simple four word statement that would alter his life forever; “She stole my wallet.”

You see when she took his wallet in the course of the night her plans were laid out clearly. He was an affluent man of his community, a well respected entrepreneur and philanthropist. One night would prove him wrong and change the course of his life to a direction he had never imagined. From innocent to villain in 2.5 seconds flat.

Identity thieves are all around us. Scouring evidence from improperly disposed of medical records, purchase receipts, DMV databases, pre approved credit offers and so many other areas of your personal life that you wouldn’t have a chance in hell of competing with their cunningness. Identity thieves are out on a mission to steal your good name and forever ruin your ability to grow your credit or personal wealth by destroying everything credible about you.

In search of new ways to elude the peace keeping community and hide their corrupt identities behind new ones; think about it, a total protection plan for the criminal. Your good name stolen, funds and credit card charges racked up against you with no one else to blame. Our law enforcement officials are looking at you as the felon or co-conspirator in the event.

Most people think that their identities are safe because they stopped all of the junk mail to their personal residences, yet they are unaware of all areas that their identity’s can become affected. Let’s take a look at some of the ways your at risk…

1) Department of Motor Vehicles

Identity Thief could get a license in your name and accumulate tickets in your name. You could end up with a warrant issued for your arrest, as the identity thieves do not pay fines due nor show up for court to plead their violations.

2) Social Security Identity Theft

Identity Thief could use your SS# for employment or start business and you would be responsible for the tax bill. This has been a problem for some applying for work and finding their social security number is already working there at the business. A frequent cause is when illegal immigrants are sold Social Security numbers and fake ID cards to gain employment.

3) Medical Identity Theft

Medical identity theft occurs when someone uses a person’s name and sometimes other parts of their identity — such as insurance information — without the person’s knowledge or consent to obtain medical services or goods, or uses the persons identity information to make false claims for medical services or goods. Medical identity theft frequently results in erroneous entries being put into existing medical records, and can involve the creation of fictitious medical records in the victims’ name.

4) Criminal Identity Theft

Identity Thief could use your information to commit crimes, escape fines or jail time. You could be issued a warrant for your arrest for these crimes or fines not being paid.

5) Financial Identity Theft

Identity Thief could use your information to get money, goods or services leaving you responsible for the bill. This could be anything from new credit cards to new lines of credit issued in your name. Please note the Schedule E of liabilities covered by your bank that pertain to credit cards has a sixty day window. After that period, they are not legally obligated to reimburse any monies lost.

So when she took his wallet he was exposed to financial identity theft, social security identity theft and DMV identity theft just from a wallet. Now having all of this information the other areas of identity theft are wide open. So you see although his decision to have a quiet night out on the town turned fruitful for his evening when Mr. X woke up the next morning it was the worst nightmare in his entire life.

His credit cards had all been maxed out, a car had been purchased in his name and subsequently wrecked that same morning. Now who gets the bill for the damages? You guessed it; Mr. X. he was rudely woken from his slumber by a local Police Officer wanting to arrest him for a hit and run felony.

After a long and uneventful stay at the local Police Station Mr. X.’s Attorney finally arranged for the release of his client. This wasn’t the first time Identity Theft had been a problem in this community. Fortunately there was a lead on the case while Mr. X. had been in custody the thieves struck again at a local bank who immediately notified the armed guard and they took the perpetrator into custody.

Mr. X has been trying to untangle the web of debt from thievery and clear his good name but the process has been long and tedious. In keeping short and to the point if you think you’re out of the woods because you have poor credit or no credit think again. It’s not just your financial status thieves are after. It’s any aspect of your identity you can have exploited.

As long as the blame can have the finger pointed in a direction away from the real criminals you are still their best target for their defense. You need a shield to protect you from them. Your identity is everything to employers, education systems, financial institutions and more. I know you can see the importance of protection for you and your family. My question is who can you trust?

You need a name you can count on with a guarantee that will stand in your favor if the chips are down. A company that provides you not only with monitoring of your identity, also with a one million dollar guarantee that if your identity becomes stolen while you’re a customer they will pay to restore your identity to it’s good name. With that said know that all companies are not created equal.

Clyde

Budda Oliver asked:




Car theft is a very prevalent crime across our nation and needs to be stopped. Auto theft is considered the attempt to take or the actual stealing of a motor vehicle that does not belong to you. Automobile theft not only causes a problem for the owner of the car, but also causes many economic problems. This form of theft can also be extremely dangerous if the thief who steals the vehicle decides to drive recklessly, which is often the case.

Even though we have law enforcement that is out there trying to put a stop to these devastating crimes, there are many things that we as citizens can look for and do to help prevent automobile theft. Being able to identify the methods that car thief’s use to steal automobiles and the reasons why they steal them will help you defend your vehicle from a criminal act.

One of the first precautions that you can use to fend off an intruder from your vehicle is to make sure that all valuables and possessions are out a plain view. If a criminal sees a purse, jewelry, CDs, sunglasses, electronic equipment such as an iPod, satellite radio, or CD player, or any other sort of item that may make them curious, they will be more likely to break into your vehicle. Making sure that these sorts of possessions are hidden under the seat, in the trunk, in the glove compartment, or removed from the automobile altogether will limit your chances of having your car burglarized.

Many people often lock their keys in their cars and need a way to be able to remove them from inside of the vehicle, so to aid in this problem they keep a key on the outside of their automobile. Driver’s that are prone to locking their keys in their cars often purchase a small, metal box used to house a spare key. The box containing the key is then placed on the outside of the vehicle so that the driver is able to regain access once they have been locked out. Most auto owners that decide to exercise this precaution so that they are able to get back into their vehicles do not exercise the same preventative measure when finding a hiding place for the spare key. Spare keys are often hidden under the front or back bumper, on the side of or behind a trailer hitch, or just under the car. While you could get creative and find a unique place to hide a spare key it is best to just not keep one of the outside of your vehicle at all. Most thieves are experts in finding these keys that give them easy access into your automobile.

Practicing these preventative measures can help to ensure that your car is one less that is stolen. If more citizens do there part we can help decrease the number of car thefts.

Clinton

Joseph Kenny asked:




Identity theft is fast becoming a very serious crime, in the UK. Its repercussions for the individual who has his or her identity stolen can be very serious and frustrating. Claiming back your own identity from the thief can be a slow and painful experience, often taking many months, to be resolved. During this time, you may find it difficult to get a loan or a mortgage, even after the thief has stopped using your identity.

The biggest use of identity theft is in the hijacking of credit cards and information used to obtain new cards in the real user’s name. The best way to deal with these unscrupulous thieves is to not be caught out by their clever tricks and loose your identity in the first place. A very large percentage of cases of identity theft stemmed from thieves obtaining information from credit cards and related documents. It is essential to safeguard your card and the associated paperwork.

Most of it is common sense, but on the other hand, if you’re not prone to being a thief yourself. You will probably never think of the clever moves that these nasty individuals use to get at the information that they need.

The first thing is that you should never allow anyone to borrow your credit card or get access to the card numbers. You may of course have perfect trust in a close member of your family, and they never deliberately do you any harm. If you give your sister your card to use one day, will she no all the do’s and don’ts to avoid identity theft? Will she inadvertently give away your information that will then be used by identity thieves. This is why it is best never to let anyone else use your card even if your total trust in them.

A lot of credit card fraud can happen simply because you do not keep your eye on your card and who is handling it, and what they are doing with the card. When handing over your card is very important to try to not let her out of your sight, even for a few seconds.

If you are at a restaurant, and the waiter comes over and you give him a card. The waiter will go off somewhere out of your sight to process it. This is a very bad idea, once out of your sight is incredibly easy for a waiter or other staff to electronically record all information from your card.

This process is performed with a piece of equipment smaller than a cigarette packet, and takes less than a second. If you are going to somewhere like a restaurant, or a bar, where the card may be out of your possession or sight. Don’t use it use it, use cash, if you don’t have the cash go to the bar or cashier’s desk and make your payment in person. Do not give your card to someone who takes it away, out of your sight.

The same can be true in shops, although it is not so much of a problem. In normal retail, outlets because you are usually stood with the cashier, do not let the cards out of your sight. Don’t wander off while they process, your payment, and don’t let your eyes look around the store, remember, the process of stealing your cards information takes less than a second.

Laws governing credit cards in the UK states that transaction receipts should not display your full card number only the last few digits. This is a welcome move by the government, but it is not a 100% guarantee that there will not be information on the receipt that an identity thief can use to their advantage. Do not leave the receipt behind always take them with you.

Credit card applications drop through the letterbox with alarming regularity. Each of these application forms is a goldmine for the potential thief. It is so simple for the thief to apply for that credit card that you did not want. It is easy for him to change the delivery address for the card on the application. Make sure to tell your postman, that you want him to push the post all the way through your letterbox. If you decide, you do not wish to make an application don’t just throw away the paperwork or even rip it up. Make sure shred it, to totally destroy it.

Using your credit card online can also be a tricky situation, although contrary to popular belief, online transactions are actually safer than the physical transactions with your card. Care must still be taken with all online purchases. The best option when making purchases online is to use major corporations that are household names. These are usually online versions of major department stores are highly trusted retailers.

Of course, not all things can be purchased from these types of companies. So when performing transactions with an online company that you do not know. You should make absolutely sure that their address (for payments) at the top of your screen begins with HTTPS not the usual HTTP. The ‘S’ stands for, secure, if you do not see this on the payment page your information can be read by anybody.

You should never respond to urgent e-mails from your bank that tells you that there is a problem with your credit card and you need to resolve it is immediately online. Nearly all these e-mails are fraudulent, if you think this may be a genuine communication about your credit card. Then call the number you will find on the back of your card.

Lastly, make absolutely sure that you check through every transaction on your credit card statement; try to compare them to your actual receipts. Any transaction that you cannot recall should be considered dubious until you have confirmed the payment with your credit card company. You should always check that every transaction is valid; it is not only that a few pounds may be lost to credit card fraud. It may also indicate that someone is using a duplicate of your real card, or that your identity has been stolen

There is no real reason to be unduly concerned about using a credit card. As long, you follow the very simple and easy rules above it is unlikely that you will have any serious problems with identity theft, involving your credit cards.

Yvonne

Budda Oliver asked:




Police and law enforcement personnel employ a number of tactics to identify and track auto thieves. Because auto theft is such a costly and dangerous practice for the criminal and the victim alike, there are a few distinguishing characteristics that allow for the watchful citizen to characterize a potential auto thief. One should not attempt to be able to predict who would steal their car — such an endeavor would inevitably end in bias and discrimination — but it is wise to understand what would drive someone to steal a vehicle so as to better prepare and protect yourself from this crime.

Socio Economic Hardship: Fairly or not poor individuals coming from the lower strata of society are routinely considered the prime suspects in automobile theft cases. Though not the only reason a person would still a car, statistics do indicate that auto theft normally occurs among the poorest individuals. This may be for a number of reasons. Firstly, automobile theft is an extremely risky proposition. The potential for injury to both criminal and victim is extremely high, as is the risk of being identified by passersby, and the unlikelihood of pulling off a successful auto theft. These risks combine to make for a crime that only the truly desperate would take on, which is to say that as a criminal, you would have to need money or a car very desperately to try and steal one.

This being said, an individual’s income and social situation do not comprise the entirety of an automobile thief’s criminal profile, nor is it to suggest that you should be weary around people of humble backgrounds: in no way should criminality and poverty be linked in an individual’s mind. While circumstance and want of money are driving factors in a criminal’s decision to steal a vehicle, pre-judging a person or neighborhood as potential auto thieves based on perceived or acknowledged poverty would be a tremendous bias and would denigrate the perceiving subject and observed object of such thought. To wit, it takes more than just economic hardship to make someone an automobile thief.

Expertise: Automobile theft is not an easy crime to pull off successfully. Because of the brazen nature of a crime occurring in public, and the numerous methods of tracking and identification (license plates, vehicle identification number, color/model of the vehicle) a criminal would have to be exceptionally well-trained and confident in their skills to be able to successfully pull off an automobile theft. This is not to say that inexperienced criminals do not attempt to steal vehicles (they do) but it does greatly decrease the likelihood of their escape and success. Because of their ineptitude, a first time car thief is very likely to be caught and put in jail-, ipso facto they are less likely to steal your automobile. This leaves the bulk of potential auto-thieves as repeat, expert offenders.

Desperation: Economic hardship and social status comprise a portion of the motives that an individual might have when they decide to steal a car, but desperation is often more than just an inability to pay the bills. Again, because of the risk involved in stealing a car, a person must be truly desperate and in need of a vehicle (either to sell or to use for transportation) to want to take someone else’s. This leads to the frightening conclusion that someone who would be tempted to steal your car would be in a position where risking years in prison seems like a good idea. A person who this idea might occur to: a criminal on the run for another crime; an individual deeply in debt to illegal entities; a mentally unstable individual.

By rationally examining the motives and general circumstances of a car thief you can conclude that the threat of auto theft is real, and the perpetrators who might embark on such a project, dangerous, desperate, and likely well practiced. The best method to stave off an auto thief is vigilance and awareness. Keep your car locked, stay in well-lit areas, and remove yourself from unsafe situations to minimize the criminal element’s involvement in your life.

Timothy