Federal Trade Commission « id theft fraud prevention

August 5, 2009

Identity Theft – What are the Most Common Ways to Commit Id Theft or Fraud?

Filed under: Credit — Tags: Business Professionals, Card Account Numbers, Co Worker, Consumer Complaints, Crimes, Customer Service Number, Federal Trade Commission, Ftc, Information Check, Internet Service Providers, Legitimate Organization, Legitimate Representatives, Place Of Employment, Scams, Thieves — admin @ 6:03 am

Cathy Taylor asked:

It’s the number one source of consumer complaints at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and unfortunately, it’s one of the simplest crimes to commit. Identity theft involves information from your daily life, from shopping, bill-paying, and even applying for a job. Thieves take advantage of everyday opportunities to discover your personal information, including your Social Security number (SSN), bank or credit card account numbers, income, name, address, or phone number, and use it to commit fraud or other crimes.

How can a stranger get to your information? According to the FTC, identity thieves may pose as legitimate representatives of an organization, as business professionals or agents of the government, conning you into revealing sensitive information. Common scams include impersonating employees from banks, credit card companies, Internet service providers, and utility companies. If someone calls you claiming to represent a legitimate organization, confirm this by calling the customer service number listed on your statement or bill.

Thieves may also use your place of employment to get the information they need. A co-worker may steal information from your employer; someone could hack into your company’s computer and copy employee records; or a criminal could resort to the old-fashioned method of bribing someone you work with for your information. Check with your employer to find out the company policy on securing your records and disposing of them when you’re gone.

If your employer is authorized to pull credit reports on employees or potential customers, someone could take advantage of this access to retrieve illegal reports. Criminals may also pose as employers, landlords, or collection agents to pull your credit information. It’s a good idea to order a copy of your credit report once a year to check for unauthorized entries.

Shredding your documents before you throw them away is also good idea, whether at work or at home. Identity thieves have been known to sift through garbage, in the trash can or at the dump, to find sensitive information.

The most common form of identity theft is credit card fraud. Technology has allowed criminals to begin stealing your credit or debit card numbers as you use the cards, “skimming” them with an information storage device. In addition, thousands of drivers’ licenses and credit and debit cards are stolen each year. Keeping your Social Security card in a secure location and safeguarding your purse or wallet while at work are necessary precautions.

Even your mail is a source for identity thieves, who may complete credit card applications in your name and go on a spending spree. After stealing your bank or credit card statements, tax information, or box of replacement checks, criminals are able to access your accounts and spend the funds in your name. They may even change the address on your existing account, diverting the bills to keep you from recognizing the problem until it’s too late. Being aware of your billing cycles can help you catch a discrepancy in the arrival of your statements.

Identity thieves have a variety of ways to use your information for their personal gain. They may shop for big-ticket items using your credit or bank account information and then sell the items for cash. With your SSN and date of birth, they can open new bank accounts or apply for lines of credit. In fact, banks have granted loans to criminals using stolen identities for purchases as large as cars.

Telephone or internet service can be set up using your SSN. Thieves can avoid impending eviction or accumulated debt by filing bankruptcy in your name. Perhaps the most emotionally traumatic, police could issue a warrant for you if a criminal was arrested using your name and failed to appear at a court hearing.

The ways that identity thieves have conceived to acquire your personal information are numerous, but your vigilance and heightened awareness can curb their ability to make you a victim. And, if you sustain credit damage, go to http://www.apscreen.com to find out what you can do about it.

Craig

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July 16, 2009

Recent Identity Theft Statistics

Filed under: Finance — Tags: Advances In Technology, Bank Fraud, Credit Card Frauds, Credit Card Receipts, Federal Trade Commission, Identity Theft Statistics, Information Bank, Legal Sense, Loan Fraud, Personal Identity, Personal Transactions, Rapid Advances, Sensitive Data, Social Engineering, Subterfuge — admin @ 9:22 pm

Keith Londrie asked:

Identity theft (ID theft or identity fraud) is the deliberate appropriation of an individual’s personal information to impersonate that person in a legal sense. Stealing someone’s identity enables the thief to make a frightening number of financial and personal transactions in someone else’s name, leaving the victim responsible for what might turn out to be a mind-boggling turmoil in his or her life. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) keeps records on identity theft, and, not surprisingly, the number of incidents reported increase each year. The recent identity theft statistics reveal that ID theft affects as many as ten million Americans each year! According to FTC’s identity theft statistics, the losses to businesses and financial institutions total nearly 53 billion dollars annually.

These identity theft statistics further reveal that the most common types of ID thefts are credit card frauds, communications services fraud (such as opening a cell phone or a utility services account using someone else’s information), bank fraud and loan fraud. For years, the primary cause of identity theft has been good old-fashioned or low-tech analog crime. Impersonators rummaging though mailboxes, snatching purses or searching the garbage for discarded bank statements or credit card receipts. Rapid advances in technology have seen a plague of sophisticated phishing attacks. Identity theft statistics expose phishing as the most dangerous of all ID thefts that uses both social engineering and technical subterfuge.

Phishing can have serious financial consequences. In a phishing attack, the victim is sent an email that “appears” to be from a bank or other financial institution. The victim is then told to click a link and verify his/her account information or supply personal identity data. The link appears to be a legitimate site, but is in fact a scam. The moment he/she enters sensitive data, the identity thief gains access to account information and can empty the bank account. Phishers can also take out credit cards in the victim’s name, steal ISP account information and do other financial damage. In its latest report on identity theft statistics, the research group Gartner says that close to 60 million Americans reported receiving a phishing email, and 1.7 million people have been victims of identity theft, which cost banks and credit card companies $1.2 billion in losses.

You must take steps to protect your account information, social security numbers, passwords, etc. Now. Always memorize and shred important documents that you are discarding. Don’t simply throw these types of documents away!

Agnes

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July 13, 2009

Identity Theft Victim Records

Filed under: Law — Tags: Computer Networks, Credit Card Accounts, Credit Card Information, Federal Trade Commission, Hundred Thousand, Impersonator, License Numbers, Loan Accounts, Mailing Addresses, Personal Transactions, Physical Descriptions, Preventative Steps, Protecting Your Identity, Reed Elsevier Group, Traffic Violation — admin @ 11:13 pm

Keith Londrie asked:

Identity theft crimes are not new, but they have become more persuasive in the past decade. In mid-2005, San Francisco Chronicle discovered that holders of more than 40 million credit cards were vulnerable to financial fraud because identity thieves had compromised their credit card information. Earlier that year, information and data broker, Reed Elsevier Group PLC, revealed that several hundred thousand people might have had their profiles stolen from one of its U.S. databases. One quickly learns to secure their computer networks so that these kinds of attacks, or leaks are non-existant.

Information compromised included names, age, physical descriptions, mailing addresses, Social Security, and driver license numbers. This is virtually everything an impersonator needs to set up a clone of the identity theft victim, enabling him to make a number of financial and personal transactions in the victim’s name. Usually an identity theft victim is usually under age forty, while about 11 percent of victims are age sixty or older. According to Federal Trade Commission (FTC), one in six identity theft victims said that thieves used their personal information to open at least one new account, such as credit card accounts or loan accounts, to rack up debts on existing accounts. The most recent data indicates that 9.3 million Americans (or 4.25% of all adults) are victims of ID theft on an annual basis. This is an alarming rate and should show you that you NEED to take preventative steps toward protecting your identity.

An identity theft victim risks the destruction of his/her good credit history, and may spend years, and large sums of money restoring the credit history and goodwill. There are instances of an identity theft victim been denied work or insurance or been detained for crimes he did not commit! Some victims of ID theft found that their names have been misused after police stopped them for a traffic violation and discovered that there is a warrant for their arrest. There are also times when an innocent person receives a summons to appear in court to answer for a criminal act. FTC’s latest survey shows ID theft losses to businesses and financial institutions total $52.6 billion annually. Recently, Federal Trade Commission launched a website annualcreditreport where all consumers are eligible for a free copy of their credit reports. Take the time to go to that site and get your free credit report. This can be a step to alerting you to suspicious activity.

Theodore

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Identity Theft Lawyers Guide

Filed under: Finance — Tags: Assumption Deterrence Act, Con Men, Conmen, Credit Issuers, Federal Crime, Federal Trade Commission, Financial Accounts, Financial Institutions, Fourth Consecutive Year, Ftc Estimates, Id Theft Recovery, Identity Theft And Assumption Deterrence Act, Lawyers Fees, Personal Transactions, Privacy Right — admin @ 10:47 am

Keith Londrie asked:

“Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws.” Plato.

Identity theft, one of the fastest growing crimes in America, is a federal crime under the Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act. Bad people or con men usually find ways to get around this law. Identity fraud occurs when a con artist illegitimately uses your identity to make a frightening number of financial and personal transactions in your name, leaving you – the ID theft victim, responsible for what might turn out to be a mind-boggling turmoil in your life. Last year ID fraud crimes topped the list of complaints reported to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the governmental agency addressing the problem of identity fraud, for the fourth consecutive year.

The FTC estimates that ten million people are victims of ID theft each year. Perhaps the only people minting money are the conmen and identity theft lawyers! Determining the exact scope and financial impact of id theft on people and businesses is difficult. According to a survey conducted by Privacy Right Clearing Group, victims spend from $50 to $2000 on costs related to ID theft, not including identity theft lawyers’ fees. Since ID fraud is a complex crime you may not be able to clear your name as fast as you would like. Bureaucratic financial institutions move slowly, partly to protect you. But if ID theft recovery procedures fail to resolve the problem, you should get in touch with identity theft lawyers. Credit issuers and reporting agencies are sometimes slow in responding to complaints from consumers. The threat of lawsuits can provide some impetus.

If you believe you have been a victim of identity fraud and all steps to restore your name and credit fail, contact top identity theft lawyers in your area immediately, to minimize the damage to your personal and financial accounts, as well as your credit report and reputation. Thanks to the nature of the crime, most identity thieves are never found. So, in order to clear your name, you patiently need to work with the law enforcement agencies and identity theft lawyers, assisting them when you can. Remember, justice moves slowly, and ultimately you will be proven on the side of right, and your life can go return to normal. This is usually a slow process, but it is a necessary evil we all live with.

Marcus

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June 30, 2009

Most People are Aware of Credit Card Fraud: Learn What Other Identity Theft Crimes May Affect you

Filed under: Finance — Tags: Benefit Fraud, Cell Phone, Credit Card Fraud, Crimes, Dumpster Diving, Electric Water, Federal Trade Commission, Government Document, Identity Fraud, Loan Fraud, Mail, Telecommunication, Thief, Thieves, Tight Rein — admin @ 6:21 pm

Rick Churchill asked:

According to the Federal Trade Commission, the most common types of identity theft are credit card fraud, utility fraud, bank and loan fraud, employment-related fraud, and government document or benefit fraud. While many people are award of credit card fraud as it is the number one crime committed and is also the easiest way a criminal can use your information, it is important to understand the other types of identity theft in order to protect yourself. It is the goal of this article to discuss remaining four types of identity theft and some ways to protect you from each method. While nobody is completely safe from identity theft, there are steps you can take to reduce the chance of becoming a victim.

Identity theft can extend to utility fraud which is currently rated the number two type of fraud in the United States and is actually higher then credit card fraud in certain states. Utility fraud is relatively easy to commit and is the practice of an identity thief using your personal information to obtain utility accounts such as gas, electric, water and sewer, cable, and other services. The thief can also setup telecommunication accounts such a home or cell phone and in many cases a thief needs only your name, address and phone number to commit utility fraud. About 15 percent of senior victims report that an identity thief obtained unauthorized telecommunications or utility equipment or services in their name. In order to avoid utility fraud it is imperative that you keep a tight rein on all of your personal information. Burn or shred any documents or mail with your personal information on it instead of putting it in the trash as many thieves are not above dumpster diving.

Bank and loan fraud is another identity theft crime that often affects the elderly as about 10 percent of all victims over age 60 reported fraud involving their checking or saving accounts and seven percent reported that an identity thief obtained a loan in their name. Bank fraud is sometimes perpetrated from the inside by a bank employee or manager who already has access to financial information and will sell it to the highest bidder. There are also thieves who already have some of your information and will disguise themselves as a bank official to try and get banking account numbers. Never give any information over the phone to somebody that claims that they work for a financial institution. Instead, ask for an appointment where you can meet with them in person at the bank. It is also important that you never click on an e-mail link in a message said to be from a financial institution asking for information to verify your account. A legitimate bank will never use this type of communication.

Employment fraud comes in two styles with the first type being where someone steals your social security number to get employment. With the ever increasing influx of illegal immigrants looking for work in the United States, the chance of somebody using your social security number to find gainful employment is on the rise. In fact, about two percent of victims over the age of 60 reported that an identity thief used their personal information for employment purposes. While you can reduce the possibility of this crime by keeping tight control of who has access to your social security number, there are no guarantees as many of these illegal immigrants will pick as social security number at random. While most people utilizing this method are simply people looking for work and not true identity thieves, the method is still illegal and can cause some negative effects for the victim.

The second type of employment fraud should be particularly concerning to most Americans as this is the practice of a thief obtaining employment in small businesses such as doctors offices, dentists, and banks to gain access to patient or customer records. Because it is the responsibility of a business to keep their records safe, there is very little an individual can do about this type of crime other then choose only well known and reputable businesses with a strong privacy policy.

Government fraud can occur in many ways including tactics such as applying for government benefits, unemployment insurance, financial aid, or even filing for bankruptcy while using somebody elses social security number. Some identity thieves will commit traffic violations or other crimes and then give a victims personal information when caught as it is easy to get falsified drivers licenses, state IDs, bank cards, and social security numbers if you know where to look. While government fraud is a major focus for the law enforcement groups and agencies in the United States and government fraud comes with a high penalty, too few criminals are ever caught. Once again it is up to you to protect your personal information to avoid this type of fraud.

As you can see, identity thieves are not limited to credit card fraud but can practice other techniques such as the four listed above. Even though credit card fraud, utility fraud, bank and loan fraud, employment-related fraud, and government document fraud are the top 5 methods that identity theft criminals utilize, it would be foolish to think that they are the only methods available. The methods that an enterprising thieve may employ is limited by only their imagination. Because identity theft has become so common a crime it is impossible to be completely safe but you can take steps to reduce the risk. The important thing is to take some type of action be it taking steps on your own or employing an identity theft program such as LifeLock.

Robin

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June 26, 2009

Identity Theft – the Fastest Growing Crime Wave in America!

Filed under: Finance — Tags: Account Numbers, Credit Card Fraud, Crime Wave, Criminal Misuse, Federal Trade Commission, Five Billion, Law Enforcement Agencies, Mail System, Paper Shredder, S Postal Service, Sensitive Account, Sensitive Documents, Social Security Number, Victim Of Identity Theft, Victims Of Identity Theft — admin @ 1:28 pm

Dewey Kearney asked:

You heard right. Identity Theft is THE fastest growing crime wave in America. Why? Because it’s easy and doesn’t require someone to break into your home to make off with the goods. They can get them right out of your trash!

According to the U.S. Postal Service, one reason is the carelessness of how many of us handle sensitive documents. One of the best investments you can make for your home or office is a paper shredder. There are people who make a living out of looking for a copy of someone’s un-shredded bank statement, credit card bill, tax return or any number of documents with sensitive account numbers!

This article is an attempt to educate you of those dangers and give you some genuine facts and a solution or two. If you have ever known someone who had their identity stolen then you know what we are about to tell you is true.

Last year alone, more than 9.9 million Americans were victims of identity theft, a five billion dollar crime wave!

The number of id theft victims and their total losses are probably much higher. It’s hard to pin down, because law enforcement agencies may classify id theft differently – it can involve credit card fraud, Internet fraud, or mail theft, among other crimes. It can even involve your credit report because when you order a copy of yours unless you request that only the last 4 digits be listed, the entire number is there just waiting to be stolen! I know this myself because I recently ordered my credit report be mailed to me and there was my entire social security number on EVERY page for all to see!

The FTC (Federal Trade Commission) reported that only four percent of victims cited stolen mail as the source of personal information. Even so, U.S. Postal Inspectors, charged with protecting the nation’s mail system from criminal misuse, are leaders in the fight against identity theft.

What Should I Do If I Am A Victim of Identity Theft?

According to the FTC, if you are a victim of identity theft there are four steps you should take as soon as possible, and keep a record with the details of your conversations and copies of all correspondence.

Place a fraud alert on your credit reports, and review your credit reports.

Fraud alerts can help prevent an identity thief from opening any more accounts in your name. But one is too many.

One of the best favors you can do for yourself is order LifeLock the guaranteed Identity Theft program. When we set our site up we decided to only recommend vendors that we had confidence in personally.

What sold us on LifeLock? The fact that their founder and CEO Todd Davis does their advertising and gives his Social Security number in all their ads. When I first heard this I figured it had to be an advertising ploy. After further checking them out both my daughter and I both signed up. They have lived up to everything they said and as a bonus we stopped getting those pre-approved credit card offers and the majority of our junk mail also stopped.

Here is what LifeLock says about themselves:

Stop Identity Theft. Guaranteed.

By now you’ve heard the stories about individuals whose identities have been stolen by identity thieves. They’re not pretty stories . . . people working for hundreds of hours over many years to get their lives back in order, even innocent individuals ending up in jail! We can protect against this ever happening to you. Guaranteed. Up to $1 million.

LifeLock doesn’t just report unauthorized use of your credit information, we prevent it by working with the credit bureaus to make sure you’re contacted to approve any credit transaction before it takes place. We also remove your name from pre-approved credit card offers and junk-mail lists, where identity theft often gets started.

We’re the leaders in proactive identity theft protection as you’ve probably seen in coverage in The Wall Street Journal and Chicago Tribune, and on MSNBC, CNN, and many other national news outlets. We’re so sure of our system our CEO confidently publishes his own Social Security number in all our ads.

Is this fraud alert something you can do yourself? Yes however since this is not a priority with most people it will get put off until it’s too late. Then you have to un-do what could have been prevented in the first place for approximately 33 cents a day. That’s pretty cheap insurance. This is an investment in protecting your peace of mind and your good name as well.

If you’ve already become the victim of id theft you can contact them for help on getting your good name back!

With the increase of identity theft, I wouldn’t put it off another day. Once your identity is compromised it can take months or years to get it fixed. Contact LifeLock today.

Mildred

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June 25, 2009

How To Report Identity Theft?

Filed under: Criminal — Tags: Bank Accounts, College Students, Credit Card Info, Credit Report, Credit Reporting Agencies, Damages, Federal Trade Commission, Fraud Alert, Ftc, How To Report Identity Theft, Number Address, Small Business Owners, Stock, Telephone Number, Thieves — admin @ 8:05 am

John Goldman asked:

Identity theft is simple is robbing of ones identity including their name, telephone number, address, credit card info and almost all the personal information. In most of the cases these thieves would not just steal your identity but can also steal properties which are secured on the account of the victim. It can be a serious case and is known as fraud by the FTC.

Anyone can be a victim of this dangerous crime as there are no specific requirements for the theft to take place. Even the small business owners along with college students can be victims of id theft. However in case you have become a victim of id theft it is important that you instantly report identity theft.

Access the damage done

Firstly it is important you don’t panic as it can lead to disconnected actions and thoughts. Before you can do anything, firstly access all the damage being done. Find out why your identity might be stolen, the extend of damage and even the damage is not instantly apparent take a stock of the consequence.

Get ready a list of all the accounts you think are affected and their damages. Check your bank accounts and credits which is generally the first thing id thieves might do. You should also find out if there are any unauthorized transactions done to any of your accounts.

Place a fraud alert

The fraud alert would be a warning placed on all your credit reports so that it warns merchants that criminals might be using these funds fraudulently. The fraud alert must be activated with all the credit reporting agencies. You should also review your credit report by requesting a copy of your credit report when placing the fraud alert. In case you find any discrepancies then make sure you instantly report it to the agencies. Additionally make sure you also close all the accounts which you suspect are already compromised.

File complaint with the FTC

The Federal Trade Commission actually monitors and tracks all the ongoing id theft cases. It is through these cases which patterns are being recognized and the id theft is found. Therefore when you suspect of being an identity theft victim immediately report to the FTC by either calling them or by visiting their online help line website.

Report id theft to your local police department

Make sure you are prepared as it could be a frustrating experience. This is because all the police departments are not good at handling identity theft cases but they can help you with any further problem. You can just file your report at the police station who might further take action by working with the FTC and the credit reporting agencies. You can even provide them the same copy of id theft which you submitted at the FTC. However make sure you retain a copy of the police report with you as it can be one of the most helpful tools when you need to clean up your credit, financial and personal identification.

Florence

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June 19, 2009

Id Theft Basics – How to Protect yourself

Filed under: Finance — Tags: Affidavit, Bcp, Circumstance, Coline, Commission Surveys, Cras, Credit Bureaus, Creditors, Emotional Stress, Epidemic Proportions, Federal Trade Commission, Ftc Gov, Personal Relationships, Pocket Expenses, Victims Of Identity Theft — admin @ 9:52 am

Mike Clover asked:

Current studies show that ID Theft is at epidemic proportions. The Federal Trade Commission surveys estimated that there are close to 9.9 million victims and growing by 2 to 3 million a year.

For individuals that are not victims of identity theft, the best thing you can do is check your credit report regularly, focusing on two categories.

* Inquiries from unfamiliar companies. Here we are talking about someone applying for something in your name in a state that you don’t live in. Remember inquiries are the result of you applying for credit.

* Unfamiliar Accounts (tradelines). Are there debts or new credit listed on your credit report that you are not familiar with?

There are 3 major Bureaus that provide services to monitor your credit report. These services give e-mails to you promptly if there are any changes to your report.

What to Do if ID Theft happens to you.

You want to keep a detailed log of events as you start the dispute process. You do this in case you run into problems with a creditor. The first step obviously is contact the 3 credit bureaus, local police, creditors, etc…… You keep detailed conversations logs with any of these entities you communicate with. Also keeps receipts, bills, or out of pocket expenses you incur during the process of disputing. I would also make note of the emotional stress and how it is affecting your work performance and personal relationships. In addition your expenses and time could be tax-deductible in certain circumstance.

Contact Law enforcement

Here is the properties procedure for contacting the authorities so you can file a formal report. You should include all fraudulent accounts in the report. As the Credit Bureaus say they are able to remove disputes, remember to keep a copy of the report number and contact info.

Who to contact:

* FTC.gov/bcp/coline/pubs/credit/affidavit.pdf

* Local Police Department

* FTC 800-438-4338 or 800?ID THEFT

Credit Bureaus – Steps to take with the CRAs

* Notify one of the credit bureaus fraud units that you are victim of Identity Theft. This Bureau will be responsible for telling the other 2 Bureaus. (Equifax: 800-525-6285; Experian: 888-397-3742; Trans Union: 800-680-7289)

* Tell Bureaus to flag you credit report with fraud alert

* Get a copy of your credit report with scores

* Once you have read your report, send a dispute letter, accompanied with police report along with the FTC fraud affidavit specifying which accounts are fraudulent.

* Subscribe to the Bureaus monitoring services of your credit report

* Consider signing up for Trusted ID services which will block your credit report so only you can use it.

* Ask the Bureaus to contact the creditors that fraudulent activities have taken place.

Debt Collectors- You will be getting calls from debt collectors more than likely. If they call you:

* Get the debt collectors companies name, address and there phone number. Let him or her know you are noting the time and date of the conversation in your log activity book

* Inform the collection agency you are a victim of Identity Theft

* Provide the FTC uniform fraud affidavit

* Ask for number and name of credit issuer.

* Send the debt collector a letter, stating that you do not owe this debt and that the account has been close.

* Request in writing that the account is being flagged as fraudulent, and is being closed. You also should request in writing that the fraudulent account is being removed from your credit report.

New accounts opened in your name: the Identity Thief has opened new accounts in your good name: what to do. The credit report you pulled should list all creditors that have accounts in your name with contact numbers.

* Notify each creditor of the identity theft that has taken place to you. You will be asked to send a fraud affidavit. (Be sure to put all of this in your log)

* Ask the creditors to send you any application or fraudulent activity that has happened in your good name.

* Add passwords to all accounts

* If the thief has got a hold of your checking account, credit cards, get replacements with new numbers. Call and request these accounts to be closed as well.

* Fill out FTC uniform fraud affidavit.

Your Checking account- If the thief has written checks in your name here is what you do.

* Call your local police, and file a report

* Call your bank and close the account immediately

* Remember to keep good logs

* Typically your bank will refund you your money, and ask for a copy of police report filed.

This stuff is serious business; I hope this will help you resolve issues involving identity theft to you.

Roberta

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June 15, 2009

Credit Card From Fraud and Id Theft – What You Should Know

Filed under: Credit — Tags: 1990s, Careful Examination, Credit Fraud, Federal Trade Commission, Fraudulent Crimes, Government Agencies, Internet Merchants, Irs, Paypal, Phishing, Reputable Company, Thief, Thieves, Unsuspecting Victim, Valid Source — admin @ 2:55 pm

Allison May asked:

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Have you ever tried shopping online? Why not? Many people find that online shopping is not only easy and convenient, but much cheaper as well. Internet merchants can afford to sell their products for lower prices because of a lower capital needed for maintaining an online store. But don’t forget about the risk of credit card fraud and identity theft when purchasing from the web.

You may not even be aware of it but other people may already be using your personal information to commit fraudulent crimes against you. For instance, one common strategy used by identity thieves is called “phishing”. In fact, this strategy has been used by ID thieves since the 1990s and has become more and more prevalent today.

How is the crime of phishing done? An identity thief will send an email to an unsuspecting victim, disguising as an email from a reputable company or online merchant like the IRS, Amazon, PayPal and other big names on the web. If you’re not aware of identity theft tricks, you may think that the email is indeed from a valid source.

You may be asked to click on a link that leads to a phishing website. This webpage was made to look just like the genuine company and it takes careful examination to recognize a fake one from the real one. The email may ask you to fill out the online form for them to verify your account. But upon submitting that online form, you may not know that you’re also handing out your personal information to identity thieves.

What You Should Do

The Federal Trade Commission warns all consumers against such tricks. Remember that trusted merchants and government agencies will not solicit personal information from consumers through an electronic message.

The best thing to do if you receive a suspicious email is to call the company who appeared to have sent it to confirm. Never attempt to open an email or click on the links in it.

Bear in mind that the URL of a secured website always begins with https://. You should also look for the pad locked icon in the bottom right corner of your browser. If you have been a victim of Identity Theft or credit card fraud, contact the FTC immediately.

Be Alert Against Online Identity Theft

When making an online purchase, check the background and reputation of the internet merchant you intend to purchase from. Don’t just compare shops based on the low prices they offer. If a certain online shop sells items at an incredibly low price, if it doesn’t have a solid track record of service to show, you could be in danger.

You may also prefer to send in your payment through a reputable online system like Pay Pal. This way, you don’t have to reveal your credit card’s number to anyone. See to it that the online shop uses a secured server. There must be a Privacy Policy provided on the site to show that they are concerned about protecting their customer’s personal information.

Alice

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May 26, 2009

Study The Increasing Impact Of Identity Theft On The Society

Filed under: Criminal — Tags: Consequences, Credit Information, Credit Reporting Companies, Disaster, Emotional Health, Emotional Sides, Federal Trade Commission, Fraud, Fraudulent Account, Ftc, Personal Information, Protecting Your Identity, Support Groups, Theft Victim, Victims Of Identity Theft — admin @ 3:41 am

John Goldman asked:

Identity theft is a very serious crime 2which involves a theft who uses personal information, financial and credit information of an individual for almost any purpose. The FTC or federal trade commission has reported that nearly 8 million US citizens had become victims of identity theft during 2005 and this figure has increased by nearly 25 percent by the year 2007. Therefore protecting your identity from theft is critical and the impacts of this crime can be devastating on your mental wellbeing and also your credit or financial status.

Emotional impact of id theft

Identity theft can sometimes have a huge impact on the emotional health of the victim and most of whom are unaware of where or how the criminals have availed their personal information. Most of the people find themselves feeling angry, vulnerable, stressed and depressed when they recover from id theft. Fortunately, there are several identity theft support groups started all over the country to help these people recover from this disaster. These groups also help the victims deal with the emotional sides of theft and assist them in moving forward with their life.

Credit impact

Your credit score and repot would also be greatly affected if you are a identity theft victim. Although according to law you are protected from being financially accountable to the fraud committed under your identity, your credit would still be affected much before you can realize you are a victim. In order to correct your credit information you should first contact the credit reporting companies and the businesses where a fraudulent account has been opened. You must also continue to check your credit reports almost every year to make sure that no fraud has occurred.

Driver’s license

Most of the identity theft victims are so concerned about the consequences of id theft that they even forget that this criminal might also be using their driver’s license and other types of identity. A number of id theft criminals completely assume the identity of the victim by availing their identification and driver’s license with new information and picture on it. In case this happens to you then you might find you have several criminal complaints and outstanding tickets that result from this fraud. However when your passport is stolen then it can be a lot difficult to rove your nationality.

Financing

Availing financial help for a new purchases can become a lot difficult after identity theft. However if you have followed the right procedure with credit reporting companies then a fraud alert would be placed on the reports. This means that when you apply for new accounts, you will have to offer additional information to prove your identity. Although this is for your protection much of the amenities extended to you during the early days would no longer apply. These amenities include online access to credit decisions and quick credit approval.

Economical impact

Identity theft also has a dramatic impact on economy of a country. According to the FTC estimates businesses have lost above $50 billion because of this fraud while they have also spend more than $2 billion just to avoid the losses and resolve the consequences.

Pauline

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May 6, 2009

Identity Theft Laws – Reasons They Are Inadequate

Filed under: Personal Injury — Tags: 18 Usc 1028, Assumption Deterrence Act, Continuous Threat, Deterrence, Federal Trade Commission, Grassley, Identity Theft And Assumption Deterrence Act, Identity Theft Laws, Kyl, Law States, Public Outcry, Sen Feinstein, Senate Bill, Theft Prevention, U S Postal Service — admin @ 8:42 pm

Abhishek Agarwal asked:

Have you ever felt pity for those who have suffered from the effects of identity theft? Should you be in their same situation suffering from identity theft, your life may be like theirs and you would understand and feel pity. It is this reason here that laws were passed to detour this continuous threat of security to everyone in the country including business and individuals.

Consumers’ awareness to this threat has finally peaked within the last five to ten years. Largely due to the media attention it has gotten, people are more aware of when they give out their personal data and especially when it is given out without their consent, such is the case on the Internet.

With the widespread attention and public outcry, federal and state legislation have been brought up regarding Identity theft issues.

ID Theft and Assumption Law

On the federal level, the Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act (18 USC 1028) was passed in 1998. When the law passed, it made any type of identity theft a felony. The law states that if a person knowingly uses the identification of another person with the sole purpose to commit some type of unlawful crime under both the state and federal laws.

Those who, in turn, violated this law, were put under close supervision by several federal agencies including:

- U.S. Secret Service

- the Social Security Administration

- the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI)

- the U.S Postal Service

Criminals were then prosecuted by:

- the U.S. Department of Justice.

The law does allow for victims to be reimbursed. This reimbursement was established within the Federal Trade Commission as an identity theft clearinghouse.

Following on the federal law’s heels, 40 states have criminalized identity theft, most of them being a felony.

Senate Bill 2328 called the Identity Theft Prevention Act of 2000 signed by Sen. Feinstein, Kyl and Grassley. They wanted more attention to direct on prevention matters before theft occurs. They wanted also to find out where the prevention should be taken and where the preventions should belong.

President George W. Bush signed the Identity Theft Penalty Enhancement Act or ITPEA as an addition to many of these laws.

What are the provisions of this identity theft law?

When a theft is found to have occurred, it is made a felony with a mandatory two-year sentence in prison. Should any of the theft be related to terrorist activity, there will be an additional five years tacked on.

It also orders the U.S. Sentencing Commission to strengthen its penalties should the theft be found in the role regarding employment.

Many people are happy that identity theft is now being prosecuted but still say the credit bureaus and the industry itself has to make necessary changes before all is said and done.

Laws were also needing to address the frustration that victims felt and a way to for them to let others know they have criminal record that is not theirs.

Some bills that were passed include a provision, which made it possible for people to get contents regarding their own information that has been put together by information broker, employment background checks and an individual reference service.

For those who had criminal records that is not of their own doing, there must be a way for those people to clear it up an expedited process. These would involve the law enforcement where the arrest was first made and the court issues the warrant. Currently, there is no such remedy for victims of identity theft with criminal records

Jack

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April 12, 2009

Call The Identity Theft Hotline Incase Of Assistance

Filed under: Criminal — Tags: Credit Bureau, Credit Fraud, Credit Report, Damages, Federal Trade Commission, Fraud Alert, Ftc, Hotline Number, Identity Fraud, Major Credit Bureaus, Social Security, Social Security Number, Suspicious Activity, Unauthorized Activity, Wallet — admin @ 4:05 am

John Goldman asked:

Identity theft has become very common throughout the world and specially in United States where the ID thieves take advantage of the daily opportunities to find your personal information to be used in their benefit either to commit crime or for funds. It is quite easy for the thieves to steal your identity and you might not even know that you are a victim until you find your accounts being hacked.

The thieves would just slip off your wallet or search in your trash bin to find any credit card or banks statements or your social security number. Additionally it can actually get really difficult for you to fix up your credit and restore everything back to normal.

Using id theft hotline number

Despite this the good news is that the victims of id theft have more and easily accessible options than before in protecting and reporting identity theft. According to the FTC or Federal Trade Commission there are 4 crucial actions that you must take in order to minimize credit damages being caused due to id theft.

Firstly you should contact any of the 3 major credit bureaus through their hotline number or through email. This can get you to speak to their identity fraud department and can also request them to place a fraud alert on your credit report. After the credit bureau confirms the fraud alert the remaining two agencies would automatically place alerts instantly. When there is a fraud alert placed on your credit report the creditors will have to contact you before they can open any new account under your name or change any detains of the previous accounts. This is all possible through the identity theft hotline number.

It is important that you check your credit report every year to find out if there are any errors in the report. In case you find any errors or a suspicious activity then immediately contact the creditors through their hotline number so that they become aware about the unauthorized activity in your account. This can include informing authorities of your bank accounts, loan lenders, credit card companies, phone companies, utilities and even internet service provider. You must also contact the fraud department of the company by phone so that proper action is taken.

In case you find that thieves are running bad checks by your name then immediately close the account and inform your bank. In case you are not sure about their hotline number then visit their online website for details.

Most of the people are actually not aware about identity theft hotline numbers which is important in case of emergency. This means that if you have lost your wallet then you will instantly want to place fraud alerts on your credit cards and bank accounts. Therefore the best and the fastest method would be thorough phone. In case you are not aware about the id theft hotline numbers then you can visit the official FTC website to find contact number of all the major credit reporting agencies including banks.

Ruth

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March 25, 2009

Get Identity Theft Help!

Filed under: Law — Tags: Assumption Deterrence Act, Credit Reporting Agencies, Equifax, Federal Offense, Federal Trade Commission, Financial Institutions, Fourth Consecutive Year, Governmental Agency, Identity Theft And Assumption Deterrence Act, Knowledgeable Resources, Legal Sense, Personal Identity, Private Organizations, Transunion, White Collar Crime — admin @ 3:24 am

Keith Londrie asked:

Identity theft crimes are not new, but they have become more pervasive in the past decade. One of the most insidious forms of white-collar crime, identity theft is a federal offense under the Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act. It occurs when someone deliberately assumes your personal identity to impersonate you in a legal sense. There are people out there who are malicious and want to mess your life simply because they can. Businesses and financial institutions that lose $52.6 billion each year are under tremendous pressure from consumers to tackle this problem.

Last year, identity fraud crimes topped the list of complaints reported to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the leading governmental agency offering identity theft help, for the fourth consecutive year. The FTC collects complaints about identity theft from consumers who have been victimized. Although the FTC does not have the authority to bring criminal cases, it can offer identity theft help by providing information to assist the victims in resolving the financial and other problems that can result from this crime. As additional identity theft help, the FTC also refers victims complaints to other appropriate government agencies and private organizations for further action. The support of these knowledgeable resources expedites recovery, while enhancing your peace-of-mind.

Accurate and up-to-date information is the most critical element to minimize risk. For this reason, Federal Trade Commission recently launched an identity theft help web site called annualcreditreport where all consumers are eligible for a free copy of their credit reports. In order to effectively respond to suspected ID fraud you should place an identity theft alert in one of the three consumer reporting agencies and that agency will notify the other remaining two. These agencies are: Equifax at 1-800-525-6285, TransUnion at 1-800-397-3742 and Experian at 1-800-680-7289. These credit reporting agencies can also be found online.

The ID Theft Clearinghouse managed by the FTC is a tool designed to coordinate law enforcement efforts in the United States. But, in the end, local law enforcement agencies like the police and district attorney end up dealing with most identity fraud cases. If you have been a victim of identity fraud, it’s these local agencies that will mostly likely offer identity theft help.

It would also be a good idea to study some of the different methods of identity theft so that you can effectively combat them. Do things like shredding your important documents with any account information or identifying information.

Sandra

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