June 17th, 2009 | Posted in identity theft solutions
Identity theft – also known as ID theft, identity fraud and ID fraud – describes a type of fraud where a criminal adopts someone else’s identity in order to profit illegally. It is one of the fastest growing forms of fraud in many developed countries.
In the United Kingdom identity theft is currently growing at a rate of 500% each year and, according to Which Magazine, a quarter of the population have either suffered from identity theft or know someone else who has.
In the USA, a report issued by the Better Business Bureau revealed that, in 2004, over 9 million Americans became victims of one of the many different types of identity theft with the total sum defrauded being $52.6 billion.
With figures like this, it’s unsurprising that there is a great deal of concern surrounding computer and internet security. After all, the internet is basically a mechanism for exchanging information and the possibility that some of the information exchanged may be more than intended is never far from many internet user’s minds.
It’s easy to imagine criminal masterminds worldwide using the internet to hack into computers in order to gain access to information with which to advance their devilishly cunning schemes. However, as detailed in the report, the reality is a little more low tech and the internet, far from increasing your exposure to identity theft can, if used properly, significantly cut your losses if you do become a victim this form of fraud.
According to the Better Business Bureau’s research the main methods by which criminals gain access to information used for identity theft fraud are as below:
- Lost or stolen wallet, chequebook or credit card. 28.8%
- Accessed as part of a transaction. 12.9%*
- Accessed by friend, acquaintance or relative. 11.4%
- Don’t know, refused, no answer. 11.1%
- Information accessed by corrupt employee. 8.7%
- Stolen paper mail or fraudulent change of address. 8.0%
- Obtained some other way. 7.4%
- Computer spyware. 5.2%
- Information stolen from garbage. 2.6%
- Computer viruses and/or hackers. 2.2%
- Emails sent by criminals posing as legitimate business. 1.7%
* 12.9% resulting from transactions – 10.4% offline transactions, 2.5% online transactions.
In total, when the instances where information was accessed during transactions are subdivided into online and offline transactions, only 11.6% of the information used to carry out identity theft fraud was obtained from computers.
Of this more than fifty percent was obtained by the use of viruses, spyware or hacking – the risk of which can be significantly lowered by the installation of the appropriate protection software and by ensuring that this is kept up to date.
Not only did the survey reveal that the internet was not a major source of illegally obtained personal information, but it was also found that those fraud victims who checked their financial records using the internet, ATM machines or other electronic methods suffered financial losses which were, on average, 8 times lower than those of victims who used traditional paper statements to monitor their accounts. This significant reduction was attributed to the fact that the fraud was discovered more quickly thanks to “real time” monitoring.
Of course, that’s certainly not to imply that you shouldn’t exercise caution when using the internet or take care to protect the sensitive information which you have stored in your PC’s memory. However, as long as you install suitable virus, spyware and firewall protection, and ensure that this is kept updated, then the internet can be more help than a hindrance when it comes to avoiding identity fraud.
May 15th, 2009 | Posted in Identity Theft Prevention
The world has become a cautious place. Just take a look at the availability of resources that can help an employer perform a criminal background check. The sad fact is, it’s an essential part of the landscape today but without this ability to check someone’s credentials, issues can hurt a company or an individual down the track.
For example, in the world of employment, illegals are not permitted to perform paid work function especially in the US. If an employer is found out, even if they had no knowledge the person they hired wasn’t legal then the penalties they face can be severe.
The truth is, if you are in a position where you do regular hiring, there is no excuse for not knowing whther someone has a shady or suspect background and can present a risk to your business or even your repuation. In this article, we will look at some of the main reasons for performing a criminal background check.
Top 5 Reasons For Background Checks
#1. Criminal background checks can help you save your company. It is observed that the most common reason for small businesses to fail is ‘fraud’. We trust our employees and sometimes they cheat us. This causes harm to the company and it may face heavy losses. By performing criminal background checks on the employees, we can find out more about the potential employees or even the ones working already.
#2. Criminal background checks will give your company a more professional look. These checks will make it look more reliable and trustworthy. This will help you in winning your customers and expanding your business.
#3. Background checks help you in protecting your customers. Every business runs because of its customers. If you have an employee who is a fraud or a criminal, you may loose your valued customers. With such people working for you, the customers will find it difficult to trust the company and will move their business somewhere else.
#4. They also help in creating a safer environment for the employees. How many times have you heard of people facing non-fatal assaults at their place of work? Many times. With the tolerance level of people going down, violence is constantly on the rise. Thus the criminal background check helps you in avoiding situations like these and creates a safe environment for the people working for you.
#5. You can keep your companies insurance premiums low by conducting a criminal public background check on your employees. For example, if you want to employ a driver, you can check his record for any traffic offense or his license etc. this can help you in making your choice.
April 30th, 2009 | Posted in identity theft solutions
The crime of identity theft refers to a criminal offense that involves a thief stealing critical documents belonging to an individual that includes a Social Security number and a driver’s license number. If an identity thief is able to acquire such vital data, they are able to pretend to be someone else. Information that is stolen can be used to get money, services or products under a victim’s name, which is why you need to use best identity theft protection.
Immigration or some type of application can occur in situations where an ID thief has gotten their hands on fake documentation through the crime of identity theft. One of the largest identity theft problems is that a lot of the time, crimes committed by an ID theft criminal are generally ascribed to the the individual who had their identity stolen.
True name ID theft and account takeover are the two chief types of identity theft. With true name identity theft, the person stealing the identity makes use of another individual’s personal information to be able to get new accounts. Such accounts include a checking account to commit financial theft, new credit card account or a cell phone service.
Account takeover is a type of happening in which an identity thief uses private data that has been stolen and is used to obtain entry to another individual’s banking accounts. Quite often, the thief will take advantage of the stolen data to be able to buy additional goods while changing the billing address of the victim so that the victim never sees the bills with fraudulent charges.
Since no real verification is performed when purchasing online, criminals are finding it simple to buy items online. All that is required is only the exact numbers and they are good to go. Another excellent reason why you should utilize a identity protection theft.
Some ID thieves hack databases in order to get private data. This kind of crime, however, is not frequently done unlike the well known techniques such as looking at a person while conducting a financial transaction or digging through the garbage for some receipts.
You should always be aware when completing forms with a lot of personal information at the DMV or other places. There are criminals waiting to steal your personal information which often times leads to identity theft. Invest in a identity fraud protection product and protect your identity today!
April 30th, 2009 | Posted in identity theft solutions
Protecting your identity offline is just as important as protecting it online.
Identity theft means to impersonate a real person. In short, identity theft is a crime against another person. Victims of the attack could face unwanted trouble and expense because of fraud or other criminal activities, thieves commit using their personal identity details. It is one of the fastest growing crimes globally, costing victims, in the United States alone, over $5 billion annually. There are reports that some victims of identity theft can now spend as much as 600 hours recovering from the crime and cleaning up the mess.
Is identity theft something to be worried about?
The short answer is yes. Be very afraid. Identity theft or e-crime can happen easily and quickly. The theft works in a range of ways- from crude methods to well organised scams. Common examples of identity theft involves a fraudster collecting your personal information such as a social security number, credit card number, full name and address and other information that can then be used to either apply for a credit card or loan and then purchasing items with that credit card or loan using your identity.
Business or Institutions
Businesses can also be victims of identity theft. This another resource available to the identity fraudster who can gain access to the huge data bases that some businesses or institutions retain about their customers. They get your information by stealing files out of the offices where you are a customer, employee, patient or student, by bribing an employee who has access to your files or even “hacking” directly into the organization’s computer server. Unfortunately you as an individual are powerless to prevent this from happening
So how do I protect my personal information?
The Things You Must Not Do:
Don’t share your personal information with people you do not know and don’t provide it on the internet when applying for work etc.
Don’t be tricked by an email that looks legitimate or appears to link to a genuine website.
Don’t reply to emails sent by the bank requesting to log into your account to confirm your details. This scam is referred to as phishing. Delete the email immediately. These hoax emails are sent out at random and in large numbers and are not targeting you personally.
Don’t be naïve with your personal or financial information.
Don’t leave personal papers lying around or thrown into the general trash, because any information can be used by these identity fraudsters.
Don’t write down your Personal Identification Number (PIN), particularly not on your credit or debit card.
Don’t give personal information out over the telephone to anyone that calls you about anything. Legitimate callers never ask for personal information identifying you.
Don’t ever give out your personal information in response to an email, a web site you’ve come to through an external link or a pop-up screen that appears on a real web site.
Don’t give your credit card to a restaurant or retail employee to swipe somewhere else. Your credit card can be skimmed with a hand held skimmer small enough to fit into their pocket very quickly.
Don’t keep financial data on laptops unless absolutely necessary. Laptops are far more likely to be stolen than desktop computers. Encrypt all password lists and hide the file if you have to have it on your laptop.
Don’t forget to shred your credit card receipts and all other personal information that you don’t need to retain.
Don’t carry your birth certificate, social security card, or passport, unless it is necessary.
Don’t post private information on discussion lists or forums, even if they are alleged to be private.
Don’t leave documents such as registration papers, driver’s licences, utility bills or traffic fines in the glove box of your car.
Don’t put your driver’s license number or phone numbers on your checks.
Don’t use your credit card number on the Internet unless the site has a secured, encrypted system (look for “HTTPS” in the URL or the lock icon in the corner of your screen).
Don’t access your bank account or type personal information using someone else’s computer. There are many computer viruses that can sit on a computer undetected for many months and record entered keystrokes.
The Things You Must Do:
Do check your credit card statements (and other statements eg telephone, electricity and gas). Look for irregular entries or changes to the address line.
Do query mail and bills that are not being delivered. Your mail can be diverted to another address so that it can be processed by a identity fraudster.
Do report identity crime without delay. This will help limit the harm that it may cause to you or to others.
Do contact all creditors with whom your name or identifying data have been fraudulently used.
Do check with the organisation that has just contacted you before calling back. They will understand.
Do review your credit report at least once a year.
Preventing identity theft is a lot better than trying to recover from identity theft. The police and your bank will work with you to solve any problems arising from identity theft. So be very vigilant because identity theft is a crime against you and your family.
Bob B Taylor is a webmaster and publisher of AvoidingIDTheft. He provides lots of handy advice and reviews about how to prevent identification fraud, including some great ideas about protecting yourself against identity theft on his blog site.
April 30th, 2009 | Posted in identity theft solutions
Identity theft is a very serious issue, one that everyone needs to be aware of. What is actually identity theft? It is actually involving stealing, misrepresenting, hacking or hijacking into another person’s identity. This type of crime is becoming the world’s largest crime in North America and other parts of the world.
Monitor Your Credit Report
The best way to for an identity theft recovery technique is by monitoring your credit report. You are going to want to keep an eye on it, checking it at least every couple of months, to ensure that there is no activity going on that you were not aware of.
You have to be extremely careful when you are giving out your credit card number.
By not getting your credit cards into the wrong hands is one of the most important tip on how to prevent online identity theft tips.
If you can, you should really stick to only a few different stores that you shop at online, rather than just buying items from any random online store that you come across.
Also to prevent online identity theft, even if you are shopping at a familiar store you are going to want to make sure that their website is safe and privacy protected.
Another tip to prevent online identity theft is to be careful with which emails you answer.
Often, there are smart people who will send out fake emails pretending to be headhunters stating that you were accepted for a job that you’ve applied for online, or some pretend to be customer service officers from banks asking for your personal details.
You have to be extra careful here because most identity thieves like to make their documents looks the same and convincing.
These are all helpful tips on how to prevent online identity theft, and although you will never be able to be sure that you will never have this crime committed on you, with this helpful advice you will be able to feel a lot safer and not have to worry about it so much.
Identity theft is an issue that we all need to take very seriously, and there are thousands of people around the world who have already been a victim of this crime and who have suffered greatly for it.
As there are not many laws to control identity theft, this makes it so easy for identity thieves to get away with the crime and leaving victims to lip their wounds.
Need identity theft recovery services for you and your family? Get an introductory resource on how to use a 10-step identity protection plan to enjoy a full coverage against identity theft for the entire family. Click on the link above to access it immediately.
April 21st, 2009 | Posted in Identity Theft Prevention
One solution for the hazardous effects of identity theft is identity theft service. It is hurting to know that no matter how vigilant individual is, he or she still has chance to be a sufferer and this makes identity theft turns to be a very frightening crime. The facts show that in the United States, in every two to three seconds someone is being stolen of his or her identity and during year 2007, there are seventy-nine million credit card and Social Security Number thefts. Hence, what can identity theft do for the victims?
One Way Out
In fact, hiring identity theft companies is the only real solution. They have mushroomed in the west countries now. Nevertheless, you have to know what such service companies exactly do and what the benefits to the customer will be before you mull over making use of an identity theft service.
Basically, an identity theft service is there to proactively help victims of identity theft and an identity theft service will also act on behalf of the victim in requesting fraud alerts being placed on their accounts. Thus, after such a fraud alert has been placed, it helps the creditor in becoming aware of needing to identify you for who you are, and to also investigate whether pending transactions are valid or not.
Another benefit of utilizing an identity theft service is that such companies can ask for that the victim’s name be removed from junk mail lists and pre-approved credit card lists. Also, the identity theft service will also organize credit reports from the three leading credit reporting bureaus on behalf of the victim. So, when your identity has been stolen, the identity theft service gives well qualified people to help you in taking care of any complications that may arise because of the identity theft.
Nevertheless, there are many who wonder just why bother hiring an identity theft service when these actions can be performed personally by the sufferer himself. Then the answer is that by hiring an identity theft service, you are basically only saving yourself from being bothered into taking follow-up action, and also getting a little more protection because nothing is overlooked when dealing with the victim’s situation. Thus the victim is given more protection than they could do on their own.
In a nutshell, identity theft service is a company which has one job that is guarding the sufferers of identity thefts after they have been robbed. So, if you are affected of identity theft, just hire them to behalf on you and have you fair dealing.
Safeguard.
Want to know further about identity theft service? Let’s explore more on the links here and you will get much more about identity theft service as well as any thing related.
April 12th, 2009 | Posted in Identity Theft Prevention
Losing your personal information or identity is extremely violating and increasingly common.
Something not to be overlooked is that knowledge of the history of identity theft in this country can help you formulate a strong defence strategy against this malicious crime.
With profound internet usage, personal information, social security numbers, credit card numbers, and banking information are being ping-ponged across the world wide web.
This leaves the sender with only the ability to hope it will land in the right hands. All too often, however, this information falls short of its location and rolls off into the hands of criminals.
There are ways to prevent this interception, and it begins with you and the way you expose your information.
You may ask yourself what is the soundest and best identity theft protection to use?
Something not to be overlooked is that you must understand where the risks lie. Have you ever wondered about the increasing popularity of automatic payments?
Live check interception is an extremely easy way for a criminal to directly obtain all of your personal bank account information and begin purchasing items.
If you have ever used an e-check to purchase something, you know that everything you need to make a purchase is on that check. This is a gigantic risk that can be avoided by limiting check usage to in-store purchases only.
Many of the most wonderful ways to prevent identity theft involve protecting yourself online. Consider the many online transactions that occur every day and the most suitable way to protect yourself.
Online bill payment through secure websites, rather than using checks, will cut down on a criminal’s chance to steal your information.
Secondly, when the economy is in terrible shape people will become desperate. Identity theft can spike tremendously, and there is no time better to protect yourself.
Do not assume that if you throw away material with personal information, no eyes will ever again look upon it. One of the most common methods of identity theft is rummaging through trash.
Credit card statements, bank statements and other personal identifiers are all in there and will be at a criminal’s disposal. Shredding your documents before they reach the trash can prevent this invasion of privacy and loss of identity.
Lastly, make sure that the information you divulge online is protected by a secure website and that you check your credit score often.
This is will keep you aware of any deviations in your score and your spending. A free credit report is available to you annually, and for a minimal monthly fee you can receive a credit report that is updated monthly and notifies you when credit report changes occur.
Also, by knowing which secured sites you use, if your information is stolen, you can contact them immediately to retract your information. You must be proactive to protect your identity.
April 7th, 2009 | Posted in identity theft solutions
To define Identity Theft, one may refer to many different sources but, what it all boils down to is that it occurs when someone steals another person’s name and other personal information to fraudulently use such illegally obtained means of identification information for nefarious activities. It is an act of impersonation that uses another person’s personal information like a date of birth, Social Security number, address, and name as well as credit and banking account information for illicit means. It is also co-opting of an individuals personal information without the individuals knowledge and consent and, using this information to purposely deceive others. It is a deliberate assumption of another person’s identity which is most often used to gain access to their finances or, implicate them in a crime. ID theft has been also used for illegal immigration, terrorism and espionage along with changing identity personally. These are some of the most common ways in which one may define identity theft.
Identity Theft First Defined in 1996
To define identity theft, we can go back to 1996 when it first started getting the attention of the world and, was added to American vernacular. The Federal Trade Commission was greatly concerned by the criminal abuse of consumers’ means of identification through theft or other fraudulent means. To define identity theft, it needs to be understood that it is physically impossible to steal another person’s identity; however, stealing their identification is possible and, is now a part of a growing trend in white-collar crime in the US.
Many define identity theft as the unlawful use of their identification for unlawful purposes. Another line of thought, with regard to the definition of identity theft, proposes that the criminal actually deprives the owner of his or her identity when the thief replaces the victim’s identity with their own dubious reputation. A common thread one can see in defining Identity Theft is that it involves illegally acquiring the personal information of a victim in order to perpetrate impersonation of the victim’s identity.
One needs to define identity theft in all its different manifestations as the scheming minds of criminals can conceive of and put into action many clever schemes to dupe authorities as well as incriminate victims. Blackmail is also another instance of how identity theft may be used against unsuspecting victims. Now that a clear and concise definition of identity theft has been determined, a big step against this criminal act will have been won.
March 19th, 2009 | Posted in identity theft solutions
A new site called Lifelock Scam is causing quite a stir about identity theft solutions using fraud alerts to protect against identity theft.
According to the site, it takes 5 minutes to place a fraud alert yourself and costs absolutely nothing. They even supply the toll free phone number and links so you can do your own either online or off.
What’s more, they claim that the practice as carried out by Lifelock is illegal and is soon to be stopped by the courts leaving anyone who has signed up high and dry.
The site also blows holes in that famous Lifelock guarantee and says its pretty much worthless as it states Lifelock will pay professionals to correct your credit file if ‘their [lifelocks] service is shown to be at fault.
It has details of ongoing class action suits regarding the Lifelock guarantee, their aggressive ad campaigns and their use of fraud alerts.
You can read more by clicking here.
March 17th, 2009 | Posted in identity theft solutions
Identity theft fraud is affecting more than twenty-seven million Americans on a yearly basis which means that the need for adequate and strong identity theft fraud protection is very high indeed. Banks in particular need to have identity theft fraud protection as this form of fraud is something that can cause them to suffer a lot of heavy financial losses. It is therefore good to know that banks have begun using password protection in order to safeguard their online business transactions.
Ordinary Citizens
However, even ordinary citizens can make use of simple identity theft fraud protection and there are in fact quite a few measures that can prove to be very good and effective in safeguarding their best interests. The first of these identity theft fraud protection measures is ensuring that you never divulge your Social Security and credit card numbers to anyone that is not known to you personally or officially.
Second, proper identity theft fraud protection means informing the bank immediately after you realize that you have misplaced your checks or they have been stolen. These can be flagged by the bank which will then block payment against those checks.
Giving away your PIN number to your ATM card is certainly a big no no of identity theft fraud protection measures and so this is something that you should never do. Also, the more effective identity theft fraud protection measures require that you also ensure that you thoroughly shred all your financial documents and bills prior to disposing of them and even solicitations received by credit card companies must be shredded before disposal.
In case you have not received your monthly bills then a basic identity theft fraud protection measure is to immediately call the concerned company to find out the reason for the delay. Also, once you receive these bills you need to go over the details with a fine comb to ensure that nothing untoward is contained which would then point to an instance of identity theft fraud.
Lastly, the greatest identity theft fraud protection measure that you should take is to check your credit reports at least once in a given calendar year to ensure that all information on the report is accurate and correct. Any mistakes must be pointed out and corrected.
Today, identity theft protection is a must for virtually every person. Using a good identity theft protection guide can help you combat identity thieves in an effective manner and so preserve your sanctity and safety. This is especially relevant in today’s plastic money societies where identity theft is a common menace that requires suitable and strong action to keep the identity thieves at bay.
