Identity theft has become the crime of the new millennium. The problem
is it can be done anonymously, and easily. The impact on the victim
can be devastating. Identity theft is the theft of information such
as a person's date of birth, Social Security number (SSN), bank account
numbers or credit card number. Everyday mundane activities of a consumer
can provide opportunities for a thief, such as buying gas, charging
restaurant meals, or tickets to a football game, renting a car, video/DVD,
tools; ordering gifts or online trading; receiving mail; taking out
the garbage, and recycling. Any activity you do where identity information
is passed, shared or made available to others creates an opportunity.
Identity theft is the fastest growing white collar financial crime in
America and quite possibly the fastest growing crime.
(sponsor)
Is your credit less than perfect? Are you looking for a credit card
that can help you establish or re-establish your credit without costing
you hundreds of dollars to obtain? If you said yes to either, then apply
today for an Orchard Bank MasterCard®!
Here are a few easy tips that can help you the consumer protect yourself
from identity theft.
1) Use a free e-mail for financial transactions. This will make it
more difficult for identity thieves to trace your name to financial
information.
2) Track your identity before something goes bad, with available free
tools. MyPublicInfo (MPI), is a good example. Here you can use the “Public
Information Profile” or PIP. This helps trace the public “threads”
that run through people’s lives.
3) Avoid clicking links or buying from e-mail spam, and delete right
away. Some of these are in reality, messages from “phishers,”
who send out spoof e-mails masquerading as legitimate companies.
4) Give out your personal information only at legitimate websites.
“Pharmers” often redirect a DNS number to a phony site whose
purpose is to steal your personal information. When purchasing or ordering
something online, make sure it’s a secure site by looking for the
“https:…” rather than just “http:..”.
5) Use a double-blind, untraceable 800-number if you must publish your
phone number on the Web or in a classified ad. Identity thieves and
internet stalkers could track down where you live and almost anything
else from a home phone number. PrivateTel, NetworkIP, and other similar
companies provide applicable 800-number services.
6) Never give out your Social Security number. Most of the time, an
SSN is completely unnecessary, so any request for it should be suspect.
Exceptions include when you call your credit card company for information,
or sign up for affiliate or reseller programs, etc.. where you are required
to furnish this information for tax purposes.
7) Recognize and beware of “social engineers.” Identity thieves
who gain a victim’s trust to steal information. Social engineers
use psychological techniques to gain a “veneer” of legitimacy.
This technique has been used for decades by computer hackers. Some may
claim to represent a charity. Typically, they telemarket via telephone.
8) Paying by credit card is always recommended over a check. These
days, practically everybody who does business, accepts credit cards.
Should a thief get hold of your credit card information, and rip you
off, getting it straightened out is far easier whereas with checking
account information, it’s much more difficult if not impossible.
Credit card companies are well aware of the problem so are well prepared
to deal with it.
9) Avoid using a cordless phone to discuss sensitive personal and financial
information. Although cordless phone encryption has greatly improved,
there is still the risk that somebody can spy on your phone conversation.
10) Vary the passwords you use. By having only one or two passwords
for all your online access, you make the identity thief’s job easy.
Invest in a good paper shredder and destroy all your credit card statements,
or other papers that contain account numbers before you throw them away.
Whenever you charge something the old-fashioned way, with carbon paper,
ask the sales clerk for the carbon paper.
There are some situations where charging by credit card, such as a
restaurant check or hotel, you are always at risk of having your credit
card “swiped” by a crooked waiter, or clerk. Your best defense
here is to eat out at familiar establishments you trust.
A major way identity thieves can get ahold of information is via spyware,
Trojans and viruses on your computer. There are some such programs that
can even record keystrokes and collect stored data from your system.
You should always use at least one good anti-spyware program and scan
your system once a week. AdAware is an excellent freeware utility you
can use. Using a good anti-virus protection and firewall 24/7 is an
absolute must, especially if you’re on broadband - cable or DSL.
A hardware firewall is generally considered superior to a software firewall.
