How Do I Avoid Identity Theft

Archive for May, 2009

If you have lost important identity or financial documents, such as your credit card, you are immediately at risk of identity theft. Your passport or driver’s licence, or your social security number details, may enable an identity thief to pass himself off with your identity. Your credit card may enable a thief to undertake financial transactions in your name.

If your mail appears to be getting tampered with that may be an indication an identity thief is active. If your bank or credit card statements are not arriving as normal your alarm bells should certainly start to ring. A common identity theft tactic is to intercept these statements to delay your ability to see what is happening to your financial affairs.

A strong sign of identity theft is when bills begin to arrive for purchases you have not made. Keeping these from your attention is another reason why identity thieves may take a close interest in your mailbox.

Your mail, or part of it may have been redirected to another address, either through a redirection order being lodged in your name with the postal service, or by notifying a change of address to the people sending mail to you, especially your bank. If you suspect something is wrong with your mail deliveries, check whether this has happened.

If bank and credit card statements and bills are being intercepted in this way, there are other subtle signs of a developing problem that may still get through, such as thank you letters, receipts and follow up promotions from companies you have had no contact with.

The first really serious indication you may hear of a growing debt problem is when credit managers, financial institutions, debt collectors or solicitors try to contact you. This may be by telephone if your mail is still being tampered with.

You may encounter unexpected problems with financial services, such a hire purchase, loan, credit card or mortgage application that indicates your credit status has deteriorated. You can order a copy of your credit file from credit reference agencies to see whether it shows dealings with companies and transactions that you have no knowledge of.

You may be turned down for a state benefit of some kind or social security payment on the grounds you are already receiving it – because an identity thief has already claimed it in your name.

You may find that someone has taken out a mobile phone in your name, possibly signing up for an expensive contract.

As soon as you feel there is sufficient evidence of an emerging problem you should initiate a review of your financial affairs, and begin talking to unfamiliar companies that seem to think they are doing business with you. The earlier you can detect identity theft and take action the less damage will be done to your reputation.

The Internet has made life a lot simpler for most of us. Information is available to us at the click of a mouse, we can send messages to people on the other side of the world through email, and we can download books and important documents online. The flipside of the Internet boom is cyber crime. It is now a lot easier for someone bent on identity theft to access your personal information.

Here are some ways to protect yourself against online identity theft.

Online Identity Theft: Precautions

Your personal computer, laptop, or PDAs have a lot of information on your bank account, credit card, online bank accounts and PIN number. Imagine how much damage an identity thief can cause by getting his hands on just your laptop. Alternatively, he could hack into your account and access the information needed. Here are some ways to ensure that you do not become a victim of online identity theft.

1) Passwords: Try to block unauthorized access to your PC or laptop by using passwords. Use passwords for all devices you use for storing personal information, whether PDAs or laptops.

2) Never Have the PC “remember” Your Password: That little icon you need to click to get your PC to store and automatically fill up your password when you log in seems very useful. However, resist the temptation to use this convenient option, since all an identity thief has to do is click the icon (your login ID is not difficult to get) and viola! - He is in!

3) Change Passwords: Keep changing passwords often. This minimizes the risk of your identity being stolen.

4) Anti virus: It would be very careless to run the system without proper protection against viruses. Sometimes, you may not even realize that your PC has been infected, while an identity thief might be accessing all the information on your system.

5) File Sharing: File sharing is a potential threat to all PC and laptop users. File sharing allows two way transfer of information, which means that while you can access the information on somebody else’s system, the other person also gets access to your system, often without your knowledge.

6) Phishing: “Phishing” refers to the malpractice of assuming the identity of a legitimate party in order to extract information from you. The next time you receive a statement from your bank in your email asking for your PIN number, call the bank and confirm before you give away your personal information.

Identity theft can be traumatic as well as dangerous, since it could land you in a mess for what someone else has done. Do not wait for the disaster to happen; take steps to protect yourself against identity theft now.

Identity theft is a crime that leaves the victim facing an uncertain future, a heavy financial toll and loss of reputation. Wages are lost because you spend hours trying to get your bank accounts in order and close false credit card accounts and your credit report is blackmarked by lending agencies.

What makes identity theft even more difficult to handle are the misconceptions held by people and ignorance regarding the right of the victims. Here are some commonly held misconceptions about identity theft:

1. Identity Theft Is Always committed by strangers.
Contrary to popular beliefs, the people most likely to steal your identity are not online marketers or phishers, but people you know— relatives, colleagues, acquaintances.

2. Social Security Numbers are safe on my person.
Most people carry their Social Security number around with them, thinking that it is safe in their purse, wallet, or briefcase. A survey conducted by Sun Life Financial found that 40% of people surveyed carried their Social Security number around with them. Wallets and purses can be snatched, briefcases can be misplaced. It is best to memorize the PIN number.

3. I am not responsible for the bills run up on my stolen credit card.
If you do not report identity theft at the earliest, you will be held accountable for any transactions done using your credit card.

4. My credit report cannot be accessed by unauthorized people.
In order to get your credit history, a person has to simply get hold of your name, address, and Social Security number. This is not difficult for someone who knows you and your habit of carrying your Social Security number around in your wallet.

5. Senior citizens are the common victims of identity theft.
Senior citizens with little spending power are not the target of identity thieves. Most victims of identity thefts are aged 20-40.

6. I cannot ask for fraud alert if I have no proof of identity theft.
If you feel a fraud alert makes your accounts more secure, or suspect identity theft, you can ask for a fraud alert. You do not have to prove fraud to get an alert.

7. A fraud alert makes it mandatory for creditors to call you before approving loans in your name.
While the Fair Credit Reporting Act advises credit lending companies to call the person taking the loan before they sanction it, but it is not compulsory for them to do so. If the lender is unable to contact the applicant for some reason, the loan may simply be denied.

Clearing all misconceptions and becoming more informed is the first step towards protecting yourself from identity theft. It is always better to be safe than sorry, so take the first steps towards arming yourself with the right knowledge.

It was already late at night and you were walking down the street alone. The wind is blowing briskly through the tall buildings you are passing by. Then, a person appears, out of nowhere. He/she proceeded to run by you and knocking you over, made a grab for your wallet and disappeared through a corner.

It could be a scene from a movie, only it happened! However, this type of stealing, person-to-person, may well exists in movies exclusively for the next years to come.

Why, you may ask.

Nowadays, thieves no longer care to rob a person, bank or any other establishment because they just use an individual’s information to obtain employment, credit and bank accounts and other means of obtaining money or credit

Such activity that has now alarmingly reached millions of victims in United States and Canada is known as Identity theft. It has shown up in news reports for the past several years. Campaigns and laws have been passed all to combat it and build up public awareness.

Last September 2003, the FTC reported that identity theft victims suffer terribly from the said crime. They spend more than $1,400.00, and 200 hours to clear up their personal and financial reputation.

Once identity theft crime becomes more flagrant, victims may have to spend more than this, and not only in terms of time and money. They may end up spending more in terms of frustration.

If you do not have money to spend, or rather, waste just to pay for being a victim of identity theft, then you must know the exact definitions of identity theft, how it works and how you can become a victim. By knowing and defining identity theft to other people, too, they will come up with more ways to combat against it.

Identity theft or ID theft this insidious crime of obtaining and using another individual’s personal data. By personal data it means, the name, address, telephone number, phone card or credit card and Social security number. This act is done without the knowledge of the victim and is usually followed by a criminal act.

The criminal acts of an identity thief may range from committing financial fraud using the personal information. Indeed, identity theft is done by someone, pretending to be another and purchases products using that person’s credit account, obtaining money from bank accounts and ordering goods and services using another’s credit name.

The victim of identity theft is usually left with the bill for the purchased/ordered goods and services. Sometimes, victims are surprised when they find out that they are application for loans were denied because without their knowledge, they have accumulated too many loans because of the handiwork of an identity thief.

Stealing people’s identity is a serious crime. The frauds and deceptions being done using another individual’s identity is another unlawful act. Once identity thieves steal other people’s identity they usually do the following:

- make purchases or order goods without the intention to pay
- apply for credit
- open bank accounts
- apply for loans
- apply for government benefits
- obtain cable or utility services using the another person’s (victim) name
- forge checks or bank drafts
- use victim’s accounts to obtain money through wire transfers using the victim’s accounts
- and other similar acts of fraud.

Individuals are not the only targets of identity theft. They also target business establishments, especially those medium and small limited businesses. Businesses can also be the targets of identity theft.

Corporate identity theft happens when an individual applies for credit or buys goods under the pretense of being a company director of a certain company. Beforehand, they con the government agencies concerned with registering business companies. They file for change of names and address.

They use the said address to direct suppliers of goods they bought, when the bill arrives, they have long disappeared. The company, then suffer the brunt of such criminal acts.

Aside from people with good and well-established credit reports, identity theft also victimizes those without much credit. Sometimes they stead college students’ identities to set up fake credit accounts.

Presently, many efforts are being done in order that people be aware of identity theft. There are also federal laws passed that already define identity theft as a serious criminal act instead of just a fraudulent activity. This is a big step in the fight against rampant identity theft.

Individuals must be proactive so as not to become a victim of identity theft. We must be doubly sure that all our personal documents and information are protected and are not passed on into wrong hands.

Avoid being a victim of identity theft, beware and be cautious!

Being mistaken for someone else can be very hazardous. It can actually get you punished for something you never did. A couple of situations have already cropped up when someone else in a course of a criminal act uses another persons identity.

Many criminals have had the ability to get crucial and vital information, such as social security number, addresses, credit card numbers, bank accounts, birth certificates and etcetera to commit crimes.

The imposter uses someone else’s identification. Not only that, most of the imposter uses fraudulent information or in this case, true personal information but not their own. The fake identification can lead the crime to someone else. As a result, the innocent person will suffer from all of the consequences of the crime commited.

In a traffic scenario, criminal identity theft can also happen. Traffic imposter that violates the traffic rules can use a fraudulent driver’s license with another persons name. By doing this, they can escape the traffic fine or escape from appearing in court as the law requires. The fine goes to another persons record.

The judge will surely issue a warrant of arrest for traffic violation. Unfortunately, the license card is in the name of the victim. Because of this, the imposter will never appear in any court hearing. The worst thing is that, the victim is normally arrested upon a routine traffic stop.

Criminal identity theft is more complicated compared to financial identity theft. Fortunately, unlike other theft cases, criminal identity theft is very rare. In this case the imposter has a rigid form of identify complex. Especially if the suspect uses a different fraud identity, the police department will surely have a hard time looking for the perpetrator.

At the present situation, police are very much more cautious when it comes to criminal identity theft. This offense is considered to be an extreme personal crime. Moreover, records are not easily cleared which could cause several problems with transactions a person may undertake. For example, a criminal record, albeit false, can mar a clean record causing a person some problems with say his credit or a job opportunity.

Not only that, criminal identity imposter can also tamper with some bank account charges of the victim. It can also make some bank account withdrawals and social security tampering. Unrelated crimes can also be committed by the imposter for whom the victim may be held responsible.

Criminal identity theft can also affect the victim in obtaining a job. The imposter can simply use the other personal documents in some events. An impostor can steal from a company and the assumed identity may get the bum wrap for the act done.

The real trouble in identity theft is that the burden of proof relies on the victim’s evidences. The victim must have enough information and data in order to clear up the issues. Not only that, if the imposter had committed a serious offense, the trial can take years. It can even cost the victim thousands of dollars to clear his or her name. These are more conveniences on the part of the victim.

In most cases, the victim is required to have a set of circumstances. The victim must render enough time and evidences to clear the issue on his or her criminal records. A good lawyer should also be retained, the sooner you clear your name and your records the better it will be for you.

If you ever found out that someone is using your identity, don’t wait for the authorities to pick you up, do actions already to minimize the potential damage it may cause.

What are things that an individual should do when criminal identity theft happened?

•  The very first thing that he must do is to report the incident. The local law enforcement agency must know the misidentification issue.

•  Proper impersonation report must be filled officially. The victim must not take all things for granted. He must act as soon as possible to prevent serious troubles.

•  Having enough information about the particular laws of the state is important. The victim must know the proper proceedings when it comes to identity theft. Here is where a good and knowledgeably lawyer will be very handy.

This kind of criminal offense happens more often than what everybody thinks. It has already destroyed countless lives of innocent people. Do not let somebody damage your reputation. Take the essential precautions to protect yourself from criminal identification theft.