How Do I Avoid Identity Theft

Archive for the ‘Computer Identity Theft’ Category

Identity theft can be one of our worst nightmares, since the stolen identity is always used for illegal purposes. Apart from having your identity stolen from you, you could also become a target of litigation from parties hurt by the actions of the identity thief.

So what should you do if you ever become a target of identity theft? This article provides information on what to do after you discover that your identity has been stolen.

What To Do After Identity Theft
Here are some steps to take once you discover your security has been compromised by an identity thief.

1) Let The Credit Rating Agencies Know
The credit rating agencies should be told about the theft as soon as possible. Creditors will need to contact you before they give loans to anyone approaching them for credit on your behalf. Try to get the fraud alert extended to seven years from the current 90 days. File all credit reports you receive, since it is crucial as evidence to show identity theft.

2) Keep An Eye On Credit Reports
Keep monitoring credit reports, so fraudulent accounts in your name are not opened. Keep reviewing your credit reports and look into the credit companies you have not had any dealings with.

3) Close Dubious Accounts
If you feel that some accounts have been opened by the identity thief, or there has been unauthorized access to the accounts, close them. Have the credit card companies and your bank notified by mail, so that you have a record stating that they were formally notified.

4) Opening New Accounts
Use new personal identification numbers and passwords if you wish to open new accounts. Ensure that the passwords are such that someone else cannot guess them.

5) Stopping Doubtful Transactions
If you feel that any transaction related to your account or credit card number is fraudulent, use fraud dispute forms available at the bank to state your claim. If you want the bank to consider your request, you need to prove that you have been a victim of identity theft. You can submit a copy of the police report or submit proof that your signatures have been forged.

6) Report To The Police
Report the identity fraud to the police as soon as possible. Get an affidavit from the police station to prove the crime, since banks and credit card companies will ask for the affidavit to be submitted before they take action to close accounts that have been compromised.

The above steps will help you close fraudulent accounts opened in your name and keep further fraud from being committed in your name. Report the identity fraud as soon as you discover it to the proper authorities.

Identity theft is a menace to modern society and something that can happen to anyone at any time. What makes identity theft harder to tackle is the fact that victims rarely find out about it till it’s too late. In the U.S., most victims realize that their identity has been stolen almost 12 months after the crime. The longer the thief has access to your identity, the harder it will become for you to clear the resulting mess.

If you think there is nothing you can do except hope the next identity theft victim is not you, you cannot be more wrong. Being alert can help you catch identity theft as early as possible, and the damage might be contained.

The Warning Signals

Here are some signs to watch out for with regard to identity theft.

1) You don’t receive credit card statements regularly.
One of the ways identity theft is made easy is unlocked mailboxes. The identity thief can simply take out the credit card statements from your mailbox and walk away. If you think your mail is being tampered with, that is one of the signs of identity theft.

2) You receive statements regarding an account you did not open.
If you receive calls regarding an account you did not open, or your credit card company calls you regarding a credit card you never applied for, this may be another warning signal for identity theft.

3) Debt collectors contact you about unknown loans.
Debt collection agencies contact you to ask you to clear debts you knew you never had.

4) Inflated credit card bills
If your credit card bills seem inflated and you don’t remember purchasing the items billed to you, you should consider the possibility of identity theft.

5) Missing Checks
If your checkbook has missing checks, this could be another warning sign of identity theft.

6) Discrepancy in Credit Reports
Your credit reports show loans you never took and accounts you did not open. Monitoring credit reports regularly can help you detect identity theft early.

7) You are contacted by police over illegal activities you were not involved in.

The identity thief can use your name when arrested by the police or has any kind of trouble with law enforcement agencies. This should alert you to the possibility of identity theft.

How To Confirm Identity Theft

The warning signs mentioned above could spell trouble; on the other hand, they may indicate a commonplace problem in your mailing address, or the credit card billing system that can be sorted out in a phone call.

How do you make sure that you are a victim of identity theft? The best way to do it is by tracking your credit record. Every U.S. state has provisions for making your credit record available to you for free, you just need to apply to the proper authorities.

Never ignore the warning signs above, even if they seem too small to be of any importance. Becoming aware that you are a victim of identity theft is the first step towards resolving the problem.

Businesses are especially exposed to physical and data access code identity theft.

In a busy workplace, where a lot of people work, it can be difficult to keep property and information secure if an unauthorized thief gains access. The problem of “stair dancers”, thieves who move quickly around the building using the stairs instead of the lifts and steal in an opportunist way, is an example.

The answer for most companies is to control entry to the building, with a single supervised entry point or an automated controlled entry system. Either way, some form of personal identification is usually required, such as a personal identification pass or swipe card. High security facilities may use more complex solutions. To gain entry, a thief must steal or copy an identity pass or card.

To guard against theft of a pass or swipe card, adding a PIN code to be entered when the card is swiped is a common solution. If a card is lost the magnetic entry code and the PIN number are easily changed. With a supervised entry, the security person or receptionist usually gets to know people, or you can use a stronger requirement for pass inspection with photographic identity or a signing-in procedure for where there is doubt.

Data security is most effectively managed by starting with the “need to know” principle: only those who need the information can get access. A user name and password as each person’s means of identification is the most common solution. Strong passwords should be required for important data, following good practice for setting up passwords such as only complex character combinations and a minimum length.

By limiting the number of password entry attempts (often to 5) before a time delay before another attempt (often 15 minutes) an automated log in system would take a very long time to test the possible combinations of a strong password. This activity would no doubt be detected by most systems, and access further denied from that computer. A further security measure is to restrict access to a defined network or to specified internet addresses or computers.

Programmed restrictions to certain individuals should be placed on the ability to change (or, worse, to corrupt) a database, and to download or print sensitive commercial or personal information. Data held on portable or laptop computers is more difficult to control and more susceptible to theft, and these computers are at greater risk of being interfered with for a thief to load spyware.

Systems to detect and remove spyware, especially key stroke logging software, from entering a commercial computer network is vital to guard against identity theft.

There are four main categories of identity theft:

Financial: Financial identity theft is the most common. Just using your stolen credit card details to buy things is the example we all know about and guard against. Your telephone bills may soar if a thief is able to use your telephone calling card or otherwise get access your telephone account. The identity theft criminal may get even bolder, and take out debts in your name, obtain a new credit card, sign up for a telephone or electricity account, lease a car, or take out an apartment lease. You could even find someone else has taken out a mortgage on your own home, and vanished with the money. It is not unknown (but rarer) for a person to find their home or other property has been put on the market, and even sold by an identity thief, though this is a more difficult deception for a thief to pull off.

Criminal: Some criminals will prepare for the risk of being caught by the authorities by having someone else’s identity ready. The most common example is in traffic violations. They may even carry a false driver’s licence in your name, bearing their photograph, just in case they get caught. The first you know is when you get the citation for not responding to the charge. Access to drinking establishments when under the minimum legal age is another common example. Another example is using your stolen licence plate to steal fuel in “drive offs” from service stations. It is your number plate that appears on the security cameras. Filing a fraudulent tax return under another person’s name is also a common form of identity theft, perhaps to preserve an income tested state benefit the thief receives. The possibilities of how criminals could use your identity to cover up their crimes can get more serious still.

Cloning: Occasionally criminals will take on someone else’s identity to get a passport or driver’s licence, or to access data, when they have their normal channels blocked. They may even steal an identity to start a totally new life, perhaps if they are wanted persons. Illegal immigrants, criminals, bankrupts and even abuse victims may use this approach to start a new life, as you. Their purpose may not be to hide behind your identity to commit a crime so much as to just conceal their true identity behind the respectable façade of your identity. You may not incur financial or other losses, but have the unnerving experience of having your reputation merged with that of a “clone”. You may notice nothing until, for example, your good credit record is unaccountably damaged.

Commercial: Businesses can also find themselves embroiled in identity theft problems. A tenant may sell off the landlord’s furniture, purporting to be the owner. A person may gain access to premises or data by falsely using an authorized person’s identity. At the other extreme, a company may have to deal with purchasers or creditors waving contracts signed by an identity thief who falsely claimed to have represented the company when entering into a large transaction. At this stage the identity thief has usually long vanished with the proceeds of the crime.

With so many ways for unscrupulous people to profitably steal your identity, you need to take precautions.

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.