Most of us are aware of the problem of identity theft these days. A lot of people think of it as something that happens to somebody else – but sadly it’s more widespread than you may think. In western countries like the USA, Australia and the UK, approximately one fifth of the population will be affected by identity fraud in some shape or form.

Many people worry about using the internet and all the different types of identity theft that can take place online. In actual fact, identity theft is usually a low technology crime. Fraudsters rely on much more traditional methods to steal information. Which doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t exercise care when online or keep your PC or notebook secure of course.

Some of the main methods used by criminals to obtain sensitive personal information include:

Theft of mail – the traditional paper based type. Criminals can intercept mail before it arrives or, even easier for them, retrieve it from garbage. All that they need is a utility or credit card bill and they’re in business. What about all those unsolicited credit offers, loan deals and new credit cards that you receive so frequently? Finding one of those in your garbage would be like gold dust for a fraudster.

The theft or loss of a wallet or purse. Once they’ve got their hands on your plastic they can really have some fun.

Looking over your shoulder whilst you use an ATM machine. This is called “shoulder surfing”. This is a very commonly used technique.

Even more mundane than the above – how often do you give out personal details over the phone, possibly for perfectly legitimate reasons, within earshot of other people? If you work in an open plan office, it may be more frequent than you think.

These are just a few examples of the low tech methods used by fraudsters to steal your identity. Fortunately there are plenty of common sense precautions that you can take which will significantly reduce the risk of becoming an identity theft victim:

Make sure your mailbox is secure.

Make sure that all discarded mail which contains any sensitive personal information is shredded before you dispose of it.

Shield your PIN when using ATMs.

Do not write your PIN down anywhere. Do not, under any circumstances, share the information, or any passwords, with anyone.

Do not give out personal details over the phone if you think the receiver does not need to know them (even if they are “official”). Where this is necessary and justified, do not give out these details within the earshot of anyone.

Check your bank statements and credit card account details on a regular basis. Do this online if you can and get a frequent “live” update. You will notice any unusual activity more quickly by doing this and be able to limit the damage by reacting quickly.

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Identity theft is a definite threat to us all, effecting hundreds of people everyday across the globe. There are a number of insurance products used to cover people against ID theft, but this is not always necessary, as you can significantly reduce the risk by following a set of measures, most of which are built on common sense.

ID theft is a technique used by criminals allowing them to benefit financially through claiming they are you, for example taking out loans, applying for credit cards etc. all in your name.

One of the problems when attempting to tackle this type of fraud is that the are limited by resources, particularly when these criminals are working outside of the UK.

Doing all you can to avoid becoming a victim of ID theft is easier than you may think and being aware of the following points could save you a lot of grief.

1. Ensure that all of your important documents and financial related documents are stored in a safe place out of sight. These include official documents such as passports and driving licence documents, as well as financial documents such as bank and credit card statements, bank account details, insurance documents etc.
2. Frequently monitor your bank accounts and credit card statements to ensure there are no suspicious transactions. If possible, set up internet banking for all banking products as this will allow you to regularly check statements without having to wait for your monthly statements. Online banking is also very secure, with many banks now providing customers with card readers which generate pass codes that must be used when logging in to your account, or making a payment. If you do notice anything that looks suspicious, contact your bank or credit card provider immediately.
3. Buy a paper shredder. You can pick one up from £5 to £30 and you can use it to shred any official documents that you don’t need to keep. This includes bank statements, loan or credit card application forms and even junk mail containing any of your details i.e. name, address, telephone number etc. Simply throwing these documents away could result in them falling into the wrong hands.
4. It is a good idea to make a note of when your bills arrive in the post so you can spot if your bills don't arrive.
5. At least once a year, apply for a copy of your credit file to check all current finance arrangements in your name, allowing you to spot anything unusual.
6. You should never give out sensitive information over the phone unless you made the call or you are 100% sure the call is legitimate. For example, you receive a phone call from somebody claiming to be your credit card provider and they request personal information such as your full name, DOB and Mother's maiden name. These are types of information that fraudsters will want to get hold of, so be vigilant.
7. Never trust emails claiming to be your bank or Credit Card company. Some of these emails can look extremely convincing and the irony is that many of them claim to require your details to help tackle fraud. You can usually spot these emails as the URL that you are required to click may appear to be the official site, but on closer inspection you will see it is in fact close, by hovering your cursor over this link. You will then be re-directed to a spoof page that looks genuine but is actually used to steal your login details
8. When moving house, subscribe The Royal Mail’s redirection service. This will ensure all mail addressed to you ends up with you.
9. Always check your bills as soon as they arrive in the post. If you find anything that looks suspicious, always contact your service provider immediately.

There are a few main techniques employed by criminals to carry out ID theft. These include:

Bin Diving

Going through your bins searching for bills or other documents containing your personal information.

Skimming

Used to steal credit/debit card numbers using a special storage device. This can be avoided by keeping your card on you or in view when making payments.

Phishing

Claiming to be a legitimate financial institution to gain your trust then push you to reveal your personal information.

Changing Your Address

Diverting your bills, statements and other sensitive documents to another address by filling out a change of address form.

Old-Fashioned Stealing

Stealing wallets; mail etc. to get enough information about you.

Pretexting

Used to obtain personal information from a number of sources such as financial institutions, telephone companies, and other sources by impersonating you

Once your personal information has been stolen by an identity thief, they can use it for a number of different things.

Credit card fraud:

• A new credit card can be applied for in your name. The card can then be used to get credit and all unpaid bills will appear on your credit report, damaging your credit history.
• After changing your address, they could charge purchases to your account, leaving you unaware as the bills are no longer being delivered. It could be some time before you notice anything unusual.

Phone or utilities fraud:

• A new phone or wireless account could be opened in your name, or even utility services like electricity, water, or satellite television.

Bank fraud:

• Counterfeit checks made with your details.
• Bank accounts opened in your name.
• Credit or debit card cloned allowing them to use your cards.
• A loan taken out in your name.

Government documents fraud:

• Used to get official ID cards such as a driving licence under your name but with their picture.
• Use of your details to get government benefits.
• Fraudulent tax return made using your information.

Other fraud:

• Qualify for a job using your personal information
• Rent a property in your name.

nowadays, most banks have intelligent anti-fraud systems that are capable of recognising any unusual activity on your card or account, for example money is withdrawn from a cash point in the UK and later that a cash withdrawal occurrs in Australia. 

Nowadays, credit card companies tend to attempt to cross sell you into an anti-theft insurance policy to protect you against fraud. But the fact is that ID theft is heavily promoted and sometimes over exaggerated to help sell the product.

A spokesman from the UK's fraud Prevention Service - the CIFAS, has ID theft is still a relatively rare crime, but it is on the increase.

So as long as you’re cautious with who you give your personal information to, keeping it in a safe place, shred all unwanted documents containing your information, you should remain safe from fraud.

Technorati Tags: bank accounts, credit card fraud, credit cards, id theft, identity theft, loans, phishing, Skimming

1. Never write personal checks to an individual which you do not know. Instead, consider providing cash, a cashiers check or using Western Union. Even if you don’t use online banking, anyone can draw out funds directly from your account using an online service.

2. Before getting rid of account statements, you need to be aware of this – people who steal identities cannot get inside your bedroom or office. Instead, they go through your garbage bins for important data, and often, they find what they are looking for, so purchase a paper shredding machine. It is wise to consider making use of a fight identity theft product.

3. Enroll in ‘paperless statements only’. Most financial institutions send customer statements using the Post Office. The statements hold nearly all of your bank account data and there is no assurance that somebody is not is going to open your statements that come in the mail.

4. You will often receive credit card promo checks via the mail. These can be incredible simple to turn into cash. Contact your credit card issuer and request that they stop sending you those checks. And utilize a stolen identity protection solution in order to protect your personal information.

5. Be aware that banks sometimes do not change the credit card number when they send out new ones. The only thing they change is the expiration date. Undoubtedly, an expired credit card cannot finalize a transaction when used in person, but when used online, you just need the card number and the card holder’s name.

6. Ensure that your cards are all signed. The person ringing up your transaction should compare the signature of the person using the card with the actual one on the credit card, particularly when a huge amount is involved. To stave off unauthorized use of your credit card, write your signature at the back.

7. Credit offer mails that are pre-approved are dangerous just like credit card and bank statements. A perpetrator can very simply pull credit using your name and pre-approved offers for credit. Just like other banking documents, pre-approved offers should be dealt with correctly.

8. Refrain from using computers in public places like in ‘hotspots’, workplaces or other public places when signing up for credit cards online and doing online baking. You are putting yourself at risk from hackers. Even though you do not utilize computers in public places, ensure that you wipe clean the browser cookies after you sign off. Read more about LifeLock review to see if it is the best service for you.

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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.

Technorati Tags: avoiding identiy theft, id theft, identity theft, preventing identity theft

Identity theft is a criminal offense in which a thief steals very important documents belonging to another person that includes a Social Security number and a driver’s license number. Once a thief was able to acquire this critical information, he can start to pose as someone else. Information that is stolen may be used to get cash, services or goods under a victim’s name, which is a reason you need to use protection against identity theft.

Pretending to be someone else for immigration or other purposes can take place in cases where an identity thief has gotten their hands on fictitious documents by means of identity theft. One of the largest identity theft issues is that a lot of the time, crimes perpetrated by a criminal are usually blamed on the person who had been victimized.

2 kinds of identity theft are true name identity theft and account takeover. With true name identity theft, the criminal utilizes another individual’s private data to be able to obtain new accounts. Such accounts include a checking account to get blank checks, new charge card account or a cell phone service.

Account takeover is a kind of ID theft where an identity thief uses private data that has been stolen in order to get entry to another individual’s banking accounts. Quite often, the criminal will use the stolen information in order to purchase more goods while changing the victim’s billing address so that no credit card bills will be delivered.

Because no real confirmation is being made when making a purchase online, criminals are finding it simple to make transactions. All they need is just the credit card information and they are on their way. Another great example why you should utilize a identity protection theft.

Some identity thieves hack databases to get personal data. This kind of crime, however, is not frequently done unlike the old techniques like looking over a person’s shoulder while conducting a financial transaction or rummaging through the trash for some receipts.

Always be aware when completing long application forms at the Department of Motor Vehicles or other locations. There are criminals waiting to obtain your personal data which often times results in your identity being stolen. Invest in a stolen identity protection product to protect your identity!

Technorati Tags: id theft, identity theft

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 bank account information for illegal means. It is also co-option of another person’s personal information without the other person’s knowledge and consent and, using such information to fraudulently 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. It is also used for illegal immigration, terrorism and espionage as well as for 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, one has to realize that it is physically impossible to steal another person’s identity; however, stealing their means of 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 school of thought, with regard to defining identity theft, thinks that the thief 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. Once one has a clear definition of identity theft, half the battle against this criminal act will have been won.

Technorati Tags: id theft, identity crime, identity theft, stolen identity

With a worsening economy, identity theft crime keeps being one of the crimes that is growing quickest. This crime can be carried out by the simple petty theft stealing purses to organized crime overseas that uses sophisticated strategies to steal identities.

Due to the rise in people’s identities being stolen, several companies have developed ways to protect you from this crime, including stolen identity protection services. Since it has been shown that one in four US households are affected by this crime, there is an incredible need for a way for consumers to fight back. You should not do nothing when it comes to protecting your good name because there are those working hard to assume your identity.

Identity theft is sometimes an opportunistic crime. Your information happens to get in front of a thief and they make the best of the opportunity for some sort of financial gain. Other times, the crime is carefully coordinated and carried out in a method to fool even the most careful people.

To simplify the crime itself, identity theft can be defined as the following: A criminal uses your personal information, to include your name, your date of birth and social security number, to commit some fraud. This crime is almost exclusively committed for monetary reasons, with the theft using your information to enrich themselves monetarily.

An identity thief literally steals their victims identity. The thief passes themselves off as the victim and impersonates them so that banks have no idea that they are really dealing with a criminal and not the actual person. ID theft is a crime that can be personal and can put the victim’s finances in a ruin.

Making money is not the only use for ID theft. It can also be used to help illegal immigrants appear to be legitimate in the eyes of hiring companies and government programs. With the crackdown on illegal immigration being so strong, people in this country illegally are taking desperate measures to keep their jobs and in stay the country and this includes assuming legal citizens identities.

It is important to be doing what you can to not become a victim of identity theft. Victims find themselves in a difficult position as they do their best to make good their good name. Take every necessary precaution to make sure that you do not fall victim to this crime by using some sort of identity theft fraud protection solution.

The truth of the matter is that identity theft is a crime increasing in regularity and it appear to not be slowing down. Because of the state of the economy, more people are taking the desperate measure of stealing identities of innocent victims to survive financially. All the more reason to look into securing your identity with a TrustedID service.

Technorati Tags: consumer id theft, id theft, identity theft, stolen identities

Being alive in this incredible age of technology can be a fantastic thing, but,it can also lead to pitfalls that were not around in the past. Scammers these days can be very proficient technologically, taking your personal data from on line sources. In the past a thief would have to acquire your personal information via a physical like obtaining your purse or wallet. Today identity theft can happen through websites,thieves gaining access to your computer, or secure websites becoming compromised giving up your private information. Identity theft solutions are a important part of daily life.

Getting Started With Identity Theft Solutions

There are a number of organizations that provide identity theft solutions.They try to educate individuals on what to look for if they believe they have been victimized.They also provide information about what actions to take if you believe you’ve already had your information stolen.

One tip that almost all of these organizations recommend is to look at your checking, savings and credit card accounts on a regular basis.  Be certain there is no suspicious activity on those accounts  If you find some suspicious activity, you should report it right away to the credit bureau.  Not only does is protect your accounts from being compromised further, but it may actually aide in capturing the identity thieves!

Surf the Web safely 

Another way you can avoid identity theft is by safer Web surfing and e-mail habits.Dont click on a link from someone you don’t know and be careful what websites you frequent. It’s just like real life, don’t trust anything from a stranger!  Unsolicited e-mails, websites that promise free money or free software and instant messages from individuals you don’t know can all be sources of potential identity theft.  The Golden rule-don’t click on a link if you don’t know where it came from.

Avoid E-Mail Sent By Strangers

Email can be a great way to communicate.  They can also conceal malicious links that may attempt to install viruses or other malicious programs to your computer.  These programs can search your computer for confidential data and send it back to the criminals when it has been discovered. Don’t open any attachments in an e-mail that you don’t recognize.  If you do happen to double click on an attachment ,you should at once disconnect your machine from it’s Internet connection and run a thorough virus scan. 

In closing, identity theft solutions have numerous layers.  You can find services online that will help you to asses your credit, and notify you of any suspicious activity.  Many of these services charge a monthly monitoring fee, but it’s money well spent considering what you stand to lose!

Identity Theft Solutions

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