Fight Identity Theft » Protecting

Protecting yourself from tax scams

Sat, 13 Aug 2011 04:23:43 +0000

A Toledo woman says someone stole her identity and her tax refund.

Protecting Your Identity with Guard Dog ID

Fri, 11 Feb 2011 04:25:23 +0000

Guard Dog ID is highlighted on 21st Century Television to discuss protecting all aspects of identity theft.

Protecting Yourself From Identity Theft: The Ultimate Prevention?

Thu, 20 Jan 2011 04:28:20 +0000

Protecting Yourself From Identity Theft: The Ultimate Prevention?

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Home Page > News and Society > Culture > Protecting Yourself From Identity Theft: The Ultimate Prevention?

Protecting Yourself From Identity Theft: The Ultimate Prevention?

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By all accounts it was a pretty good turnout. The Safety and Wellness Festival in La Vista Nebraska drew a huge crowd over the weekend and many brought their trash with them which was okay with Festival officials.

Why? Because there was a shredding party going on. To be more specific personal information like medical bills and financial statements were brought by residents to be destroyed. The point of course was to remove as much personal information as possible so identity thieves would be left out in the cold.

The Federal Trade Commission estimates that over one thousand Nebraskans were victims of identity theft last year. While it pales in comparison to other states (Arizona is number one) people were not taking any chances.

How much was shredded? According to Brian Latham of WOWT in Omaha, “Saturday, a truck shredded 5,000 pounds worth of paperwork. By Sunday morning it had done another 1,000 pounds.” That’s a good indicator that many people are taking identity theft seriously.

It also serves as a pretty decent advertisement for investing in a shredder. While we may be living in a digital age we still use a lot of paper. Many companies offer their customers the opportunity to eliminate receiving their billing or financial statements via paper and just do everything online. It is an option but they are in the minority.

As a society it is seriously doubtful that we will ever be one hundred percent paper free so it makes sense to buy a good shredder. Preferably the cross cutting kind.

It can go along way to protecting you just like being judicious with sharing your personal information online, in a department store or over the phone can. However it cannot prevent you from being a victim of identity theft.

The main reason being too much of your personal information is already out there. Federal and State governments have documentation and so do places that you have been employed. Not to say that they would use them but we all for lack of a better term have a paper trail.

We have also heard about the high profile data breaches that are permeated it seems like every other day. Just recently a Miami Florida man confessed to running an international identity theft ring that stole forty million credit and debit cards. The victims of that data breach did nothing wrong but the circumstances were out of there control.

That is not to say you should not be like the Nebraska citizens who showed up to make sure their personal information was properly disposed of. Actions like that go a long way toward reducing the risk.

In fact they could have saved themselves carfare by just going to their nearest hardware store, plunking down a few dollars and buying a shredder.

It is to say however with the age we live in there unfortunately no guarantees that any of else can ever completely avoid being victims of identity theft and fraud.

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Don’t let identity thieves use your information. Click here to protect yourself now. Article written by Daryl Campbell

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Protecting Yourself Against Identity Theft: Monitor Credit Report Regularly

Thu, 30 Dec 2010 04:24:08 +0000

Protecting Yourself Against Identity Theft: Monitor Credit Report Regularly

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Home Page > Finance > Investing > Protecting Yourself Against Identity Theft: Monitor Credit Report Regularly

Protecting Yourself Against Identity Theft: Monitor Credit Report Regularly

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If you are like most people in many places around the world today you have a legitimate concern about the prospect of becoming the victim of identity theft. With that in mind, you may be wondering what steps you can take in order to protect yourself against becoming a victim of identity theft. One step that you do need to take in this regard is to monitor credit report regularly. By way of this article you are provided with some basic information that you will need in order to monitor credit report regularly to combat identity theft, in order to protect yourself against ID theft.

When it comes to protecting yourself against identity theft it really is crucial that you be and remain as proactive as possible. By making sure that you do monitor your credit report regularly, you will be doing just that. Through the process of checking your credit report you will be able to see immediately any authorized activity involving your credit and your identity.

Experts all maintain that the best way to prevent some of the more serious consequences associated with identity theft is to take immediate action the moment that you learn you have become the victim of this crime. And, to do this you need to know when someone is attempting to steal your identity. Once again, taking the step to monitor credit report regularly becomes fundamental.

Keep in mind that in the United States you have the legal right to review a copy of your credit report once annually for no charge. This means that you are able to get a free copy of your credit report from each of the three major credit reporting agencies. By requesting a free copy of your credit report from each agency at different intervals throughout the course of a year, you will be able to accomplish the task to monitor credit report regularly without spending money to do so.

If you discover unusual activity in your effort to monitor credit report, you need to take immediate steps to report these problems. For example, you will want to immediately notify the credit reporting agencies so that they will put a fraud alert on your account and take other action as necessary. Moreover, you will want to report the fact that you believe you are the victim of identity theft to all of the financial institutions, credit card companies and so forth that you do business with at this time. Additionally, you will want to contact law enforcement as well.

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Bernard Pragides -
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Author and internet entrepreneur Bernard Pragides offers expert advice and tips regarding identity theft. Learn more about identity theft and fraud by visiting his identity theft blog at http://www.LifeLockBlog.com.

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Helpful Tips Protecting Yourself From Identity Theft

Fri, 22 Oct 2010 04:28:58 +0000

In this world, there are a lot of technology advances that has caused harm and damage to people’s property security, and individuality. Yes, it still holds that technology provided a wide range of convenience and simple living devices that we use today, however, the biggest question is not yet asked. How far could we go with these advances?

How long do we have to wait until everything will turn upside down? There are advances that have lead to the wreck o the quality of human life. Some may call it simple. Would you still call it simple if you experience personality theft? Will it be ok with you if someone will take out everything from you, especially your unique identity?

Identity theft is now considered one of the cancers of society. Due to the inability of man to provide for himself, his family, his environment, he resort to stealing someone’s identity to steal resources, even if they know that it is an illegal act and it is subject to human law. Normally identity theft occurs when someone gives out any personal information that is beneficial to them, or performs transaction during unsecured time and place.

We have to make sure that we know how to arm ourselves against illegal acts such as identity theft. We are aware that these people are also using the advances of technology to get personal information. Here are some tips that will be beneficial for us not to be victims of Blocking Identity Theft.

Do not disclose specific personal information like the complete name and contact numbers, especially credit card and bank information. This information is beneficial for those thefts since normally, these are the information that they need to steal and take out everything from us. They perform transactions and commit to some businesses using our information without our knowledge of course.

The bottom line here is, we will receive subpoenas and records of unpaid bill which were not ours. Make sure to disclose specific information with authorized persons, or sites, in the right time.Get yourself the Blocking Identity Theft protection insurance. You have to arm yourself if worse comes to worst. Make sure that you are protected from these acts by getting insurance on your own. You will never know when or how it will happen to you. Normally, misfortunes happen in an unexpected time and way.

Even if you are careful and vigilant in disclosing information, there are unexpected circumstances that may arise, leading you to be a victim of the Blocking Identity Theft. The thieves are just waiting for you somewhere, we know that. So protect yourself, get insured and you will have a backup.

These are just some of the precautionary measures for making sure that we are being protected from the illegal act of identity theft. It is said that technology is one way of upgrading the human life, and making life simpler and comfortable. However, with this acts, I believe that technology will also cause the mankind’s downfall and wreckage. It might be uncontrollable, however there is always a way for us to lessen and control the factors that might lead them to the act of stealing. These are helpful tips that might lead to the total eradication of this illegal act.

helen mae quinn is a simple woman that loves to explore and share things through writing. She loves to share her knowledge to the usrs who care to understand everything about Blocking Identity Theft. Go and visit free Blocking Identity Theft website to get plenty of more information. Come and visit us at: http://www.blockingidentitytheft.com/

Free Triple Score Credit Report – Protecting Yourself From Identity Theft

Thu, 21 Oct 2010 04:24:44 +0000

Your free triple score credit report is very important because identity theft is huge and on the rise in America and elsewhere. What’s even worse about identity theft is it’s a crime that occurs without you even knowing it. You can learn that you’ve been a victim of identity theft years after the crimes has taken place.

Maybe you sold your house and applied for a new loan only to find out that some criminal has taken your creidt score and flushed it down the toilet. Or maybe you start getting bills in the mail for items you’ve never purchased. Either way, identity theft is a horrible experience to go through.

One of the ways you can protect yourself from identity theft is through your free triple score credit report. You are entitled to a free credit report from each of the credit reporting bureaus each year. That would be from TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian. When you download your credit report, you need to go through it carefully and look for anything unusual. If you find anything out of line, then you might need experienced help. There are reputable attorneys who specialize in this sort of problem.

When you find out you’ve been a victim of identity theft, it really takes the wind out of your sales. It’s degrading and humiliating. Not to mention the fact it makes you feel very vulnerable and powerless. There are, however, several steps you take take to protect yourself.

One thing you can do is to contact your bank or credit card company and see how much identity theft protect costs. Another thing you can do is to look into any of several companies, which guarantee your identity. This costs a fee, but the peace of mind can surely be worth it. Another thing you can do is to lock your credit report, or put a fraud alert on it.

One you lock your credit report, no one can make any purchases using your information without having to verify vital information. To make your identity even more secure, you should shred all sensitive information. Bank statements, credit card statements, anything that shows your social security number should all be shredded.

Another thing you can do is to be very careful about giving information out over the Internet, especially over a non-secure server. If you make any purchases online, make sure that this is over a https: connection not just an http: connection. Also, you want to make sure your information is encrypted.

A final thing you can do to protect your information an protect your free triple credit score report is to never, ever give out information over the phone to a company that you didn’t call. Make sure that you’re not being scammed by the person on the other end of the phone call.

Want to learn more about how to prevent internet identity theft? Take at look at this website, Prevent Identity Theft Now!

Lee Cole is an online businessman who runs a number of informative websites designed to make your life easier and better. To learn more about how to prevent identity theft, take a look at Lee’s website, today!

Protecting Yourself From Cyber Crime

Mon, 20 Sep 2010 04:25:35 +0000

Today, the Internet has become an integral part of our lives. It’s a daily routine for us to log onto the internet for banking, shopping, social & business networking, job application, researching, music downloads and on other various important information retrieval, we all depend on internet.

With its worldwide popularity, the risk of Internet crime has also risen considerably. Precaution has always been better then cure so it’s in our hands to safeguard our personal information when we make any online transaction. With every bit of information you transmit through the Internet or store online, the risk of falling victim to the Internet crime also rises. Identity theft is at its all time high! Some of the various gullible trends that have been rising through the Internet include hacking, stalking, fraud, phishing, theft, spreading Malware and harassment! This not only causes a financial distress but more then often leads to the psychological stress.

Some of the ways that can help you to guard your safety in the Internet world and help you escape from falling prey to Cyber Crime are listed below. Do remember, your safety is at your own hands!

Awareness: Before you start the campaign to safeguards yourself from cyber crime, keep in mind that you know about the risks you are going to face! The right knowledge equips you to fight with a right mindset! Awareness is the most important weapon that will come to your rescue at the most difficult times!

Be Vigilant: These days most of the people who surf online are the members of social networking sites. Being social is nice but trusting everyone regarding your personal information can drown you into deep waters! Most of the cyber criminals maintain a good relationship at the start and at later stages they exploit that information for their own good. Do not let them exploit your trust! Be conscientious of the information you share with others online.

Don’t pass your Password: If any link in your email asks for your personal information or your password, quickly mark it as Spam and report it! Most of these emails are used to phish for your personal information. They will allure you with schemes such as ” Congrats! You’ve been chosen winner for a trip to Switzerland”, all excited you may give your information but in the end you’ll realize the big loss you made for yourself! Keep in mind, if you are dealing with a valid organization, it will never ask you for your password. Another way to keep your personal information secure is by changing passwords at some regular intervals. Though make it easy for yourself to remember!

We all enjoy using the Internet. It has been a valuable source of information since almost a decade now! Do not let anyone make it a bad experience for you by making you prey to their bad motives. So, to prevent yourself from becoming a victim to cyber crime keep in mind these basic tips, be vigilant and conscious of the information you share through the intranet connection.

For all your Project Management and Portal Solutions

Protecting your Computer and your Life Through Mcafee Internet Security Suite 2006

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 04:22:54 +0000

You can never deny the fact that the Internet is one of the most essential and one of the most important tools man uses today. Through the Internet, you will be able to chat with family and friends for free, do your groceries, shop for clothes, and through the Internet, you can also shop for real estate properties and cars.

Because of this technology, the Internet is now considered to be an important factor in life and in business. Many companies today are now using the Internet for advertising as well as a tool to sell their goods and services.

However, the Internet also has its drawbacks. Since it is connected to your computer, all your personal and financial information are exposed to other people. Having an Internet is like welcoming strangers in your own home and letting them install surveillance equipments right under your nose.

The thought of it could make anyone cringe. This is why there are companies today that develops software programs to protect you from malicious software, adware, spyware, and viruses. There are programs that even protect you from intruders that may access your personal files in your computer which may have your personal and financial information and use it to commit identity theft.

It is a fact that many people using the Internet without the proper protection from malicious softwares have been victimized by identity theft and suffered from huge financial losses and have also been involved in criminal cases that they didn’t even know they committed.

This is why you should protect your computer and yourself with an Internet security software to avoid being victimized by malicious software, hackers, identity thieves, and viruses. One kind of software that has a good reputation for fighting of this malicious software is called the McAfee Internet Security Suite 2006.

The McAfee Internet Security Suite 2006 contains all the necessary programs to protect you from malicious software circulating around the Internet. McAfee has a good reputation for warding of onlione threats and viruses.

The company has three versions of their software. One is for your Home and Home Office, the second is for small and medium businesses, and the last one is for enterprise and industries. Depending on the security level you need, you should get the software that suits your needs.

McAfee Internet Security Suite 2006 offers one of the best securities for every kind of computers. They offer automatic updates for virus and other malicious software definitions to better protect you from the new threats being created in the Internet everyday. McAfee also offer protection from the different kinds of spyware.

Other benefits of McAfee Internet Security Suite 2006 are that it’s very easy to use, and is able to provide the best Internet security available. With features that enable zero-day protection and successfully blocks spyware and malware, McAfee is definitely the choice of many people around the world when it comes to online security.

McAfee Internet Security Suite 2006 is readily available for purchase in the McAfee website. All you have to do is click on the buy now link, enter your credit card information and download the complete version of the program. Or, you can download the free demo version if you want to try it out first before buying. If you have owned previous versions of McAfee Internet Security before, you know how efficient it gets to protect you from malicious software and viruses.

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Cyberspace ? Protecting Children as they Surf the Web – Part II-Introduction and the Internet

Sun, 05 Sep 2010 04:24:10 +0000

Cyberspace – Protecting Children as they Surf the Web

Part II-Introduction and the Internet

A series of articles will be published over the next few months, covering the safety of children in Cyberspace that are intended for informational purposes only. The articles are a preview of a complete e-book that will be published soon. Actually these articles are a follow up to one that was originally published under the title “Parents Monitor your Children Part I”. The articles are not to be used as a source of legal advice. All attempts have been made to verify information provided in this publication, therefore neither the Author nor the Publisher assumes any responsibility for errors, omissions, or contrary interpretation of the subject matter.

(i) Introduction

The most important cyberspace rights of an under aged child is the right to be protected from sexual predators, identity thieves, drug dealers, pornography peddlers and anyone or any organization that promotes freedom of speech over the child’s safety. There is also protection from commercial entities that would violate the child’s privacy for commercial gain. It is pertinent to mention the foregoing because the rights of perpetrators are sometimes promoted over the rights of victims. It is also important for parents to be knowledgeable about tools that are available that make the job of protecting under aged children easier.

Parents are the first line of defense against any threat to the safety of children. It is therefore incumbent on us to make sure, as far as is humanly possible, that the defense is as impregnable as possible and that we are doing our level best to do our jobs. Do not be intimidated by the overwhelming quantity of data that is out there, or by anyone or any organization that attempts to dilute your vigilance. Parents cannot afford to be tired in this never-ending fight to protect children.

Know your rights and in knowing exercise those rights for the benefit of your children. In the commercial sphere, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) established specific rules to protect the privacy of children and they take this quite seriously. The rule is known as the “Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act” (COPPA) and a summary of the contents of the law is given in Section I (iii). The complete provisions of the law may be seen at the COPPA web site www.coppa.org, click on the link “What is COPPA?” and you will be taken directly to the site. Some companies have been cited and fined for violating the privacy act. If a web site collects personal information from children it must comply with the law or the owner will face the consequences.

There is no substitute for your involvement in your children’s lives. Speak with them often, at breakfast, around the dinner table or where ever you can get a word in. Do not be deterred by their apparent disinterest. They are listening and in quite a number of cases their seemingly disinterest is only a guise to see just how much you care about their activities and the length you will go to get your thoughts across. Do not nag, but gently get to know what your children are doing particularly when they are surfing the internet or hanging out with friends.

A review of the list of contents will show that subjects such as “Identity Theft” and “Bullying” are also included in this e-book. Pay as much attention to these subjects as they are very much inter-related with protecting children. According to the United States Postal Service (USPS), identity theft is the fastest growing crime in the USA and children and the elderly are prime targets. Online predators and others may use bullying tactics to get to your children. It is therefore important for parents to know how to deal with these issues.

But, before we delve into the subject, the first question that may be asked by some parents is: “What is the Internet?” Unfortunately this is a legitimate question that is being asked on a daily basis by a number of parents who know next to nothing about a technology that consumes so much of their children’s time. For some working parents the question is not “What is the Internet?” but “How can I become knowledgeable on the subject?” The following brief description of the Internet should suffice the latter group of parents for the moment. A brief history with definitions and terms are given below together with an excellent resource to bring both groups of parents up to a working knowledge of the Internet.

(ii) The Internet: The Internet is a worldwide collection of computers that are linked together to exchange data. The connection is made through an Internet Service Provider (ISP) such as AOL, MSN, Internet Explorer and others. Being on the Internet is usually referred to as “being online” or “surfing the Internet”. The connection is made via telephone lines and/or satellite links. The size, scope and design of the Internet allow users to:

q Connect easily through ordinary personal computers and local phone numbers;

q Exchange electronic mail (E-mail) with friends and colleagues with accounts on the Internet;

q Post information for others to access such as pictures, blogs and other information;

q Access multimedia information that includes music, photographic images and even video;

q Access diverse perspectives from around the world.

An additional feature of the Internet is that it lacks a central authority. Beyond the various governing boards that work to establish policies and standards, the Internet is bound by few rules and answers to no single organization. Since there are no standard regulations establishing what can and cannot be done, it leaves a gaping hole for pedophiles and predators to slip through and be a threat to the well-being and safety of our children. This is the reason for concern and why parents must act to protect children as they surf the Internet. A valuable resource in this respect is the software produced by SpectorSoft and is available for both Windows and Mackintosh applications. Just click on the SpectorSoft link above and it will take you to the SpectorSoft website where you can see a description of the software and where you can purchase it if it meets with your approval.

The e-book on “A Guide on How to Protect our Children in Cyberspace” will be published in its entirety for a download cost of $8.00 on or before September 10, 2009. Fifty percent of the proceeds will be donated to a non-profit dedicated to children’s safety on the Internet. The complete information on the name of the non-profit and the exact date of publication will be provided soon. In the meantime, just look out for Part III of the “Guide…” entitled “Warning signs that are Easily Apparent”.

Tips for Protecting Your Identity

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 04:24:44 +0000

As of November 1st banks are required to take extra steps to ensure they can detect and prevent fraud related to identity theft. New laws ensure that identity theft victims are compensated for their time and trouble when convicted identity thieves are forced to cough up ill-gotten gains. But have you ever considered how much information you provide during typical everyday transactions and how you provide identity thieves with that information?

When you go to the supermarket and decide to purchase with your check card it is designed to be easier and make the transaction faster for the consumer. Get you in and out. Let’s stop and consider this transaction for a moment.

Have you ever wondered why they make the debit transaction the default? It is because the company saves money. During a debit transaction the business does not have to pay any fees to run your card. But when running the transaction as a credit card transaction it falls under the rules of the credit card companies. So they pay a percentage of the total transaction to the credit card company. You may think this is no big deal to you so you go ahead and enter your pin and away you go.

When you enter your pin into the super market computer systems they are not supposed to store this information. Sure you trust that your card number and pin are not stored together, but the moment they are hacked you discover that they did store that information and it is too late. The hacker has already drained your account since they have your card number and pin. The illusion of security is gone.

It may take an extra step to run the transaction as a credit transaction but it is well worth it to know that your pin is yours and is not getting stored in other computer systems. Protect your pin and you are on your way to protecting your accounts.

Consumers need to be aware of their surroundings when you are talking about your personal information. We are on our cell phones all the time and we conduct business daily on these phones. Most people do not stop to consider who is within ear shot of their conversations. For instance you are on your cell phone and your significant other needs your social security number to perform some HR transaction at work. So you start saying your number. Wait you are getting bad cell reception so you start talking even louder, now everyone around you has your social security number and that is the start. Only one piece of your identity is required to start working on stealing the rest.

So to protecting your identity starts with you. Be aware of who is asking for your information and what they intended to do with it. See if they can perform the same transaction without that information. Many times they can accommodate your requirement of keeping your information save. Protect yourself and you can limit your risk for theft.

There are online services that will help with protecting your identity. These work to ensure that your information is kept secure. They also provide you with insurance so if your identity is lost they help to pay for damages caused by such an event. Of course each provider is different and offer different protections and you should research them all. At www.creditscoremonster.com we offer identity theft protection from identity guard. This is always a good start to protecting your personal data.

The Credit Monster is the owner of www.creditscoremonster.com which is one of the best resources for free credit score reports, free credit scores, secured credit cards, identity theft protection and a BLOG with no non-sense information about credit and how to raise your credit score. The Credit Monster works through credit waters and brings it to you in a simple to understand format.