Too often, victims find themselves in the following situations:

• - They are denied a mortgage due to poor credit
• - They receive bills in the mail for goods and services they never purchased
• - They receive calls from collection agencies for outstanding charges
• - They receive a notice of insufficient funds from the bank
• - They receive calls from law enforcement or fraud departments informing them of suspicious activity
• - A check from a potential employer reveals a criminal record

These can be emotionally devastating and lead to future losses of income before the case is resolved. There are two areas where victims incur losses: time and money.

Your Time

It is estimated that the average identity theft victim spends over 500 hours working to rid themselves of the problems associated with the theft. Many issues take more than two years to resolve. Victims spend time on the following actions:

• Police reports. Some disputes can be resolved internally with the company involved. However, many cannot. Victims need to start documentation of the theft. A police report is the first step in obtaining an Identity Theft Report. Sometimes police departments may not want to take a report face to face. Victims then need to persist, including sending the Federal Trade Commission’s Law Enforcement Cover Letter.
• Distributing the Identity Theft Report. Once a report is available it needs to be sent to the credit reporting agencies, anyone you conduct business with, and the companies that you know have the fraudulent information. It is advised that these are sent certified mail.
• Obtaining the information related to the theft. Victims are entitled to copies of applications and transactions that enabled the theft to occur. Requests must be made in writing.
• Working with the credit report agencies to expunge the fraudulent actions. Victims spend time correcting negative information on their credit reports so they can continue to receive credit.

Identity theft protection may help, however you still need to actively monitor for yourself.

Your Money

Victims of Identity Theft can spend thousands of dollars not to mention lose wages as a result of the fraud. There are several ways they are affected financially:

• Liability for credit card charges, debit card charges, and unauthorized withdrawals on bank accounts. Most victims of credit card fraud are limited to $50 in liability. Debit card holders can be liable for up to $500.00 and they can be liable for the total amount if it is not reported within 60 days.
• Legal Costs. Victims pay for police reports, some court fees, and if necessary, a lawyer.
• Higher interest rates. Because of the time it takes to remove the incorrect information, victims may be offered credit at a higher interest rate because of bad credit.
• Loss of Wages. Victims can lose increased wages from a rescinded job offer or for taking time from current employment to deal with the theft.

The Information Thieves Seek

Thieves can open accounts, make fraudulent charges and apply for jobs if they have some of this information:

• Age
• Date of Birth
• Social Security Number
• Address and Phone Number
• Bank Account Numbers
• Credit Card Numbers
• Driver’s License Number

These pieces of information should never be shared unless you have initiated the business being conducted.

Minimize Opportunities to Get Information

Thieves get information in a variety of ways, including stealing wallets and purses, email phishing scams, and even pulling information from the trash. There are ways to limit how your information becomes available to them.

• Take only the credit cards and identification you need with you. Leave the Social Security Card and credit cards you don’t plan to use at home. Stealing wallets and purses is the most common way thieves get information. The less identifying information in your wallet, the harder it is use your identity.
• Shred bills, bank statements, credit card applications or any other paperwork with identifying information. Use a diamond cut paper shredder and don’t be afraid to shake up a bad of shredded materials. This makes it difficult for thieves to piece together any information and use credit card applications in your name.
• Keep credit cards, personal information, and bank account materials secure at home. A lot of identity theft victims know the person who has stolen from them. Leaving checkbooks, insurance information and items in the open can increase the potential for identity theft.
• Use complex passwords that are combinations of letters and numbers. Also, individualize security questions. Information such as your mother’s maiden name is obtainable through public records.
• Use secure web browsers and avoid wireless connections that aren’t secure. Companies such as Microsoft constantly update software and improve security for web browsers. Make sure you download security updates. Wireless connections in internet cafes, airports and hotels often have spyware connected to them. The best place to use a wireless connection at home as long as you use and update the security features available from your network provider.

Review Your Records

• Check monthly billing statements carefully to ensure you have made all of the purchases, withdrawals and deposits.
• Obtain a credit report once a year. You are entitled to one free credit report per year. Check for any changes in your address and any accounts that have been opened or report late fees. Go to www.annualcreditreport.com to get the report.

Report Suspicious Activity

• If a credit card or checkbook is missing or stolen, report it immediately. This will stop any charges that are being made to your accounts.
• Contact the Federal Trade Commission www.ftc.gov/complaint if you suspect that someone is using your personal information. Information on the lasts scams will also be available.

Be Alert to Scams

There are several common scams and many of them involve an “opportunity” that must be acted on immediately. Here are some scams reported by the Federal Trade Commission and FBI:

• Phishing. Thieves send an email asking you to click on a link that takes you to a website that asks for your personal information. These are often marked as urgent.
• The “Nigerian” email scam. This is an online version of requesting money or a bank account number in return for getting a larger amount of money that never materializes.
• Spyware. Spyware can come from downloading information from Spam emails or websites online. Spyware is installed on your computer to give a hacker access to your information.
• Online Dating Scams. The fraudster creates a fake account, builds relationships, and then asks for money or personal information.

Make It Difficult to Get Your Information

Identity Thieves obtain information in various ways. Reducing the ways they can get your information increases your safety.

• Shred Documents. Documents with personal identification information should be shredded. A diamond cut shredder ensures that your information is unusable.
• Use single use credit card numbers. Some credit cards accounts issue single use credit card numbers for online purchases. If a thief gets a single use number and attempts to use it, they will be unable to do any damage.
• Carry minimal identifying information. Leave your Social Security Card, checkbook, and any credit cards you don’t plan on using in a secure location at home. This will limit the amount of information available if your wallet or purse is stolen.
• Be alert when entering PIN’s. A common way to obtain information is to watch a victim enter a PIN at an ATM machine or cash register. Avoid using PIN’s at cash registers and do not let anyone watch you enter a PIN at an ATM.

Report Suspicious Activity As Soon As Possible

Identity Theft issues can accumulate like a snowball. The sooner fraudulent activities are reported, accounts can be closed, bogus checks can be stopped, and alerts can be added to your credit report.

• Report Spam and Suspicious emails. Your email service provider should have a security team and security features that allow you to mark emails that can potentially harm you. Many of these emails can be blocked from your email account.
• Contact Credit Cards and Banks immediately. Legitimate information will be saved and moved to a new account number. The old account numbers will have fraud alerts placed on them.
• Complete an Identity Theft Report. An Identity Theft Report can be used to assist in resolving issues related to the theft.
• Place a Fraud Alert on your Credit Reports. A fraud alert or frozen credit report will notify anyone checking your credit report that there have been problems associated with identity theft.

External Links
- Identity Protection
- Trusted ID
- Protect My ID

Effects of Identity Theft

What are the effects of identity theft? The effects are nothing short of devastating. As was indicated at the onset, tens of millions have their identities stolen on a regular basis. As one can imagine, the effects are often more emotional than financial. For instance, victims of the above crime have been forced to pay collectively millions of dollars for items that they had not recalled purchasing. Their credit cards have been virtually exhausted by such criminals and they have been forced to pay for utilities or for services that were never rendered in their behalf; it was rendered in the behalf of the identity thief, they were just left to pay the bills-in their name-even though their credit cards were in actuality used by someone who had impersonated them.. This has resulted in loss of much revenue not just for individuals, but also for businesses as well. It has robbed many people not just of their funds, but also of their peace of mind and sanity.

How To Minimize Losses Caused By Identity Theft

Yes, identity theft is indeed robbing many people of their money and sanity. But that does not have to happen to you. How can you minimize the effects of identity theft and protect yourself and your loved ones? There are several ways:

1. Never give out your personal information to people or institutions whom you do not know or trust: Never give out your personal information to anyone of any organazation unless you have a good relationship with such and you positively know them well and you know you can trust them.

1. Never give your banking information to any unauthorized, illegitimate sources: Do not give out such information as your banking account information, full number social security number or your PIN to any of the above. Legitimate companies will never ask you for your PIN or your full SSN; they will only ask you for the last four digits, for instance. This applies whether you use the phone, computer or you in person.

1. Do not just throw your personal information in the garbage, make sure you shred all vital information, such as name, home address, telephone number, SSN, anything that identity thieves can use for their own benefit and your malediction. It would be good to buy a shredder for that purpose.

Identity theft is a growing menace throughout the world today. But don’t become its next victim! Protect yourself and your family from identity theft today!

Always Completely Destroy Important Documents

The first thing that you must do is whenever you are going to throw a credit card statement into the trash remember to shred it or completely tear it up in tiny bits so nobody will be able to put it back together. The reason for this is that many people who are looking to steal your identity will go through your trash to find information regarding your credit card account numbers and they will use it to their benefit.

Call Your Credit Card Company

The next thing you must do is call your credit card company immediately if any unusual events happen to you like:

• You don’t receive your credit card bill on time or at all throughout the month.
• Your credit card bill has any charges on it that you know haven’t been made by you.
• You lose your credit card or have had it stolen.

Keep Important Numbers In A Safe Place

The next thing that you must do is always keep your important numbers in a safe place because these numbers are one of the features that thieves are hoping to get their hands on so they can steal your identity. These numbers include your social security number, any pin numbers and important account numbers.

Make Copies

It is highly recommended that you take copies of your driver’s license, credit cards and bank cards right after you get them. This way if someone does steal your information you can show the authorities exactly what your cards look like and exactly the numbers that are located on them.

Be Smart

The main thing you should do to prevent yourself from becoming a victim of credit card identity theft is simply be smart. This just means to watch where you use your cards and make sure that when you use them at credible places. If you are using your credit card online make sure it is over a secure web site.

In the end credit card identity theft can really be a devastating situation that nobody should have to go through, unfortunately, many people are becoming victims of this terrible crime. On the positive side, though, is that if you are smart and careful, then you don’t have to be a person who has to deal with someone else stealing your credit card information and using it to steal your identity.

Comprehensive Packages

The first thing you should look for when you are looking for an identity theft protection service is that the company offers comprehensive packages. This means that they offer things like identity theft alerts, database monitoring and immediate help if someone does steal your identity. There are a lot of these kinds of companies that will also offer a guarantee in their comprehensive packages, which is a good thing because it lets you know they are going to be very helpful.

Prevention

Once you have done some research and found a few protection service companies, then compare how each place goes about helping you prevent this crime from happening before it occurs in the first place. Most experts say prevention is the only way that you can save yourself from becoming a victim of a crime of this degree. If the protection company has a great prevention method that they use this will be a great indicator that they are legit.

Updating

Now, you must ask questions to make sure that the protection service company is always updating. This means that you need to know they stay up with the ever-changing ways that thieves go about stealing other people’s identities. The fact is thieves are always coming up with new ways to steal your identity so the protection service company you choose must be able to adjust to all the new ways a thief will come up with to create fraud.

The fact is identity theft can be very damaging to you financially and for your mental state, but a protection service company can be of great assistance in this department. One thing that you must remember, though, is that even if you find a great identity theft protection service there is still a possibility that you could be a victim of this crime. You should take your own precautions and make sure to do your research before choosing a service to make sure they are reliable. If you do these two things at least your odds of becoming a victim will be extremely less than if you take no steps at all so begin your quest of preventing identity theft from happening to you.

One of the most common places for thieves to obtain information is online and shopping on the internet can lead to identity theft. There are several ways to protect your identity from theft while shopping:

Your Computer

Always use your home computer when shopping for purchases and never use a public computer to make purchases. Public computers tend to have spyware that can make your information easily obtainable. Places for public computers include, but aren’t limited to:

• Internet Cafes
• Hotel Computers
• Libraries
• Airport Terminals

To prevent spyware from being loaded on your own computer, perform the regular security updates from companies such as Microsoft, Adobe, and Apple and make sure you have activated the security features on your wireless connection.

Once online, manually type in the address for the companies if you are making a purchase. This will ensure that you are on their website and not a fake website trying to obtain your information. Email messages with links to online stores are a common phishing scam. Never email your financial information or send it via instant message.

Get Information about the Company

You should obtain the following information about a company to ensure a legitimate purchase:

• Physical Address
• Telephone Number
• Privacy Policy
• Shipping and Return Policies

Privacy policies should inform the consumer as to why their information is being collected and how the company will use it. If any part of the privacy policy is unclear, find another on-line store.

Use Secure Sites

There are two common ways to make sure your shopping experience is secure:

• The website address begins with https instead of http.
• Your web browser also has a padlock icon. If the padlock is closed, the site has a secure connection.

Some sophisticated scams may use these to lure customers. Although these indicators aren’t foolproof, they greatly reduce incidents of identity theft

Use Credit Cards

Online transactions in the U.S. are protected by the Fair Credit Billing Act. The Act limits liability if there are unauthorized charges to $50.00. Some cards and retail companies offer additional liability protection if there is a dispute.

Do not store your numbers on individual retail sites. This limits the opportunity for thieves to obtain your credit card information.

Check Your Records

Carefully review billing statements to ensure that the purchases reflect the amount on the receipts and shipping statements sent to you. Additionally, obtain a copy of your credit records to ensure no accounts have been opened in your name. Credit reporting companies provide one report per year for free.

If you happen to be a victim of identity theft, report it to the Federal Trade Commission, www.ftc.gov/complaint. The Federal Trade Commission provides additional information about protecting yourself online at http://onguardonline.gov

CLUMSINESS AND SLOPPY HABITS

Many people are just too relaxed in their ways. Probably because they are thinking that they won’t be singled out by those wicked identity thieves. I can say this because many people are quite careless of their habits and there are even some situations wherein their important and sensitive information is being jeopardized. One should be reminded that negligence leads to this undesirable incident. This is what the perpetrators are on the lookout for. Frequently, the thieves watch over the clumsiness and sloppy habits of some people. A good example is the improper discarding of documents that contain vital information. Though this may not be a big issue for them, this is one great opportunity for thieves.

BE CAREFUL AND PROTECTIVE

But, such kind of habit can surely be changed for the better. Companies who are dealing with documents every now and then can answer to this by getting a shredding machine. Another situation wherein you can get yourself into trouble is when you make financial transactions to sites that are not secure. This is quite risky; hence you need to verify the security protection of your details especially with your credit card when you make payments for your online transactions. Also, be careful with sending and giving away those personal information like your social security number. The strangers who want to use your identity can surely utilize this against you without your knowledge and this can cause you lots of trouble. So be careful when this is asked from you by strangers.

Hence, one should obtain the right degree of security so that you will avoid identity theft. This is one way that you can ensure safety and security. There are different identity protection agencies that can help you out and through them, the customers can employ better methods for protecting themselves and avoid ruining their lives. Those who want to prevent identity theft should know what needs to be done and employ them. An effective solution is signing up for an identity theft protection service. It is also important to improve those sloppy habits. These are just two basic ways that one can eliminate such unfortunate incident. Through these two lines of defense, you can ensure safety and security.

The Reasons Behind Identity Theft

The thieves online know much about and they are largely interested with this kind of crime. The market now is becoming more demanding when it comes to getting personal information and the thieves are using this and creating false identities. One good example is the driver license number. This can be one of the most prevalent forms of identity used. But, if a person has gotten his driver license suspended like for drunk driving or for any other road and traffic violation, what the thief just have to do is to present valid license number on a false document. We don’t if there are other people who are using our driver license number, right?

The Social Security number is also another valuable piece of your identity. There is now an increasing number of foreigners entering in the United States and for them to get a job, they need a social security number because of this, the chances of your social security number being used by other people has now increased. This is one situation wherein such numbers are just occasionally checked for any fraud. As soon as you receive a letter coming from the IRS that informs you that you have unsettled taxes on income which you have failed to report, and this is already quite late. What you have to do is to explain with the IRS and make corrections on the paperwork to prove that you are earning this kind of income.

Just by using a couple pieces of personal information, an identity thief can access the information of your medical insurance and obtain coverage on medical treatment. And if you go for emergency medical treatment, you could acquire some type of medication that can be potentially harmful because of the information that’s used in your medical records from the thief who used your identity. Also, this kind of situation can happen when you are stopped for minor traffic violation only to find out that you will be arrested for failing to show in court.

These are only a few of the dangers pertaining to identity theft. Just by the theft having an access on your credit card number, can you now imagine the serious result that can happen? Hence, it is important that you check your credit report and make sure that no other person has opened a bank account using your name.

- First, you should know that the IRS or the Internal Revenue Service doesn’t communicate through sending e-mails. They don’t send and will not communicate with the taxpayer through electronic mails. Hence, if you have received tax-related messages in your inbox, though this claims urgency for a direct payment of what’s said to be a tax debt, you should be suspicious and consider this a scam.

If you receive a suspicious paper correspondence, then you have to first contact the Internal Revenue Service office and find out if the correspondence you have received is legitimate and you may send a reply if required. But, when you have confirmed that it is not legitimate, then you should talk to the Treasury Inspector General that deals with Tax Administration.

- Secondly, take care of your social security number since this can be prone to thieving. What the taxpayers should do is to carefully monitor as well as keep a comprehensive record. Watch out for any correspondence coming from the IRS. Sometimes, you will be able to recognize the nature of the letter you received from the IRS that an identity thief has actually stolen your Social Security Number.

To be specific, such suspicious correspondence may include alerts that are associated with unsettled taxes pertaining to a job you don’t have. There are also identity thieves who use the Social Security Number of other individuals to obtain a job. With this, the real individual will look like the income tax return has not been fully declared.

- Third, the standard theft like home break-in and mugging can also increase your risk to identity theft. This is very true if the thief steals a wallet which may contain your credit cards and driver’s license. Hence, it is important that you don’t put such things on display and make sure that you don’t leave them anywhere so that you can protect yourself from getting into trouble.

If you think you have been victimized, then you should contact the Internal Revenue Service as soon as possible and prove your identity. Don’t wait that you will receive inappropriate letters coming from the IRS. But, you should make that initiative to let the IRS know the risk and they should be aware about this so that you can also prevent yourself from receiving undue charges. You may submit a valid copy of your State or Federal issued identification for this matter.