How To Protect Yourself From Identity Theft Learn how to protect yourself from identity theft

Identity Theft occurs when someone wrongfully uses your personal identification to obtain credit, loans, services, even rentals and mortgages in your name. They may even commit crimes while impersonating you!

Identity Theft is a frightening and overwhelming experience if it does happen to you. You may not know it is happening for months or years! It is my desire to help other people prevent the nightmare I have had to go through myself.

How to protect yourself from Identity Theft?

• You need to know who the Identity Thieves typically are
• You need to know how Identity Thieves get your personal information
• You need to know steps you can take to protect yourself from Identity Theft.

Who are the Identity Thieves? An Identity Thief can be literally anyone, but all too frequently he/she is someone you know. Better than half of all Identity Thefts are committed by someone close to you, such as:

• An employee
• A neighbor
• A friend
• A roommate
• A sibling
• A child
• Even a parent

The balance of Identity Thefts are committed by people you may have never met.

How do Identity Thieves get your information?

Whether the thief is someone you know or not, the thing that Identity Thieves have in common is that they have acquired enough of your personal information to act in your stead. This information can be acquired from:

• Utility bills,
• Bank and credit card statements,
• Insurance records,
• Legal documents,
• Drivers licenses, Etc.

The Identity Thief can collect these documents from your trash, your mail, and any place you leave such documents out in public view. Such information can also be purchased from someone who has collected the necessary information for the purpose of sale to others.

What steps can you take to protect yourself?

• One of the most important steps that you can take to protect yourself from Identity Theft is to shred all of your personal papers. Shredding documents, such as utility bills, medical bills, credit card statements, etc will prevent Identity Thieves from gaining access to your account numbers or even social security numbers. If they can’t gain access to this information, they cannot steal your identity. You should also consider shredding your junk mail because that can contain personal information that Identity Thieves can use against you.
• Secure your computer. Your computer may contain all the needed information for a successful theft, if you do a lot of work or shopping on the computer. You will need to make sure that your computer has a current version of anti-virus software and that it is updated regularly (preferably daily). A good firewall will also prevent unauthorized access to your computer, across the Internet, and to the information it contains.
• Be cautious about the actions of those around you. It has been said that, "Locks do not keep out criminals, but may prevent an honest man from becoming a criminal." With that thought in mind, never expose those around you to information they do not have a necessity to know. Don’t tempt them by leaving information where it is readily accessible without your knowledge.
• Don’t be taken in by "phishing" scams. These are emails which come to you unsolicited and which invite you to provide information that can permit access to your records. Some of these schemes involve "too good to be true" promises of wealth. NEVER respond to these offers. Other scams may appear to be from a bank or credit card company indicating that your records need to be corrected. NEVER provide such data over the Internet. DO NOT< click on any link in the email message. If the contact is a legitimate message from your bank or other financial firm, they will instruct you to go to their normal website for access to any messages or warnings.
• Monitor your bank and credit card statements, to detect any transactions which you did not authorize. These transactions are not necessarily large amounts of money and might otherwise be ignored. No matter how much money is involved, if you do not recognize the transaction, contact your bank or credit card issuer immediately and protest the entry. It’s much better to be embarrassed because of a transaction you forgot making rather than to be ripped off by an Identity Thief.
• Monitor your credit records maintained by the three big credit bureaus. You are entitled to a free copy of your credit record from each of these three bureaus once a year. By spacing your request at four month intervals, you can obtain one free copy from each of these bureaus. Be sure to use the Federal Government’s authorized website to obtain these reports.
• Use Credit Alerts and Credit Freezes. These are tools that can be helpful, but do require care in use. Credit Alerts put the credit bureaus on notice that you must be contacted whenever credit is requested. Credit Freezes stop all credit authorization until the freeze is lifted by you.
• Consider the services of an Identity Protection Service. The cost is typically $10 to $15 per month and the different companies provide different degrees of service, from credit monitoring to legal advice and protection.

Anyone can become an Identity Theft victim; however, every step you take to defend yourself against theft makes it that much more difficult for even a dedicated thief to steal your identity.

Two years ago I signed up for identity theft protection with Lifelock. It costs $9 a month. (The normal price is $10/month but I used the lifelock promo code to save a dollar.) In light of the recession, I’ve been scrutinizing all of my expenses to identify areas where I’m willing to cutback. After reducing my cable services, cutting out planned vacations, and eliminating daily smoothies I decided to take a hard look at Lifelock. At $9 a month, is Lifelock worth it?

After you signup, Lifelock has all 3 credit bureaus set fraud alerts on your behalf. As a result, if anyone attempts to open a line of credit in your name you’ll be contacted at the phone number you provide. Since fraud alerts only last for 90 days, Lifelock will continue to have the credit bureaus update your fraud alerts before they expire – resulting in permanent fraud alerts.

Annually, Lifelock will have a copy of your credit report sent to you from each credit bureau.

They remove your name from the mailing lists of pre-approved credit card and insurance offers. In effect, this reduces the amount of junk mail you receive.

If your wallet is ever lost or stolen, Lifelock will provide a representative to assist you in cancelling your affected accounts (credit cards, bank accounts, etc…). They will also provide assistance in completing the paperwork for a new driver’s license, social security card, credit/debit cards, checks, etc…

Through their identity monitoring package, Lifelock monitors known criminal websites for illegal selling or trading of your personal information. Additionally, if anyone sets up a new address with your name in any nationwide address database you’ll be notified. (This helps them to determine if a criminal may have changed your address to steal your mail and get your financial information.)

Finally, if your identity is stolen while you’re a customer, Lifelock will spend up to $1,000,000 to help clear your name. This includes paying for any legal, accounting, investigative, or other services needed to resolve the situation. Also, if you lose any money as a result of the identity theft, Lifelock will reimburse you.

Is Lifelock worth the money?

You can have the credit bureaus set fraud alerts, remove your name from pre-approved offers, and get a copy of your annual credit report for free – if you do the work yourself. Personally, I don’t feel like contacting all three credit bureaus every 90 days to reapply fraud alerts. I don’t want to spend loads of time getting my name removed from mailing lists, either. I consider the assistance with a lost/stolen wallet and identity monitoring package to be gravy. Those features don’t really sway me one way or the other. The $1,000,000 insurance policy is a definite plus, though.

I probably wouldn’t pay more than $15 – $20 a month for the identity protection that Lifelock offers but, at $9 a month it’s worth it to me. Within a couple months of signing up I noticed the amount of junk mail I received decreased dramatically. Also, it’s nice to have the peace of mind that I have fraud alerts on my credit reports and am insured in the event my identity is stolen.

If you’re interested in signing up for Lifelock, or for more information, you can click here or on the logo below. If you sign up for the monthly plan it will only cost you $9 per month. There’s a 10% off promo built into the links that knocks it down to those prices.

Identity theft is a serious crime that is on the rise. It occurs when your personal information is stolen and used without your knowledge to commit fraud or other crimes. You can’t guarantee that your identity will never be stolen, but you can minimize your risk by safeguarding your personal information and paying attention to possible signs of identity theft.

Below are some steps to follow to help safeguard your personal information:

• Don’t give out personal information and credit card or bank account numbers on the phone, through regular mail or e-mail, or over the Internet unless you initiated the contact, you know who you are dealing with, or the Web address (URL) begins with "https"
• Memorize your Social Security Number (SSN), passwords and personal identification numbers (PINs). Don’t carry them with you
• Shred or destroy unwanted documents that contain personal information such as charge receipts, credit offers and applications, insurance forms, physician statements, bank checks and statements and expired credit cards and unused credit card applications
• Keep your purse, wallet and items that contain personal information in a safe place at home
• Match your credit card receipts against your monthly bills and check your monthly bank statements for accuracy – some fraudulent transactions involve small dollar amounts
• Never click on links sent in unsolicited e-mail
• Do not use easily available information like your mother’s maiden name, your birth date, the last four digits of your SSN or your phone number for PINs or passwords
• Use firewalls, anti-spyware, and anti-virus software to protect your home computer
• Always have a picture driver’s license. This makes it more difficult to change and forge
• Annually review your credit reports for accuracy
• Report lost or stolen credit cards immediately
• If you don’t have a locked mailbox, put your outgoing mail in post office collection boxes or take it to your local post office and promptly remove mail from your mailbox after it has been delivered

Watch for signs of identity theft. The quicker you catch it, the less likely you’ll incur a major hassle or expense. Follow up with creditors if any of the following occur:

• Your bills don’t arrive on time. This could mean an identity thief has taken over your credit card account and changed your billing address
• You notice inaccuracies or unauthorized transactions on your credit reports (Enroll with LifeLock, it helps users to proactively obtain free credit reports each year)
• You notice charges on your financial account or billing statement that you did not make
• You receive unexpected credit cards or account statements
• You are denied credit for no apparent reason
• You receive calls or letters about purchases you did not make
• You may also receive a call from your credit card company asking if you made any outstanding charges or large purchases at an unusual location. This would be a tip-off that your information has been taken even though your physical card wasn’t.

By the time the average person realizes they have become a victim of identity theft, it is much too late. By this point, the victim’s financial stability and credit rating may be impacted significantly. What can you to to protect yourself from identity theft? Here are some useful suggestions for you:

1. Secure personal information in your home, especially if you have roommates, employ outside help, or are having work done in your home.
2. Use a paper shredder to shred sensitive documents before discarding them.
3. Ask about information security procedures in your workplace or at businesses, doctor’s offices or other institutions that collect your personally identifying information. Find out who has access to your personal information and verify that it is handled securely. Ask about the disposal procedures for those records as well. Find out if your information will be shared with anyone else. If so, ask how your information can be kept confidential.
4. Never tell anyone your personal information over the phone or send it through emal, or fax. Most legitimate companies will not request this information from you via phone or any other unprotected source.
5. Monitor your credit report on a monthly basis to watch for unusual activitiy. Many credit report services will alert you to such activity and even assist you in resolving issues. We have partnered with Equifax to offer you their Credit Watch product.
6. Place passwords on your credit card, bank, and phone accounts. Avoid using easily available information like your mother’s maiden name, your birth date, the last four digits of your SSN or your phone number, or a series of consecutive numbers.

By following these steps you can lower your risk of becoming an identity theft victim. Being informed is the most valuable protection against identity theft.

Here are some helpful tips on what you can do to protect your personal financial information and assure identity theft doesn’t ruin your good credit rating. You may ask yourself, "Why do I need identity theft protection?" If you’ve ever thrown away a receipt, lost a credit card, or received a questionable email asking for personal information, you are making yourself a victim of fraud, and a great candidate for identity theft protection.

How many promotional statements have you tossed that may have your mailing address and full name indicated right on them? Identity theft often doesn’t require much to leave you in a financial mess.

The question becomes, "What can the average person do to ensure that personal information is kept personal, and to guard against possible theft?" Here is a list of suggestions that will help you get the best possible identity theft protection.

Look at your credit reports. These reports contain the kind of information an identity thief is interested in, and the statistics that you should have a good understanding of, in terms of theft protection. The report shows what accounts you have and how you pay your bills.

The law allows you to obtain a free version of this report at least once a year. If an identity thief is operating with your information, this report will show it in some way.

Review the credit reports. Look for any benchmarks that would tell you of possible theft, like inquiries from companies you haven’t contacted, accounts you didn’t open, and debits on accounts that can’t be explained. Check to see that all personal information is correct and that an Identity Thief hasn’t tampered with it.

Review your financial statements. Look at your accounts and billing statements on a regular basis. Watch for any changes that seem odd, like debits that you can’t account for and other things that could be the sign of possible theft.

Many victims of identity theft are the last people to know about the situation. Identity theft protection only works if you put it into action before a situation can occur. Sometimes you may only discover you’ve been victimized when you are declined for a car loan or mortgage because of something negative on your credit report.

You may find out about credit cards you’ve never owned that were applied for by an identity thief through a phone call from a collection agency looking for money on unpaid debts. Investigate these occurrences with your bank as soon as you become aware of them to.

Knowing your own security vulnerabilities and how to prevent identity theft are prime methods of its protection. In a world of online shopping and paper statements, it’s your best defense against having to deal with the fallout of a quick, easy crime many people are committing.