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.

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.

What is Identity Theft?

Many different criminal activities are called identity theft, but they my actually be another crime. Usually, however, identity theft, identity fraud, and credit card fraud are all lumped together as identity theft. Before you can protect yourself from it, you should know what identity theft is.

How Does Identity Theft Happen?

Most people think that identity theft only happens online, but that’s about as far from the truth as you can get. Studies show that identity theft happens most often in the real world, in your everyday activities. Your credit cards and your mail are two of the areas where you’re at the most risk, but there are many others, as well.

When Does Identity Theft Happen?

Identity theft can happen at any time–when you’re at home, when you’re at a restaurant, when you’re on vacation. Thieves don’t care what day it is, what time it is, or what’s happening with the world around them. All they’re concerned with is how to steal your personal information for profit.

How Can I Protect My Identity?

Preventing identity theft can’t be accomplished with any single activity. Instead, you should have a plan for monitoring your identity from several different angels. Fortunately, there are some great and cost-effective services to help prevent and detect identity theft. We recommend identity theft prevention services, such as LifeLock, its about preventing identity theft. This service set fraud alerts with the credit bureaus so a new account can’t be opened in your name without you being contacted. LifeLock Free Trial Coupon – Click Here

The crime of identity theft occurs when someone, without your knowledge, fraudulently uses your personal information to obtain goods, services, credit, or your assets. As criminals continue to employ more sophisticated and high-tech methods, the number of identities exposed in a single theft increases dramatically. Every week, retail companies, financial institutions, and national organizations are breached, and the personal and financial information of hundreds of thousands, in some cases even millions of Americans is stolen.

Financial costs aside, identity theft victims can spend frustrating hours talking to credit card companies, banks, police and credit bureaus repairing the damage. That’s why it’s more important than ever you take precautionary steps to help reduce your risk of identity theft.

LifeLock, the leader in identity theft protection, works proactively to help protect your identity – even if your information falls into the wrong hands. As a LifeLock member, if you become a victim of identity theft because of a failure in their service, they\’ll help fix it at their expense, up to $1,000,000.

Here’s what you get with LifeLock Identity theft Protection service:

eRecon

LifeLock monitors the Internet for the illegal selling of your information with eRecon™. Identity thieves can buy, sell, and trade identity information over the Internet in seconds. eRecon™ patrols over 10,000 criminal websites and notifies you if your personal information is found being misused online.

WalletLock

If your wallet is ever lost or stolen, call LifeLock and a WalletLock™ representative will help you contact each credit card, bank, or document issuing company to cancel your accounts and replace your lost documents. These include your credit/debit cards, driver’s license, Social Security card, insurance cards, checkbook, and even traveler’s checks (pictures, cash, and other monies excluded).

TrueAddress

LifeLock verifies change of address requests submitted on your behalf. By simply placing a change of address request, identity thieves can steal your mail, giving them access to your personal information. LifeLock monitors any changes to your address with TrueAddress™, and contacts you if the address on file for your membership does not match the request submitted to various nationwide address databases.

Free Annual Credit Reports

LifeLock requests copies of your free annual credit reports be sent to you. These free reports allow you to check for any potential problems or discrepancies.

Reduced Pre-Approved Credit Offers

LifeLock will request that your name be removed from pre-approved credit offer mailing lists. Over time, you will notice a dramatic decrease in the amount of pre-approved credit card offers you receive in the mail.

24-Hour Customer Service

LifeLock Member Services department is available to help 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Members also have instant, anytime access to their accounts through the membersonly myLifeLock website.

$1 Million Total Service Guarantee

As a LifeLock member, if you become a victim of identity theft because of a failure in their service, they\’ll help fix it at their expense, up to $1,000,000. (Restrictions apply. See lifelock.com for details.)

Become a LifeLock member today and help protect yourself and your family from one of America’s fastest growing crimes. LifeLock Free Trial Coupon – Click Here

Today’s digital office copiers serve as printers, copiers and fax machines, but what few people consider is that they all have hard drives, just like the computers sitting on the desks. That means every copied document is automatically being stored.

So the big question is, what happens to all those computers and copiers when a business closes its doors?

If the equipment is leased and a reasonably new model, it goes back to the wholesaler who will lease it to the next customer. It’s anyone’s guess whether the wholesaler will wipe the copier’s hard drive before leasing it out again.

But older leased copiers, and those left behind when a business goes belly up, will most likely end up at an auction somewhere. In fact, a lot of used or outdated office equipment ends up being sold overseas. So, when a business goes under or a lease ends, what gets left behind gets passed along: mortgage applications, employee information, tax records … .

Though most newer high-end copiers have security features such as encryption or overwriting capabilities, few people think to take advantage of it. Makes you wonder about every office you ever worked in and every business you’ve ever done business with, doesn’t it?

If you’re concerned about the security of your personal and financial information, visit LifeLock to learn more about the comprehensive, innovative identity theft protection services they provide to nearly 1.5 million members.