Is There Any Real Protection Against Identity Theft?

There is a new type of fraud that is growing with every day that passes – it is called identity theft. Millions of dollars are lost through fraudulent transactions and millions of people find themselves victimized by this heinous crime. Unfortunately, identity theft happens because people do not care to be alert about their personal information and take safety measures for granted. A few simple steps can be very effective in providing protection against identity theft, provided these are applied and monitored regularly. Ensure Your Protection against Identity Theft with Five Simple Steps 1. Check your credit card bills carefully. In case you find any discrepancy, immediately contact the credit card provider to block the card and issue another one. 2. Inform your credit card provider if your bills are not delivered to you on time, or at all. Many times, the identity thieves will steal your bills to get the information they require to use your card fraudulently. 3. Use passwords that are intertwined with numbers so it will be impossible for any other person (even closest to you) to guess your password. Have the password written, if you need it written, and stored safely. When you write the password, write it as a phone number or something similar lest it will fall into anyone hands with disastrous results. 4. Do not accept pre-approved credit card offers or mortgage offers (or anything in this vein). Many times these offers are scams which will tempt you to give your personal financial information and then rob you blind. 5. Remember, the identity thieves will focus on people who are desperate for credit, or cash. Do not, under any circumstance fall into temptation to online offers of free or easy loans of any type. Most of these, if not all, are scams. As you can see, protection against identity theft is not that difficult. All that is needed is for you to beware of anything that sounds too good to be true. Think twice before giving out any personal information. Everybody can enjoy a good measure of protection against identity theft if they follow these simple steps. Of course, there are many other measures that one can take – the more the better – but these are some of the most important. One can never ensure total protection against identity theft and hence the best thing that can be done is to be totally alert all the time regarding all the financial transactions done online and offline. You will be surprised, but you need more protection against identity theft from offline transactions than online ones.

Recognizing Identity Theft in Businesses

Companies put individuals in danger of experiencing identity theft, but they put themselves in the same predicament; lead generations and company records. The worst thing to do is use your company . . .

November 16, 2005: Arrests in El Paso Jail Credit Card Fraud Case
2 have been arrested for stealing credit card numbers and transferring money from them to jail accounts.

January 11, 2006: Personal Information of 55,000 Atlantis Resorts Customers Stolen
A database at the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas was broken into and the personal information for 55,000 guests may have been stolen.

July 09, 2005: Laptop with 65,000 credit card numbers recovered
A laptop with 65,000 credit card numbers was recovered during an investigation into counterfeit money in Georgia.

December 28, 2005: Marriott Loses Data - 206,000 Affected
Marriott Vacation Club International has lost tapes containing the credit card and Social Security numbers of 206,000 customers, owners and employees.

August 08, 2005: Software Steals Data - Accounts at Over 50 banks affected
Sunbelt Software has found a Trojan that gathers information from compromised computers and uploads them a to a remote server.

April 15, 2005: Credit Card data theft at Polo Ralph Lauren
Data apparently stolen from the popular clothing retailer Polo Ralph Lauren Inc. is forcing banks and credit card issuers to notify thousands of consumers that their credit-card information may have been exposed.