| The Bad News: Identity theft is escalating at a | | | | their victims' information out of garbage cans and |
| torrid pace. It has become one of the country's | | | | recycle bins from old credit card statements and |
| top problems. The bad guys are finding more | | | | other personal documents thrown out carelessly. |
| ways to steal YOUR identity. | | | | 4. Mail Theft. Your mail can contain valuable |
| The Good News: You can take control of the | | | | information: bills, banking information, credit cards, |
| situation, become both reactive and proactive | | | | investments and more. Personal mail can often be |
| guarding yourself against identity theft. | | | | stolen right from a mailbox. |
| Identity Theft Is Spreading Faster Than The | | | | 5. Financial Account Hijacking. Once a thief has |
| Worst Case Of The Flu! | | | | your personal information they can take over |
| First, let's understand just how bad identity theft | | | | your personal accounts. You might not know |
| has become in this country: | | | | about their activity for months. |
| · The Federal Trade Commission says | | | | 6. Credit Card Magnetic Strip Theft. These clever |
| that there is an underground market for credit | | | | crooks have tools to steal information off the |
| card numbers, social security numbers and ID | | | | magnetic strips on your credit card. |
| documents - organized gangs or web mobs use | | | | 7. Discarded Computers. Your old computer really |
| and sell these documents for as little as $10 each. | | | | can tell stories. Even though you erased your hard |
| Some of these groups contain thousands of | | | | drive crooks have tools to reclaim your personal |
| members. The amount of goods and services | | | | information and use it against you. |
| purchased with fraudulently obtained personal | | | | 8. Spyware and Viruses on Computers. You may |
| identity exceeded 52-billion dollars in 2004. | | | | not be familiar with the term 'malware.' It's a term |
| · US Department of Justice states | | | | that covers all of the hacker tools that can cause |
| identity theft is affecting millions of households in | | | | harm on your computer. These tools include |
| the U.S. each year. The cost is estimated to be | | | | spyware, keylogger tools, Trojan horses and |
| six-point-four billion per year. According to the | | | | more. |
| FTC, an estimated 10 million adults become | | | | 9. E-mail and Internet Scams. Cyber thieves are |
| victims of identity theft each year. | | | | getting more and more creative using scams like |
| · The Department of Justice goes on to | | | | Phishing, Pharming and fancy come-ons to entice |
| say that the most common misuse of identity | | | | you to give them your personal information. |
| was through credit cards, accounting for 50 | | | | There Are Four Ways You Can Approach |
| percent of all identity theft. Next in line were | | | | Protecting Your Identity... |
| banking and other types of accounts at 25 | | | | One way is to do nothing and hope that identity |
| percent, personal information was 15 percent, and | | | | thieves don't harm you. |
| a combination of several types of identity theft | | | | Second, you can be reactive. Reactive simply |
| was at 12 percent. The average loss for each | | | | means that you are responding to all the material |
| identity theft was $1,290.00. Two-thirds of those | | | | that comes your way. You are checking your |
| surveyed said the theft cost them money | | | | credit card and bank statements to make sure |
| despite credit card coverage. | | | | nothing peculiar is on them. And if you do find |
| · A recent State of the Net survey by | | | | something strange you contact your bank or |
| Consumer Reports which covered more than | | | | credit card company immediately. Reactive also |
| 2000 households with Internet Access projects | | | | means that you are checking your credit report |
| that American consumers lost more than | | | | when you apply for credit or a loan. |
| eight-billion dollars over the last two years to | | | | Third, you can be proactive. A proactive approach |
| viruses, spyware and various scams. The report | | | | is a more aggressive way of protecting yourself |
| also shows consumers face a one-in-three chance | | | | against the bad guys. You are constantly looking |
| of becoming a "cyber victim" about the same as | | | | ahead and evaluating before giving out valuable |
| last year. It goes on to say that consumers lost | | | | information. |
| $630 million over the past two years to e-mail | | | | And fourth, combine reactive and proactive |
| scams. | | | | approaches. This is the best way to ensure you |
| · The average person today suffers | | | | identity protection. |
| through two or more "incidents" with their | | | | Nine Critical Steps To Proactively Protecting Your |
| computer each year - the computer slows to a | | | | Identity... |
| crawl, crashes altogether, viruses or spyware | | | | Here are your 'Nine Proactive Steps To Identity |
| take over systems and more. It's getting worse | | | | Protection:" |
| as computers become more complex and as we | | | | 1. Begin to operate on an "I have to know |
| do more with them. | | | | everything" approach when you give out your |
| So, Who Is At Risk For Identity Theft? | | | | personal information. Only give out your personal |
| According to the Department of Justice there are | | | | information to people you know and trust. |
| three groups that are most at risk for identity | | | | 2. Protect your Social Security Number, credit |
| theft: young adults 18 to 24, adults who earn | | | | card and other financial information. Do not give |
| $75,000 per year or more and households in | | | | this information out over the phone unless you |
| urban and suburban area. Interesting to note that | | | | initiated the call or as we stated above are talking |
| about five percent of adults who earn $75,000 or | | | | to a trusted individual from a trusted company. |
| more a year are hit with identity theft. | | | | 3. Cancel all of your unused accounts including |
| The continued growth of online fraud and identity | | | | banking, credit card, licenses and permits. |
| theft are putting an enormous strain on the | | | | 4. At least once a year, if not more often, update |
| existing infrastructure for the Internet as well as | | | | and check your credit report and Social Security |
| our social structure. For example, the banking | | | | Earnings and Benefits Statement to make sure |
| community has been complacent about security | | | | everything appears as it should. |
| upgrades required by the Federal Financial | | | | 5. Protect your mail. Make sure you have a |
| Institutions Examination Council. They report that | | | | secure locked mailbox to receive all of your mail. |
| every bank in the country has not complied with | | | | Always mail your payments and checks from a |
| their guidelines set for now. In an article titled, | | | | secure Post Office Box or from the Post Office. |
| "U.S. Banks Complacent Toward Identity Theft | | | | And, if you have a Post Office Box at the Post |
| Solution," by PR Web, the single largest national | | | | Office never discard your mail in a garbage can. |
| security threat is a terrorist attack on our banking | | | | Always bring your entire mail home. |
| system. An attack aimed simultaneously at millions | | | | 6. Always crosscut shred all bank statements, |
| of user names and passwords within banks would | | | | credit card applications or information and |
| shut down our banking system. This would | | | | important documents before discarding to recycle |
| instantly shut down banks worldwide. Credit/debit | | | | or the garbage. It is best to stir up the shredded |
| cards, checks, calls to the bank, would not work | | | | documents to make it even harder for identity |
| for at least a matter of days causing tremendous | | | | thieves to steal your information. |
| hardship and a ripple effect from no gas to "I | | | | 7. Purchase identity theft insurance. This will cover |
| simply have to take this baby food." | | | | any losses incurred while recovering your lost |
| Consider for a moment some of the potential | | | | identity once a crook has stolen it. |
| social effects from this identity theft problem. | | | | 8. Invest in professional grade protection for your |
| What if citizens developed a lack of confidence in | | | | computer. The best protection available today |
| our credit card and monetary system causing | | | | comes from Managed Internet Security Service |
| economic upheaval similar to what we saw in the | | | | providers. The best security services include |
| "Great Depression?" I know this sounds radical, | | | | best-of-breed corporate grade security software |
| but what if you couldn't trust your identity to | | | | for your computer, as well as unlimited service |
| anyone anymore? What if you feared that your | | | | and support from trained security pros. Make sure |
| money, your identity was going to be stolen? It's | | | | it is the same kind of service that is used by |
| not unthinkable that you would store your money | | | | major corporations around the world. Frankly, the |
| under your mattress at home or in a safe in the | | | | over-the-counter and free security software |
| closet rather than possibly losing it to identity | | | | programs available don't keep up with today's |
| theft. If millions of people lost faith in our | | | | professional cyber thief. If those popular |
| monetary system and the ability to keep their | | | | programs worked, why do we see the |
| identity safe and then took all of their money | | | | cyber-crime problem growing at a progressively |
| home where they believe it would be safe, what | | | | faster pace? |
| would happen then? | | | | A managed professional Internet security |
| We generally can't control what happens outside | | | | program should have the following technologies |
| of our personal environment, what happens at a | | | | installed: A bi-directional or dual Firewall that |
| bank, corporation or the government seems so | | | | prevents information from coming in or going out |
| far out of reach. There are, however, steps that | | | | of your computer without your permission, |
| we can take that will give us a better chance of | | | | anti-virus protection that is updated daily, and |
| protecting our personal information. The first step | | | | malware protection that is updated daily. Malware |
| is identifying the threats and then taking steps to | | | | consists of spyware, adware, Trojan horses, |
| protect ourselves. | | | | keyloggers and more. It constantly changes so |
| Below, I have identified nine identity theft threats | | | | you will need a technology that keeps up with the |
| and nine steps to protect our identity in today's | | | | professional hackers who want your identity. Your |
| society. | | | | best bet is to find a professional security service |
| Nine Threats To Your Identity | | | | that affordably manages all this for you. |
| Here are nine of the most popular ways for | | | | 9. Beware of e-mail scams like Phishing and |
| thieves to steal your identity. Some of these are | | | | Pharming. Phishing is an e-mail that looks like it |
| personally preventable and others are out of our | | | | came from a bank or business claiming you need |
| control: | | | | to take care of a problem or your account will be |
| 1. Stolen Company Data. Your personal | | | | closed down. It takes you to a page to fill out |
| information is stored on computers at stores | | | | your personal information. Meanwhile, Pharming is |
| where you shop, at your insurance company, | | | | redirecting your computer from a legitimate to a |
| your accountant, and more. It almost seems like | | | | fake web site. For example, you may think that |
| a common occurrence where a company is | | | | you are going to your banking site, but instead |
| hacked into and their customer's information is | | | | are redirected to a site that looks like your banks |
| stolen. This happens so often now that the crimes | | | | web site, but is hosted by an identity thief. |
| are rarely reported and don't make the front | | | | Identity theft continues to grow at a torrid pace. |
| page anymore. | | | | Millions of people in the United States will lose their |
| 2. Social Engineering. Identity Thieves are very | | | | identity to thieves in the coming year. Many of |
| clever. They will invent any way possible to fool | | | | them will suffer for years trying to clean up the |
| you into giving your identity out. It's called social | | | | mess that was left behind. |
| engineering because the thief uses common social | | | | The bad news is we can't control all of the |
| situations to get the information they want. Like a | | | | identity threats we face each day. The good |
| seemingly innocent phone call supposedly from | | | | news is there are reactive and proactive steps |
| your credit card company asking for your | | | | we can take to protect ourselves against personal |
| personal information. | | | | tragedy. |
| 3. Dumpster Diving. Identity thieves get a lot of | | | | |