Identity theft prevention tips

Article: Identity theft prevention tips

An identity thief steals your personal information such as credit card, social security, driver's license, account IDs, passwords, etc., and use them to steal your money and commit fraud. Each year, millions of people are victims of identity theft, and with the Internet and all the requests and processings of confidential information online, identity thefts are rising.

An identity thief uses your data for fraudulent purposes such as:
- Open a new checking account.
- Create counterfeit checks to loot your current checking
account.
- Open a new cell phone service account.
- Open an account in your name and run up charges on it.
- Open a utility or telecommunication account.
- Buy all kinds of goods and charge your credit card.
- Use your identity to commit crimes.
- Get a loan in your name.
- Get a job in your name.

The identity thefts prevention tips are listed below, but please
note that this list is in no way complete.

Make your social security number confidential. An unscrupulous
person may simply obtain your social security number to access
your bank accounts, credit cards, and other financial assets;
so, think twice before you give it to someone.

Make a list of all important papers and cards whether you carry
in your wallet or leave them at home. Make photocopies of all
items. In case problems arise, you know what you have before
and what's missing after.

Sometimes, you do everything right to prevent identity theft,
but it may not be enough. A bad guy can obtain your identity
information from your school, your lawyer, doctor, insurance
company, hospital, private company. Let's hope they'll try to
keep your personal information confidential.

Your email together with account username and password should
be kept confidential. A situation could arise when you need only
an email and password to order products on the Internet, and
your credit card will be charged automatically - no need to
enter it. This is possible when a merchant's website has a
special feature that "remembers" your credit card number the
next time you order, and you're already his or her customer
from previous purchase, and you've agreed to use this feature
to order quickly. Certainly, you don't want a thief to know
your email/username and password. Your computer, which is
connected to the Internet, is not a good place to store them.

If you are on vacation or traveling, notify your local Post
Office to stop mail delivery until you come home.

If you receive important mails every day, put a lock on your
mailbox, or rent a Post Office box.

When you use a phone calling card in the public phone booth,
make sure no one look over your shoulder watching you punching
in your calling card number.

When you're at an ATM machine, use one hand to cover the PIN
number you enter, and be careful. A scam artist nearby can use
his cell phone with built-in camera for shooting video on your
ATM card's image to obtain your name and ATM number, plus the
PIN number you're about to type.

When talking and giving credit card number to someone you call
at the public phone booth, make sure no one around can listen to
you over the phone.

Don't use computers from airports, cyber cafes, libraries, or
public places. Traces of your account username, password, email
and other information may stay behind in the form of 'cookies'
long after you leave.

If a store manager contacts you about your order he is about
to ship and confirm with you, but you don't place this order,
cancel this order and call to cancel your credit card
immediately.

A stranger calls you on the phone saying, "Congratulation, you
won a ...", but if you go along with him for a moment, he'll ask
for your credit card number and other personal information. For
years, you probably receive many mails about "Congratulation,
you won..." prizes and awards, but the letters state that you
need to call these strangers. Then they ask for your credit card
number again. You're are at risks to give your personal
information to strangers.

When someone claims that he is from a VisaCard or MasterCard
provider calling you and ask for information such as social
security number or other information to update card's database,
don't give it. Unless you know him, he may not work for a card
provider. You are the one who would use the phone number on
your card to contact the card company first, not he who
initiates the contact.

In another fraudulent case, the scam artist claims he works for
a credit card provider calling you and ask if you've purchased
a computer using a credit card. You are caught by surprise and
deny it; then he says he will clear the charge on your credit
card for you, but he'll ask for your credit card number and
other information to verify. Again, you should hang up. You
should be the one who initiates the contact, not the scammer.

Request the phone company to remove your home phone listing in
the phone book, or list only your address. The problem is if you
enter your home area code and phone number into a Google search,
Google will display your home address! Some websites have this
feature too, but hopefully, it will not appear after the next
database update of your phone listing.

If your Driver License number was written on someone bad checks,
contact Department of Motor Vehicle to change the number.

If your phone calling card has been stolen, call the phone
company to cancel it.

If your check has been stolen, notify your bank immediately, and
close your account.

If your mail has been stolen from your mail-box, call your
local Postal Inspector to notify them.

Check your bank account statements and credit card statements
regularly for any unauthorized withdrawal.

Now and then, check your credit report for anyone open a credit
card account in your name.

Destroy all pre-approved credit applications that you don't need.

Buy a paper shredder to shred unwanted papers prior to
disposal. To see what papers and documents you should shred,
see this article Why you need a paper shredder for home and business

Read this article shopping online and pay safely.

If your identity has been stolen, the FTC recommends you to
take action by following these four steps:

Step 1
Contact one of the following agencies to place a fraud alert
on your credit file. This is a request to creditors to
contact you before opening any new accounts or making any
changes to your existing accounts:

Equifax
Call: 800-525-6285

Experian
Call: 888-397-3742

Trans Union
Call: 800-888-4213

Step 2
Close the accounts that you know or believe have been
tampered with or opened fraudulently. Use the ID Theft Affidavit
when disputing new unauthorized accounts.

Step 3
File a police report. Get a copy of the report to submit
to your creditors and others that may require proof of the crime.

Step 4
File your complaint with the FTC.
The FTC maintains a database of identity theft cases used
by law enforcement agencies for investigations. Filing a
complaint also helps the FTC learn more about identity
theft and the problems victims are having so that they can
better assist you.

Article: Identity theft prevention tips
By John Nguyen and Associates
Developers of Savingsforyou.net and Orange County Business Directory, CA