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Identity-Theft Toolkit
Information and Resources for Protection
and Prevention
OCTOBER
2006 - Identity theft is the fastest-growing crime in the
United States. It affects 13.3 persons per minute, 799 per
hour, or 19,178 per day. It is financially and emotionally
devastating for the victims, who face a long, hard struggle
to regain their credit history even as they deal with a
frightening sense of vulnerability and invasion. Less than
5% of complaints are prosecuted, however, despite the fact
that identity theft is number one on the Federal Trade
Commission’s (FTC) list of fraud-related crimes (43% of all
reported crimes). Unfortunately, victims are not the only
ones who pay the price. Society as a whole incurs additional
costs in the form of higher interest rates and fees, higher
prices, and increased security risks. (Read
more...)
ID Theft - A kit to prevent and respond to identity theft
Identity theft happens in a
multitude of ways. It can range from somebody using your
credit card details illegally to make purchases over the
internet or telephone, through to having your entire
identity assumed by another person to open bank accounts,
take out loans, and conduct other business illegally in your
name.
By introducing some practical precautions into everyday
life, you can take an active role in reducing the risk that
your identity may be used without your consent or knowledge.
This kit ' How to prevent and respond to identity theft'
contains useful information to help you identify where you
might be vulnerable, and what to do, to avoid becoming an
identity theft victim. (Read
more...)
Help
Prevent Identity Theft
Most
companies keep sensitive personal information in their files
and in their computers—names, Social Security numbers,
account data—that identifies customers or employees.
Companies need information like that to fill orders, meet
payroll or perform other necessary business functions. But
if sensitive data falls into the wrong hands, it can lead to
fraud or identity theft. Safeguarding sensitive data is just
plain good business. You can take the following steps to
help protect the personal information of your customers or
clients. (Read
more...)
Protect Your Identity
People take risks online with their identity that they'd
never dream of taking in the real world; here are ten tips
and three apps that can help you protect your virtual
identity with the same vigilance as you do your real-world
one.
When you hand your credit card to the waiter at an
unfamiliar bistro, there's a possibility he'll copy the
number and go on a spree with your card. It's not likely,
though – too many chances for him to get caught! Most of us,
therefore, don't worry too much about letting a card out of
our sight for a short time. But when you give your credit
card number or any sort of personal information to a Web
site, you're taking a much more serious chance on identity
theft. Here are a dozen tips, in no particular order, to
help keep your identity and personal information safe.
Finally, check out the links below to three apps that can
help ensure that John Smith doesn't become the property of
John Q. Public. (Read
more...)
13 ways to protect personal data from online fraud and
identity theft
In our digital age, it’s becoming increasingly hard not
to share your personal data, such as passwords, bank account
numbers, credit card numbers, etc online because even if you
prefer the two P’s when performing transactions (Paper and
Phone), most companies prefer doing everything online for
financial reasons. Unfortunately, some companies do not put
in place the necessary stringent policies and procedures
needed for your personal data to be secure.
Just as many people say that by the time the current
working generation retires in 20 to 30 years, there may not
be any social security system or pensions to count on and we
must learn to save for ourselves, the same is true for
protecting your personal data online. With spyware, viruses,
hackers, etc, it is very easy for anyone to become the
victim of online fraud or identity theft.
Here are a 13 measures you can take either when making
online transactions or simply in your day-to-day computing
life to make sure your data is not stolen. (Read
more...)
You Own You
When identity thieves open an
account in your name it should be the bank's problem--not yours.
In 1995, a freelance editor in Washington, D.C., named
Anne Meadows began a five-year nightmare when she got a call from an alert
employee of BellSouth, who warned her that she had become a victim of
identity theft. A year earlier, she learned, thieves had stolen her name,
address, and Social-Security number from a government office, and that was
all they needed to go on a binge. They had created fake IDs, cashed a
government check made out to her, and applied for credit at several
establishments in Atlanta. That's bad enough. But the story gets even
scarier because at this point, Meadows did everything she should have done.
She called every business the ID thieves had tried to scam and told them not
to extend credit to the impostors. She called First Union National Bank and
told them not to let the thieves open a checking account. Then she contacted
all three of the national credit reporting agencies and had a fraud alert
put on her record to prevent the thieves from obtaining credit elsewhere. (Read
more...)
Protecting your identity
Private information theft has become a plague on modern society, but you
can protect your business and yourself with the right technology and
processes.
Considered one of the fastest-growing crimes in the
United States and already a large problem worldwide, identity theft has
indelibly left its mark on the countless businesses and individuals that
make the news headlines each month. According to the U.S. Federal Trade
Commission (FTC), identity theft was the number-one source of consumer
complaints in 2001, totaling 42 percent of all the complaints it received. (Read
more...)
Hot on the ID Theft Trail: Will the Real Jane Doe
Stand Up?
Imagine stopping by a dealership with
the intent of buying a new car-a gift to yourself for a job well done in
2004. With a perfect credit history and a low debt-to-earnings ratio,
there's little standing between you and driving a new car out of the
showroom. Or so one would think. (Read
more...)
Who are you?
In the movie "The Net," a victim of
identity theft was erased from the community after another woman assumed her
identity, taking her bank accounts, driver's license, Social Security
number, and even her home. You may say, "That was only a movie. But this
nightmare could happen to you. More than 100,000 identity theft complaints
are filed each year. (Read
more...)
The Other Victims of ID Fraud
ID fraud is becoming more than just a nagging headache
for consumers, 27.3 million of whom the Federal Trade Commission says have
been victims in the last five years. Now the problem is morphing into a
throbbing migraine for financial services firms charged with twin challenges
of increased responsibility to protect consumers and greater pressure to
defend their own bottom line. (Read
more...)
IDENTITY THEFT: A New Breed Of
Criminals
If there were any bankers still in
denial that identity theft is the fastest growing financial crime in the
U.S., the November arrest of Phillip Cummings should serve as a loud wake-up
call. Stories of identity theft have been rapidly circulating for the past
several years, in newspapers and at the water cooler-but none have been the
size of the estimated $2.7 million ring with Cummings at its core. (Read
more...)
Identity Theft: It Can Happen to You
Technology has revolutionized how
we communicate and conduct business. Unfortunately, it has also created new
opportunities for criminals. The need to protect personal identities has
become just as important as protecting and preserving financial assets. (Read
more...)
Identity theft: The new face of fraud; identity theft
is on the rise, but there are steps to protect yourself.
The bad guys have
always been able to steal your wallet, your car or your money. Now they've
gone one better and gotten access to something even more lucrative:
yourself.
How can someone steal "you?" By stealing your identity. Losses associated
with this new face of fraud are in the billions of dollars annually.
Statistics on identity theft are hard to come by, with estimates ranging as
high as 700,000 cases a year. (Read
more...)
The Crime That Keeps On Stealing
May 2007: Forty years ago, few people could
have predicted that identity theft would become as big an epidemic as it is
today. Few could have imagined the importance of taking mail to the post
office instead of leaving it in our mailboxes for pickup or shredding
documents before throwing them in the trash. And who would've guessed that a
$2 pen could help prevent a crime? (Read
more...)
2003: Masters of disguise are using others'
identities to support lavish lifestyles. Using one or two verifiable pieces
of data identity, thieves construct a life for themselves and commit someone
else's money to supporting it. Armed with name, address, Social Security
number, credit cards and PINs (personal identification numbers) stolen from
personnel files, office waste baskets and electronic databases, thieves are
racking up thousand of dollars against other people's business accounts. (Read
more...)
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