The Truth about Identity Theft
Have you ever thought about how police officers and other officials protect their identity? We've got news for you! We've revealed precisely what these crooks disclose to the police about identity theft scams.
The U.S. Postal Service has shown that there were close to 12 million cases of identity theft in the country for the year 2006; which totaled to approximately $6.3 billion to consumers. This ridiculous statistic most certainly made consumers more aware; but so many people still don't know about the special methods these identity crooks use. At an exclusive interview, an infamous identity theft revealed 4 common myths she took advantage of, in order to prey upon the innocent.
Misconception # 1 All Identity Thieves Are Men
This is a common misconception that our identity thief says makes her job so much easier. The problem is that most of the major media outlets portray identity thieves as men. The reality is that many of these criminals are well dressed attractive women. To avoid falling into a trap, watch your personal information with both men and women. Studies have shown that both men and women let their guards down around women more so than they do around men. Everyone is a potential identity thief. This does not mean you should be paranoid rather you should simply be very careful.
Mistake #2: Trusting the Nice Store Clerk or Friendly Waiter
We understand this is probably one of the most difficult things to avoid, because we usually have to give our personal information at checkout or when the bill comes at the restaurant. Shockingly, some of the people who wait may have two jobs. During the day, they may work in the department store, and in the evening they take on a side job. This "side" job is sometimes a way to easily steal credit card numbers from their customers. It works like magic, because they have access to your credit card number in hand. If you really want to stay on top of this, you have to check your account statements. Keeping a journal of your expenses may be a good thing to help you monitor.
An example would be $50 this way when your statement comes in the mail, you will quickly notice any anomalies. Think about this. How long does a person have to work at a store or restaurant before theyd have access to hundreds of customers personal data? Hint: Not long at all. According to our identity thief, most people like her take these jobs for a few months and after they have your data, they take an early retirement."
Myth #3: Throwing Away Unopened Junk Mail
Great credit, good credit, bad or indifferent, it is of no importance. In any given month yoou could receive anywhere from 12-50 or more new credit card offers or bank account offers. One of the main issues with this is that most of us don't take the time to try and secure our information. There are basically two categories. The first category is the person that doesn't have a personal shredding machine and just tosses them or tears them in half, as if it wouldn't be easy to put it together. The second category is the person that does have a personal shredder, but doesn't want to take the time to shred their documents.
Listen, all a thief has to do is get a hold of one piece of information from your trash can and you quickly become a victim. Dont believe me? Let me ask you this, what are doing at 3a.m.? Really, well guess what our trustworthy identity thief is doing? She is in your trash can randomly pulling a bag out of your can for shifting and sorting later. Tip: After you shred your documents, add a little water to the bag before you seal it and then toss it. Not only will the pages be sliced and diced but will also be a wet and soggy mess, completely unusable by anyone.
Myth# 4: Receiving or Sending Mail from Your Home
Hopefully you're starting to understand the intensity of this issue. Identity thieves can commit crimes all sorts of ways. Your outgoing credit card payments now become their personal piggy bank. Experts say that some identity thieves are bold enough to fill out a change of address form in the victim's name, simply to gain complete access to financial and personal information. Here's a tip: Be sure to drop all outgoing mail at your local United States Postal Service mailbox. You may also think about opening a P.O. Box. Although it may seem like a hassle, you'll be less stressed than losing your life's savings; and these are the preventative steps to follow if you want to beat identity theft.
The biggest issue is that there are so many avenues in which to become a victim; stay protected all day every day. Don't try to fix the problem alone!
It's very difficult to protect yourself and your family, successfully, without help. Trying to do it alone can be worrisome and not very effective. It makes a huge difference when you have someone protecting you who has actually been through the storm! LifeLock is a company who has absolutely outstanding identity theft protection for everyday people.
When you begin to research a service to proactively monitor and protect your credit, please be sure that they have been recommended by the top law enforcement officials, and of course that their service has proven to work in real life.
Identity Theft Protection and Identity Theft Prevention are serious issues. You can put an END to identity theft with LifeLock. LifeLock GUARANTEES identity theft will never happen to you. If you would like more information about identity theft protection, please visit lifelock.com.
The U.S. Postal Service has shown that there were close to 12 million cases of identity theft in the country for the year 2006; which totaled to approximately $6.3 billion to consumers. This ridiculous statistic most certainly made consumers more aware; but so many people still don't know about the special methods these identity crooks use. At an exclusive interview, an infamous identity theft revealed 4 common myths she took advantage of, in order to prey upon the innocent.
Misconception # 1 All Identity Thieves Are Men
This is a common misconception that our identity thief says makes her job so much easier. The problem is that most of the major media outlets portray identity thieves as men. The reality is that many of these criminals are well dressed attractive women. To avoid falling into a trap, watch your personal information with both men and women. Studies have shown that both men and women let their guards down around women more so than they do around men. Everyone is a potential identity thief. This does not mean you should be paranoid rather you should simply be very careful.
Mistake #2: Trusting the Nice Store Clerk or Friendly Waiter
We understand this is probably one of the most difficult things to avoid, because we usually have to give our personal information at checkout or when the bill comes at the restaurant. Shockingly, some of the people who wait may have two jobs. During the day, they may work in the department store, and in the evening they take on a side job. This "side" job is sometimes a way to easily steal credit card numbers from their customers. It works like magic, because they have access to your credit card number in hand. If you really want to stay on top of this, you have to check your account statements. Keeping a journal of your expenses may be a good thing to help you monitor.
An example would be $50 this way when your statement comes in the mail, you will quickly notice any anomalies. Think about this. How long does a person have to work at a store or restaurant before theyd have access to hundreds of customers personal data? Hint: Not long at all. According to our identity thief, most people like her take these jobs for a few months and after they have your data, they take an early retirement."
Myth #3: Throwing Away Unopened Junk Mail
Great credit, good credit, bad or indifferent, it is of no importance. In any given month yoou could receive anywhere from 12-50 or more new credit card offers or bank account offers. One of the main issues with this is that most of us don't take the time to try and secure our information. There are basically two categories. The first category is the person that doesn't have a personal shredding machine and just tosses them or tears them in half, as if it wouldn't be easy to put it together. The second category is the person that does have a personal shredder, but doesn't want to take the time to shred their documents.
Listen, all a thief has to do is get a hold of one piece of information from your trash can and you quickly become a victim. Dont believe me? Let me ask you this, what are doing at 3a.m.? Really, well guess what our trustworthy identity thief is doing? She is in your trash can randomly pulling a bag out of your can for shifting and sorting later. Tip: After you shred your documents, add a little water to the bag before you seal it and then toss it. Not only will the pages be sliced and diced but will also be a wet and soggy mess, completely unusable by anyone.
Myth# 4: Receiving or Sending Mail from Your Home
Hopefully you're starting to understand the intensity of this issue. Identity thieves can commit crimes all sorts of ways. Your outgoing credit card payments now become their personal piggy bank. Experts say that some identity thieves are bold enough to fill out a change of address form in the victim's name, simply to gain complete access to financial and personal information. Here's a tip: Be sure to drop all outgoing mail at your local United States Postal Service mailbox. You may also think about opening a P.O. Box. Although it may seem like a hassle, you'll be less stressed than losing your life's savings; and these are the preventative steps to follow if you want to beat identity theft.
The biggest issue is that there are so many avenues in which to become a victim; stay protected all day every day. Don't try to fix the problem alone!
It's very difficult to protect yourself and your family, successfully, without help. Trying to do it alone can be worrisome and not very effective. It makes a huge difference when you have someone protecting you who has actually been through the storm! LifeLock is a company who has absolutely outstanding identity theft protection for everyday people.
When you begin to research a service to proactively monitor and protect your credit, please be sure that they have been recommended by the top law enforcement officials, and of course that their service has proven to work in real life.
Identity Theft Protection and Identity Theft Prevention are serious issues. You can put an END to identity theft with LifeLock. LifeLock GUARANTEES identity theft will never happen to you. If you would like more information about identity theft protection, please visit lifelock.com.
About the Author:
Author Linda Seamore is a consumer advocate serious aboutteaching people how to protect their identity. After years of exhausting study, she stumbled upon www.Lifelock.com the industry leader in ID theft protection. Lifelock is a proactive identity theft protection agency, specializing in prevention of identity theft rather than just the reporting of it.
posted by Credit Counseling at
3:42 PM
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