Stop Identity Theft From Happening to You
Provided By: CarInsurance.com
Last Updated: Monday, October 27, 2008
Identity theft is becoming more and more common. Data is kept on computers and on paper that can be hacked into or stolen. Once someone gets your personal information they can gain access to your bank account or even set up credit cards in your name but coming to their address instead of yours. That is why it is so important to know the steps to stop identity theft from happening to you.
In spring 2005 one of the largest consumer data warehouses revealed that a portion of the personal data they had collected and were storing had been compromised. Their security measures had been breached. This information mega-giant company is Choicepoint.
Choicepoint sent out hundreds of thousands of letters to American citizens warning them to be on the look out for identity theft because their personal information may have been compromised. Turns out that Choicepoint did not even need to be hacked into because the people that got into their system did it by just requesting the information. The way in which they requested the information was illegal because it was through a shell or fake company. That makes it even scarier to me that the people could just pay a monthly fee and continually access personal information for the whole nation.
With everyone nationwide being vulnerable to their personal information being purchased illegally what can you do as an individual you might ask? The answer is you can be on guard and take precautions. If you do this you will be ahead of the majority of the country that sits back and does nothing.
The first step to take is to contact the main three consumer credit reporting companies. The big three are Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Due to the recently passed Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) it is free to check your credit rating at each of these agencies once every 12 months. If you have issues to work on with these companies you might need to pay a small fee for revised reports after receiving your first edition but that will be worth the price.
With your credit report in hand you can make sure that everything is listed as it should be.Look for any credit cards or banks listed that you do not recognize or have accounts with. If you see such items that should be a red flag for you and you should contact immediately those entities and the credit report companies as well.
While you are going through your credit report see if you have credit cards you no longer use listed. If you do you might want to call and cancel them so that these extra credit cards, that are probably stored around your house, cannot get stolen and used. You do not want anything on the report that could trigger any credit problems in the future.
Once going through the credit report extensively for any unusual activity continue to be vigilant and check it at least once a year if not more often. There are even monitoring services available through the credit reporting companies that you can set up with certain perimeters. The credit reporting institute would than notify you if anything outside the perimeters appear on your report.
After thoroughly going through your credit reports you can start to take steps closer to home to safeguard yourself against identity theft.How is your mail delivered? Is it to a secure locked mail unit or simply put into an easy for anyone to open mailbox? A mailbox placed on our house or in your front lawn might look nice but can lead to your mail being stolen. If a devious type steals a pre-approved credit card application or takes an important document that might contain your social security number it might be the beginning of identity theft.
If you do have unsecured mailboxes you can either start a movement in the neighbor to switch to locked community mail units or instead pay a few dollars a month to rent a post office box. Either of these solutions will allow you to have control over who has access to your mail.
The next step is to take control of your internet or computer usage.While on the Internet it is best to have a firewall so that you have some defense against hackers getting in to your private information. Next, while using the Internet stay away from “phishing” emails.
Phishing emails are those in which the creator attempts to get you to surrender personal information by disguising itself as a financial institution such as your bank, Paypal, Ebay or even the government. If any of these places needed your information they would call and not email you. Do not give out personal information through an email.
Another computer issue to be aware of is spyware. Spyware was supposedly set up so that websites could see where you go on the Internet so that they could target you with sites beneficial for you. Instead these programs try to mine information from you such as passwords and account numbers. Even if sites use it for targeting ads it still is not right for people to watch your every move on the computer. There are many programs out there that can stop spyware from affecting your computer so get one installed.
The best way to not become a victim of identity theft is to be aware. Be aware of what your accounts are and where your information is stored. Put any detailed personal information in a safe place at your house or even in a safety deposit box. Keep an eye on your credit card and other bills to make sure the charges are correct. Most importantly check your credit report at least annually to make sure it looks completely correct.
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