There are many today. These classifications are based on the methods the criminals use as well as the results of their actions. These include criminal, financial, cloning, child, synthetic and medical. These are described in detail below:

Criminal identity theft sometimes occurs when a person fraudulently identifies themselves as someone else to police at time of their arrest. The criminal may have been able to obtain an official drivers license or other identifying document that has been stolen to back their claim. They may also provide police with a fake ID. If the documentation is accepted the charges may be put on a person’s name and the criminal may get off the hook only to start all over with another ID. The victim may only learn about the problem by chance such as through a background check by a potential employer, being stopped for a minor traffic violation or by receiving a summons from a court. This is showing up in identity theft stories quite frequently.
Clearing ones record may be very difficult in the case of criminal identity theft. The victim will have to go through many hoops to clear their record.  It makes a difference where the offense took place as well as if the actual identity of the person who committed the crime has been determined. They may have to contact the arresting officers , provide fingerprints or even DNA. It may take a court hearing and expungement of the court records to clear the up the situation. There may still be a record maintained of the victims name as an alias for the criminal’s name in the authorities database. Since there are numerous databases involved the victim of criminal identity theft may have problems for some time even after the original records are cleared up. Therefor a future background check may return the criminal record.

According to identity theft statistics, Financial identity theft, such as credit fraud, is one of the most common types and happens every day. It can have a significant negative effect on your credit score and financial well-being for many years to come. This type of identity theft occurs when an individual uses another’s name, address, social security number or other identifying information to obtain credit or other financial gains.
The stolen information can include the victims name, Social Security number, credit card numbers, bank account numbers, and other personal financial data. Among thieves it is the most popular type of identity theft today and it impacts millions of Americans every year.
After a thief has access to someones information, they have the ability to counterfeit checks or ATM cards. They can wipe out bank accounts, open utilities and/or cell phone accounts in the victim’s name. They will use the info to apply for car loans, mortgages, or make purchase using their credit cards and lines of credit. Criminals have filed for bankruptcy in their victims name along with countless other activities. All of this has the potential to result in huge debts and ruined credit.
Under some state and federal laws, credit and some debit card fraud victims are only liable for the first of their losses, and typically most financial institutions will waive this amount.  The harm to victims, however, can be significant and long lasting.  Victims are usually left with bad credit and a damaged reputation.  Currently, victims must work to resolve these problems on their own as there is no single government source  of identity theft victim assistance.

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One of the worst types of identity theft is identity cloning or concealment. In this case the identity thief impersonates someone else in order to conceal their own true identity. The identity theif may be an illegal immigrant, someone hiding from creditors or other individuals, or those who simply want to become “anonymous” for other reasons. Unlike identity theft used to obtain credit which usually comes to light when the debts mount, concealment may continue indefinitely without being detected, particularly if the identity thief is able to obtain false credentials in order to pass various authentication tests in everyday life.
The identity cloners will obtain as much information as possible about the victim. They will want to know all of a persons history, place of birth, town you grew up in, schooling, personal relationships. The will also want to acquire your social security number, addresses you have lived at even info about your parents.
They need this information in order to become you. Everything this person does is in your name. They will procure false documents in your name, birth certificate, social security card so they can get a drivers license. The will apply for passports and credit cards in the victims name. If they are questioned they know so much about you they can easily pass as you by answering correctly.
This type if identity theft is usually discovered when someone notices that the persons credit report shows two addresses. Huge financial losses can mount due to those costs incurred by the identity thief as well as investigative and legal costs for the victim to clear up their identity.

Children’s social security numbers are coveted by identity thieves as they are a clean slate. The thief can use this information to get a drivers license, set up credit cards and accounts, even purchase homes. Since the child will not use their social security number until they are older, the theft can go undetected for a long time. This can cause serious consequences.
It may later in life affect the child’s credit or employment history. The thieves may be arrested for other crimes and this will go on the child’s records. Many times the thief is someone known to the the child, such as a relative or family friend.
Security experts say you should check your children’s credit report every your in order to protect them for the future. You can also put a block on their reports to make it harder for thieves to gain access to their information or obtain credit.

Synthetic identity theft is a type of ID fraud in which thieves create new identities by combining real and fake identifying information to establish new accounts with fictional identities or create the new identity from totally fake information. In typical synthetic fraud, a fraudster uses a real Social Security number and combines it with a name other than the one associated with that number.
This type of identity theft is more difficult to detect as it doesn’t directly show on either person’s credit report. It may appear as an entirely new record in the credit bureaus or as a subfile on one of the victim’s credit reports. Synthetic identity theft primarily harms the creditors who unwittingly grant the fraudsters credit. Individual victims can be affected if their names become confused with the synthetic identities, or if negative information in their subfiles impacts their credit ratings.

An Identity thief may use a persons name or other parts or their identity, such as insurance information to obtain medical treatment, prescriptions or surgeries. Medical identity theft can result in incorrect information being placed in medical record, this could potentially lead to life threatening decisions by medical personnel.
You may discover your personal, health, or health insurance information has been compromised when you receive a bill for medical services you did not get. A debt collector may contact you regarding an unpaid medical bill. Your health plan may tell you that you have reached your limit on benefits or you may be denied insurance because there is a condition on your medical  records that you do not have.
Medical identity theft may change your medical and health insurance records: Every time a thief uses your identity to get care, a record is created with the impostor’s medical information that could be mistaken for your medical information – say, a different blood type, an inaccurate history of drug or alcohol abuse, test results that aren’t yours, or a diagnosis of an illness, allergy or condition you don’t have. Any of these could lead to improper treatment, which in turn, could lead to injury, illness or worse.
Guard your health insurance, Medicare and Social Security numbers carefully. Treat them like you would treat your credit cards or any other personal infuriation. Be suspicious of anyone who offers you free medical equipment or services and then requests your Medicare number. If it’s free, why do they need your number! Do not let anyone borrow or pay to use your Medicare ID card or your identity.

As you can see you have to be alert for many different forms of this identity theft. Please keep all of these types of identity theft in mind, you never know when someone may be trying to take advantage of your personal information.  While there are systems in place to try and prevent the problem, they do not catch all attempts. You are your first line of identity theft defense.

Post from: Finance Articles

Types of Identity Theft

What is Identity Theft? Identity theft is a crime in which a certain person uses another person’s information or identity in ways that involve fraud or deception, typically for their economic gain. They do this by using someone else identity instead of providing the correct and real information for their identities. And because of this actions the person, whose identity was wrongfully used by others, will suffer from financial hardships.

Today, identity theft is the fastest growing crime in the United States. All people whose identity is in the hand of other people are all at risk of identity theft, so basically, everyone is at risk. That is why identity theft protection is very useful nowadays.

In the United States alone, an average of 27,000 people is being pilfered of their identities daily. And according to studies made by the Identity Theft Resource Center, for every second a person’s identity is being stolen. And for every three seconds, a person’s identity would be exposed to thieves.

There are different types of identity theft, giving enough reason for everyone to get identity theft protection. Here are the different types of identity theft:

The first is the Driver’s License Identity Theft. In this manner of stealing someone’s identity, the victim can be subjected to traffic violations he did not permit.

The second is Credit Identity Theft. Here the theft uses someone else’s personal information to acquire loans, and thus leaving the victim paying bills for the loans he or she is not enjoying.

The third type of identity theft and third reason to get identity theft protection is the Social Security Number Identity Theft. Using another person’s Social security Number, the thief would apply for a job. The thief would get the salary for that job, but the victim would be the one to pay for the taxes.

The fourth is the Medical Identity Theft. The thief would use another person’s identity for consultations, prescriptions, and treatments, in other words, the victims insurance would be used by the thief, making the victim to lose his or her insurance coverage.

Lastly is the fifth type of identity theft and another reason to get identity theft protection is the Character Identity Theft. In this type of identity theft involves crimes. The person, whose identity was used, will be subjected to subpoena and will be charged of crimes he or she did not commit.

And in addition to these types of identity theft everyone should be aware of, everyone should also be aware that the most common way of identity theft is through the internet.

Downloaded files like documents, attachments and applications are sometimes filled with viruses. These viruses are released to your computer when the downloaded files are accessed or opened.

Besides the internet, everyone should also be vigilant with phishing mails or fraud phone calls because these are also used to steal one’s identity. And having an identity theft protection secures you from being a victim or identity theft. Identity theft protection can be simple tips everyone could use to protect themselves against identity theft.

One tip is to update your anti virus software. Because most cases of identity theft occur online, having your antivirus software up to date is a good precaution against identity theft. Another tip is to filter phishing mails by confirming with the company if they really are asking you personal information by phone calls to their official hotlines.

There are a lot of tips that a person could use against identity theft, and all are found in the internet.

Post from: Finance Articles

A Basic Guide and a Summary on Identity Theft

The latest official identity theft statistics are out and they are disturbing, alarming and frightening. Most people usually wait until something happens to them before taking action. This is usually the case all over the United States when it comes to victims of this crime. By taking a proactive stance and the defensive position on a crime like ID theft, you limit the thieves from ever being able to rob you of your identity as well as protect yourself from any future attempts. It is always best to be prepared for the storm rather than to wait until it hits to find shelter. Here are some of the most recent statistics on this ever growing and popular crime.

Victims

In 2008 there were about 10 million victims who fell prey to identity theft in the United States. (Javelin Strategy and Research 2009)
It is estimated that 1 out of every 10 American has already been a victim of ID theft someway or another.
1.6 million Families went through bank account fraud or had their debit cards breached and exposed. These were NOT related to credit cards. (U.S. Department of Justice 2005)
Families whose Household income was ,000or higher were two times more likely to encounter identity theft than households whose salary and income were under ,000 (U.S. DOJ 2005)
7% of people who had their identity stolen had it done in order for the thieves to commit medical identity theft.

The next section of statistics we focus on is discovery. This part is one of the hardest since it is when people normally find out they have become a victim of ID theft and by then it is already too late.

Discovery

Between 38 to 48 % of ID theft victims find out about their identity being stolen within the first three months of the crime. About 9 to 18% of the victims never really know their identity has been stolen until well over four years or later. (these statistics come from the Identity Theft Resource Center Aftermath Study)
Between 50.2 Million Americans are now using some kind of credit monitoring service to protect themselves. (As of Sept 2008 provided by the Javelin Strategy and Research 2009)
Around 44% of American consumers view their reports using credit report agencies online while one in seven receive their credit report at home.

Focusing on recovery takes tremendous tolls on ID theft victims. Countless hours and a lot of money are spent trying to undo the damage this horrendous crime has caused in the victims lives Some people spend years doing this. But by then it is too late for anything other than trying to return your life back to normal.

Recovery

Depending on the seriousness of the case, victims of ID theft take about 5,840 hours trying to counter and correct the effects and damaged caused by the crime. This equals to almost working a full-time job for two whole years by the way. (ITRC Aftermath Study 2004)
The average victim of ID theft will spend 330 hours fixing the harm and damage caused by the crime. (ITRC Aftermath Study 2004)
26 to 32% of ID theft victims take about 4 to 6 months to fix the problem. 11 to 23% of the victims take anywhere between 7 months to a full year trying to resolve their cases. (ITRC Aftermath Study 2004)
46% of victims involved in having their identity stolen ended up installing an antivirus, firewall or a anti-spyware program or software on their computer after the fact.
23% ended up switching their primary bank while 22% ended up switching their credit card company as well. (Javelin Strategy and Research 2009)
Identity theft victims have to contact several different agencies while attempting to resolve the fraud committed against them.
66% must work together with financial institutions.
40% must contact credit bureaus.
35% have to get help from their local law enforcement agencies.
24% have no choice but to deal with debt collectors.
20% need to work together with assistant services for identity theft.
13% must contact the Federal Trade Commission. (Javelin Strategy and Research 2009)

When people look at the overall cost ID theft has on the world, the numbers are quite shocking to say the least. With the usage in Internet rising daily and people all over the word having access to computers, this crime and numbers can only rise. If that is the case, many consumers out there will be in for a costly, time consuming journey when trying to regain their identity and life back.

Overall Cost

31 billion dollars was the current account fraud total in 2008. (Javelin Strategy and Research 2009)
221 billion dollars a year are lost by businesses all over the world due to identity theft. (Aberdeen Group)
Identity thefts victims lose around 1 to ,378 of they own money while trying to regain their identity and resolve the problem. (ITRC Aftermath Study 2004)
The average cost of ID theft victims is 0 (Javelin Strategy and Research 2009)
47% of identity theft victims come across problems when trying to qualify for a new loan. (ITRC Aftermath Study 2004)
70% of Identity theft victims encounter serious hurdles when attempting to remove negative information on their credit reports which resulted from the Identity theft. (ITRC Aftermath Study 2004)
Average amount of money lost per household amounted to ,620. (U.S. DOJ 2005)

Culprits

43% of ID theft victims knew the culprit and perpetrator of the crime. (ITRC Aftermath Study 2004)
The most likely culprit involved in case of child identity theft were the children’s parents. (ITRC Aftermath Study 2004)

This section which covers the methods use by identity theft thieves is one that most people need to focus on since it can very well help them to avoid falling victim to this crime and ending up here as a statistic.

Methods

43% (Almost half) of every identity theft crime is due to physical paperwork or wallets being stolen. (Javelin Strategy and Research 2009)
Online activity was to blame for 11% of methods used for this crime. (Javelin Strategy and Research 2009)
A stolen credit card number or a debit card accounted for 38% of the methods used for identity theft. (Javelin Strategy and Research 2009)
A stolen Social Security number was to blame for 37% of identity theft victims. (Javelin Strategy and Research 2009)
36% of all identity theft victims report having their phone number and name endangered. (Javelin Strategy and Research 2009)
24% of the ID theft victims financial account numbers were endangered and compromised due to the ID theft crime. (Javelin Strategy and Research 2009)
Well over 35 million data records of corporate and government data were breached and compromised in 2008. (ITRC)
In 2008, much of the 59% of new account fraud reported was due to Perpetrators opening up new stolen credit cards and store branded credit card accounts. (Javelin Strategy and Research 2009)

The numbers paint a compelling truth and serve as a warning to all of us; protect yourself before you become the next victim of identity theft. Unless people take a defensive and proactive approach to this crime, they may end up being another number added to the many victims already on this list. Remember that ID thieves never take a day off, never cease to stop doing anything other than to try and strip you of your identity and all they can get out it in return. Protect yourself today.

Post from: Finance Articles

Identity Theft Statistics – Reasons For Concern

One with the fastest rising crimes in the United States and United Kingdom is Identity Theft. Considerably, identity theft is one with the most frequently reported crimes. Identity theft is really a horrible crime which happens about thrice every minute in America. In U.K an estimated 1 hundred thousand instances are committed every year.

Regrettably, identity theft isn’t anymore an unusual happening particularly in North America. Majority of individuals don’t even give a believed of it. It does not matter to them regardless of whether the crime is committed or not. They’ll only be concerned about it if they is going to be victimized through the identity thief.

What may be the meaning of Identity Theft? Identity Theft or Identity Fraud may be the deliberate assumption of the identity of an additional individual, usually so that you can have free access of their finances or to utilize it in committing a terrible crime. Identity theft is unlawful use of the individual name, date of birth, social security amount together with your financial and banking info. The Identity Thief will utilize the information in applying for credit, opening bank accounts and to the extent of find a work.

Identity theft is seldom used in terrorism, illegal immigration, espionage or alters the identity of the person permanently. Identity theft can also be a way of blackmailing a individual by violating the privacy of the person. The illegal actions with the thief although using the name of the victim will have serious consequences such as the loss of work or the marriage.

The victims of identity theft are not solely the stable credit companies, but also who does not have a lot credit life for instance, the students from college. They will be framed up by giving them fake credit accounts utilizing their names.

The college students are the typical victims because their personal information particularly for schools that will post their grades by utilizing their Social Protection Number. And occasionally college students do not even bother to protect such info. They don’t check seriously their financial accounts. Mainly, credit score card applications are sent by mail.

Identity theft crimes arrive from snatching with the wallet to large time fraud rings. Identity theft can happen when somebody gets your mail, your purse is stolen, or your records in an institution are swiped. This can be easily remedied when the thief is arrested early. The banks and creditors will only ask you to pay the first of deceptive charges.

Nevertheless, those grave instances of deception will go on for so many years and more resources to become resolved. In view of this, there’s no denying that there exists the danger of identity theft. Therefore, everyone should do some thing so as to provide the required protection.

You will find some preventive actions for that commission of the crime. It’s really not easy to maintain your identity safe especially in our world wherein we find strangers who are usually smiling. You do not know whether they are sincere or not. Hence, you should be aware of fraud and be very careful in sharing your personal info. Each and every month, make it a habit to monitor carefully your statement of accounts. You ought to strictly observe any unlawful activity about your credit score report.

In order that your personal information and pre-approved credit score provides will not be recognized by any unauthorized person, you ought to use the paper shredder.

The above pointed out actions will serve as precautions for everyone who will be feasible sufferers of identity theft. Now if you’re truly serious about your identity and monetary stability, then the greatest way to protect us from identity theft is to get an identity theft insurance policy. Many companies are providing this identity theft insurance which usually expenses from to each and every 12 months.

You should bear in thoughts that identity theft insurance isn’t a guarantee which will avoid you from becoming a victim. Identity theft insurance policy will help you to recover from your lots of losses because of identity theft.

However, your direct financial losses resulting from identity theft aren’t covered by identity theft insurance policy. Identity theft insurance will supply the coverage for the reclaiming of your financial identity like the expenditures when creating a phone call, reproducing copies; documents are mailed, getting a leave from office without having pay and hiring your attorney.

There are to points to think about before you receive an identity theft insurance.
· Know what would be the policy limits.

· Inquire if there is some thing deductible.

· Take note that identity theft insurance doesn’t consist of direct financial losses.

· Make some verifications on what limits apply and what would be the requirements to trigger the protection, once the insurance policy policy covers the lost wages.

· When the insurance policy consists of the legal fees, then verify what limits utilize and if there is a require for that insurer to approve the legal function.

Post from: Finance Articles

What Can You Get From Identity Theft Insurance Policy?

Introduction: what is Identity Theft

The term Identity theft is used to refer to fraud that involves someone pretending to be someone else in order to steal money or to get other benefits. The term however is misapplied as it is not possible to steal an identity but only to use it. The person whose identity has been stolen can suffer from various consequences when he or she is held responsible for the perpetrator’s actions. In many countries, there are specific laws regarding identity theft which make it a crime to use another person’s identity for personal gain.

The term identity theft is somewhat different from that of identity fraud. However, the terms are often used interchangeably. Identity fraud is the consequence of identity theft. For instance, someone may steal or appropriate someone’s identifying information without actually committing identity fraud. The best example may be said to be when any data breach occurs. There has been very little evidence to link identity fraud to data breach. A study by Carnegie Mellon University concluded that the probability of becoming a victim to identity theft as a result of data breach is around 2% only.

Identity theft which is also known as ID theft is a crime in which criminals or offenders obtain key pieces of personal information such as social security or driver’s license numbers or any such other similar relevant data of someone else in order to pose as that person. Such data may be used to obtain credit, merchandise and services using the victim’s name. Identity theft can also be used by the thief to obtain false credentials for immigration or other applications.

One of the biggest problems with identity theft is that very often the crimes committed by the identity theft expert are often attributed to the victim and the burden of proof of innocence falls upon the victim that he was not responsible for whatever acts he may have been accused of.

In this article, we will get to know about the various aspects of this evil known as Identity theft, how it is done and how one may protect oneself from becoming a victim of such crime.

Types of Identity Theft

Identity theft can enter into many areas of our lives and involves any instance where a person uses someone else’s identification documents or other identifiers in order to impersonate that person for whatever reason. Identity theft may be broadly divided into two types namely; Financial Fraud and Criminal activities.

Financial Fraud: This type of identity theft includes bank fraud, credit card fraud, computer and telecommunications fraud, social program fraud, tax refund fraud and several more. Financial fraud may further be classified as:

Business/ commercial identity theft wherein the offender uses the victim’s business name in order to obtain credit or other similar benefits.
Financial identity theft wherein the offender uses the victim’s identity to obtain goods and services.
Identity cloning and concealment where the offender uses the victim’s information to assume his or her identity in daily life and thus, deceiving others by impersonating himself as the victim. This may be done by a person in order to avoid arrest for crimes, by a person who is working illegally in foreign countries or by a person who is hiding from creditors or other individuals.
Medical identity theft is where another’s information is used to obtain medical care or drugs. Such offence occurs when someone uses a person’s name and sometimes other parts of their identity such as insurance information, without the victim’s knowledge or consent to obtain medical services or goods. Medical identity theft frequently results in erroneous entries being put into existing medical records, and can involve the creation of fictitious medical records in the victim’s name.

Criminal activities: It is also known as criminal identity theft wherein the offender poses as the victim when he is apprehended for a crime. Identity theft may be used to facilitate crimes including illegal immigration, terrorism and espionage. In some cases, the criminal would obtain state issued ID using stolen documents or personal information belonging to another person or they might simply use a fake ID. When the criminal is arrested for a crime, he presents the fake ID to the authorities, who place charges under the identity theft victim’s name and release the criminal. When the criminal does not appear for the court hearing, a warrant would be issued in the name of the victim. The victim might learn of the incident if the state suspends their own driving license, or through a background check performed for employment or other purposes, or in rare cases, could be arrested when stopped for a minor traffic violation.

Furthermore, some people may impersonate others for non- financial reasons such as to receive praise or attention for the victim’s achievements. This is sometimes referred to as identity theft in the media.

Sometimes, the identity thieves hack into databases to steal personal information. However this type of thievery is much rarer then the use of old fashioned methods such as scouring the garbage for old receipts or looking over someone’s shoulder while they are doing a financial transaction. Therefore, one must be wary of such criminals anywhere where filling out a long application could provide a thief with enough information to inspire an identity theft.

Ways of obtaining personal information

In most cases, a criminal needs to obtain personally identifiable information or documents about an individual in order to impersonate them. They may succeed in doing so in the following ways:

Stealing mail or rummaging through rubbish containing personal information. This practice is also known as dumpster driving.
Retrieving information from redundant equipment like computer servers that have been disposed off carelessly.
Researching about victim in government registers, internet search engines or public records search services.
Stealing payment or identification cards, either by pick pocketing or surreptitiously by skimming through a compromised card reader.
Remotely reading information from an RFID (radio frequency identification) chip on a smart cart, RFID- enabled credit card or passport.
Eavesdropping on public transactions to obtain personal data. Such practice is commonly known as shoulder surfing.
Stealing personal information from computers and computer databases (Trojan horses, hacking and zero day attacks)
Data breach that results in the public (i.e. posted on the internet) or easily obtainable (i.e. printed on a mailing label) display of sensitive information such as credit card numbers, etc.
Advertising bogus job offers (either full time or work from home based) to which the victims will reply with their full name, address, curriculum vitae, telephone numbers and banking details.
Infiltration of organizations that store large amounts of personal information.
Impersonating a trusted company/ institution/ organization in an electronic communication to promote revealing of personal information which is commonly known as phishing.
Obtaining castings of fingers for falsifying fingerprint identification.
Browsing social network sites such as MySpace, Facebook, Bebo etc. online for personal details that have been posted by users.
Changing the victim’s address thereby diverting billing statements to another location to either get current legitimate account information or to delay discovery of fraudulent accounts.
Using false pretenses to trick a business (usually through a customer service representative) into disclosing customer information. This practice is known as pretexting.
Stealing checks to acquire banking information, including account numbers and bank routing numbers.

The above are a few of the many ways in which an identity thief may obtain sensitive information relating to the victims.

Identity theft & identity fraud

As mentioned earlier, identity theft and identity fraud are different from each other but nowadays, these two terms are interchangeably used to refer to identity theft. Identity fraud involves impersonating the victim for economic gain, whereas identity theft involves stealing the victim’s credentials used for such impersonation. In the electronic realm, the victim’s identity information is surreptitiously recorded during online transactions by logging their keystrokes by seducing them into cons like phishing. The typical use of stolen identity credentials is to carry out online purchases that are billed to the victim and stolen identity information to open fraudulent bank accounts for obtaining loans on the victim’s name.

Position in India

The Indian legislature like those of other countries has recognized the threat Identity theft poses to the social and economic life of the country and in the year 2000, passed the legislation under the Information Technology Act 2000, Chapter IX.

Sec 43(b) of the aforementioned act provides that “if any person without the permission of the owner or any other person who is in charge of a computer, computer system or computer network,

(b) downloads, copies or extracts any data base or information from such computer, computer system or computer network including information or data held or stored in any removable storage medium;

He shall be liable to pay damages by way of compensation not exceeding one crore rupees to the person so affected.”

Ways to prevent identity theft

There is no hard and fast rule which guarantees that one shall never fall victim to some form of identity theft but one may take the following simple steps to protect oneself:

One should destroy private records and statements and other documents that contain financial information.
One may secure his mailbox by emptying it quickly, locking it or getting a P.O. box so that the criminals don’t have a chance to snatch sensitive information. Furthermore, one must never mail outgoing bill payments and checks from home.
One must safeguard his/her identification cards such as social security number card, license, health insurance cards, etc.
One must not leave a paper trail, i.e. ATM, credit card or gas station receipts behind.
Whenever anyone contacts you asking for private identity or financial information, one must first confirm as to who is on the other end of the line, which company does he represent and the reason for the call.
One must be careful at ATMs and while using phone cards. Shoulder surfers can get their account and PIN numbers.
Never give personal information of any kind over the telephone or online unless you initiate the contact. Furthermore, never give out any of your personal information to telemarketers.

Conclusion

Identity theft is an evil which has grown on a large scale with the advancement of technology and dealings in day to day life. The irony is that though these technological advancements have contributed to simplify our lives (for instance, one does not have to stand in long ques just to pay their telephone bills which can be easily done by the click of a button on the internet) but at the same time it has made our lives much more complicated by giving rise to new forms of crimes such as identity theft along with many more for which we have to be cautitious when dealing with sensitive information such as passwords and other data which might pose a threat to our security and integrity as well as the security of the country as a whole. Though many countries have passed various legislation to neutralize this menace but in the present scenario, the crimes relating to identity theft is still booming with little effect of these legislations on them.

Thus the best way to check this problem depends upon the people who might be the probable targets of these identity thieves and this includes everyone who is a part of the population of the country and abroad. They must be really careful while disclosing sensitive data on the net, ATMs, telephone or any other place where someone might be able to take advantage of the data disclosed by you for their own benefits. In this way will be able to deter such criminals from committing such crimes and in the long run, protect ourselves from becoming the victims of these criminals.

Post from: Finance Articles

The Menace Of Identity Theft

Top 9 Things Every Taxpayer Should Know about Identity Theft

By Houston TX CPA Jim Trippon, on the web at www.CPAHoustonTX.com
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Taxpayers need to be careful to protect their personal information. Identity thieves use many methods to steal personal information and then they use the information to file a tax return and get a refund. Here are 10 things the IRS wants you to know about identity theft so you can avoid becoming the victim of an identity thief.

1. The IRS does not initiate contact with a taxpayer by e-mail.
2. If you receive a scam e-mail claiming to be from the IRS, forward it to the IRS at phishing@irs.gov.
3. Identity thieves get your personal information by many different means, including:
* Stealing your wallet or purse
* Posing as someone who needs information about you through a phone call or e-mail
* Looking through your trash for personal information
* Accessing information you provide to an unsecured Internet site.

4. If you discover a website that claims to be the IRS but does not begin with ‘www.irs.gov’, forward that link to the IRS at phishing@irs.gov.
5. To learn how to identify a secure website, visit the Federal Trade Commission at www.onguardonline.gov/tools/recognize-secure-site-using-ssl.aspx
6. If your Social Security number is stolen, another individual may use it to get a job. That person’s employer may report income earned by them to the IRS using your Social Security number, thus making it appear that you did not report all of your income on your tax return.
7. Your identity may have been stolen if a letter from the IRS indicates more than one tax return was filed for you or the letter states you received wages from an employer you don’t know. If you receive a notice from the IRS, leading you to believe your identity has been stolen, respond immediately to the name, address or phone number on the IRS notice.
8. If your tax records are not currently affected by identity theft, but you believe you may be at risk due to a lost wallet, questionable credit card activity, or credit report, you need to provide the IRS with proof of your identity. You should submit a copy of your valid government-issued identification – such as a Social Security card, driver’s license, or passport – along with a copy of a police report and/or a completed Form 14039, Identity Theft Affidavit. As an option, you can also contact the IRS Identity Protection Specialized Unit, toll-free at 800-908-4490. You should also follow FTC guidance for reporting identity theft at www.ftc.gov/idtheft.
9. Show your Social Security card to your employer when you start a job or to your financial institution for tax reporting purposes. Do not routinely carry your card or other documents that display your Social Security number.

Identity theft can destroy your credit and put you in debt before you even know it has happened. If you have been a victim of identity theft or would like to protect your assets from identity theft, Trippon and Co. CPAs can help. We help our clients build a wall of protection to keep their identities safe and secure. If you would like help in developing a plan to help protect your identity, give us a call today! We specialize in data protection and maintaining the integrity of your business. Let us put our 27+ years of experience to work for you today. Call Today at 713-661-1040!

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Taxpayer Identity Theft – Tips to Protect Against Identity Theft

One of the fastest growing crimes in America today is identity theft. Over the years, there have been over nine million Americans that have been victims of some type of identity theft. Many of these victims end up spending a lot to time and money to clean up the financial mess created by the identity thief. To prevent yourself from becoming a victim, you should take some time to learn about the causes of identity theft.

Having your purse or wallet stolen is one of the causes of identity theft. Using the personal information found in your purse or wallet, the thief is able to open credit card or bank account under your identity. To prevent this from happening, you should carry the least amount of personal information in your wallet or purse at all times until it is needed. For example, a lot of people keep their social security in their purse or wallet. However most of the time we only use our social security card for identification purposes for job employment or government requirements. So it is best to keep your social security card stored in save place until you need it.

Another one of the causes of identity theft is mail theft. Using stolen mail such as credit card statements and credit card applications, the thief will be able to make online purchases using your credit card information. Rural areas are hit hard by mail theft due to the low population of people in those areas. If you can, you should have all of your important mail such as bank and credit card statements mailed to a secured locked mailbox such as a post office box.

The internet is becoming a more popular place for identity theft. More identities are being stolen through the internet due to changes and new development with technology. They are using fake website signup pages to steal your personal log in username and password information. Once you log in to the false website, the internet thieves steal your username and password and gain access to your account information. You should beware of any suspicious links that you may receive by email. Always access your bank or credit card accounts by going directly to the website address provided by financial institution.

You should remember some of the causes of identity theft because they can help you to not become a victim. It is very important to always keep your personal information in safe place. You don’t want to become one of the next identity theft victims.

Post from: Finance Articles

Identity Theft Causes

Identity theft is one of the most commonly committed crimes in the world today.Even though it has been a hot topic of discussion for years now there are still a lot of people who are unsure about identity theft and what this crime entails.There is no single way for a person to commit identity theft and instead there are a few ways that a person could steal your identity and start racking up bills in your name.There are a few examples of identity theft that will help to show the different ways that these criminals work and how they can gain access to your personal information.

One of the most common ways that these thieves get the information they need to commit identity theft is by rummaging through trash.Most people put their garbage out the night before pickup day and so this is the perfect opportunity for these criminals to go through it and find what they need.The best way to avoid this is to make sure that you are not leaving bags of garbage out on the street any longer than necessary.Make sure that you shred up all your mail before throwing away and especially ensure that you never throw out old driver’s licenses, health cards and other identification before destroying it.

Another of the most common examples of identity theft would involve one of these criminals calling on the phone.This is an easy way for them to remain anonymous while pretending to be a bill collector or credit card company.Most people just don’t expect a criminal to call them on the phone to try and get personal information off of them.This is one of the examples of identity theft that are really important to watch for because if you are smart and are able to tell when one of these criminals calls you, you can contact the authorities and chances are they will be able to track them down.

Phishing is another method that is often used to gain a person’s personal information.There are some people who have become a victim of identity theft after falling for a phishing scam.For phishing scams they will dispatch malware applications to a victim’s computer and then gain access to their files and take what they need.They don’t need very much to steal a person’s identity and start using it to rack up debt.

There are a lot of other examples of identity theft that could be used here as well.You need to do what you can to stay protected and hopefully prevent yourself from becoming a victim.Thousands of people around the world have fallen victim to this scam without even knowing that anything was going on.Now that you know how they work you can take the proper steps to protect yourself.

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Identity Theft

People need to be aware of just how serious a crime identity theft is.The rates of identity theft are only continuing to rise which means that more and more people are becoming victims of the crime.Identity theft scams continue to get more detailed and advanced and in turn it can be harder to avoid them.With a few helpful tips at least people stand a better chance of recognizing a scam when they see one.

There are a few different identity theft scams that are most commonly used.Most identity thieves will actually call their victims in person and start talking to them being very friendly, in order to get personal information out of them.The thief will call a person and pretend to be a bill collector or a credit card company and they will try to swindle their way into getting enough personal information to use in order to steal the person’s identity for their own financial gain.With the busy lives that people live today it is the last thing on their mind that they would have an identity thief calling them up which is why this scam usually works so well.

There are other identity theft scams that are used as well such as the email that asks a person for their personal identification.They will send emails pretending to be from a company like Paypal for instance, asking the person to resend their personal information to update their account.People need to understand that even without all of their most important information such as credit card numbers and pin codes that identity thieves can still rack up debt in their name.These criminals are very sneaky and you have to realize that no actual company would ever send something like this through email so never write back with personal information no matter who they may say that they are.

There are a lot of different identity theft scams that have been pulled and these thieves only continue to pull more intricate scams all the time.The most important thing is that people take preventative measures so that they can hopefully avoid becoming a victim of identity theft.One of the best ways is to shred all documents before throwing them in the garbage.Bank and credit card statements, old bank cards and driver’s license cards and everything else with any sort of personal information should be more than just ripped up.

It is always important to keep an eye on your credit report.The only thing that you can do is make yourself educated and be aware of how these criminals work.As soon as an error is noticed or you think that someone may have stolen your identity, you need to act on it.They will be able to move ahead with this and determine whether something is actually amiss or if there was just a mistake made.

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Identity Theft Scams

With identity theft being one of the fastest growing crimes as it is, never before has there been more emphasis placed on taking care of your personal information and protecting yourself.People need to be taking all the proper precautions and doing everything they can to make sure that they are not going to fall victim to this crime.There are individual identity theft laws that are crucial to be aware of and so depending on which state or elsewhere in the world that you live, the laws may be different.Even some people who do everything they are supposed to find out that they are a victim of identity theft.

Because this is such a common crime it is important to be aware of the rules of identity theft law.The laws may be different from one state to another so you may have to check with your state department to get the exact details.Identity theft is a form of fraud and is considered to be a distanced crime.Even though it is considered to be a “distanced crime” which means that they didn’t do anything physical to you and that they committed the crime away from you, police consider fraud of any sort to be malicious and a crime that needs serious punishment.

Although the identity theft law tends to differ from one state to the next, still police squads and crime units are always working together to fight against the crime.If you are ever the victim of identity theft and you are able to notice it in time they may be able to catch the thief.There he will usually be given a specified bail amount and if they can pay it they will not have to wait in jail until their trial.They will usually be offered bail but the amount will be increased depending on how many crimes they have committed and how serious they are.

Often but not all the time, victims are called in to be on the witness stand in cases of identity theft fraud.This can be a scary thing to do but you want to make sure that he is going to be punished to the full extent and ensure that this does not happen to anyone else.The identity theft law is always changing for the better.More people in authority and specifically government recognize that this is a global issue and that the perps who commit these crimes need to be put away for long sentences of time.

If the identity thief was able to make it through with his crime before getting caught and there is debt owed, there are a few ways this could go.It varies from one person to another because some may have insurance on their credit cards for instance while others may not.Unfortunately if there was money taken from your bank or other accounts, chances are that you will not be getting this back.This is why it is so important to do everything that you can to protect yourself and not become a victim of identity theft.

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Identity Theft Law