Search Results Tag: yourself

Identity Theft Programs Help You To Defend Yourself From Identity Theft

October 27, 2010 at 12:38 am Filed in:Internet Security No Comments

Due to the rise of identity theft incidents being reported yearly, many organizations are implementing their own identity theft programs to provide citizens education to fight this spiteful crime. Since becoming a victim of identity theft can be a life-changing experience, both emotionally and financially, learning to prevent the occurrence of this crime through identity theft programs can help you and your families live a normal and happy life without someone else meddling with your personal information.

Although the government has been working day and night to fight identity theft, busting these criminals could take several years, or sometimes, they can even live their own lives without being caught. For this reason, different public and private financial institutions with identity theft programs, such as the Federal Trade Commission’s “AvoID Theft: Deter, Detect, Defend”, are educating people to avoid identity theft while giving assistance to those who have victimized.

FTC’s National Identity Theft Program

Since the United States has the highest rate of identity theft compared to other countries, the FTC has been working fulltime to distribute online and print informational materials to ensure all consumers are aware of this crime. With over 20 million copies of the information booklet distributed, the FTC identity theft program is reaching one household at a time to reduce the occurrence of identity theft in the country.

Private organization that help consumers fight identity theft are also using the FTC identity theft program to empower citizens in protecting themselves against the damages caused by this crime. The “Deter, Detect and Defend” Program educates people and links to other organizations in both private and public sectors including law enforcement agencies, consumer groups, federal agencies and other trade associations to give consumers options on where to ask for help.

The FTC identity theft program releases an informational kit for all organizations fighting identity theft that include a how-to booklet with instructions on educating consumers to aid organizations facilitate outreach programs. It also includes a brochure that these organizations can easily reproduce to give out to people who attend seminars and education sessions. To capture the level of damage identity theft can cause a person’s life, a 10-minute video of victims is also included in the program to explain to people how to fight this crime.

Using the FTC identity theft program can help other organizations hold seminars and distribute educational materials about fighting identity theft. Since education is the only key to avoiding this crime, consumers can now be aware on how to identify these problems and take immediate actions if ever they become a victim of identity theft.

Ann Marier has written many articles on health problems and useful house and garden Topics. More articles on How To Prevent Identity Theft And Computer Crime

Identity Theft- Protect yourself Now Before it is Too Late!

September 10, 2010 at 1:40 am Filed in:Internet Security No Comments

Identity theft is a huge problem and as the economy has gotten worse so has identity theft. There has never been a time when it was more important to protect yourself from identity theft than now.

You may be wondering how you can protect yourself but first I think you should understand How bad identity theft has really become.

Here are some scary facts about identity theft – what is now the fastest-growing crime in the nation:
· There have been over 9 million victims a year for two years running
(Better Business Bureau and Javelin Strategy & Research, January 2005)

· Identity theft has been the top consumer complaint to FTC five years in a row
(Federal Trade Commission, National and State Trends in Fraud and Identity Theft, February 1, 2005)
??????· Identity theft has claimed over 30 million victims in past five years
(Federal Trade Commission, 2003 and Better Business Bureau, 2005)

WOW! Identity theft has become a nationwide problem with millions of victims of all ages.

Here is a fact that will probably surprise you. In 2003, nearly 7 million people became victims of identity theft in the previous 12 months. That breaks down to around 19,178 per day, 799 per hour, and 13.3 per minute.

It is a fact, according to the US Department of Justice, that drug trafficking is now being replaced by identity theft as the number one crime. This affects all of us in one way or another.

Either you, or someone you know becomes a victim of identity theft.
AND, identity theft causes stores and credit card company to raise prices and their rates, respectively.

So what does this mean? We all pay for identity theft in some way so we all need to protect ourselves and our loved ones and we need to be sure to report as soon as possible anyone that we suspect of trying to steal someone’s identity.

Although identity theft scams most often happen over the phone you need to be careful where-ever you are. They could contact you online, over the phone or even come to your door.

Be sure to provide the police with any pertinent information that you may have. Time, location, what the person looked like, sounded like, caller id information, what type of vehicle-kind, color, year, distinguishing marks on the person or their vehicle, etc.

For many people it will probably take hundreds of hours, and an average of $1,000, just to recover from ID theft. Even worse is that in some innocent victims have ended up in prison because identity thieves have been committing crimes in their names. Thus, the victim then ends up being victimized twice.

Now hopefully this has shown you why identity theft prevention is so important. We want to help you to protect yourself from this awful nightmare. We have an excellent resource to help you to protect yourself so that you never need worry about becoming a victim of identity theft. Find out about the different ways that these scammers will use to steal your identity and how you can protect yourself from them.

Now, if you would like to find out more about how identity thieves can steal your identity from you in the first place then please send a blank email to .
identity-theft-facts@freeautobot.com

Michelle Oaks has been working online for over 7 years. She is the published author of numerous articles, e-books and more. Michelle is the owner of mojovideoworld.com & freedomin90days.ws

Understand Identity Theft – Tips To Protect Yourself

September 9, 2010 at 2:02 am Filed in:Internet Security No Comments

Stealing is against the law, no matter what form it takes. Theft threatens individual freedom and corporate security. Thankfully, there are laws to protect us from identity theft and related fraud.

People are becoming more aware of identity theft, but not many of us understand what it is and how it happens. In a 2003 study, the Federal Bureau of Investigation found at as many as 9 million people fall prey to identity theft every year. The impacts on personal financial security and business in general are huge. That same year, the Federal Trade Commission reported over $48 billion is losses to business and financial institutions and $5 billion out-of-pocket losses to American consumers as a direct result of identity theft.

Identity theft isn’t just a local or national problem. Ever-improving technology and communications has promoted identity theft to a worldwide problem. As we depend more and more on computers and online transactions, we become more vulnerable to the unscrupulous actions of identity theft.

What is Identity Theft?

Identity theft is a crime that occurs when someone steals your personal information, usually your full name, home address, social security number, or bank or credit account numbers. Once identity thieves have this information, they can apply for credit using your credit rating and ruin your credit score, not to mention your personal financial reputation. And the saddest part of it all is that a person doesn’t usually know it’s happening until his or her credit is already in jeopardy.

And with the miracle of the worldwide web comes the risk of having your personal information leaked through non-secure websites or tricked out of you by sly e-mail “company representatives” who want to “verify” your information. Some internet hackers have even stolen personal information for thousands of clients of a single company.

What Can I do to Protect My Personal Credit?

It’s not easy to protect yourself from identity theft. Most of it is intended to occur without your knowledge or consent. And there are many avenues for identity theft that are outside your control. But there are some things you can do to lessen the chances for identity theft.

- Secure your personal information at all times. Don’t leave lists of account numbers unlocked, and don’t share your user IDs or passwords with ANYone. Maintain as much control over your personal financial information as you can.

- Don’t throw mail away if in contains any personal information, including your full name and address. Shred these documents before putting them in the garbage.

- Educate yourself about the techniques and tactics used in identity theft and protect yourself accordingly.

- Don’t share personal account information with anyone, including co-workers, friends, and roommates. Unless they are also responsible for paying your bills, they have no reason to have this information. And don’t give them your passwords without a very good reason. If you do share your passwords, change them as soon as possible.

- Shred unwanted and pre-approved credit applications, and have your name removed from those mailing lists.

- Be careful when you make purchases online to use only secure servers and to carefully guard your information. Do not keep a written list of passwords, and use passwords that are difficult to figure out (rather than something simple like your phone number).

How Do I know if Someone is Using my Personal Information?

Many victims of identity theft are not aware of the problem until they are refused credit or receive a bill for purchases they did not make. There are a few ways to catch identity theft early on:

- Request your credit report from one or all of the three major credit reporting companies (Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax). Review the reports carefully to assure you are aware of and agree with the status on all accounts. Make sure there are no accounts you don’t know about listed there. And check all recent credit inquiries. Companies from which you have not asked for an account should not be making inquiries. This is a sure sign that someone is out there using your name and information.

- When you review your credit report, immediately contact the reporting company and your creditor about any errors. Make sure individual account information is accurate and up-to-date, and be very persistent in getting errors corrected. You may have to provide documentation for corrections, and you will most likely have to contact the companies several times before the corrections show up in your report.

- Review your account statements immediately when your receive them. Be sure you are aware and approve of all transactions. Check to be sure recent payments are reflected. Make sure they have the correct address. If you find errors on bank or credit card statements, contact the company immediately and continue to communicate with them until the corrections are reflected in your statements.

What if I Am Already a Victim of Identity Theft?

If you think someone else is using your identity or personal financial information inappropriately, contact the nearest office of the U.S. Department of Justice. Contact your creditors to alert them to the fraud. Also inform your bank of the activity and secure their agreement to help protect your information. You may want to revisit the names of people authorized to access your personal financial information and limit it to essential parties only.

Find out as much as you can about the accounts, purchases, and applications the identity thief has made using your name. Then contact those companies directly and immediately to make sure they close the accounts and notify law enforcement when they become aware of any additional transactions.

Abhishek is a Personal Security expert and he has got some great Identity Theft Prevention Secrets up his sleeves! Download his FREE 136 Pages Ebook, “Identity Theft – Don’t Be The Next Victim!” from his website http://www.Survival-Today.com/14/index.htm . Only limited Free Copies available.

virus check yourself !

January 30, 2010 at 10:35 am Filed in:Uncategorized 6 Comments

A one of a kind video, specially desiged to scan the computer, after the dangerous new virus. watch carefully, and listen to the comments. (recomended)