Tag Archives: identity theft

Protecting Your Children from Identity Thieves

Identity theft doesn’t just hit adults. Children are especially vulnerable to it, since they have clean credit and financial histories and no background information or signature on file. This makes it easy for thieves to take out credit and loans in a child’s name. In most cases, the victims and their families never even realize that there is an issue until the child becomes an adult and pursues his or her own credit and financial footprint. Then it becomes obvious: years of bad debt, defaulted loans and possibly a criminal background. The web of identity-related issues can be ponderous and … Continue reading →

How to Prevent Identity Theft: Keeping Your Data to Yourself

Think identity theft can’t happen to you? It is probably only a matter of time, because identity theft is growing in leaps and bounds. New technologies and a more global way of doing business has made it easier than ever for thieves to pretend to be you. With thousands and thousands of databases that can be compromised, such as the gas station where you just swiped your car, and hundreds of people who see your card on an annual basis, such as the waiter who just served you dinner, the odds of not being a victim of identity theft is … Continue reading →

Identity Theft Threat to iTunes Users

Users of the popular Apple iTunes online music store may find themselves the victim of stolen identity theft. That is because a new crop of thieves are out to target iTunes users, and so far have had some limited success. The identity theft threat to iTunes users comes in the form of “Phishing,” a technique that has long been seen connected to online banking, PayPal, Ebay and mainstream retail stores. Until now, no one seems to have dared to touch Apple, but recently, however, that has changed. Phishing is a term used to describe the strategy that crooks use to … Continue reading →

Victims of Identity Theft Checklist

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Have you been a victim of an identity theft? It could have been that your purse was stolen and someone used some of your credit cards. Maybe, you’re a victim of mail theft and they opened up a ton of accounts in your name? Either way, the basic steps you need to follow are here. 1. Call the police and file a police report. Certainly, you don’t need to call 911, unless the theft is in process. Nevertheless, even if it has been a few days and you just discovered the initial theft, you should still report it to the … Continue reading →

What to do if you Have a Mistake on your Credit Card Statement

Ideally, you are checking your credit card statement each month to verify all charges. What should you do if you find a mistake? The following are the critical steps. First, was the mistake from a merchant you actually purchased an item from? Sometimes the amount on your receipt is different from the amount on your statement. Sometimes a merchant will accidentally run your amount through more than one time. If it was an error by the merchant, the best step is to contact him first. You can visit the business directly if possible and get a correction documented. If that … Continue reading →

Victims of Identity Theft

Have you been a victim of identity theft? Are you looking for some ideas on what to do? You have come to the right place! Let’s talk today about some of the steps to take if you ever are a victim of identity theft. 1. Immediately place a fraud alert on all your credit reports. This will hopefully prevent any further abuse, as a fraud alert requires creditors to follow special procedures before a new account can be opened in your name. A fraud alert lasts 90 days, but you can always call again to reissue it if needed. 2. … Continue reading →

Identity Theft Prevention

Crime has changed over the years, but it is still just as serious. Instead of robbing you directly of your cash, thieves now steal your personal information and use it to commit fraud or other crimes. It is particularly sneaky as many people are completely unaware they are a victim. Often it is not until your credit and good name are ruined that you discover the actual crime. The best defense is prevention. You need to start by safeguarding all your personal information. Shred all critical paperwork and financial documents. Be scrupulous with your Social Security number. Don’t carry the … Continue reading →

Time for Taxes and Theft

So, it is definitely tax time. We are all getting our paperwork, making appointments with accountants, setting up the software. While taxes are no fun for us, they can be a gold mine for identity thieves. The information on your tax forms is highly valuable to the unscrupulous. These forms contain so much personal financial information; they should almost be carried in an armored vehicle. Therefore, it is critical you guard this information well. Things to watch out for include: 1. The cheap and fast large-scale tax preparer setup. These are often set up around this time in high traffic … Continue reading →

Home Office Tips

The home office can be one of the busiest and most clutter areas of the house. Paper just tends to collect and multiply. But just what do you file and what do you toss? Here are some quick tips to help you in your home office. Invest in a shredder for your home office. Shredding documents that contain personal information is a must to protect against identity theft. Many people just throw away credit card offers, but those offers can be as candy to a theft who wants to use your credit. Tax returns need to be kept forever. Any … Continue reading →

Social Security Numbers

It is critical to protect your social security number. Not only is it your unique identity in this country, it controls your future employment, benefits, credit and good name. Whenever you are dealing with money, this little number plays a large part in the process. The main way to protect yourself and your social security number is to keep it secret. Never use this number or any part of it to replace another number. Never carry your social security card in your wallet. Never give it out over the Internet. Don’t let your insurance id or drivers license be the … Continue reading →