Identity Theft…it IS that bad. While ID theft is a relatively new problem in the US, it is quickly growing into a monster. The good news is you do not have to fall victim to the monster. It is preventable and keepmyID can help.

As technology advances, so too does its hold on all aspects of people’s lives. Its impact cannot be underestimated as it has made life much more interesting. Sadly, there are some who have taken advantage of the developments to manipulate systems and defraud others. Most of the cases involve identity theft. The scope of these cases includes financial fraud, criminal activity, medical ID theft, social security fraud, tax fraud, child ID theft, employment fraud and benefits fraud. The good news is that it is possible to receive protection from all these incidents by subscribing to the services of an identity theft protection company like keepmyID.org.

keepmyID.org offers ID theft protection services by initiating certain ID theft prevention measures. These measures include legal protection such as activating continuous fraud alerts. The regular 90 day alerts are placed on a subscriber’s credit profile so no one is able to apply for an account in their name unless the person is notified. Any attempt to open such an account is blocked by the system until verification of the details. The service also sends a subscriber three free credit reports for confirmation if there were any anomalies during the period. An important part of the ID theft prevention is the enrollment of subscribers in the junk mail reduction program. This is an adequate way to protect the identity of the subscriber, as most thefts occur on credit offers sent to a subscriber. The user ends up receiving credit protection due to less junk mail.

The ID theft service has a telemarketer reduction program. This service works by putting all the phone numbers of the user on a national “Do Not Call” list. This move prevents telemarketers and other unknown people from reaching the subscriber easily. The identity guard service has an additional insurance policy in cases where certain losses occur. As a bonus, customers on the service are taught identity protection measures to take, including training material from security experts. Users of the service are alerted on the latest trends in the ID protection field through receipt of online material. Being a legal process, the service hires an attorney for the customer. The attorney is charged with the responsibility of renewing the alerts such as the junk mail alert that protects the client.

The reason for the success of these protection services is due to the fact that they are run by serious professionals with vast experience in security matters. Some of them are former policemen and prosecutors who have first-hand knowledge of cases. They understand all the tricks criminals use to steal from their victims. The statistics that are floating out there indicate that one third of all people face the danger of being victimized by identity fraud. Another worrying trend is the fact that such fraudsters are rarely caught or prosecuted. It is sad that these cases are not confined to ordinary people only because powerful people have also fallen victim such attacks.

Even though you are enrolled in our ID theft service, it is important for every person to review their security measures at all times. See our tips in our free resource center for more. As we like to say, stay absolutely vigilant in protecting your identity, with the help of us of course!

Best regards,
keepmyID.org

The post Protect Yourself Against ID Theft. Is ID Theft Really That Bad? Yes! appeared first on Identity Theft Prevention | Identity Theft Protection Service | keepmyID.org.

The answer is NO — unless you have protection with www.keepmyID.org or protectmyID.com (currently the only two direct competitors in America offering preventative services). Guess who did not have ID theft protection and got their ID stolen this month? Michelle Obama, Joe Biden, and the director of the FBI. Wow. Guess what they have now: ID theft protection. Celebrities, politicians, billionaires, cops and the like are just as unprotected as the next guy. Identity thieves do no care who you are, how much money you have, or what your credit score is. They just want your identity; yes even those with less than desirable credit. And once again, no, your credit cards do not protect you from identity theft (only from charges on that card). Sorry, no free pass for you or the Supreme Court Justice, or the First Lady for that matter.

People most often wait until it’s too late to get protection and then buy it. While that helps, it is much like buying insurance after you had the car wreck. You are protected in the future but damage has already been done. We all buy car insurance (1 in 88 chance each year of a wreck) or home-fire insurance (1/728 chance of a house fire) but very few have protection against ID theft (1 in 3 chance each year). That is quickly changing as identity theft is one of the most likely major events to happen to you other than death and taxes. What is the lesson…Don’t Wait! Get protected now. And the good news: it’s super inexpensive! The best identity theft protection is PREVENTION. Let me say that again for all the members of a credit monitoring service out there — PREVENTION, NOT monitoring! Don’t fall for the “monitoring” pitch. Any expert will tell you monitoring is albeit useless. In fact if they offer you monitoring…run. Sounds good but it’s little help. Just ask the Supreme Court.

Prevention is very cheap ($9/mo. in some cases) and it will save you a lot of time, money, and needless frustration in the long run. Live long enough and you may have a car wreck. But you will almost certainly become a victim of ID theft at some point in your life. The truth is no one is safe from identity theft without protection. It’s when, not if.

On the morning that the Supreme Court was scheduled to hear arguments about gay marriage, Roberts was overheard telling a barista at his local Starbucks that he would have to pay cash for his coffee, as his credit card information had been stolen. The Associated Press spoke to a Supreme Court spokesperson, who confirmed that someone got hold of one of the Chief Justice’s credit card account numbers. Apparently that meant that Roberts had to use cash while he waited for a new card from the bank.

Supreme Court Justices: They’re just like us!

Roberts isn’t the first high-profile Washington figure to become the victim of identity theft lately — earlier this month, First Lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and the director of the FBI all had their credit reports stolen and posted to a Russian website. Celebrities including Beyonce Knowles were also affected.

If the director of the FBI and the most powerful judge in the country can be impacted by identity theft, how are ordinary citizens supposed to keep their finances safe?

Short of shunning all credit cards and living a cash-only existence, you’re always going to be at some risk for identity theft. We’re not sure how Roberts lost his credit card number, but it could have happened anywhere. Maybe an online retailer where he’d used the card suffered a data breach that we don’t know about. It’s also possible he handed his card to a waiter at a restaurant, who then secretly swiped it in a portable card reader. From there, it would be a simple matter of “cloning” the card for use in stores, or simply using the number to make an online purchase. Maybe they got his SS# and date of birth off one of the many, many public websites where you can buy anyone’s information…yes even you are on there, I guarantee it. For example, email “support@keepmyID.org” with limited personal information (name/ age/ city) and they will quickly tell you what your SS# and DOB is (from public websites). Scary isn’t it?

In other words, you don’t have to be an idiot to get your credit card number stolen. The circumstances are frequently outside your control. The good news is that Roberts (and most victims of credit-card theft) can usually nip it in the bud without any financial loss. Federal law caps losses due to credit card fraud at $50, and most credit cards go a step further and offer zero liability on fraudulent purchases. That’s contingent on you spotting the fraudulent charge in a timely manner and alerting the bank. Again, if you have ID theft protection, you are covered. Don’t learn the hard way. Get protected in advance. I don’t want to have to add your name to this celebrity list.

Provided in part by keepmyID.org and Matt Brownell (consumer and retail reporter for DailyFinance).

The post If the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, The First Lady, The Vice President, and Beyonce Can Be Identity Theft Victims, Is Anyone Safe? appeared first on Identity Theft Prevention | Identity Theft Protection Service | keepmyID.org.

Identity thieves are using stolen social security numbers to file bogus tax returns and collect refunds on an even grander scale this year.

The IRS’s reluctance to issue PIN numbers until AFTER you are victimized has only encouraged thieves. The scary part is that you probably won’t find out that your identity and social security number have been used fraudulently until your legitimate tax return has been rejected by the IRS. You know what that means…you won’t get that money you were counting on for a long time.

ALARMING STATISTICS:

• In 2012 the IRS resolved more than 500,000 identity theft cases.
• There is a current backlog at the IRS of 300,000 fraudulent cases, with an average wait time of six months for a resolution.
• The IRS does not recognize when fraud is occurring – A recent audit shows 590 refunds, totaling nearly $1 million, were sent to one bank account.
• According to the Treasury Inspector General, the IRS is expected to pay out as much as $21 billion for fraudulent refunds over the next five years. Their current policy is PAY then CHASE. So they pay the thieves first and then go after them much later. Oftentimes, it is way too late.

TIPS FOR TAX SEASON:

• Select someone trustworthy to prepare your tax return and only file paper returns.
• File taxes early in the tax season to reduce the window of time a thief could file using your SSN.
• When/IF filing electronically, only submit forms through a secure internet connection.
• When filing by mail, go to the post office directly to mail the envelope.
• The IRS will never communicate with you via email or phone. Do not respond to any email message that looks like it is from the IRS.
• Never give out your personal information over the phone to anyone claiming to be from the IRS.
• Keep your computer’s spyware and firewall up to date.

We hope your 2013 tax returns come out favorably for you. Stay vigilant! You should initiate contact with the IRS by going to their website and calling the phone numbers listed on their website. Do not take calls from someone claiming to be from the IRS.

– keepmyID.org and IDExperts.

The post ID Theft Protection That Protects Your Tax Refund appeared first on Identity Theft Prevention | Identity Theft Protection Service | keepmyID.org.

Criminals know the way to steal your identity, and the worse part is that it’s not all that difficult. As a chief prosecutor, I see it on a daily basis. People were stunned how easily their information was obtained. For example, you know all those credit card applications you get in the mail? If you don’t shred them, they can use that to steal your identity. It takes about 5 seconds. In addition, your SSN, DOB, DL #, address, phone numbers, and so on are already out there. The cat is out of the bag. All you can do now is protect yourself. What is the best way to protect your identity? Get a service or do it yourself religiously. Services are cheap and effective. The truth is most people simply are not going to stay on top of it. As we always say, even if you do not use www.keepmyID.org, use someone! Make sure it is not just a monitoring service. Those are useless. You want identity theft prevention AND recovery services ideally. If that is out of your budget, at least get the prevention side.

Now back to the thieves…it’s not above them to sift through garbage just to obtain a social security number or driver’s license number. Once they have these vital bits of information, it’s easy for them to steal your identity. What they will do is scary. They will apply for credit cards in your name and max the limit within days. They will obtain loans in your name and never make a payment. Then the loan company comes after you for the money. It’s something that affects millions and millions of people each year and it can be a real mess when it comes to your credit report.

As many as 85 percent of all identity theft victims find out about the crime only when they are denied credit or employment, contacted by the police, or have to deal with collection agencies, credit cards and bills. A study on the aftermath of an identity theft by the non profit Theft Resource Center found that victims spend 600 hours recovering from the crime because they must contact and work with credit card companies, banks, credit bureaus, and law enforcement. This time can add up to as much as $16,000 in lost wages or income.

The number of reported cases of identity theft is increasing steadily. There is no one reason for this, but rather this is due to several ways in which our lives have changed in recent years, all of which make it easier for people to obtain our personal information. In the United States, Social Security numbers are used more commonly as a means of identification. The Internet has made the transmission of personal information easy and, at times, less secure. Online retailers store our credit card information and contact information in databases we assume to be secure. Breaches of these systems occur daily.

Marketing databases not only contain personal information but they aggregate information on our spending habits as well as contact information. Potentially dishonest employees of these companies could have access to that information. They can then sell it online in chat rooms where criminals meet to swap information.

Provided by TRW and keepmyID.org

The post Identity Theft and Your Credit appeared first on Identity Theft Prevention | Identity Theft Protection Service | keepmyID.org.

This post was a popular post; so popular we are resubmitting it. Most of our customers thought we were just using made-up examples. Sorry folks. This is not Santa Claus…but the real McCoy. These are real stories and real people just like you and me. Identity theft prevention is necessary even as a baby.  It’s fairly incredible but true. It’s one of the reasons we introduced our 100% recovery option. It covers you and your children from identity theft.

A 3-week-old baby’s family suddenly receives a collection notice for unpaid medical bills on his work-related back injuries. A woman is denied insurance coverage because her medical record shows that she is an HIV-positive 28-year-old man, and a childless woman is arrested for abandoning her baby at the hospital soon after birth. A man is taken to the hospital with extreme stomach pain, but his appendicitis is misdiagnosed, because his medical record erroneously states that he had his appendix out five years ago. All these people are victims of medical identity theft, a crime that can destroy your credit rating, your access to medical treatment, and your life.

The World Privacy Forum says that “Medical identity theft occurs when someone uses a person’s name and sometimes other parts of their identity — such as insurance information — without the person’s knowledge or consent to obtain medical services or goods, or uses the person’s identity information to make false claims for medical services or goods.” There are 3 types of medical identity crime:
•Financial Medical Identity Theft:  Someone is getting medical help using your name and/or other information.
•Criminal Medical Identity Theft: You are being held responsible for someone else’s criminal behavior (like the woman arrested for supposedly abandoning a baby).
•Government Benefit Fraud: Your medical benefits in programs such as Medicare or Medicaid are being used by another person.

According to the Federal Trade Commission‘s most recent figures, medical identity theft accounted for 3 percent of identity theft crimes, or 249,000 of the estimated 8.3 million people who had their identities lifted in 2005.  That number has skyrocketed in recent years.  But as more healthcare providers convert to electronic medical records, medical identity crimes may become more prevalent. Medical identity theft typically leaves a trail of falsified information in medical records that can plague victims’ medical and financial lives for years. It can create erroneous entries in a person’s existing medical records, or it can involve the creation of fictitious medical records in the victim’s name (for example, if someone with a fake insurance card in your name goes to a hospital where you have never been). As medical information is shared among hospitals, physicians and insurers, false information can propagate far and wide.

The most obvious cause of medical identity theft is that someone steals your medical insurance card or insurance benefit statements. Large-scale medical identity theft is more often an inside job, with medical office staff or facilities’ contractors copying medical records and selling them to criminal interests, who may then sell counterfeit insurance cards to uninsured Americans and illegal immigrants (a Business Week article noted that as of 2007, health records were fetching $50 to $60 each on the black market, vs. $.07 for stolen resumes). In other cases, doctors or organized crime use patient information to fraudulently charge healthcare providers for services that were never provided.

Medical identity theft is difficult to rectify. First, unlike financial fraud, there is no established procedure to correct medical identity theft. Second, medical institutions and healthcare providers are required by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) to protect patient information, even if that patient is being treated under a false identity, making it nearly impossible to get misinformation out of medical records.

There are steps you can take to protect yourself from medical identity theft. First and most obvious, if your medical insurance card is stolen, report it to your insurer and healthcare providers. Second, carefully check the Explanation of Benefits statements sent by your insurer to be sure that all the services listed were actually provided to you on the dates shown. Third, check your credit report regularly, as unpaid medical bills will show up there. The World Privacy Forum lists a number of other safety measures, including keeping a copy of your current medical files, to protect against future ID theft.

If you find evidence that you are a victim of medical identity theft, don’t call your healthcare provider and announce that you’re a victim of identity theft. If you do, they may cut off access to your medical records because of HIPAA privacy requirements. Medical identity theft is a serious ailment, but with the right help, you can get better identity theft protection.

Identity thieves commit their crime in several ways therefore to fight against identity theft, need to prevent identity theft. Identity Theft Prevention Top tips by KeepMyID to help you avoid becoming the victim of an identity thief.

Provided by IDExperts and www.keepmyID.org

The post Doctor’s Orders: An Ounce of Identity Theft Prevention is The Best Identity Theft Protection appeared first on Identity Theft Prevention | Identity Theft Protection Service | keepmyID.org.

We know identity theft is a frustrating process for victims. It is especially frustrating when they steal your returns.  Tax return fraud has sky-rocketed.  Not only are thieves filing false returns with your information, they are actually setting up legitimate-looking businesses simply to steal your return.  Once you sign it over to them, it is very hard to get help from the authorities.

What is identity theft?
Identity theft occurs when someone uses your personal information such as your name, Social Security number (SSN) or other identifying information, without your permission, to commit fraud or other crimes.

How do you know if your tax records have been affected?
Usually, an identity thief uses a legitimate taxpayer’s identity to fraudulently file a tax return and claim a refund. Generally, the identity thief will use a stolen SSN to file a forged tax return and attempt to get a fraudulent refund early in the filing season. You may be unaware that this has happened until you file your return later in the filing season and discover that two returns have been filed using the same SSN.
Be alert to possible identity theft if you receive an IRS notice or letter that states that:
•    More than one tax return for you was filed,
•    You have a balance due, refund offset or have had collection actions taken against you for a year you did not file a tax return, or
•    IRS records indicate you received wages from an employer unknown to you.

What to do if your tax records were affected by identity theft?
If you receive a notice from IRS, respond immediately. If you believe someone may have used your SSN fraudulently, please notify IRS immediately by responding to the name and number printed on the notice or letter. You will need to fill out the IRS Identity Theft Affidavit, Form 14039. For victims of identity theft who have previously been in contact with the IRS and have not achieved a resolution, please contact the IRS Identity Protection Specialized Unit, toll-free, at 1-800-908-4490.

How can you protect your tax records?
If your tax records are not currently affected by identity theft, but you believe you may be at risk due to a lost/stolen purse or wallet, questionable credit card activity or credit report, etc., contact the IRS Identity Protection Specialized Unit at 1-800-908-4490.

How can you minimize the chance of becoming a victim?
•    Don’t carry your Social Security card or any document(s) with your SSN on it.
•    Don’t give a business your SSN just because they ask. Give it only when required.
•    Protect your financial information.
•    Check your credit report at least every 12 months.
•    Secure personal information in your home.
•    Protect your personal computers by using firewalls, anti-spam/virus software, update security patches, and change passwords for Internet accounts.
•    Don’t give personal information over the phone, through the mail or on the Internet unless you have initiated the contact or you are sure you know who you are dealing with.

Provided by the IRS and keepmyID.org

The post Taxpayer Guide to Identity Theft and Identity Theft Protection appeared first on Identity Theft Prevention | Identity Theft Protection Service | keepmyID.org.

I use it religiously to pay bills, see my balance, make transfers, and the like. It’s great. And quite honestly it’s better than mailing checks. But with every system comes risk. So if you use online banking services at all – - even if it’s just to check your account balances on occasion — you’ll want to pay particular attention to this alert.

There’s been a dramatic increase in the occurrence of a situation in which a ‘live’ chat box pops-up with a message saying a bank representative will be communicating with the targeted bank customer directly. In reality, the would-be bank rep is a fraudster, reading a script, intending to relieve targeted bank customers of cash – - perhaps much more. It seems real because it pops up when you are on a legitimate site!

It’s being referred to as (not surprisingly) the “Fake Bank Chat Box Scam” – - and here’s how it happens: unknowing banking customers, whose computers have been infected with malware containing fake web links and/or attachments during a previous visit to the bank’s website lies dormant until the victim initiates a return visit to their account. It’s then that an initial message about the bank running a security check flashes up followed by a fake message featuring poor grammar. Poor grammar is always a HUGE red flag. English is fortunately the hardest language to learn in the world (yes, surprising I know). So fraudsters many times are thwarted by their own lack of English skills.

Victims who use online banking should be sure to continually update the security software they use. Further, If you encounter this scam, you’re best advised to log-off and power-down your computer, then call your bank to investigate and detail your encounter with the imposter. Routinely running security checks for other viruses and malware is strongly suggested.

Provided by Isekurity and www.keepmyID.org

The post Do You Use Online Banking? If so, fake chat boxes are popping up everywhere appeared first on Identity Theft Prevention | Identity Theft Protection Service | keepmyID.org.

With access to medical care becoming more and more difficult and incredibly expensive, ID thieves have decided to pass the bill on to you through complex systems of medical identity theft.  Not only does this destroy your credit, but it also causes serious problems in your medical history chart for future coverage.

Here are some real world examples of medical identity theft:

• A 3-week-old baby’s family suddenly receives a collection notice for unpaid medical bills on his work-related back injuries.
• A woman is denied insurance coverage because her medical record shows that she is an HIV-positive 28-year-old man.
• A childless woman is arrested for abandoning her baby at the hospital soon after birth.
• A man is taken to the hospital with extreme stomach pain, but his appendicitis is misdiagnosed, because his medical record erroneously states that he had his appendix out five years ago.

All these people are victims of medical identity theft, a crime that can destroy your credit rating, your access to medical treatment, and your life.

The World Privacy Forum says that “Medical identity theft occurs when someone uses a person’s name and sometimes other parts of their identity — such as insurance information — without the person’s knowledge or consent to obtain medical services or goods, or uses the person’s identity information to make false claims for medical services or goods.” There are generally 3 types of medical identity crime:

1. Financial Medical Identity Theft: Someone is getting medical help using your name and/or other information.

2. Criminal Medical Identity Theft: You are being held responsible for someone else’s criminal behavior (like the woman arrested for supposedly abandoning a baby).

3. Government Benefit Fraud: Your medical benefits in programs such as Medicare or Medicaid are being used by another person.

According to the Federal Trade Commission’s most recent figures, medical identity theft affected approximately 250,000 of the millions who had their identities lifted.  But as more healthcare providers convert to electronic medical records, medical identity crimes may become more prevalent.

Medical identity theft typically leaves a trail of falsified information in medical records that can plague victims’ medical and financial lives for years. It can create erroneous entries in a person’s existing medical records, or it can involve the creation of fictitious medical records in the victim’s name (for example, if someone with a fake insurance card in your name goes to a hospital where you have never been). As medical information is shared among hospitals, physicians and insurers, false information can propagate far and wide.

The most obvious cause of medical identity theft is that someone steals your medical insurance card or insurance benefit statements. Large-scale medical identity theft is more often an inside job, with medical office staff or facilities’ contractors copying medical records and selling them to criminal interests, who may then sell counterfeit insurance cards to uninsured Americans and illegal immigrants. (A Business Week article noted that health records were fetching $50 to $60 each on the black market, vs. $.07 for stolen resumes.) In other cases, doctors or organized crime use patient information to fraudulently charge healthcare providers for services that were never provided.

Medical identity theft is difficult to rectify.  First, unlike financial fraud, there is no established procedure to correct medical identity theft. Second, medical institutions and healthcare providers are required by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) to protect patient information, even if that patient is being treated under a false identity, making it nearly impossible to get misinformation out of medical records.

There are steps you can take to protect yourself from medical identity theft. 

1. First and most obvious, if your medical insurance card is stolen, report it to your insurer and healthcare providers.
2. Second, carefully check the Explanation of Benefits statements sent by your insurer to be sure that all the services listed were actually provided to you on the dates shown.
3. Third, check your credit report regularly, as unpaid medical bills will show up there.
4. Keep a copy of your current medical files, to protect against future ID theft.

Identity Theft Prevention | About KeepMyId.org

There are dozens of precautions you can take to decrease your chances of being a victim of identity theft. As a member of keepmyID.org, each customer is taught the preventative measures to take. You will receive the latest training and materials from the foremost experts in the field. You will be alerted to the most common scams and schemes. All of this information will be available through our online resource center. Find out more about identity theft protection at KeepMyId.org or calling 800-664-5936.

The post Medical Identity Theft appeared first on Identity Theft Prevention | Identity Theft Protection Service | keepmyID.org.

TOP 25 IDENTITY THEFT TIPS

Black Friday. The official start of the year-end holiday shopping spree where millions of consumers will prowl local shops and online retailers for that perfect holiday gift. And, it’s also a very prime time for criminals and hackers out to steal your money, or worse yet, your identity. Consumer Reports’ Guide to online security outlines some of the most common Net threats—such as skimming, phishing, online scams, and computer viruses.

This year, make a pledge to be ID safe and help protect yourself from identity theft. In short, make sure you shop safe, think before you click, and follow these tips:

1.     Reduce junk mail offers.  Pre-approved offers are often stolen out of your mail and redirected to the thieves.  If you have keepmyID.org you will automatically be enrolled in our junk mail reduction program reducing your risk and drastically reducing the junk mail you receive.  If you do it yourself, opt out with all three credit agencies every 60 days (or as required by each agency).

2.     No e-filing.  Don’t e-file your taxes.  Opt out.  File a paper return.  This prevents thieves from rerouting your IRS tax return or filing false returns year after year.  If you qualify, get a PIN number from the IRS.  That ensures no one can file a tax return except you.

3.     Get ID protection.  Employ an identity theft prevention (not monitoring) service (yes, even if it is not us, please use someone).  They are extremely inexpensive for what you receive.  Make sure your program has 100% recovery services (not just a “$1M guarantee”) with a dedicated representative that will help you through the identity theft nightmare should it ever happen to you.

4.     Check your credit.  Check your credit reports from all three credit agencies regularly.  Many times people have no idea there is fraudulent activity on their accounts.  You must get these reports to know if there are errors. Look for personal information and credit accounts that are not yours. Credit bureaus make mistakes.  If you have keepmyID.org you will automatically receive three of these reports per year.

5.     Cover easy targets.  Get identity theft protection for your children and elderly parents.  Children and the elderly are two of the biggest targets for identity thieves.  Why?  They never check their credit reports so they do not detect fraud.  We offer a reduced rate for family members.

6.     No monitoring services.  Avoid “Monitoring” Services.  These simply alert you AFTER  your identity is stolen. That is far too late.  You want a prevention service and some form of identity theft insurance in case your identity gets stolen.  If you have our service you will automatically get both.

7.     Shred it.  Never discard unused checks or bank statements in the trash without shredding: Shred, Shred, Shred (one of the #1 ways they steal your identity is through your trash).   Shred everything: including credit card receipts (after you’ve reconciled your bill), medical statements, everyday bills, and pre-approved credit card offers. Any document that has personal financial information on it can give an identity thief a foothold into your life.

8.    No checks in the mail.  Don’t order checks through the mail (pay extra for the security envelopes that banks offer, or better yet, pick your checks up at the bank.  Yes, some U.S. Postmen are not your friend.  There have been several cases where the Postman was the one out there selling off your checks one-by-one in the neighborhood).

9.    File a report.  File a police report with local law enforcement officials if a breach occurs. This is an essential step in claiming your rights.  Agencies require a police report to put certain protections in place.

10.  No personal information.  Don’t put personal information on checks (such as Social Security numbers; date of birth; and the like).

11. Lock your mailbox.  Get a mailbox that locks or route your mail to a P.O. Box.  You can still put outgoing mail on the outside and keep the delivered mail safe on the inside of the mailbox.

12.  Educate Yourself.  Educate yourself about common scams committed via telephone, mail, e-mail, and in person. Learn to recognize when you are being tricked into disclosing information you shouldn’t disclose.   If you have our service you will receive weekly scam alerts and get access to our former law enforcement resource center.  Our goal is to train you as we have been trained when it comes to identity theft.

13.  Lock it up.  Lock up financial records in the home or office.  You have no way of knowing if your household help, roommate, or a relative will end up being an identity thief.

14.  Beware of dog.  Use your ID protection company’s logo on personal email to let thieves know you are protected (think of it as a Beware of Dog sign for your home).  They’ll move on to the easier target.

15. Beware shoulder surfers.  Be watchful of shoulder-surfers. At ATMs and phone booths, thieves will stand close enough to see PIN numbers punched in by users.

16. Mind the gap.  Mind those credit card receipts, especially since only a few credit card receipts have stopped listing full account numbers and expiration dates. Put the charge slip copies in a safe spot until your credit card bills arrive.

17. Be consistent.  Write clearly on all credit applications. Consistently and completely fill in all credit and loan applications using your full name, first, middle and last. Every bill that comes to your house should be addressed exactly the same.

18. Close ‘em out.  Monitor your credit accounts carefully, so you’ll know if a bill’s missing or unauthorized purchases have been made. Close out unused credit cards. Cutting them up is not enough.

19. Carry only what you need.  Limit the number of credit cards you carry. The fewer cards you have, the easier it is to track them.  And make a copy of everything in your wallet should it ever be stolen: front and back so you have the credit account numbers and you know who to call.

20.  Paid bills are magnets.  Never leave paid bills in your mailbox for the mail carrier to pick up.  Drop them off at a post office box.

21. Contact and update.  If you’re moving, contact all your creditors and update them of your address changes immediately. You don’t want credit information and new credit cards being delivered to the wrong address. Likewise, if your credit card expires and you don’t receive a new one, call your creditor immediately.

22. Protect your number.  Protect your Social Security number. Only give your Social Security number when absolutely necessary. Avoid using it as your account number whenever possible. If merchants demand it, ask for an alternate number and take your business elsewhere if they insist on writing it on your check.  And never carry your Social Security number and driver license together in your wallet.

23.   Phone solicitations.  Don’t provide your Social Security number, bank account number or credit card number to anyone who contacts you through telephone solicitation.  Get enrolled in a telemarketer elimination program or opt out all your numbers and renew it each time it expires.  If you have our service you will automatically be enrolled in our telemarketer elimination program.

24. Online Shopping.  If you’re shopping with an online merchant for the first time, look for the Trust-e symbol or a Better Business Bureau online seal. These indicate the seller has been independently audited and deemed trustworthy.

25. http…s.  Make sure any online credit card charges are handled through a secure site or in an encrypted mode. You’ll know you’re on a secure site if the Web page on which you conduct your transaction begins with “https” instead of the usual “http.”  The “s” stands for secure. 

Identity Theft Prevention | About KeepMyId.org

There are dozens of precautions you can take to decrease your chances of being a victim of identity theft. As a member of keepmyID.org, each customer is taught the preventative measures to take. You will receive the latest training and materials from the foremost experts in the field. You will be alerted to the most common scams and schemes. All of this information will be available through our online resource center. Find out more about identity theft protection at KeepMyId.org or calling 800-664-5936.

The post Protect Your Identity This Holiday Season appeared first on Identity Theft Prevention | Identity Theft Protection Service | keepmyID.org.

How To Protect Yourself From Identity Theft

No doubt you are familiar with the fact that identity theft rates have increased dramatically throughout the 21st centuries…but the rates to avoiding this crime have also gone up with increases in safety technologies. Computers are now faster and more connected. We all have virus and software packages that automatically scan incoming messages, notices, or other content to ensure its safety to the system administrator are a part of everyday life. So how do we get to understand identity theft? And exactly how can we protect ourselves from it?

What is Identity Theft?

The term ‘identity theft’ was coined in 1964.  It should not be confused with credit card fraud (but often is).  Note: Credit card fraud is just one type of identity theft.  You will hear people say “I’m covered by my credit cards.”  Wrong.  That one account with that one institution is covered.  That is all that is covered; nothing else.  Credit card fraud is probably the easiest to deal with.

It’s the other types of identity theft that cause the real problems:

• Other Financial Fraud
• Medical ID Theft
• Social Security Fraud
• Tax Fraud
• Criminal Activity
• Employment Fraud
• Child ID Theft
• Benefits Fraud

An identity thief steals the identity; not just a credit card number.  He poses as the soon-to-be victim, so as to obtain certain financial, personal, or other information, most often to the victim’s disadvantage. And it doesn’t have to be one person only; the crime could result in the fall of major businesses, or smaller groups of individuals. What happens is the thief poses as another person and does things with the information he was able to obtain that later come back and bite the victim.

Real life examples from recent identity theft victims:

• Purchased numerous things from the Internet
• Bought a car
• Received a home equity loan on your house and stole your equity
• Got arrested in your name
• Got a ticket in your name
• Obtained a loan
• Obtained cash through your bank
• Obtained credit in your name
• Got a job in your name
• Received a medical surgery or obtained healthcare in your name

Common Ways Your Identity is Stolen

• Rummaging through rubbish for personal information;
• Retrieving personal data from storage media including PCs, servers, PDAs, mobile phones, USB memory sticks, and hard drives that have been disposed of carelessly at public dump sites, given away, or sold on without having been properly sanitized.
• Using public records about individual citizens, published in official registers such as electoral rolls.
• Data breach at your place of employment
• Stealing bank or credit cards, identification cards, passports, authentication tokens
• Pickpocketing, housebreaking, and mail theft
• Skimming information from bank or credit cards using compromised or hand-held card readers and creating clone cards.
• Seeing or hearing someone enter their credential information via telephone or computer (shoulder surfing).

Identity Theft Protection | What to Do

• Never purchase something online from someone you don’t know, or cannot verify as a reputable seller.
• Keep track of your personal information and never leave your computer or laptop unattended when taking it to public places.
• Keep your computer system up-to-date at all times.
• Always check for software updates and improvements to secure, blocking services.
• ‘Never Ever Ever’ open emails you receive from someone you don’t know. This is by far the easiest way to obtain information from someone; once they open a hacking email, their whole computer system has given permission to the sender to access the entire system and mostly, not ultimately, take control of it.

Online Identity Management Techniques

With the advent of social websites, the world has really shrunk. With a click of a button, we have all the information about a person’s history, likes and dislikes and educational qualifications. So which techniques will help us be in the good books of our respective employers?

‘First impression is the last impression’ – this adage has been told to you since you were a child. This adage is religiously being followed by hiring managers, companies and well, your friends too. Online identity is like you are living in a house only with glass doors. Your whole life activities are like an open book.

Having an online profile is certainly beneficial as it helps you to establish contacts with other people. For companies, it helps them connect with customers, suppliers and also helps them to know intricate details about competitors. Basically these social websites create a whole new world.

But with certain advantages, there are disadvantages associated with it. There is always a fear of hackers who can hack your profile and alter it in a negative way or worse, steal it. Even for companies, hackers pose a risk as they can easily get vital information about the company like trade secrets or financial information.

Following are the Identity Management Techniques
Protect My ID | Managing Your Future:

As personal branding can make or break your identity, it’s of vital importance to regularly monitor your profile and avoid embarrassments. Following are some techniques which can prove to be beneficial in managing the online profile:

Search Your Identity:

After you have created your profile, it’s important to find out about yourself with the help of various search engines. This will give you an idea about your reputation and will serve as a reminder in the event of negative publicity. According to a business magazine, around 70% of the recruiters search the applicant’s profile and 30% eliminate an applicant because of some inappropriate findings in the person’s profile. Many search engines provide you personalized services like alerting you if your name crops up in something inappropriate. Take control of your profile page by activating privacy settings on photos, friends list and messages. For a more professional approach, use professional websites which boost your image in front of recruiters.

Erase the Negative Content:

As ‘word of mouth’ is important in the advertising world, similarly written words about you in your friends blogs, social websites serve as an alert call which you should not ignore. If you find certain irrelevant photos or conversations, try to delete them or tell your friends to remove it.

Close Extra Accounts:

Over a period of time, we all tend to open several accounts in many social networking sites which later on lie idle. These accounts are targeted by hackers to steal your valuable information which can put you in a tight spot. So for keeping your profile and information safe, try to close those accounts in which your visits are limited. This fact is particularly true with the elderly.  Many single men and women are getting on senior sites to find companionship and love.  Identity thieves know this and take advantage of it.  They will pose as a well to do, single men or women.  They will build a relationship with you via the internet.  They will build trust.  And then they will ask you to cash checks for them, send them money, apply for something for them, and get your personal information.  Beware anyone who you have not met asking you for those kinds of things.  Make sure you know who you are talking to.  Many times they are just manipulating you to get information.  If you are going to meet people on the internet, you are going to have to take some time to investigate them too.

We can no longer take things at face value in an growing ‘virtual’ society.

Identity Theft Prevention | About KeepMyId.org

There are dozens of precautions you can take to decrease your chances of being a victim of identity theft. As a member of keepmyID.org, each customer is taught the preventative measures to take. You will receive the latest training and materials from the foremost experts in the field. You will be alerted to the most common scams and schemes. All of this information will be available through our online resource center. Find out more about identity theft protection at KeepMyId.org or calling 800-664-5936.

The post Identity Theft Protection – What You Need To Know appeared first on Identity Theft Prevention | Identity Theft Protection Service | keepmyID.org.