Tag Archives: identity theft

Protecting Your Identity

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It has been often said that the best offensive is a good defense and that has held true for many people in many situations.  This also holds true if you are trying to protect that 800 credit score you have worked so hard for. Even if you do not have great credit but what to keep from getting any worse or just trying to learn how to fix bad credit. You still need to arm yourself with knowledge and the threats you have with Identity theft that is a real and can seriously affect your credit scores. Here are some simple things you can do to protect yourself from identity theft if you have been a victim or not.

Placing a fraud alert on your credit is FREE and one of the best techniques to use.This helps to accomplish 3 things.

1)      Your personal information will no longer be sold to third parties interested in marketing you for more credit such as credit cards.   You will not only reduce the amount of unwanted solicitation phone calls you get but you will definitely receive less junk mail as well. Do keep in mind that there may be extra steps for you involved when you actually want to apply for a loan.

It can create some inconvenience but no one will be able to use your credit with out actually calling you to okay it.  So this being said you might want to use your cell phone for that otherwise if you have to play phone tag to get that new car or furniture may prove to be difficult even if it is you trying to buy it.

3)      Last but not least is that all the credit agencies will provide you with a FREE copy of your credit report so that you may have the ability to agree or disagree with what is currently on there.  Please be advised that the Fraud Alert is only good for 90 days at the time of this writing, rules and laws always seem to be changing. To extend the fraud alert you will have initiate it again, this will eventually get very difficult to get the credit agencies to do for you. Since a significant amount of income for the credit bureaus is selling your information to other people.  So it goes to say that if everyone did a Fraud Alert on their credit report they would hurt the bottom line of credit bureaus. So they may ask or want some kind of rationale as to why you feel that your credit is in jeopardy and is there some kind of inclination to your identity being comprised.

Please do take the threat of identity theft to heart and real.  There is not get a way plan that needs to be implemented, and there is no need for guns its just plain and simple by digging through trash cans and finding your old statement here and there they only need to know a bit of information about you.

Over 8 million people will be hit with some kind of identity theft this year don’t let it be you.

The importance of your score will become very real and apparent when you apply for a loan whether it be to buy a home or a car loan.  Even credit cards will charge someone double the amount of interest to someone with bad credit vs someone with good credit.If you want to get a great car loan as well as a good home loan keep your credit clean.  If your score is not at its best then the best thing to do is to get your score up you just need to do the work and learn the systems.   What ever system you use to help fix your bad credit and eventually get that 800 credit score keep in mind it well require you to learn a few things and require work on your part but it is do able, and learnable.

For more information and ideas on how to fix bad credit and improve your credit stay tuned for more information but the reality is that learning about your credit or at least getting a handle on how to improve your credit is a wise investment not only for today but in your future.  You have the choice of paying thousands of dollars to a someone to do the work for you or you can learn how your self and take control of your financial future and the choices you make but it can be done.

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Reasons Why It Is Important To Keep An Eye On Your Own Credit File

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The monetary recession over the past couple of years has had a remarkable impact on the United States. The number of people seeking aid from bankruptcy courts as well debt settlement agencies has increased. In turn, far more men and women are studying to shy away from a huge quantity of debt and do a much better job of planning key purchases. But monitoring one’s own credit file still seems to be near the bottom of the list of essential things to do.

Need for Self Monitoring

One of the reasons why men and women ought to be much more conscious of their credit file is the danger of identity theft. The proliferation of the internet and its reach into so a lot of parts of people’s lives has produced it vastly easier for unscrupulous people to discover the sensitive information that they need for perpetrating their crimes. By the time an individual is aware of the outlandish charges and seeks out the guidance of police or a Chicago bankruptcy attorney, the damage has already been completed.

How the Service Works

A monitoring service offers different services to customers, all for a nominal fee. Most of the services involve alerting clients to new credit inquiries, adjustments in active accounts, and any derogatory item that might appear such as a collection, tax lien or default. Additionally, most of these services will provide assistance in contacting creditors within the event a credit card or piece of identity is indeed stolen.

Prime Targets

Some of the best targets for this kind of crime are men and women who have recently been discharged from a bankruptcy program. An experienced Chicago bankruptcy lawyer will likely be the first 1 to state that an individual fresh out of bankruptcy has a new, clean record. They can apply for a few little credit cards, as well as a vehicle loan with a high chance of becoming approved. This is the precise target of identity thieves. This is why it really is so essential for people currently in a bankruptcy program, or recently discharged, to seek out a great monitoring service that will add protection to their credit file and info.

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FACTA And Fiction – How You Are Protected

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Congress approved FACTA on December 4, 2003, also known as the Fair & Accurate Credit Transactions Act.  FACTA became fully effective on December 4, 2006.  The purpose of FACTA is to reduce the amount of personal confidential financial information that is generated and thereby reduce the incidence of identity theft, credit card fraud, and debit card fraud.To make sure of this, a section of the law mandates that stores and business owners get rid of all but the last four or five digits of the credit card number on the reciept, and not have any of the expiration date visible.

FACTA’s passing led to mass confusion, with some business owners effectively ignoring the act, despite much publicity of the law.Due to the sheer volume of FACTA related lawsuits, Congress cleared an act to protect violators of the “no expiration date” rule in FACTA.

The Credit and Debit Card Receipt Clarification Act of 2007 (the “Clarification Act”) took effect on June 3, 2008.From June 2008 onwards, if a merchant prints a receipt with the expiration date on it, the business is in clear violation of FACTA.

The so-called Clarification Act was not really meant to “clarify” anything except that it gave past violators a pass for their failure to follow the requirements of FACTA.The Clarification Act created a specified window between December 2004 and June 2008, in which violations of FACTA’s “no expiration date printings” law was effectively not enforced.

As a non-attorney banking consultant, my reading of the current requirements for what is now considered to be willful noncompliance with FACTA is:

  • The printing on an electronically generated receipt of more than the last five digits of a credit card or debit card account number after December 4, 2006.
  • The act of printing a receipt with the credit card or debit card’s date of expiration, after June of 2008.

Even with the five years and six months of FACTA related discussion, there are somehow merchants that continue to violate the act.These business owners are obligated to take the simple and nominally priced steps to change their CC systems to maintain compliance with FACTA.If these merchants do not follow what is required you can expect another succession of lawsuits.  I have already seen some of these lawsuits.

The author of this article is a Banking Expert Witness Consultant and has worked on over 50 FACTA cases nationwide. This Legal Banking Expert Witness can be reached for technical expert witness testimony through this Expert Witness Services Company. See all Legal Technical Expert Witness Specialties and view full C.V.’s of Legal Technical Expert Witnesses online. This is a free service.

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Identity Theft – A Quick Introduction

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The crime of identity theft is a criminal offense that involves a thief stealing valuable documents belonging to an individual such as a Social Security number and a driver’s license number. If an identity thief is able to get this vital information, he can start to pose as someone else. Stolen information may be used to get cash, services or products under a victim’s name, which is why you should use protection against identity theft.

Immigration or some other activity can take place in cases where an identity thief has been supplied with fictitious documentation by means of identity theft. One of the largest identity theft issues is that more often than not, crimes perpetrated by an ID theft criminal are usually ascribed to the the individual who had their identity stolen.

Two primary kinds of identity theft are true name ID theft and account takeover. With true name identity theft, the identity thief makes use of someone else’s private information in order to open new accounts. It could either be a checking account to get blank checks, new credit card account or a mobile phone service.

Account takeover is a kind of ID theft wherein a criminal uses personal data that that they get illegally and is used to get entry to someone else’s banking accounts. Many times, the criminal will use the illegally obtained data in order to buy more items while changing the billing address of the victim so that the victim never sees the bills with fraudulent charges.

Because no real verification is being made when making a purchase over the Internet, criminals are finding it simple to make transactions. All that is required is just the exact numbers and they are on their way. Another great example why you should utilize a protection against identity theft.

Some ID thieves hack databases in order to obtain private information. This kind of criminal offense, however, is not frequently done unlike the well known techniques like looking at a person while conducting a financial transaction or going through the trash for some receipts.

You should always be aware when completing forms with a lot of personal information at the DMV or other locations. There are criminals waiting to steal your personal data which can lead to your identity being stolen. Use a protect your identity product and protect yourself today!

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Protecting Yourself From Identity Theft is Becoming More Vital

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As our economy worsens, identity theft crime continues to be one of the fastest growing crimes. This crime can be carried out by the simple petty theft that just steals purses to organized crime overseas that uses advanced strategies to steal identities.

Because of the rise in people’s identities being stolen, several companies have started ways to help protect your identity, including identity protection services. Since it has been shown that one in four households are hit by identity theft, there is huge demand for a method for people to fight back. You should not just stand still when it comes to protecting your identity because there are those working tirelessly to assume your identity.

Stealing identities is often an opportunistic crime. Your personal information somehow gets in the hands of a criminal and they take advantage of the situation for some sort of financial gain. Most often, identity theft is carefully coordinated and carried out in a method to dupe even the most aware people.

In simplest of definitions, it can be defined as the following: An unauthorized person uses your private data, including your name, address and social security number, for some sort of financial gain. The crime of identity theft is almost exclusively a financial one, with the criminal using your data to enrich themselves monetarily.

A criminal literally steals the identity of their victim. The thief becomes the victim so that financial institutions have no idea that they are really talking to a thief and not the real person. It is a crime that can be personal and can put the victim in a financial bind.

Identity theft is not always used for financial gain. It can also be used to assist those in the country illegally appear to be legitimate with employers and government agencies. With the law enforcement crack down on illegals being so strong, people in this country illegally are taking desperate measures to stay employed and in stay the country and are doing so by assuming legal citizens identities.

You really need to be doing what you can to not become a victim of identity theft. Victims find themselves in a difficult position as they do their best to clear their identities. Take every possible precaution to ensure that you do not fall victim to this crime by making us of a identity protection theft solution.

The fact is that this personal crime is on the rise and it appear to not be slowing down. As our economy continues to suffer, more people are taking the desperate measure of stealing identities to survive financially. Due to the nature of the crime, it is a good idea to look into protection your identity with a Trusted ID service.

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Tips on Avoiding the Crime of Identity Theft

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1. Never write personal checks to people whom you do not know. Instead, provide cash, a cashiers check or using Western Union. Although you did not register for online banking, an unauthorized person can draw out funds directly from your account via the Internet.

2. Before getting rid of your bank statements, you need to be aware of this – identity thieves do not generally go inside your house or where you work. Instead, they go through your garbage bins for important information, and often, they discover what they were seeking, so obtain a paper shredder. It is wise to consider using a personal identity theft product.

3. Enroll in ‘paperless statements only’. Most financial institutions send their client’s statements using the Post Office. The downside of this is that your statements contains nearly all of your bank account information and there is no guarantee that somebody is not is going to open your statements that come in the mail.

4. You will often get checks from your credit card company in regular mail. These can be incredible simple to convert into cash. Contact your charge card company and request that they stop mailing you those checks. And make use of a identity protection services solution in order to protect your personal information.

5. You should know that banks do not replace the number of the credit card when they send out new ones. The expiration date is the only thing that changes. Undoubtedly, a credit card that is expired cannot finalize a transaction when used in person, but when used online, you just need the card number and the name of the card holder.

6. Make sure that the back of your credit or debit card is signed. A store clerk occasionally compares the signature of the person using the card with the actual one on the back of the card, especially when a large amount is involved. To prevent someone who is not authorized using your charge card, write your signature at the back of the card.

7. Credit offer mails that are pre-approved are dangerous just like financial statements. It is easy for a perpetrator to pull credit using your personal information and those offers. Precisely like other banking documents, pre-approved offer mailings must be dealt with in the correct way.

8. Refrain from using computers in public places like in ‘hotspots’, workplaces or other public places for applying for credit cards on the Internet or when checking your credit card or bank accounts. You are putting yourself at risk from hackers. Even if you do not use computers in public places, make sure you wipe clean the cookies stored in the computer once you sign off. Find out more about Life Lock Review to see if it is the right solution for you.

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Identity Theft Protection: Guarding Your Identity From Thieves

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Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in The United States, with an identity being stolen every 4 seconds. This is a extremely serious misdeed that can have severe ramifications for those that fall victim to it. Therefore, it is a very good idea to use some kind of best identity theft protection, which will help you to protect your identity.

Generally, this crime involves someone exploits someone else’s personally identifying data to carry out some sort of criminal act involving money. This crime is so widespread today, nobody is save from it and all of us should know of what happens when you become its victim.

With the proliferation of technology, identity theft is becoming more of an issue. The criminals have found ways to use the Internet and email to trick people into giving out personal information without the victim every having a clue of what is going on. It is the up and coming crime of the information age, and we all should do something about personal identity theft.

Those that fall victim to this crime have complete mayhem brought into their lives as they attempt to clean up the mayhem that they have found themselves in. There is an unfortunate truth to identity theft, and that is it is often committed by a member of your family, so it is often you own family that brings such distress into your lives.

Because information is so easily available because of how much the Internet is used, it is simpler than ever for criminals to have access to, and use personal and financial information belonging to others. We often hear of well know, and big, companies loosing track of sensitive personal information that belongs to their customers.

identity theft is a crime no one wants to become a victim of. Personally, there are some procedures that you should be doing to ensure that you don’t fall victim to this crime. These include using a best identity theft protection solution, which guards your credit history.

The crime of identity theft is vast and far-reaching, often involving people across the globe. Organized crime syndicates overseas often are committing this crime, which makes it next to impossible to take legal against those that commit this crime.

Identity theft is a crime that is definitely on the rise. Falling victim to it causes your credit rating to be ruined, makes you deal with financial obligations that you didn’t make, and you can look forward to never-ending procedures to attempt to clear your name and authenticate you are who you say you are. It is best to do what you can to not become a victim of identity theft in the first place, so take steps to protect yourself from identity theft.

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Prevent Identity Theft From Happening to You

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The crime of ID theft is a great and rapidly growing issue. With 79 million identities being lost in the last year, you must do what you can to ensure that you do not become identity theft’s next victim.

There are several things that you can do to limit the probability of falling victim to ID theft. One of the simplest things to do is to use your good judgement. Protect your valuable personal information and do not give it out unless there is a good reason to do so.

You need to check your credit report on a regular basis to make sure that there has not been any unauthorized use of your credit. If you know what should be on your credit bureau report, then it is simple to tell if there has been any criminal activity with your personal information.

You can also use identity theft fraud protection to limit your risk to the chance of having your identity stolen. There are several companies that specialize in protecting your identity. ID theft protection services use a credit bureau fraud alert so that you are alerted whenever someone tries to open up credit using your personal information.

These identity theft companies also eliminate a lot of junk mail, which includes offers of new credit. Since mail theft is one way criminals steal your identity, this takes away this easy avenue.

Also, identity theft solutions watch the black market and online activity for any criminal use or selling of your personal information. Criminals will often sell your personal information, such as your social security number and name and address, which is used to steal your identity. Which is a great reason you need to look into using an identity theft solutions.

With identity theft affecting one out of every four houses in the United States, you need to do what you can to make sure you are protected. By using an identity theft prevention solution, you are doing what you can to make sure you do not become an ID theft victim. To find out more about these services, you can read about identity protection plan.

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