Want to protect your identity like the law officials do? You've come to the right place! You'll find out just how these identity theft criminals plot their scams.
There were nearly 12 million events of identity theft in the United States in 2006, according to the U.S. Postal Service; which cost consumers about $6.3 billion! Consumers certainly raised their awareness after hearing this dreadful statistic; however, there are still consumers who are unaware of the distinctive techniques these identity thieves use. One renowned identity theft revealed, in an extensive interview, the 4 common mistakes she used to take your money!
Myth #1: Only Men are Identity Thieves
This is a very common myth that makes an identity thief's job so much simpler. One of the main issues is that the media portrays most identity thieves as men. In actuality, most criminals are fashionable and attractive females! You can steer clear from this deception, by closely monitoring your personal data with both women and men. According to researchers, both men and women let their guard down around women, more than they would with men. Remember, everyone is a potential identity thief. You don't have to become fearful that everyone you meet is a crook, but just be aware.
Misconception # 2 Trusting Your Friendly Store Clerk or Waiter
This is probably one of the most difficult mistakes to steer clear from, because most of the time we have to give personal information when making purchase or eating out. However, some of these people have two jobs. By day they may work at the local shopping mall, yet at night they take on another job. This other job is basically to provide credit card and account numbers to people. It's so easy to do, since the account information is in-hand. To avoid major issues, review your statements closely, and think about keeping track of your purchases with a journal.
An example would be $50 this way when your statement comes in the mail, you will quickly notice any anomalies. Think about this. How long does a person have to work at a store or restaurant before theyd have access to hundreds of customers personal data? Hint: Not long at all. According to our identity thief, most people like her take these jobs for a few months and after they have your data, they take an early retirement."
Myth #3: Throwing Away Unopened Junk Mail
If you have good credit, bad credit, or no credit at all, your information is out there. On average, you can get about 15-20 plus offers every month to open a new checking/savings account, or a credit card. The thing that makes this a big problem is that most of us are too lazy to closely monitor our documents. There are two types of people in this situation. There's the person who may not have a shredding machine, but still decides to just throw the mail with all sorts of personal information in the trash or just tear it in half. Then there's the person who actually owns a personal shredding machine, but doesn't "feel" like shredding each and every piece of information.
Listen, all a thief has to do is get a hold of one piece of information from your trash can and you quickly become a victim. Dont believe me? Let me ask you this, what are doing at 3a.m.? Really, well guess what our trustworthy identity thief is doing? She is in your trash can randomly pulling a bag out of your can for shifting and sorting later. Tip: After you shred your documents, add a little water to the bag before you seal it and then toss it. Not only will the pages be sliced and diced but will also be a wet and soggy mess, completely unusable by anyone.
Mistake #4: Mailing or Receiving items from Your Home
Hopefully you're starting to understand the intensity of this issue. Identity thieves can commit crimes all sorts of ways. Your outgoing credit card payments now become their personal piggy bank. Experts say that some identity thieves are bold enough to fill out a change of address form in the victim's name, simply to gain complete access to financial and personal information. Here's a tip: Be sure to drop all outgoing mail at your local United States Postal Service mailbox. You may also think about opening a P.O. Box. Although it may seem like a hassle, you'll be less stressed than losing your life's savings; and these are the preventative steps to follow if you want to beat identity theft.
The biggest issue is that there are so many avenues in which to become a victim; stay protected all day every day. Don't try to fix the problem alone!
It's very difficult to protect yourself and your family, successfully, without help. Trying to do it alone can be worrisome and not very effective. It makes a huge difference when you have someone protecting you who has actually been through the storm! LifeLock is a company who has absolutely outstanding identity theft protection for everyday people.
When selecting a service to monitor and proactively protect your credit, make sure they have been recommended by over and over by top law enforcement personnel and their service has been proven to work in real world situations.
Identity Theft Prevention and Identity Theft Protection are nothing to joke about. STOP Identity Theft with LifeLock. LifeLock guarantees identity theft will NEVER happen to you. Please visit lifelock.com to learn more about how to protect you and your loved ones from identity theft. - 15224
There were nearly 12 million events of identity theft in the United States in 2006, according to the U.S. Postal Service; which cost consumers about $6.3 billion! Consumers certainly raised their awareness after hearing this dreadful statistic; however, there are still consumers who are unaware of the distinctive techniques these identity thieves use. One renowned identity theft revealed, in an extensive interview, the 4 common mistakes she used to take your money!
Myth #1: Only Men are Identity Thieves
This is a very common myth that makes an identity thief's job so much simpler. One of the main issues is that the media portrays most identity thieves as men. In actuality, most criminals are fashionable and attractive females! You can steer clear from this deception, by closely monitoring your personal data with both women and men. According to researchers, both men and women let their guard down around women, more than they would with men. Remember, everyone is a potential identity thief. You don't have to become fearful that everyone you meet is a crook, but just be aware.
Misconception # 2 Trusting Your Friendly Store Clerk or Waiter
This is probably one of the most difficult mistakes to steer clear from, because most of the time we have to give personal information when making purchase or eating out. However, some of these people have two jobs. By day they may work at the local shopping mall, yet at night they take on another job. This other job is basically to provide credit card and account numbers to people. It's so easy to do, since the account information is in-hand. To avoid major issues, review your statements closely, and think about keeping track of your purchases with a journal.
An example would be $50 this way when your statement comes in the mail, you will quickly notice any anomalies. Think about this. How long does a person have to work at a store or restaurant before theyd have access to hundreds of customers personal data? Hint: Not long at all. According to our identity thief, most people like her take these jobs for a few months and after they have your data, they take an early retirement."
Myth #3: Throwing Away Unopened Junk Mail
If you have good credit, bad credit, or no credit at all, your information is out there. On average, you can get about 15-20 plus offers every month to open a new checking/savings account, or a credit card. The thing that makes this a big problem is that most of us are too lazy to closely monitor our documents. There are two types of people in this situation. There's the person who may not have a shredding machine, but still decides to just throw the mail with all sorts of personal information in the trash or just tear it in half. Then there's the person who actually owns a personal shredding machine, but doesn't "feel" like shredding each and every piece of information.
Listen, all a thief has to do is get a hold of one piece of information from your trash can and you quickly become a victim. Dont believe me? Let me ask you this, what are doing at 3a.m.? Really, well guess what our trustworthy identity thief is doing? She is in your trash can randomly pulling a bag out of your can for shifting and sorting later. Tip: After you shred your documents, add a little water to the bag before you seal it and then toss it. Not only will the pages be sliced and diced but will also be a wet and soggy mess, completely unusable by anyone.
Mistake #4: Mailing or Receiving items from Your Home
Hopefully you're starting to understand the intensity of this issue. Identity thieves can commit crimes all sorts of ways. Your outgoing credit card payments now become their personal piggy bank. Experts say that some identity thieves are bold enough to fill out a change of address form in the victim's name, simply to gain complete access to financial and personal information. Here's a tip: Be sure to drop all outgoing mail at your local United States Postal Service mailbox. You may also think about opening a P.O. Box. Although it may seem like a hassle, you'll be less stressed than losing your life's savings; and these are the preventative steps to follow if you want to beat identity theft.
The biggest issue is that there are so many avenues in which to become a victim; stay protected all day every day. Don't try to fix the problem alone!
It's very difficult to protect yourself and your family, successfully, without help. Trying to do it alone can be worrisome and not very effective. It makes a huge difference when you have someone protecting you who has actually been through the storm! LifeLock is a company who has absolutely outstanding identity theft protection for everyday people.
When selecting a service to monitor and proactively protect your credit, make sure they have been recommended by over and over by top law enforcement personnel and their service has been proven to work in real world situations.
Identity Theft Prevention and Identity Theft Protection are nothing to joke about. STOP Identity Theft with LifeLock. LifeLock guarantees identity theft will NEVER happen to you. Please visit lifelock.com to learn more about how to protect you and your loved ones from identity theft. - 15224
About the Author:
Author Linda Seamore is a consumer advocate dedicated to teaching people how to protect their identity. After years of exhausting study, she stumbled upon www.Lifelock.com the industry leader in ID theft protection. Lifelock is a proactive identity theft protection agency, specializing in prevention of identity theft rather than just the reporting of it.
