How to Avoid Becoming a Victim of Identity Theft?
Identity theft simply putting it is a case of someone else assuming another persons identity with the intention of committing fraud which usually results to trails of ruined credit, debts and collectors. And in most cases identity theft can lead to wrongful arrest.
The worst thing about identity theft is that most victim will only know that their identity have been robbed after everything that they have worked hard for is taken from them and the sad part is that most of the offenders usually gets away with it.
The case of identity theft is increasing in an alarming rate every year and to the great number of people who have become a victim of this crime the experience is comparable to a terrifying nightmare that has made them to live a life of fear and uncertainty. In what manner can your identity be robbed? There are actually so many ways on how an identity thief can acquire information about you like from your drivers license, bank accounts, credit card accounts and others.
After the thief gathered all your information he or she will then direct all the bills and statements of his or her transactions to a temporary address. This is now where he or she waste all of your credit line for all its worth in cash advances, loans and credit card debt without the least intention of paying. After you are financially drained that is the only time that the thief will stop using your identity.
However, there are also some cases wherein an identity thief assumes somebody elses identity not with the purpose of financially robbing the person but just to destroy the reputation of the person. This is usually where wrongful arrest occurs.
High Technology Provides a Great Venue for Identity Thieves
With todays advanced technology it is no longer surprising that even identity thieves have also utilized the up-to-date resources especially in terms of the internet. Most of the identity thieves make use of the information provided by customers during online transactions. So if you are one of those avid consumers of online products and services you are a potential victim of identity theft.
The Federal Trade Commission suggests ways on how you can avoid becoming a victim of identity theft and here are some of them:
Never give more than the information that is required of you especially in shopping online or in joining online services. Likewise, refrain from answering unsolicited emails since most thieves poses as representatives of legitimate businesses and often times would require for you to supply some additional personal information about yourself.
In cases such as this it would be wise if you would contact the company and ask them about the email and why they are asking for some very personal information. If the company denied the email then you better report the person that has sent you the email to FTC (Federal Trade Commission) or you can send a fraud alert to consumer reporting companies so that they can keep track of the thief.
For your additional protection try also to place passwords on your bank accounts, credit card accounts as well as your other lines of credit. Make use of other numbers other than your social security number to guard against identity theft.
Always keep your social security card in a safe place. If you want you can place it on a safety box or if you have a home safe you can also place your social security card there together with some of your other important documents. And for those who are fond of putting their social security number on their wallet just be careful not to lose your wallet or else you might just wake one day with somebody else walking around town posing as you.
As much as possible keep refrain from giving out your social security number unless of course you are to obtain a credit report, loan or some other legitimate transactions. If ever you are to conduct other transactions that are entirely different from the above stated and is required to give your social security number be sure to ask why your social security number is needed and always try to find out the legitimacy of your transaction before giving away such important information.
If you are an avid web user make sure to refrain from giving any personal information to web sites that are not employing Secure Sockets Layer especially in transferring information. Look for web sites that make use of https and encrypt all information between your computer and the site. Likewise, always read the privacy policy of the web site in order to gain insight on how they process and secure information their gathered information.
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