Tips to Avoid Identity Theft

What is rampant, spreading like wildfire and can kill life as you know it? No, not a deadly virus (but close). Answer: Identity theft. My stepson, Aaron, was a victim of identity theft recently. Someone stole his bank cards, deposited fake checks into his account, then withdrew cash. The deposited fraudulent checks and overdraft charges hurt his credit, and he's slowly recovering and rebuilding his score.

Tips to avoid identity theft:
1. Buy a shredder. Aggressively protect your social security, credit card or bank numbers.
2. Use a lock-in mailbox. This isn't 100% safe, but it's much safer than one without a lock.
3. Protect your out-going mail. Get it into the box or the hands of a postal clerk. Heavily trafficked offices often have out-going mail in the entryway. While this may save time, it's not safe.
4. Keep receipts and compare to your statements when they come once a month. Banks make mistakes all the time.
5. Keep financial documents under lock and key (at the bank or in a home safe).
6. Don't give out your social security cardever.
7. Know what's in your wallet. Do you know how many credit cards are in your wallet?
8. Don't discuss detailed financial information on a cordless or cell phone. That information can be intercepted.
9. Monitor your credit reports. You can sign up for a monitoring service or do it yourself periodically. Your credit is one of your assets, so protect it.

If someone steals your credit card information, get help from these reputable resources.
Federal Trade Commission www.consumer.gov/idtheft or 877-382-4357
Identity Theft Resource Center at www.idtheftcenter.org 858-693-7935
Privacy Rights Clearinghouse www.privacyrights.org or 619-298-3396

During my years of law school, I completed an internship with a New York Supreme Court Justice and second legal internship with a law firm and also began investing in real estate. Immediately upon graduating law school and passing the bar exam, I opened my own law practice. From 1988 to 2001, I practiced with my partner under the name Miles and Gillard, where I concentrated in the area of real estate and business law. Drew MilesFind Out More:www.americantaxreliefonline.com

Hot Topics In Internet Security

    How does SSL fit into the over scheme of Internet security?

    Internet has become an integral part of our life. Most of us prefer to do maximum amount of transactions on the Internet. While doing many of these transactions, we tend to pass on very sensitive info...

    How To Protect Your Identity Online

    Surfing the Internet is a daily occurrence for an increasing number of people these days, as technology expands and online services continue to grow. Many people go online to carry out banking transac...

    Dealing with Spyware

    No matter if you are an amateur just getting acquainted to using your computer or an experienced computer user, we all have to deal with the annoyances of spyware and/or malware. Personally, I have be...

    How To Protect Yourself From Identity Theft and PC Hackers

    Identity theft is rampant these days, and the best way to avoid being a victim is to protect your self in any and all ways possible. You may be aware of some information here, but not all, so please r...

    Who Else Is Using Your Wireless Network?

    Although it is relatively easy for SOHO (Small Office/Home Office) and home users to set up their own Wireless networks, the default settings on a WAP (Wireless Access Point) usually come with no secu...

    How To Choose Adware Removal Spyware Program

    How not to get spyware Finally you need to install and run a good spyware/adware removal program. The results displayed by a spyware/adware removal program can be disheartening. Step 1: The first thin...

    Removing Viruses From Your Computer

    One of the biggest threats that computer users are facing today is the probability of a virus invasion. It is possible that your own PC might have been infected with a virus that you have downloaded u...

    Spammers' clients in Russia

    Questions about spammers, together with the question of who actually uses their services, top the list of questions most frequently put to antispam professionals. However, although antispam companies...

    Phishing Scams, A Growing Identity Theft Menace

    There is no doubt that identity theft is a growing problem and we should all try to educate ourselves to avoid being a victim of this often devastating crime. It seems that criminals are using increas...

Most Recent Internet Security Supplements

Newly Popular Internet Articles

Interesting Today:

Most Recent Internet Blogs:

Releated to Internet:

Internet Security Links: