This article is not directly related to ID theft, but the prevention of fraud is very similar to that of ID theft and should be beneficial to the majority of you
The Consumer Federation of America, one of the country’s biggest consumer watchdog groups, released a warning recently: the more desperate you are financially, the more vulnerable you are to the predations of unscrupulous white-collar criminals. These are scammers who wont’ hesitate to turn your worry to their cruel advantage. Thus, in the wake of the past year’s economic troubles, more and more Americans are potential victims of fraud. Read the rest of this entry »
One of the most supreme tools that can put the brakes on identity theft is a good paper shredder. Though this might not cross the mind of many as an essential tool, there is a reason why so many financial security experts strongly recommend them not only to individuals but to businesses as well.
For the most part, once an individual throws out his or her trash, there is no legal recourse to it and there can be no expectation of privacy. This means anyone is free to go through a person’s trash once it is in a public area waiting for disposal. As unsettling as rifling through trash may sound, it is one of the top methods by which identity thieves get their hands on prized information. Read the rest of this entry »
One of the newer forms of identity theft is known as medical identity theft. As commonly associated with this type of fraud, medical identity theft occurs when an individual uses somebody’s personal information to obtain costly medical treatments. The number of ways an individual can end up with the personal information of another varies; however, medical fraudsters end up with their hands on the medical insurance numbers of their victims as well. This poses a number of dangers. While it is inconvenient to be left with large medical bills, the fraudster’s medical history becomes entwined with their victim’s. This can leave the potential for deadly mistreatment were a victim to receive the wrong type of blood for a transfusion or a drug that he or she is allergic to. Read the rest of this entry »
The fact that over half a million people will be victims of identity fraud every year has made identity theft programs a product of interest for many. The average working adult is likely already busy leading a hectic life balancing home with a professional career; therefore, spending days and nights trying to watch one’s back to keep from becoming a victim of fraud is simply unfeasible. Read the rest of this entry »
There are indications that paying credit card bills late could have severe repercussions for consumers this new year.
That’s because late fees on credit cards have become astronomical. If, for instance, you fail to pay your January credit card bill on time, you could be hit with a $39 late fee. Read the rest of this entry »
Was Jesus Christ the first recorded victim of identity theft?
Because it has recently become so widespread, many assume identity theft is a whole new phenomenon. However, identity theft has been practiced by the less than scrupulous throughout history. In the early times when personal records were scant, it was not unheard of for identity theft to be perpetrated for the gain of status, authority or even a stately inheritance. Even as the world became more organized, slipping into another identity to gain access to money, goods and benefits was still a rather easy task. Read the rest of this entry »
Financial experts are recommending that consumers do all they can to protect themselves against identity theft.
If, unfortunately, you do become a victim, there are ways that you can lessen your financial pain.
A poll conducted by Javelin Strategy and Research indicated that victims who discover the theft on their own tend to straighten out the situation much more quickly than those who don’t find out about the theft until their bank or a collection agency tells them about it. Those who discovered on their own that they were victims of identity theft tended to clear their names about 65 days after the fraud began, while those who found out the hard way had to wait about 104 days before the mess was straightened out. Read the rest of this entry »
When it comes to identity theft prevention/protection, anyone who has credit cards, a bank account and a credit score wants to do whatever they can to avoid becoming a victim of fraud. Luckily, there is much the average citizen can do to keep their personal information out of the clutches of thieves. This often means consistently using the simple but highly effective concept of common sense. Read the rest of this entry »
When one hears of identity theft, it is easy to imagine that a thief would want a lesser known name that would not attract too much attention. However, many criminals target celebrities and other well known individuals counting on the fact that they have larger assets to plunder. There have been many cases of identity theft involving everyone from famous television personalities to CEO’s to sports stars. Though celebrities and the like are often privy to certain advantages, they will never be immune to identity theft. Read the rest of this entry »
Protecting an individual’s financial well being often means implementing plenty of identity theft precautions. However, it also means having plenty of identity theft legislation in place as well. Though there has always been some form of identity theft regulation on the books, a number of laws and guidelines have been renewed, rewritten and reinforced over the last several years. This was done in order to keep up with the changing climate of fraud and to help victims have some form of viable recourse. Because the problem is so widespread, legislation is written in languages that address both individuals and businesses. Read the rest of this entry »