Stop Identity Theft » identity scam http://stopidentifytheft.com and protect your credit Fri, 10 Sep 2010 17:49:56 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 How To Avoid Being A Victim Of An Identity Scam http://stopidentifytheft.com/how-to-avoid-being-a-victim-of-an-identity-scam-2 http://stopidentifytheft.com/how-to-avoid-being-a-victim-of-an-identity-scam-2#comments Fri, 13 Feb 2009 23:49:48 +0000 ID Theft Writer http://stopidentifytheft.com/how-to-avoid-being-a-victim-of-an-identity-scam-2 As if you do not already have enough daily problems and things to be concerned about in your life, now you have to start paying attention to scams for your credit and identity. The identity scam has been around for ages but with advancements in our world, the thieves are quickly getting smarter and are able to work the system with ease. This means that it is solely up to you to make sure you do not become a victim of an identity scam. Identity theft felony is nothing to be laughed at because it affects millions of people every year to one degree or another.

The identity scam is something that you have to be careful of very time you are out shopping because someone can quickly read your numbers. Even if you think you are moving too fast and no one would have the time to read all the numbers on your card, think again. The memory and speed of a cellular phone camera is just perfect for the identity scam because it will take a picture of your card without you even realizing that you have been hit.

Things To Look For

If you start to receive collection letters in the mail or phone calls from companies you do not recognize, it is important that you take notice. Never let these sorts of warnings signs go because you are probably a victim of an identity scam. Quickly take action and pull your credit report because if you truly are a victim of an identity scam it will reflect on there. If you notice things on there that should not be, call the police and file a report so that they can begin to track down the person doing all of that to you.

Then you will want to take a copy of the police report and send it to all of the credit reporting agencies so that they too can start taking action. Although it may seem like forever, the effects of the identity scam can get cleared up and will eventually be done and over with. In the meantime, your credit report should be watched closely to make sure that no one is trying to pull an identity scam on you again. While it may seem like a terrible thing to go through, it is sometimes the only way for people to truly understand that this can happen to them within an instant.

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]]> http://stopidentifytheft.com/how-to-avoid-being-a-victim-of-an-identity-scam-2/feed 0 Ways to Prevent ID Theft http://stopidentifytheft.com/ways-to-prevent-id-theft http://stopidentifytheft.com/ways-to-prevent-id-theft#comments Tue, 16 Sep 2008 22:32:23 +0000 rob tendick http://stopidentifytheft.com//?p=530 You can be sure about the safety of your home, by locking up all important documents and valuables. But how would you safeguard your personal identity? What if you knew that the bank documents you threw into the trashcan are being used against you?

It is always good to destroy important documents after they have served their purpose. This may include your credit card numbers or any other kind of personal information that could be used by ‘posers’.

According to the National Crime Prevention Council, identity theft is the fastest growing crime in America. Well over 7 million people had filed identity theft complaints in 2006. Keeping this in mind, certain laws have been enacted. You should destroy completely all documents that contain any kind of personal information. It could be burned, pulverized or shredded. Likewise, if you have a business, and someone else’s information has been leaked out because of your negligence, they could sue you.

Identity Theft Laws

According to certain provisions of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act or FACTA, you can view your credit report at least once a year. According to the provisions, there are federal fines of nearly $2,2500.00 and state fines of $1,000 for non-compliance. In the case of any breach in information security, Individuals stand to suffer huge losses. FACTA basically aims to protect organization and consumer privacy, which includes credit information, corporate trade secrets and medical records.

The following are some of the penalties to businesses specified by the National Association for Information Destruction or NAID, a paper-shredding industry trade group:

• Civil Liability: Due to your negligence, if important employee information is leaked, you have to pay for the damages. This could result in a payment of nearly $1,000 for statutory damages.

• Federal fines: $2,500 for every violation.

• State fines: $1,000 for every violation.

Investing in a commercial paper shredder is a lot cheaper than paying fines. Personal shredders are available at $15 to $250, whereas office shredders are priced at $2,000+.

Different Methods Of Theft Prevention

Financial data is not the only kind of information that needs to be secured. The following are also in need of being safeguarded from theft and misuse:

• Bank information
• Canceled or blank checks
• Budgets
• Credit card offers
• Employee evaluations
• Credit card information
• Income tax records
• Financial statements
• Investment information
• Insurance coverage
• Medical records
• Legal papers
• Personal bills

Your garbage can may be full of waste – according to you. But, as they say, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Too often, people dispose important information in convenient garbage cans, without realizing that this is the best place for thieves to get their hands on valuable information.

It is very important to stop being irresponsible and begin destroying important information thoroughly. Criminals make use of any sloppily discarded information. To be on the safe side, you should use a document shredder or hire a document shredding company. Whether you have information saved on CD’s, digital records, key tapes, plastic films, ID cards, microfiche, key tapes or floppy disks, there is a shredder suitable for all the material.

The majority of offices have some sort of paper shredder for destroying documents. There are three common designs to a paper shredder: standard strip cutting, ultra security cutting, and highly effective cross cutting. If your business goes through a lot of paperwork (and who’s doesn’t?) you may want to consider a professional paper shredding company. They will most often leave you a can to place your documents in and they take care of the rest, while abiding by all security laws.

Andy Lawson and Southland shredding, a California document destruction services company, work to prevent information security issues by providing collection centers and mobile shredding services for the secure document destruction needs of Southern California companies, government offices or individual privacy protection.

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Tags: computer identity theft, consumer privacy, credit card fraud, crime prevention council, criminal identity theft, identity scam, Identity Theft Information, identity theft laws, identity theft protection, identity theft statistics, information destruction, online identity theft, personal identity, protect against identity theft, statutory damages

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]]> http://stopidentifytheft.com/ways-to-prevent-id-theft/feed 0 How To Avoid Being A Victim Of An Identity Scam http://stopidentifytheft.com/how-to-avoid-being-a-victim-of-an-identity-scam http://stopidentifytheft.com/how-to-avoid-being-a-victim-of-an-identity-scam#comments Tue, 05 Aug 2008 17:39:00 +0000 admin http://stopidentifytheft.com/how-to-avoid-being-a-victim-of-an-identity-scam As if you do not already have enough daily problems and things to be concerned about in your life, now you have to start paying attention to scams for your credit and identity. The identity scam has been around for ages but with advancements in our world, the thieves are quickly getting smarter and are able to work the system with ease. This means that it is solely up to you to make sure you do not become a victim of an identity scam. Identity theft felony is nothing to be laughed at because it affects millions of people every year to one degree or another.

The identity scam is something that you have to be careful of very time you are out shopping because someone can quickly read your numbers. Even if you think you are moving too fast and no one would have the time to read all the numbers on your card, think again. The memory and speed of a cellular phone camera is just perfect for the identity scam because it will take a picture of your card without you even realizing that you have been hit.

Things To Look For

If you start to receive collection letters in the mail or phone calls from companies you do not recognize, it is important that you take notice. Never let these sorts of warnings signs go because you are probably a victim of an identity scam. Quickly take action and pull your credit report because if you truly are a victim of an identity scam it will reflect on there. If you notice things on there that should not be, call the police and file a report so that they can begin to track down the person doing all of that to you.

Then you will want to take a copy of the police report and send it to all of the credit reporting agencies so that they too can start taking action. Although it may seem like forever, the effects of the identity scam can get cleared up and will eventually be done and over with. In the meantime, your credit report should be watched closely to make sure that no one is trying to pull an identity scam on you again. While it may seem like a terrible thing to go through, it is sometimes the only way for people to truly understand that this can happen to them within an instant.


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