Social Security Identity Theft--Monitor your Identity

Your social security number is the most important piece of identifying information you have if you live in the United States.  At one time, it was used only for employment purposes.  Now, it is used for everything from college admission to professional licensing.  Social security identity theft is a real and growing problem, along with all types of identity theft.  So, what can you do to try and prevent social security theft?

1. First, you will want to take good care of your actual social security card.  Not only could it cause a lot of problems if it fell into the wrong hands, but it is also a lot of trouble to replace.  Do not carry your social security card with you on a daily basis.  Your driver's license is generally enough for your daily needs to identify yourself.
2. Second, be careful who has access to your social security number and also those of your family members.  You may be surprised to learn that around a third of all identity thefts are committed by a known person like a family member or close friend.  It is also surprising to learn that children are frequent targets of these kinds of identity thieves.  That is because they have "clean" identities with no credit history, employment history, marriages, divorces, bankruptcies and so forth.
3. Last, consider using an identity monitoring service to help you protect your social security number and other valuable personal information.  Identity Guard® is an excellent identity monitoring service that will help to avoid social security number identity theft.  The Identity Guard Total Protection® service will monitor the internet continuously to see if your social security number or any other sensitive personal information is turning up on black market websites, secret chat rooms or underground forums.  If certain activity is detected, you will receive a prompt notification.  With Identity Guard, you can always choose how you will be notified--by email, text message or via a convenient mobile application that can be downloaded to your device.  Check out Identity Guard for all of your identity monitoring needs.

Identity Theft Protection Reviews

What is really important to customers when it comes to identity theft protection reviews?  

Here are some of the things that people who use these services have noted in reviews of identity theft protection companies:

• Customers want to receive regular credit score updates. Some people are not aware that they have not just one credit score, but credit scores from three major reporting bureaus.  In addition to providing credit score updates and credit reports on at least a quarterly basis, it is extremely important that services for credit monitoring provide this information from all three bureaus, not just one.

• Timely updates are a must.  Receiving reports at certain intervals is extremely useful when there are no outstanding issues with your personal information.  If there is a problem, it is imperative to be notified promptly.  The convenience of this notification is also a big factor.  It is important to customers to be able to choose how they would like to be notified--by email or text message.

• There is more to identity theft protection than just credit monitoring.  A comprehensive identity theft protection service will offer you identity monitoring. This includes Social Security number monitoring; monitoring the Internet to see if personal information is detected on black market websites, secret chat rooms and underground forums; account takeover alerts; and other sophisticated data monitoring to keep your identity safe. 

• Online identity protection is important.  Customers want software products that will protect them from viruses and malware.  Optimum online security will include a different passwords and login credential for each website you use.  This is a lot of information to remember, so it is good to have a place to store your valuable login information. That's where a password manager can help by storing all of your passwords in one secure "lock box."

How to Protect Your Credit From Identity Thieves

Money is essential to many parts of life, but it is not always guaranteed. People grow up learning that money has to come from somewhere, and that “somewhere” is often working to make a living. Unfortunately, there are people out there that don’t want to work for what they make, and so they choose other methods of obtaining money... Like committing identity theft and stealing from those that truly work for their wages.

With more people choosing to use credit and debit cards to make purchases via mobile devices, there are an increased number of chances for your identity to get stolen. As this use is sometimes unavoidable, you should choose some form of protection just to ensure that even if you’re taking part in this type of transaction, you’re a little safer. To help protect your credit, you could consider a credit monitoring service. This type of service monitors your credit information at the credit reporting bureaus. They monitor for certain types of activity - applications for credit or address changes, for example - and send you prompt notifications when detected. This gives you a chance to either confirm the activity as your own, or investigate and take action if not.

Knowing how to protect your credit is the hardest part of the process, because not everyone knows what they are getting into - or what their options are. Educating yourself about the different programs, services and decisions that you can make will help you in the future, as it can be a way to protect your credit from people that want to misuse it. This type of protection is enough to help many people feel a lot more comfortable with what their account status is, the security of their information, and the ways that things look when compiled over time. Not only will a credit monitor alert you to potential misuse, but it will provide a history of your accounts, giving you things to look for in the future - and a way to see whether or not the accounts are compromised in any way.

Combatting Credit Card Theft

You may love the ease of convenience of paying with plastic, but identity thieves love it even more.  After all, they are using someone else’s money and have no intention of worrying about the bills that will soon be rolling in.  You don’t need to cut up all of your credit cards and start paying only with cash, but you do need to take steps to help protect yourself from credit card theft. One of those steps is to take steps to protect not only your credit cards, but consider using identity theft protection for a holistic approach.



One way to protect yourself from credit card theft is to examine readers before you insert your card.  Gas pumps and ATMs can be altered using devices called skimmers to store your card information so that it can be used to make purchases or to create a counterfeit card.  Companies are trying to fight this kind of theft.  Have you noticed many gas pumps lately have security stickers fixed on the credit card units?  They are easy to miss, but keep an eye out for them the next time you fill up your gas tank.  They are there to help prevent the card reader from being tampered with.  If you ever see one of these labels that has been broken or that reads “VOID,” do not use that gas pump.



Skimmers can also be handheld.  While I am sure that most restaurant employees are honest, there have been many credit card theft cases of waiters collecting customers’ credit card information when they walk away with the cards.  Consider using cash in restaurants.



Identity theft credit card can also happen online.  Only give your payment information when you are on a reputable website and a secure connection.  Never shop (or log into any personal accounts) when you are using free public wi-fi.  Criminals can use these connections to steal information that you send and receive.  If you are unsure about a site, do some research before you enter any payment information.  Often, retail sites will ask you to create an account and save your payment information.  Make sure that you choose a secure password because it is likely that all anyone will need to do in the future is log in if they want to make additional purchases.

For more tips on how you can help prevent identity and credit theft, visit www.identityguard.com.

Avoiding Credit Card Identity Theft During the Holidays

You may already be checking names off on your gift list, but while you are racing around the mall or shopping online, make sure that you are not being careless with your identity.  More shopping means more opportunities for thieves to commit credit and identity theft, and you should be taking these protective steps:

Clean out your wallet.  Only carry one credit card at a time.  Never carry your passport or social security card in your wallet.  Carrying too much in your wallet can increase your chances of credit theft.  Also, carry your purse under your arm or keep your wallet in your front pocket to avoid pickpockets.

Keep an eye on your cards.  Card skimming often occurs when you have to hand your card to someone.  Keep an eye on what they do with it and how long they keep it.  It is also a good idea to write “check photo ID” on the back of your card so if the card were to be stolen, hopefully it will remind cashiers to ask for identification.  If they do not ask, remind them to so hopefully they can start to get in the habit of looking at the card.  After I got married, I continued to use a card that had my maiden name on it for almost a year.  The card said to check ID on the back, but even when the cashiers did ask to see ID, not once did they say anything about the last names on the card and my ID being different.  As more people are writing “check ID” on their cards, I hope cashiers are becoming more vigilant so they can help prevent credit theft.

Designate a card for online purchases.  Have one card that you use only for online purchases.  This way if there are fraudulent charges, they will be easier to identify.

Shop on recognized sites.  Those sites that you have never heard of that claim to have once in a lifetime deals are so tempting – but they can also be scams.  Try to stick to reputable sites to avoid credit theft.  If you are unfamiliar with a site, do some research before you make a purchase.  Be especially wary if the site is missing any one of the following: a phone number, a privacy policy, or a return policy.

Identity Monitor Useful as Theft Becomes More Common

Identity theft is known as the fastest growing crime in America.  It occurs when someone uses another person’s personal information for their own gain.   Anyone can be a victim – age, race and income don’t matter to an identity thief.  Anyone who is concerned about their financial future should help protect themselves with an identity monitor.

Why has identity theft become so common?

It is easy to pull off.  A name, birthday, credit card number or social security number are all a thief needs to get started.  These can be obtained countless numbers of ways, from high tech mass data breaches to stealing mail and wallets.  Once they have the information, all they need is a phone and a cheap computer to get started.

It is very profitable.  Identity theft gives a criminal access not only to your financial accounts, but also to your ability to borrow and spend.  Because they are not going to be concerned with keeping current with their credit, they can just take and take.

There is little that law enforcement can do.  Technology enables the identity thief to operate behind a keyboard nowhere near their victims.  Because the crime is perpetrated from a distance and usually has multiple components, it is often difficult for law enforcement to investigate.

What can you do?

You cannot prevent identity theft completely, so your best defense is to detect identity theft as soon as possible.  When someone commits identity theft, it often results in changes to your public records and credit report.  Identity monitoring services protect you by monitoring for certain changes and promptly alerting you.  You can check your credit report yourself for free from each of the three credit bureaus once per year, but doing that alone leaves you vulnerable between checks.  The best identity monitoring services will check your credit report year-round from all three credit bureaus.  When they alert you to a change, if it appears to be fraudulent they will also help advise you on what to do next.  Cleaning up your credit report can be a long, complicated process, so their help can be very valuable.

Theft Identity: Keep Your Info to Yourself

You have probably heard a lot about identity theft, but do you know how to protect yourself?  Identity theft occurs when someone uses another’s personal information for their own gain.  This information can include name, social security number, credit or debit card number, birthday, driver’s license number, or bank account number.  Because theft identity requires a bit of personal information to get the thief started, the logical first step is to protect your personal information to make it less likely that it will fall into the wrong hands.

Only give your social security number when absolutely necessary.  

Just because a form asks for your social security number does not mean that you have to give it away.  There are some organizations that have the right to demand your social security number – your employer, the motor vehicle department or welfare departments, for example – most places do not.  When asked for a social security number, too many people just rattle it off without really thinking about it.  Remember that the more people and places that have your social security number, the more likely it is that it will be compromised.  Before you give it away, ask why it is needed and what it will be used for.  Often, another number will do.

Don’t carry more than you need.  

Only carry credit cards that you actually plan on using.  To help protect yourself from identity theft, never carry your social security card in your wallet.  Leave it at home in a secure location.  If your wallet were to get lost or stolen, you have to cancel every single credit card that was in that wallet, and you cannot cancel your social security number.

Invest in a shredder.  

There are many high-tech ways to steal personal information for identity theft, but that doesn’t mean that criminals have given up on dumpster diving.  Shred any documents or papers that contain any personal information before you throw them away.

Monitor your credit report.  

One of the most effective ways to identify if you have been a victim of identity theft is to check your credit report.  Look for anything suspicious such as accounts that you don’t recognize, inquiries from companies that you don’t know, or inaccuracies in your basic information.