Identity theft is all too common this day in age. It seems like the problem is growing to new extremes. As a major facet of identity theft, credit card fraud is also largely preventable by taking basic precautions and using good financial common sense. Read on for a few of the most effective ways to avoid credit card fraud completely.

Keep Your Digits to Yourself

Don’t let anyone borrow your credit card or have access to your credit card number. A large amount of credit card fraud happens simply as a result of not paying close enough attention to who is doing what with your card. Keep tabs on who has your card and for how long. For example, most of the time at retail stores and even at restaurants you can see what’s going on with your card. If at all possible, watch to make sure no one is “mishandling” your credit while processing it.

Destroy Old Receipts

Even though it is now a law in many places that transaction receipts must not display any more than the last few digits of your credit card number as part of the print out, that’s really no guarantee that your personal and credit card info is not still there. Make sure none of the receipts from the use of your credit card are left behind for the next person to see. It’s best to destroy old receipts by shredding them once they’re no longer needed.

Shred Credit Card Applications

Think about how many credit card applications you receive by mail in the course of a month or so. Each and every one of these is practically an invitation for fraudsters to take advantage. They can get them right out of your mailbox or even the trash and fill them out to obtain their own credit card under your name in no time at all. To reduce your chances of becoming a victim, check your mail as soon as possible every day and be sure to shred all unwanted applications before discarding them.

Only Do Business with Secure Websites

The web has a reputation for being sort of the Wild West when it comes to credit cards. The perception is that information is stolen routinely and identity thieves are abundant. While it’s always better to be safe than sorry, this notion of online lawlessness is largely a misperception. In fact, when doing business with reputable businesses online, your credit card info is probably even safer than it would be in a typical offline transaction. Just make sure the connection is secure (look for the padlock logo in your browser) and that you completely trust the company you’re paying.

Review Your Statement

Often considered a last resort when taking steps to avoid credit card fraud, reviewing your account statement line by line is also a surefire way to catch any misuse of your card before it’s too late. Simply by reporting any misuse to your card issuing bank, most liability is averted right then and there. On the other hand, choosing to just pay the bill without looking at the charges listed is a great way to be an ongoing victim of credit card fraud.

Knowing how to avoid credit card fraud is mostly accomplished by being aware of how fraudsters practice their trade, but even more so, by taking easy, basic steps to protect your identity. Don’t allow yourself to be a victim!



By: Scott Stadler

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Computer identity theft cases normally take various forms. They mostly target people who are most vulnerable, for example senior citizens and children. Computer identity theft cases may for example take the form of an individual who pretends to be an agent of the federal tax authority. He identifies himself as a tax agent and requests you to send your social security number to him.

Such messages are normally sent to people’s inboxes. Some people do not think that they can be victims of online identity theft thus they do not normally take the necessary precautions. If you respond to such messages that are supposedly from online tax agents, your details will be used to operate several credit cards and sometimes withdrawing money from your bank account.

These activities may make you bankrupt. Computer identity theft cases are normally planned and executed by highly ingenious individuals. They sometimes design websites that look exactly like other original company websites. The only difference is that they provide a link to another web page which will usually require you to upload your personal data.

It is the personal data that they use to carry out computer identity theft. Computer identity theft cases have increased over the years according to a report from the Federal Trade Commission. The number of computer identity theft cases is doubling each year. A research carried out two years ago showed that approximately fifteen million Americans were victims of computer identity theft cases in a year.

The computer identity theft victims lose more money than they are getting. The effects of the computer identity theft cases on the economy are enormous because they run into billions of dollars. The computer identity thieves are very fast in their act and it is thus very difficult to catch up with them. The only option therefore is to try as much as possible to minimize its chances.

One of the most effective ways of preventing computer identity theft cases is by using identity theft protection service. These services takes a proactive approach to computer identity theft. It is thus a sure way of minimizing computer identity theft cases. The advantage of identity theft protection service is that it can be used across the board by either individuals or companies that may suffer from computer identity theft cases.

Individuals who would like to prevent themselves from suffering huge loses through computer identity theft have to register as members. The benefits that will accrue to you might leave you wondering why this system was not discovered earlier.

It is always good to guarantee your name through safe and tested methods. Otherwise, the costs of trying to redeem it after being a victim of computer identity theft might be very costly.



By: Bill Protresi

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Once again, there have been more instances of Identity Theft, as a result of unsecured networks, greedy employees and contractors, and lost or stolen laptops. More people have had their personal information compromised, and now currently live in the possibility that someone out there is using their identity for illegal activities, such as immigration, money fraud, or even medical fraud. Some of the people affected don’t even know that their information has fallen into the wrong hands. Others may have received a letter from some institution alerting them to the fact that their identities may have been compromised.

How aware of these events are you? Are you watching the news, or reading the newspaper or learning about it on a website on the Internet? Do you pay attention to Identity Theft, even though it may have not happened to you yet? Or are you just know paying attention to the overwhelming breaches because you just had a bad experience due to someone actually getting your personal information? If it has happened to you, then of course your awareness is already raised, but if it hasn’t yet, you may want to pay attention to what’s going on in the world.

There are services out there that can monitor the use of your personal information. The first and perfect example is to talk to one of the 3 main credit reporting agencies, Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion. They’ve also partnered together and created a website, www.annualcreditreport.com, where you can request a free credit report once a year. You may see a lot of companies offering services to monitor your credit, or keep a watchful eye on your personal information. Before you sign up for this, make sure you do your research on which company is to be trusted. The last thing you want to happen is to have your identity stolen while trying to keep an eye on it.

Another step you can take is to set up an alert based on a company you use, such as your bank, or investment company or University, and every time that company is mentioned, you will receive an email notifying you. Google allows for this to be possible by their alert system found here: http://www.google.com/alerts. For example, you can set up an alert for your bank “BANK NAME” and anytime that they appear in the news, you will receive a notification with a link about the news article, and from there you can read the article to see if a breach has occurred. As you set these up, you will learn more and more what terms you are looking for, and what terms you may not want to use.

Again, you must be vigilant when keeping an eye on your Identity. Do everything you can to make sure no one else takes advantage of it.



By: Jake Feuerbacher

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Why should I need to surf the web anonymously? That’s what my wife thinks probably being very suspicious about my insistence on doing so, what have you got to hide, she says? For the record let me say that just because a person values their privacy doesn’t automatically make them some sort of criminal. I mean how would you feel about having a CCTV camera in your living room? Surely if you’ve nothing to hide then you can have no objection and think of the crimes that would be prevented if we all had them fitted in our houses.

Ok so possibly an extreme example but it’s not that far away from the truth, if you live in the UK we have more Cameras per head watching us than anywhere else in the world. Recently the European Union passed a directive (Directive 2006/24/EC) that stated that every ISP should keep a record of every single web page and email sent for two years. Further to this many countries are intending following the UK lead to store all this information on a central database and make it accessible to selected agencies.

That’s right every web site you visit will be recorded for two years

So what’s this information going to be used for? The people who approve of this will say it will be used to catch bad people on the net, trap pedophiles, fraudsters and terrorists. Well I’m afraid I don’t think that’s true, what I think we’ll have is a huge amount of information on ordinary people ready to be misused, mislaid and lost. Just remember we live in a society where arbitrary decisions are made about our suitability all the time - someone who smokes is usually not allowed to foster children for example in the UK whereas drug using parents who abuse their children are actively supported to ‘keep a family together’.

Life is rarely ‘black and white’ and information on a computer disk is almost always misleading. If you put your mind to it I’m sure you can think of a lots of cases where information like this can be misused and basically victimise and vilify people.

What might this information be used for

Well let’s take a guess at what it might be used by the ’selected agencies’ for ?



Police check web records of a neighbourhood where a *** crime has taken place

Military run checks on web and email record of prospective recruits

Adoption agency request records to check suitability of a family to adopt a child

Intelligence agencies run random sweeps looking for terrorist related activity



You live in the same world as me and I’m sure from that list your imagination will come up with the same horrible scenarios and miscarriages as I do. Do you fancy standing up in a court and explaining your reasons for visiting each and every web site they have listed for you ? I am incredibly nervous about this in a free and open country like the United Kingdom but imagine what it would be like in somewhere with a less liberal outlook. How do you think a Taliban fanatic would use this information for example. Throughout the ages people have died for freedoms that we know take for granted, yet gradually our own is being eroded by supposed hunt for criminals. I want the bad guys caught as much as anyone but sacrificing our freedom and privacy is just too big a price to pay in my book. So alas my information will be unintelligible to the government, just as it is also protected from identity thieves, hackers and data pirates who dwell on the internet - I surf the web anonymously.



By: Jim Rjindael

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Identity theft is one of those crimes that most people have heard of, but not everyone understands how it occurs. The act of committing this malicious crime may be simple or complex, and can bring great financial pain to its victim. Don’t let that victim be you.

Identity theft occurs when a person uses another person’s identity as well as personal financial information as their own. Purchases are typically made using the identity of the victim, with the intent to leave the victim responsible for the bill. This crime is done without the knowledge of the victim. When the victim finally becomes aware of the crime, the criminal has disappeared into oblivion, leaving behind a victim with ruined credit, a mountain of debt, and a tainted reputation. Not a pretty situation to be in.

In extreme cases, the implications of identity theft can result in the wrongful arrest of the victim. On the face of the evidence, it is easy for the police investigator to assume that the victim made multiple expensive purchases having absolutely no intention of ever paying. Criminals who engage in identity theft are clever and know the credit card system intimately. They know ways of charging far more than a credit limit on a single card. Without actual proof that identity theft has occurred, it can be assumed that the victim is guilty of the crimes committed under his name. Identity theft is a serious crime, and victims can suffer the implications and consequences of the crime for years to come.

Identity theft takes many different forms. Some cases involve a thief repeatedly withdrawing large sums of cash from another person’s bank account, until the account balance is nil. Other cases may involve the thief assuming another person’s name and using their personal information to obtain a loan.

Armed with the victim’s personal data, an identity thief can obtain a driver’s license, open new lines of credit and bank accounts, and even buy a car and get a mortgage. All paperwork, bills and financial statements from these transactions are sent to the thief’s temporary address, so the victim initially does not know that a crime has been committed in his name. Once the plan has been activated, the thief uses the victim’s credit line for all it is worth in the form of cash advances, loans and credit card debt without the intent to pay. All of these crimes occur with the thief hidden in a shroud of anonymity. Who is the criminal? All merchants assume he who he represents himself to be, but he is representing himself to be the victim. The actual identity of the criminal isn’t revealed. When the debts come to light, the victim is left holding the bag of bills and the thief has long since disappeared into complete anonymity. It can take years to recover, both financially and emotionally, from identity theft.

Here are some warning signs that you may have fallen victim to identity theft:

You are billed for a credit card that you did not open, although wiser criminals will not have the bill sent to you. There are unauthorized notice charges on your credit card statement. Bills or credit statements fail to arrive when you expect them. This can indicate that the address has been changed without your knowledge. The criminal does not want you to be aware while he is in the process of using your accounts, so he has the statements sent somewhere else, by going through the proper change of address procedures. Unauthorized transfers or withdrawals show on your bank statements. This is a huge red flag and should be investigated immediately. Collection agencies call about accounts you never opened. Again, this does not usually happen until after the criminal has disappeared and/or moved on to victimize another person. You receive calls or notices about merchandise you did not buy. Debts appear on your credit reports that you did not file. This is significant. Even though the criminal might have your statements mailed to a different location, you know your personal information and can check your credit report at any time. The criminal has no way to stop you from doing this.

AS you might imagine, identity theft is a nightmare come to life for the millions of people who have fallen victim to this horrendous crime. Sadly, despite stricter financial transaction processes, higher public awareness of the crime, and the imposition of state and federal laws, the number of identity theft victims continues to rise each year.

In the United States and Canada, many people have reported unauthorized persons withdrawing funds from their personal bank or financial accounts. More serious cases have seen victims reporting a thief who has totally taken over their identities. In these cases, thieves have run up huge debts and committed crimes, all under the name of the victim.

The United States Congress created a new federal law against identity theft in 1998. In spite of the tough laws now on the books, identity theft is more prevalent than ever. Once you have fallen victim, it is obviously too late to prevent the crime from being committed against you. In this instance, grandma was right: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. And that is an understatement.

Here are some steps to help you avoid being a victim of identity theft.

1. Shred any documents with personal information on them. Thieves are known to dig through household trash to find this information. Shred it to foil their attempts.

2. Be vary careful about giving out your social security number. Guard it like you would guard your life, because in a sense, you are guarding your financial life. Only give it out when absolutely necessary, and only to parties that are entirely trustworthy.

3. Be careful about storing personal financial data on your computer and sending it over the internet. Use passwords that do not make any sense. Most people use their birthdays, names of children, or other easy-to-guess types of passwords. Don’t make it easy for a criminal to get into your account info electronically.

4. Never place your tax return in your mailbox, stamped, with the flag up to let the postman know to pick up mail! Criminals are known to drive around neighborhoods during tax season looking for flags. Your tax return contains vital financial information. Always bring it to the post office to mail it.

5. Check your credit report regularly. Sign up for a plan if necessary. However, make sure that your inquiries will not be counted against your credit score. Too many inquiries in a short period will negatively affect your score, so make certain that your own inquiries to verify the safety of your file will not be counted against you.

Our personal records are stored in many different places in today’s world. Banks, hospitals, employers, government agencies, brokerage accounts, etc. all have our vital financial information within their records. Put into practice these five steps above, and only give your information to companies that you fully trust. By doing so, you’ll greatly decrease the odds that you’ll fall victim to identity theft.



By: Greg Roy

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