Identity theft has become a huge problem, and the Internet makes it even easier for people to steal your identity and generally wreak financial havoc. The following tips will help you fend predators :
1. Never, ever respond to unsolicited mail from anyone purporting to be your credit card company, bank, or other financial institution. Hackers can easily spoof email address (and web sites) to make it look like the message came from your bank or credit card company. If you think the email may in fact be real, call your financial institution and steal with a representative.
2. Never send your social security number, credit card information, or other personal financial data in an unencrypted email message. Whatever you send via email can be intercepted and read.
3. Don’t enter your social security number on any website, unless a reputable financial institution requires if for you to open an account. Again, only enter you SSN if you go to the site yourself to open an account, and not in response to an email.
4. Only purchase products from reputable websites.
5. Only enter your credit card number at a secure site that uses encryption. Often, you’ll see a lock icon in the lower-right corner of your browser when you’re at a secure site. The best way to confirm that a site is secure is to make sure that the URL starts with https://. This indicates that the site uses the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) for encryption.
6. Don’t store your personal information on laptops which have a habit of getting up and walking away.
7. When you dispose of a computer, wipe the hard drive clean. Merely deleting files isn’t enough, because the data can easily be recovered and read. A number of utilities can truly wipe your drive, including Eraser, available for free from Heidi Computers (http://www.heidi.ie) For more information on how to protect yourself, and what to do if you suspect you’ve been victimized, visit the Federal Trade Commission website.
Identity Theft Numbers
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) keeps records on identity theft, and not surprisingly, the number of incidents increases every year. Here some facts about identity theft from its most recent report. Keep in mind that these numbers only reflect identity theft reported to the FTC:
+ In 2003, 214.905 cases of identity theft were reported to FTC, up from 161,836 in 2002, an increase of 33% in a single year.
+ The great Washington D.C area has the highest per capita rate of identity theft, with 153.8 complaints per 1,000 persons. It’s followed by Seattle with 134.8, San Diego with 130.6, and Phoenix with 127.6
+ 60% of people victimized by identity theft didn’t report the theft to a police department.
