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Identity Theft:
Learn How To Read A Privacy Policy
One of the essential steps to protecting
your privacy is understanding how to read a privacy
policy.
Privacy policies should be made
available in some form anytime you are asked to provide
personal information. Financial institutions, health
facilities or other businesses that collect your
information can be asked to show you their privacy
policy before you give them your information.
If
the company does not have privacy policy consider doing
business elsewhere. It is...
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One of the
essential steps to protecting your privacy is
understanding how to read a privacy policy.
Privacy policies should be made available in some form
anytime you are asked to provide personal information.
Financial institutions, health facilities or other
businesses that collect your information can be asked to
show you their privacy policy before you give them your
information.
If the company does not have
privacy policy consider doing business elsewhere. It is
a show of respect to customers to tell them how their
information will be used.
Online you will find
privacy policies posted on websites. The privacy policy
is an indication of the steps they will take to protect
your identity or to inform you of how they will treat
the information you provide. Simply having a privacy
policy does not guarantee you any level of protection.
To understand what is protected and what is shared you
must read the policy.
Each site has its own
criteria for a privacy policy. Some give full protection
including encryption of passwords and not providing your
information to any third party while others tell you
that your information will be shared with affiliated
companies or businesses they feel you would be
interested in hearing from. You must read the policy to
be aware of the steps being taken to protect you.
Here are some of the items to look for on a privacy
policy:
What Information is Collected and Why?
When a business is requesting personal
information it is reasonable to ask what information is
collected and why it is needed. If they request
information that doesn’t seem relevant they should state
why they need it. How serious is identity theft? Protect
yourself, get free adware download and protect your
online security.
If there is no explanation for
the request try to avoid giving the additional
information or ask them why they need it. Asking for
your income or the name of your spouse is the kind of
information you might question providing without
reasonable cause. What can you do to prevent identity
theft? Get free adware download at
http://www.pc-tool.info/
Identity Theft's
Young Victims: How to Protect Your Children's Identities
Did you know that someone could be using
your child's identity? Read on to learn how to protect
it and keep it from happening.
identity theft,
credit report
When we think of identity theft,
children are probably not the first victims we might
imagine. Unfortunately, more and more kids are being
targeted for this crime, and the culprits may not be who
you think. Right now, approximately 4% of all identity
theft cases involve children, which means roughly
400,000 kids a year are having their futures ruined
without their knowledge. 1
In an article on
MSNBC.com, a 24-year old man explained that by the age
of 10, his identity had been used to accumulate almost
$250,000 in debt and to commit a felony. Another victim,
a 9-year old boy, received a collection notice for a
$2,000 debt.
Unlike most identity theft victims,
however, these two individuals know exactly who was
responsible for committing this crime: their fathers.
According to the article, almost two-thirds of all
child-related identity theft cases are committed by
family members.
A child becomes a victim, in most
cases, because someone else uses their social security
number and name to open a credit card or to have
utilities turned on. While the information can be used
in other ways, those are two of the most common. And,
because children aren't interested in their credit
history until they turn 18 or older, most never even
realize the crime has been committed until years after
the theft started.
There are some ways to protect
your child against potential identity theft:
Keep
their social security number locked up in a secure
location – If criminals don't have access to your
child's social security number, they can't steal it.
Never carry their card in your purse or wallet where it
could easily be lost or stolen. Never share the number
with another family member or anyone else who does not
have a professional need to know.
Ask to not
have their SSN listed on insurance cards – Many
insurance companies list social security numbers on
their cards. If yours does, then contact them and ask to
use a different number.
Do not allow your child
to know his or her SSN until its necessary – Young
children have no reason to know their social security
numbers or to have access to their SSN card. Keep those
documents safe and private until your child needs them.
Children are often tempted to reveal more than they
should to friends, family members, even strangers.
Check their credit report – While a yearly check of
their report may not be necessary unless you suspect a
problem, it's a good idea to periodically check your
child's credit reports for activity. Your child
shouldn't have anything listed at all, but if anything
does show up contact the credit bureau and the listed
creditors immediately.
Additionally, if you are a
parent you should NEVER use your child's social security
number fraudulently. Not only are you committing a
crime, but you are also making your child's life more
difficult. Furthermore, if you know or suspect that
someone is wrongly using their child's personal
information, then you should contact the authorities.
Don't sit idly by while they ruin that child's future.
If you want more information on preventing,
detecting, or rectifying identity theft problems for
children and adults, then you need to read Identity
Theft: A Resource Guide from PCSecurityNews.com. The
ebook is available at
http://www.pcsecuritynews.com/identity_theft.html
1. Novotny, Monica. “Robbing the Cradle.” Countdown
with Keith Olberman. MSNBC.com
How To Avoid
Getting Into Identity Theft Trouble
The credit card industry seems to be
growing at an unprecedented rate. According to some
statistical reports, the average American household has
at least one credit card. In fact, from the total
respondents in the survey, 81% of the households have at
least one credit card.
This goes to show that
more and more people are enticed to get their own credit
card. The reasons for doing so are based on the fact
that credit cards offer extreme cashless shopping
convenience. Hence,...
identity theft
The
credit card industry seems to be growing at an
unprecedented rate. According to some statistical
reports, the average American household has at least one
credit card. In fact, from the total respondents in the
survey, 81% of the households have at least one credit
card.
This goes to show that more and more people
are enticed to get their own credit card. The reasons
for doing so are based on the fact that credit cards
offer extreme cashless shopping convenience. Hence,
everybody seems to be motivated to get at least one
credit card.
However, the travails of the credit
card industry do not end here. This is because the
reality that evolves on the credit cards does not just
depend on the way people use credit cards but with the
way on how they use it and protect themselves.
What people do not realize is that the manner on how
they use their credit cards can greatly affect the way
they live. For instance, frauds and fraudulent
activities are very prevalent in the industry and the
best targets of the culprits are those who use credit
cards whenever they are into shopping.
People
should take note that one of the most prevalent credit
card scams in the society today is the identity theft.
In fact, it has been reported by the FBI that almost
350,000 up to 500,000 cases of identity theft are known
to exist in the U.S. every single year.
Basically, identity theft is when some unscrupulous
people try to get some information from you such as your
social security number and other pertinent personal and
financial data.
These sets of information are
used deceitfully by these people for their own benefits.
Hence, the poor victim does not realize that his
identity was stolen and that his financial future is
doomed.
For this reason, it is important to know
how to avoid getting into trouble. Here is how:
1. Protect your personal data and any financial
information
Never entertain phone calls that
require you to give any personal data or information,
even if the caller says he is from the bank that issued
your credit card and that the information gathering is
just some sort of verifications.
If this is the
case, try to inform him that you wish to do the
transactions personally. Hence, it is important to very
if the caller is, indeed, a representative of the bank.
2. Avoid freebies and offers that involve credit
cards
If you were offered with some promotions
requiring you to give some personal information, then,
it would be better not to entertain the promo at all.
Things like these will only entice you to try it. In
the end, it is too late to realize that you have just
been a victim of an identity theft.
3. Have a
regular check up on your credit standing and bills
Most of credit card holders are so lazy to do
regular check ups on their status. If you do this, it
will be easier for you to detect any probable identity
theft case on your part. Credit reports can definitely
tell you if there were purchases that you know that you
did not make.
4. Do not carry them around
The problem with most people is that they ten to carry
their cards wherever they are. This is a bad habit that
should be stopped. You will never know what will happen
while you are in a public place, where identity theft
could just be lurking around, waiting for its next
victim.
The bottom line is that credit card users
should be responsible enough not to allow these
fraudulent activities to happen. Keep in mind that the
reason why these kinds of frauds exist is that there are
people who are unconsciously victimized every now and
then.