Identity Theft Protection Facts And Tips
Jay Anderson
Unless you have been living in a cave or under a rock lately, chances are great that you have heard about the crime of identity theft. This is one of the fastest growing crimes of this century and it continues to increase every year. The Federal Trade Commission consumer reports indicates that identity theft accounts for more than 40% of all the FTC complaints filed each year.
In addition to the crime aspect of identity theft, the amount of money lost as a result of identity theft is estimated to be over $50 billion dollars every year, making it one of the most costly crimes on record to date. This includes identity theft losses from businesses as well as individual consumers.
Identity theft is not limited to the simple act of using your credit card to make an online purchase. In fact, the Internet is frequently not even associated with this crime, despite what some doomsayers claim about online transactions. But it is surprising to note that as much as 70% of cases are an inside job for business cases, meaning that the thief is an employee of the business, perhaps even a business you shop at today.
Another surprising fact is that in almost 27% of reported cases of ID theft, the victim of the theft either knew the thief or were related to them in some way. Keep in mind that these are actual reported cases of identity theft, as opposed to a misunderstanding amongst relatives or family members, or in other words, was done in a malicious manner.
The foremost rule for identity theft protection is that you must be very careful who you share your personal information with. How well do you really know the person that you are sharing your data with? What do they need it for? In almost all cases, there is not a need to provide as much information as most people freely give out.
The key to your personal information is your social security number, and you should never carry your social security card in your purse or wallet in case it gets stolen. There are very few occasions when you need to have that information available if you don't have your number memorized, so do not carry your card with you.
If you spend any time in online email, you have undoubtedly seen the email that alleges to be from your bank, saying they had a security breach and need to have you click this link to verify some information. Never ever click that link. This is a common practice known as "phishing" and even though that web site may look like your bank's, rest assured it is not and any information you divulge there will fall into bad hands. If you have doubts about such an email, contact the fraud department at your bank and ask them about it.
Keep your eyes open and consider what information you are giving out and ask yourself if that person really needs that information about you. Your identity is your business, and the months of hassles you will endure if you are a victim of identity theft is not worth the risk.
Jay Anderson is a recognized authority on http://www.idtheftprotectionstips.com/ Identity Theft Protection and invites you to visit his web site to learn more about protecting yourself from identity theft at http://www.idtheftprotectiontips.com
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