April, 2010: GET LAWYERS

Prevention is always better than cure. When you talk about identity theft know about what type of risks you might be running into – the thief might use the personal information stolen from you to avail of a loan in your name which you would not only have to pay back as it is very difficult to prove that it was not you who took the loan, but also live with a terrible credit record until that time.

The thief might use the information gathered about you to get a job in your name and you would find that all of a sudden you are caught in a fraud racket for no fault of yours. Similarly, the thief might be impersonating you and cashing in your savings or even your medical insurance. It is simply amazing what a thief can do when he or she has the right information about you. Therefore you need identity theft protection.

Identity Theft Protection is Possible



Ensure that you protect yourself against such scenarios with a few very simple steps. Never carry your social security number in your wallet or handbag. If you are unable to memorize it here is a great way to note it down. Use a paper and then add or subtract a significant number in your life from it. For example, you could minus your date of birth 111770 (representing 11 Nov 1970) from the social security number and you note down the resulting number.

Now, whenever you want your number you would need to add your birthday to the number you are carrying and bingo you have your number ready for use. This would ensure that the thief cannot use your security number even if they wanted, because it is incorrect. Isn’t that poetic justice? This is a good way to enjoy identity theft protection with the minimum effort.

The best identity theft protection comes with destroying all type of old “important” papers around the house. Say, what do you do with the credit card that has expired? What do you do with the old (paid) credit card bills? What do you do with your junk mail which forwards to you a pre-approved credit card or loan? You need to run all of these through a shredder lest it would fall in the wrong hands.

Another way to gain identity theft protection is to use only debit card and small amounts of cash in your pocket, leaving all your credit cards at home. Credit card information is much easier to steal than that of debit card and therefore you are more prone to identity theft when you use credit cards.

Many people that regularly use the Internet are affected by nagging fear that online transactions are not safe and that anybody can easily steal your credit card information. However, it would be foolish to let these unreasonable fears prevent you from transacting over the Internet because many times it is perfectly safe to transact online.

The fact is that today fraud protection is readily available and more particularly it is really quite easy to be saved from becoming a victim of identity theft. It would therefore pay to learn about how credit card issuers as well as merchants (online) ensure that you are safe when doing online transactions.



Peace of Mind

Understanding what fraud protection is and what measures can be taken can help to assure you of enjoying considerable peace of mind and to also help you overcome your fears of identity theft and other kinds of frauds. The first fraud protection measure that credit card companies take is to verify your address, especially your billing address and to also ascertain what your age is as well as verifies identity of the credit card holder at the time that the transaction is being completed.

Another fraud protection measure commonly used by online merchants is that of conducting all transactions with the help of a technology known as Secure Socket layer that essentially prevents computer hackers from hacking into your credit card details. Secure Socket layers use encryption in order to move your details (credit card) from one location to another.

However, as good as these fraud protection measures are; they are not absolutely foolproof, and in the end, it is up to users to ensure that they act responsibly as well as safely so that they do not become victims to fraudulent means. The best fraud protection measure is to always remain alert and to go as far as to ensure that even your trash does not contain your credit card information because fraudsters will stoop to any levels (including going through your trash) to get hold of your personal and private details.

However, if you follow basic fraud protection measures including filing your financial records properly and not visiting sites that are dubious as well as making sure that you get regular reports from your banks; you can prevent fraud.

There are also certain questions you need to ask you including finding out what is identity theft and once you have obtained suitable answers you can then act in a way so as to prevent being victimized by identity thieves. The consequences of identity theft are very serious and unless you take fraud protection measures well in time, you could easily join the list of millions of others who have been defrauded by unscrupulous scammers and fraudsters and also pay a very heavy price.