Identity Theft and What You Can Do About It – Part Two
What Should I Do To Avoid Becoming A Victim Of Identity Theft?
To reduce or minimize the risk of becoming a victim of identity theft or fraud, there are some basic steps you can take. For starters, just remember the word “SCAM“:
“S” Be STINGY about giving out your personal information to others unless you have a reason to trust them, regardless of where you are:
Start by adopting a “need to know” approach to your personal data. Your credit card company may need to know your mother’s maiden name, so that it can verify your identity when you call to inquire about your account. A person who calls you and says he’s from your bank, however, doesn’t need to know that information if it’s already on file with your bank; the only purpose of such a call is to acquire that information for that person’s personal benefit.
If you’re travelling, have your mail held at your local post office, or ask someone you know well and trust another family member, a friend, or a neighbour to collect and hold your mail while you’re away.
If you have to telephone someone while you’re travelling, and need to pass on personal financial information to the person you’re calling, don’t do it at an open telephone booth where passers-by can listen in on what you’re saying; use a telephone booth where you can close the door, or wait until you’re at a less public location to call.
“C” CHECK your financial information regularly:
If you have bank or credit card accounts, you should be receiving monthly statements that list transactions for the most recent month or reporting period.
If you’re not receiving monthly statements for the accounts you know you have, call the financial institution or credit card company immediately and ask about it.
If you’re told that your statements are being mailed to another address that you haven’t authorized, tell the financial institution or credit card representative immediately that you did not authorize the change of address and that someone may be improperly using your accounts. In that situation, you should also ask for copies of all statements and debit or charge transactions that have occurred since the last statement you received. Obtaining those copies will help you to work with the financial institution or credit card Company in determining whether some or all of those debit or charge transactions were fraudulent.
If someone has gotten your financial data and made unauthorized debits or charges against your financial accounts, checking your monthly statements carefully may be the quickest way for you to find out. Too many of us give those statements, or the enclosed checks or credit transactions, only a quick glance, and don’t review them closely to make sure there are no unauthorized withdrawals or charges.
If someone has managed to get access to your mail or other personal data, and opened any credit cards in your name or taken any funds from your bank account, contact your financial institution or credit card company immediately to report those transactions and to request further action.
“A” ASK periodically for a copy of your credit report.
Your credit report should list all bank and financial accounts under your name, and will provide other indications of whether someone has wrongfully opened or used any accounts in your name.
“M” MAINTAIN careful records of your banking and financial accounts.
Even though financial institutions are required to maintain copies of your checks, debit transactions, and similar transactions for five years, you should retain your monthly statements and checks for at least one year, if not more. If you need to dispute a particular check or transaction especially if they purport to bear your signatures your original records will be more immediately accessible and useful to the institutions that you have contacted.
Even if you take all of these steps, however, it’s still possible that you can become a victim of identity theft. Records containing your personal data — credit-card receipts or car-rental agreements, for example — may be found by or shared with someone who decides to use your data for fraudulent purposes.
What Should I Do If I’ve Become A Victim Of Identity Theft?
If you think you’ve become a victim of identity theft or fraud, act immediately to minimize the damage to your personal funds and financial accounts, as well as your reputation.
Contact all creditors with whom your name or identifying data have been fraudulently used. For example, you may need to contact your long-distance telephone company if your long-distance calling card has been stolen or you find fraudulent charges on your bill.
Contact all financial institutions where you have accounts that an identity thief has taken over or that have been created in your name but without your knowledge. You may need to cancel those accounts, place stop-payment orders on any outstanding checks that may not have cleared, and change your Automated Teller Machine (ATM) card, account, and Personal Identification Number (PIN).
Where Can I Find Out More About Identity Theft And Fraud?
A number of government and private organizations have information about various aspects of identity theft and fraud: how it can occur, what you can do about it, and how to guard your privacy. To help you learn more about the problem and its solutions, we’ve attached a list of Web sites that you might find interesting and informative on identity theft and related topics.
Sean Bennett is Commercial Director at Orthus limited (http://www.orthus.com). Orthus is a leading provider of information risk professional services, helping orgnisations globally to measure, minimise and manage the information risks they face. Orthus provide end to end services for clients to comprehensivly address risk in their environments including Insider Threats, addressing issues including data leakage, sabotage and fraud; External Threats (http://www.orthus.com/dr_overview.htm) including wireless security, penetration testing, virtualisation security, vulnerability management and Secure Software Development Life-Cycle; Supply Chain Threats including securing cloud services and data processed by third parties; and Legal and Regulatory challenges including Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard (DSS). Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/security-articles/identity-theft-and-what-you-can-do-about-it-part-two-981928.html
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