A new ID theft study, see AllPayNews posting:
New Research Shows Identity Fraud Growth Is Contained & Consumers Have More Control Than They Think, show some positive trends.
The study says, “Identity fraud victims as a percent of the United States adult population have declined slightly from 4.7% to 4.0%, between 2003 and 2006. Consumers need to be aware of the 63% of potential identity fraud that is under their primary control.”
Other surprising findings from the ID theft study was that most ID theft occurs off-line, and that younger people are more likely to be victims of ID theft than persons over 65.
AllPayNews posting also has some good tips on how to prevent ID theft. Preventive measures include:
- Do not give out Social Security or account numbers in response to e-mail, phone or in-person requests.
- When responding to e-mail, ignore any Internet links provided and type the full address instead.
- Keep all sensitive documents, checkbooks and credit cards securely locked away at home and at work.
- Carry only those credit cards that you need in your wallet. -
- Before discarding, shred all private documents.
- Retrieve paper mail promptly and place outgoing checks or other sensitive documents in a U.S. Postal Service mailbox.
- Sign up for automatic payroll deposits.
- Replace paper bills, statements and checks with online (paperless) versions.
- Keep passwords hidden (even in your own home) and change them frequently.
- Use and regularly update firewall and anti-virus software.
- Do not respond to suspicious e-mails. Delete them, and if there is any doubt contact the company to determine if the e-mail is real.
- Don’t discard a computer without completely destroying the data on the hard drive. DETECT unauthorized activity
- Review bank, credit card and biller statements weekly through online account access.
- Contact your financial provider if you fail to receive statements in a timely manner.
- Review your credit information regularly (free annual reports are available at http://www.annualcreditreport.com/ or call 1-877-322-8228).
- Use e-mail-based account “alerts” to monitor transfers, payments, low balances, withdrawals, or detect any out-of-pattern activity.
- Visit your bank’s, credit card issuer’s or biller’s web site(s) frequently to monitor regular account activity. RESOLVE fraud promptly, minimizing losses and protecting your credit record
- Ask your financial provider about zero-liability guarantees against fraud and dedicated resources to help you resolve and recover from any potential losses.
- Victims of theft: notify your financial providers, begin monitoring your accounts more frequently, and place an “alert” at all three credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian or TransUnion).
- Alert federal and local law enforcement if you suspect or detect identity fraud.
Electronic Cash News Related Links: Computer Security Resources | Credit Monitoring | ID Theft Protection | Phishing Scams