Identity Theft gives rise to Credit Problems,
10 Steps to Prote
by Nancy Woodward
In the past two weeks, I have read three different articles
on identity theft in various ways. The VA had a data leak after
an analyst took home a laptop with electron data containing names,
Social Security numbers and dates of birth of 26.5 million veterans.
This is certainly enough information for identity thieves to
obtain new accounts using stolen data.
A 45 year old woman in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey got
a call from her credit card company asking if she purchased thousands
of dollars on Ebay using her credit cards. Fortunately, the credit
card company caught this activity in time before she could have
serious problems straightening out her credit.
Credit card fraud and identity theft are on the rise in the
nation. You need to take steps to protect your information. Checking
your credit card statements regularly will turn up problems immediately.
The pattern of abuse seems to be toward charging smaller amounts
on credit cards, not necessarily maxing out the card. This makes
detection harder at the point of sale.
Take care when using your cards. Steps to take to protection
yourself:
1. Take the copies and the excess paper with you. 2. Ask the
clerk to return your card as soon as they are finished swiping
it. 3. Destroy all outdated and cancelled credit cards. 4. Don’t
use pin numbers in public areas. 5. If you are using an ATM be
careful no one can see what you put into the machine. 6. Obtain
your free annual credit reports at various times during the year
and check the information carefully. 7. Don’t give out personal
information over the phone, thru the mail or over the Internet
unless you started the action. 8. No one should call you on the
phone and ask any personal information including the phone company,
credit card companies, your lenders etc. 9. Don’t ever give
out your Social Security number. 10. Be alert when using your
personal information in any form.
A little care now will go a long way toward protecting valuable
information and your credit rating.
Nancy Woodward better known as the Million Dollar Referral
Lady is a Real Estate Professional working to help you achieve
financial prosperity. You can find out more about Real Estate
by subscribing to her newsletter at Real
Estate NewsletterNancy Woodward may be contacted at http://therealestatedir.blogspot.com or nans913@hotmail.com
Several months ago, the personal information of our veterans
was compromised. There are approximately 26.5 million names in
the database at risk. This means that they could become the victims
of identify theft.
In 2005 the average loss experienced by identity theft victims
was more than $6,000.00 as determined by a study completed by
Javelin Strategy ... Research. They indicate it cost the victims
approximately $400 to remove inaccurate information, close or
change their credit card accounts and complete all the necessary
documentation.
There are a number of companies who help those with resolution
of identity theft issues. They do some or most of the work to
file police reports and gather pertinent information including
making phone calls. Check with your bank, credit union, insurance
company, automobile insurance as well as homeowners and renters
insurance to see if there is a rider on your policy that will
pay for the service. There are a few companies who offer services
directly to the public.
Check out the information on http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft/
for relevant information that will help you. I suggest you check
out the available sources including your creditors prior to having
a problem. While caution with your credit information is a prudent
choice, you should be prepared in the event you have a problem.
Since the problem of identity theft is ongoing, you must do
what you can to protect yourself. Use common sense when using
your credit cards. I suggest you:
1. Don’t use your credit card and pin number with anyone
too close to you.
2. Don’t leave carbon paper used for credit imprints.
(While this is generally uncommon today, it does still occur.).
3. Keep your credit cards in a safe place.
4. Don’t carry unnecessary credit information on your
person.
5. Don’t give out personal information unless you are
certain that it is appropriate.
In general, just take care. Check your credit report once a
year. Don’t make your credit information available to unauthorized
individuals. Use the government site listed above for more information.
I continue to read and hear more stories of cases of identity
theft. Safeguard your credit.
Nancy Woodward better known as the Million Dollar Referral
Lady is a Real Estate Professional working to help you achieve
financial prosperity. You can find out more about Real Estate
by subscribing to her newsletter at Real
Estate NewsletterNancy Woodward may be contacted at http://therealestatedir.blogspot.com or nans913@hotmail.com
