Every one loves a "Top 10" this time of year, so here is a great one from our friends at Kroll Fraud Solutions. It was put together by Brian Lapidus - Kroll Fraud Solution chief operating officer and identity theft expert.
Enjoy!
1. Beware the Word "Prevent"
No person and no product can prevent identity theft. As long as criminals can benefit from stealing, there will be theft. Sensitive personal information (SPI) is everywhere, housed and archived in a mind-boggling variety of ways. Individuals and companies can reduce access to SPI and improve safeguards around it by working to change how we share, collect, store and dispose of information.
2. There Are No Guarantees
This mantra holds true for a lot of things in life and dealing with identity theft is no exception. While a number of instances of fraud can be restored to pre-theft status, some identity dilemmas simply can’t be fixed. If you’re on the ‘no fly list’ thanks to an imposter or an error, you’ll stay there. A third-party solution cannot deliver a remedy.
3. Watch for "Shoulder Surfers" and "Skimmers"
Shield the entry of personal identification numbers (PINs), and be aware of people standing entirely too close by when using your credit or debit card in public. Especially with the advent of cell phone cameras, a sneaky, shoulder surfing thief can get your private information pretty easily, if you’re not careful. It’s also advisable to use teller machines that are familiar to you, so you are in a better position to identify when the equipment looks different or doesn’t “feel right.” Your increased awareness may reveal a skimmer’s attempt to steal PINs and banking details at that site.
4. Keep Your Social Security Card Safe at Home
Unless you’re on your way to fill out a job application, there are very few reasons to carry around the crown jewel of SPI. At lunch a few weeks ago, the woman beside me opened her wallet for a credit card and there was her Social Security card, too. Remember, ID theft and fraud are not exclusively credit-related – thieves can use a clean Social Security number to construct a whole new life.
Additional note from Dave: I regularly receive emails from Fight Identity Theft visitors explaining how they just had their purse or wallet stolen with their Social Security card inside. Remove that card today!
5. Destroy Before You Dump That Old Computer
Erasing data just enables the computer to write over that space again; it doesn’t actually eliminate the original bits and bytes. Physically remove the hard-drive to ensure you’re not tossing out or passing along your personal details. Our company is often called upon to recover data from an erased or damaged drive; we’re very good at it – and so are some professional thieves.
Additional note from Dave: You could also consider using a software tool like Eraser to do a complete wipe of your drive. If you physically remove your drive, smash the drive with a hammer (find someone strong) before throwing it in the trash.
6. Choose "Forget Me’ Instead of "Remember Me"
How many Web sites do you frequent that invite you to enable an automatic log on the next time you visit? Don’t check that box! When convenience trumps confidentiality, you’re asking for trouble. The harder you make it for hackers to follow your trail into an online store or bank account, the better.
Additional note from Dave: This is absolutely necessary when using public computers. In fact, you should avoid accessing any secure sites from a public computer (like a library, internet cafe) or when using a public wireless network or wifi hotspot.
7. Don’t Rely On Fraud Alerts Or Credit Freezes Alone
Fraud alerts are meant to stop an identity thief from opening new accounts in your name. Credit freezes let you restrict access to your credit report, which would also make it hard for someone else to open new accounts. But, neither one will stop a thief from trading your SPI for cash, or using it for tax fraud or in any of the countless other ways fraudsters exploit stolen identities.
8. Practice Prudent Posting
Social networking sites on the internet enable individuals around the world to chat, share photos, recruit employees, date, post resumes, auction property, and more. Because the Web makes it possible for any posted document to link with another, any data you put out online have the potential to stay there for what amounts to electronic eternity.
Additional note from Dave: I suggest creating usernames or an email address that don’t contain your name or anything traceable to you, whenever possible. You also might consider using different usernames on different sites. This makes sense because if someone is able to determine that you use "CatLuvr55" on one site, it’s an easy search to track down "CatLuvr55" on any other sites where you have a profile.
9. Keep That Key
When you check out of a hotel where you were issued a card-key to unlock the door to your room, don’t leave the card-key behind. Hold on to it until you’re safely home and can shred or otherwise discard it safely. Some say it’s an urban myth that the card-keys hold vital details like credit card numbers, while others report having tested and confirmed the presence of private data coded into the magnetic strip. Even if there’s no definitive answer, why risk it?
Additional note from Dave: Not sure I’m convinced on this one. I’d need to see more data showing that it is a problem. Snopes.com debunks this pretty thoroughly.
10. What’s In Your Wallet?
Make photocopies of the personal material in your wallet: Driver’s license, credit cards, insurance cards, all of it – front and back. Should your wallet be lost or stolen, you won’t be left wondering what was actually taken, and you’ll be able to quickly notify the appropriate agencies about what has taken place.
(8 votes, average: 4.13 out of 5)
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Coleman Smith
December 25, 2007 @ 7:14 pm
If you’re using XP Pro or Vista Pro enable password protection on start up, create a pass word reset key and keep it in a safe place, enable encryption of all sensitive data, turn and turn off file sharing.
Lap tops, jump drives and external hard drives have a way of walking off and one of the first things a burglar may take is your computer.
Back ups and jump drive should be encrypted for this reason.
If you don’t have a commercial version of encryption software Google: TruCrypt.
Barry Grace
January 10, 2008 @ 12:00 pm
All excellent practices…let’s add one more: use email authentication and encryption to fight identity theft, reduce spam and keep your email completely private and secure. Check out products like ConSealMAIL (www.consealmail.com) that anyone can install and use in minutes. It’s like an airbag for your email….
John H
February 13, 2008 @ 9:07 am
Our governmnent is setting us up by using the SS number as our Medicare ID. It is printed boldly on the card we have to carry on our person at all times and every medical provider we use has it in thier files forever. What is the suggessted practice for folks on Medicare?
robert connolley
February 22, 2008 @ 1:17 pm
I got a letter on my e-mail that I won money in a lottery sponsored by microsoft. Is it for real it has a phone # that I am supposed to call in London?
kjl
March 2, 2008 @ 4:43 pm
I personally think telling people to beware of the word “Prevent” is going to send the wrong message. There are many things a person can do to help their odds of ever having to recover from this horrific crime, hence prevent. Unfortunately, this crime is still mainly left up to the victims and until legislation gets changed, the banks are held accountable, and the justice system starts taking it seriously; victims will continue to feel the burden. For them I say look into helping your odds by starting some prevention techniques. Fortunately it is something you can do on your own without paying a third party. If you want “hassle free” then a third party can help, just BE CAREFUL who that third party is because their are a lot of false claims out there. I would recommend iDefend a product of Invisus. They have been around for 20 years and they will cover all issues of identity theft. Their tools are even protecting a known “third Party” company.
CaliBill
March 24, 2008 @ 2:28 pm
I keep all of my hotel keys. I also like your point about not accessing certain sites in public like people who check their online accounts at hotels, where criminals lurk. Other than that you cover some good stuff on identity theft protection, except information about a good shredder (http://www.fellowes.com/Fellowes/site/aboutus/about_releases_20.aspx)
Jenifer Sparke
March 25, 2008 @ 2:23 pm
Thanks of the great information it really helped me on keeping my IDENTITY safe. Thanks again
Matilda
April 1, 2008 @ 10:52 am
How do I prove that somebody is using my identity for work purposes?
Ruth
April 10, 2008 @ 7:09 pm
There’s a lot of great information posted here. Indeed everyone needs to be wise and careful of their personal, non-public information. I haven’t seen anything mentioned about Kroll, yet. Kroll Background America IS the leading risk management company on the GLOBE. (I came to this site through theirs.) They were formed in 1972 and have been protecting individuals, companies, corporations, and world governments ever since. If you have a breach of your identity, there’s NOTHING more powerful than having Kroll on your side to attest to your identity and RESTORE it to pre-theft status in ALL areas of loss. In other than financial loss (reported by the FBI to be about 20-28% of all losses), I have found that in other instances, legal assistance is necessary to correct most losses (medical, social security, character (judicial), DMV . . If you do-it-yourself, to correct many losses entails huge out-of-pocket expense, often hundreds of hours of time or more, about 40 lbs of paperwork, untold phone calls, unlimited STRESS, loss from work, sleep, senses, and then you may find that it’s never totally corrected.
Sandy, Certified Identity Theft Risk Management Specialist
April 10, 2008 @ 8:55 pm
This article is terrific and has great information. What folks need to understand is that there are actually 5 different kinds of identity theft. We always hear about the financial kind, but that’s only 25-27% of the problem. The other kinds are driver’s license, social security, criminal, and, the fastest growing kind, which is medical. With that information, it’s not hard to see how this problem can get out of hand for a victim quickly.
I have written an article about identity theft which may explains with real-life examples of how this crime can affect people.
If you’re interested in a copy, just drop me an email.
Ruth
April 10, 2008 @ 9:13 pm
See the article on the home page of this site, “Keep Identity Theives at Bay During the 2008 Tax Season”. Go to that article and in the first line, it mentions “Kroll Fraud Solutions”. Click on that link and it will take you to Kroll’s site. It’s AWESOME. Check it ALL out. For all that Kroll does and can do for you, click onto ALL their links throughout the site - it’s HUGE. I cannot believe their services aren’t even mentioned in the Identity Theft Comparison or the Credit Monitoring Services areas of this site! There’s a whole lot more available to folks than is eluded to in those areas. It seems as though LifeLock is being pushed here. Check out all your options. There’s SO much more.
Doni
April 26, 2008 @ 6:33 am
This is a pretty useful article, although it has flaws — mostly in neglecting the “how-to” parts of some of its “tips.” EGs: #7 (Apparently neither fraud alerts and credit freezes “will stop a thief from trading your SPI for cash, or using it for tax fraud.” So what will??) #8 (”Because the Web makes it possible for any posted document to link with another, any data you put out online have the potential to stay there for what amounts to electronic eternity.” So what am I supposed to do about that? What would constitute “prudent posting”?)
Ruth: Thanks for the recommendation about Kroll. Anyone happen to know what kinds of fees they charge for any of their services?
I also appreciate the service this site provides. Thank you!
Martha
April 27, 2008 @ 1:44 pm
Sandy,
Please send me a copy of the article you wrote on Identity Theft. I appreciate it. Thanks for the information.
Gail
April 30, 2008 @ 9:13 am
I just received an phone call from a company in NYC. They were going to send me a medical card free that would pay for all my medical expenses. I am on medicare. They wanted the name of my bank and my account number to verify I am who I am. I told them to send me something by mail and I would be happy to fill it out. Nothing is free so I doubt that they are legit.
Flames4U
June 27, 2008 @ 10:02 am
i can honestly tell you that if you know you never played anything or deserve such a spontaneous reimbursment. If you have no affiliates there or have no uncle by a name that you should be expecting an inheritance, if you get a bogus contract award from Iraq for reconstruction, and if you are simply reasonable and not greedy you willl never be a victim. What happens now is what is called a rescam. in which a person that has lost money would be contacted from a debt re collection(obvously fake) agency claiming to go after the scammers and would need motivation or administrative charges which will be returned after they catch the person. they would provide you with copies of the email you received the dates and times. this would have been kept in a well organized formatt.. all the way fro the begining to the end. you will fall victim twice. I used to know a lot of these boys and they spned their money on cares and girls. …. i have never actually scammed a person before but i had indept information into their circle, some legitimate bankers are even a part of these scam and they give money to this individuals without requesting identification… If it seems too good to be true it probably is…All they now use well know lawyers identity for this scam so if you run a background check on the person you will find the person.. It is very complicated and i can only advise that you protect your personal details so it is not used as an accomplice name and live an honest life not going for what you did not work for. I have seen every type of fraud from Visa fraud.(where the individual gets a valid permit into the uk using fake documents), to Internal cheque fraud( where it is done within the same country). to external( cross country). to construction fraud( where your company has been awrded a contract worth and you are requested to register with the ministry), to currency fraud( fake currencies_), to even charity fraud pleading for money to help(If you want to send money to charity make sure its one you have heard about there are also several ways to verify their legitimacy)….basically all the designs for documents that follow them are spectacular…. and when put next to the original have no real difference. It is a pretty well thought of scam and thosse that really have this much information are very few . I know that only 22 people out of these scammers are the real deal, government affiliation and all, they dont get arrested ever the others are just wannabes and they sometimes get lucky. A pro scammer sends out over 2 million a week and they have new methos to avoid it being directed to your bulk….Just dont be greedy and you should be fine. I dont know of a single case in which a person lost money from being skeptical…And several more where pensioners and widows lost their life saving to greed… Dont be greedy…. i have never actualy scammed a person but thr information i know about is from almost a decade of actualy meeting and talking to this scammers… the have an age range from 16- 40…very few older…BE CAREFULL…I hope this information was usefull to anyone out there asking….Bottom line…if its not yours and you dont deserve it, then let it be.
Flames4U
June 27, 2008 @ 10:02 am
Also note that when you get a certifed cheque the real scammers know how to make the cheque clear, so if you get that, dont spend the money and dont pay someone, or some bogus contact, the trick is to get you to part with money then the bank comes back and asks for the cheque as it was a fake.basically if you geta cheque for 9,000 pounds and it clears, then you are asked to send 4,000 ponds to a person somewhere in the world and you do thinking that you still have 5,000 pounds from the money the truth is that when the bank comes back for the money they would ask you to rebate the 9,000 pounds( if you have spent it, your case becomes worse). The scammers would have succeded in getting 4,000 pounds off you and the ban would not look for them as your transaction was legaly done…..Anyone who pays you something then asks for anything back is a scam..No lottery on earth would make a mistake in payment… Bottom line is that this scam formatt is the the same, whether they claim to want to purchase your car, buy a boat or anything, or its a lottery scam or the want to be a lawyer that saves you or catches someone that had scamed you before. No more no worked for is illegal so the bank would not spare you on debt collection, Its one thing to be duped off money you have its another to lose money you dont even have……For all the people that asked this question, hope i wasnt too late to save you from making a mistake you might regret for life……GOLDEN RULE…IF ITS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE ,,,IT PROBABLY IS…
NB: If you have ever won a lottery and forgotten to claim it, the national lottery website(official) has you information and it would state the date and the area where it was won…check it out….Dont end up paying for someones new mercedes benz in Africa, pakistan, Usa or london…..even canada and france.