Happy Cyber Monday!

Can you believe it is almost time for holiday shopping again? The season seems to come earlier and earlier every year – partially due to department stores chomping at the bit to get the music playing and the decorations hung – with the exception of Nordstrom’s, which promises to hold out this year until the day after Thanksgiving before filling its aisles with Christmas trees and Santa Clauses.

Getting your shopping done early can save you a lot of time and aggravation, especially if you do it online – unless, of course, you become a victim of identity theft. Use caution when shopping and you should be able to keep yourself safe. Here are some rules to follow when shopping online:

How to Protect Yourself from Identity Theft Online

* Seek out reputable sites. There are fake ones out there – unfortunately – and there are a lot of them. What better way to get your address and credit card information than to sell you a fake product? Look out for nontraditional URLs, especially ones based in other countries, which can’t be regulated by the Federal Trade Commission. Also, watch for unsecure sites (no https or lock icon), ones flagged by your antivirus software, ones with bad reviews from the Better Business Bureau, and ones that are chock full of pay per click or pop-up ads. Not a pro at telling real from fake? Stick to the old standbys, like Amazon.com, which you can use to buy practically anything.

* Don’t fall prey to phishing. Make sure you are on the real site and not a fake one. Don’t fall for those phoney emails that send you to a fake site.

* Don’t give away your Social Security number. While you will need it to open a bank account or get a job, you should not need it to make a purchase. If a site asks you for it, just browse on by. If you are purchasing something that requires it – like perhaps a stock certificate or a savings bond – it’s best to do so in person so you know who you are working with.

* Shop on a secured network. While it may be convenient to make your holiday purchases while sipping a latte at Starbucks, you will pay a price for the ambiance. Places like coffee shops and libraries may operate on unsecured wireless networks, which means any hacker with a small bit of technical knowledge can access the information sent through it. Instead, hit the drive through and enjoy the coffee and shopping from the comfort of your password protected home or office machine.

* Make sure your internet security and virus protection is working properly and up-to-date.

* Keep your passwords safe and secure and ensure they are strong passwords. See this post for more password safety tips.

So go ahead, find some deals on Amazon and get a head start on your holiday shopping…. but do so safely by following the above tips. Online shopping is a safe activity for people when they are careful, use a bit of caution and a lot of common sense.

Stay Safe and Happy Holidays!

Identity Theft Tips for In-Store Holiday Shopping
Black Friday, November 25th 2011

Three days from now, when doing your holiday shopping in the store this Black Friday, it’s very important to remember toprotect yourself from identity theft.

Follow these tips to help do so:

*Be wary of crowds. When you’re in a packed house, say Sears for example, pickpockets tend to lurk nearby. They are harder to spot and have an easier means of escape when they can slip into a crowd undetected. Don’t get so laden down with shopping bags that your handbag is easy to grab, and keep your wallet in front of you, in a pocket, clutch or fanny pack.

*Keep an eye on your credit card if you have to hand it over at the cash register. Many identity thieves get jobs at restaurants or stores to make the task easier – or they become thieves while employed in those positions. Better yet, patronize places where you can swipe your card yourself. They are becoming more and more prevalent.

*Wear large shoulder pads – or find another way to keep thieves from peeking at your PIN. Alternately, run your debit card through as “credit.” That way you don’t have to enter your PIN at all, so no risk of someone seeing it who shouldn’t.

*Clean out your wallet before you go. Don’t bring identification, receipts, and credit cards you won’t be using on your shopping trip. That way thieves will get as little as possible if they are able to take it away from you. Never shop with a passport or Social Security card on hand.

*Take your credit card receipts and place them on your person. Don’t let the clerk put them in your shopping bag. It’s easy to forget your bags if you stop for a bite to eat – and all of us have left them sitting on top of the car at one time or another. Oftentimes, your credit card company will reimburse you for lost merchandise, but you don’t want a thief getting ahold of your signature. That just makes it easier for her to pretend to be you.

Holiday safety really just comes about when you start to become aware the problem and risk of identity theft and practice awareness of your surroundings daily. When your aware of where and how the thieves lurk you can ensure they don’t take advantage of you and make your holiday shopping, well just normally stressful or perhaps even enjoyable.

Stay Safe and Happy Holidays!

Football season is in full swing, which makes it a great time to think about security, and particularly identity theft protection, while you’re at the game or at a bar. Even though all football fans seem friendly enough – unless they are rooting for rival teams – it’s easy to get distracted and to get lax about protecting your wallet or having your purse stolen, which could put you in a very bad position. You best believe that identity thieves are aware of distracted football fans and that they see them as potential victims and it’s very easy for them to tell where these fans are going to congregate.

Here are some quick tips to keep your identity safe and make sure you enjoy the game.

If you’re tailgating, lock your car. With the amount of foot traffic near the stadium, it’s hard to keep an eye on the doors at all times. Just pull out a cooler and chairs and sit nearby instead of leaving the doors or hatch open. You don’t want anyone rummaging through your belongings.

Keep your wallet in your front pocket or in a purse with a thick strap that can sit on the front of your body, where you can easily see it. If you’re in the stadium, always take your belongings with you if you have to leave your seat for any reason.

Never let friends borrow your wallet to purchase snacks or any other items. Even if you trust your friends, they may not be as security minded as you. Instead, give them cash – and not much more than is necessary to make the purchase.

Watch your alcohol intake. When people drink, they tend to get careless, and sometimes safety goes out the window in a lot of ways. It’s better to drink in your own home, where your security is less of a concern – and you can lock your wallet in a safe if people you don’t know are around. Plus, no worries about who is going to be designated driver.

For those of you who aren’t football fans I am sure you can easily see how this all relates to other sports and venues that perhaps you do take an interest in…. One of our staff just happened to notice how many football fans were oblivious to their surroundings and really were quite the easy target for identity theft, but this could easily apply elsewhere. So whatever venue your at use some caution and some good ol’ common sense….. that way you’ll actually be able to enjoy the game.

A lot has been written about what to do if you are a victim of a phishing scam or of credit card fraud. However, you don’t see too much lately about what to do if you are a victim of old fashioned check fraud, which happens when a thief does one of the following things:
*Steals your existing checks and writes drafts against your account
*Alters your checks using a chemical “wash” to change who they are paid out to
*Changes the information on your checking account so that he can take it over
*Creates brand new counterfeit checks with your account information on them
*Creates an entirely new checking account using your name and other personal information

None of these things are hard for a thief to do, and a lot of merchants simply assume that fraudulent checks are legitimate since there is no universal way to check if they are or not – or if they are just too lazy to care.

One of the best ways to see if you are a victim of check fraud is just to keep a close eye on your checking account balance. A fraudulent checking account will not appear on your credit report, since it is not considered a credit account. That makes an identity theft protection plan even more important. Choose one that will monitor your accounts for change of address and check black market websites to see if thieves are buying or selling your account information.

If you suspect you’ve been a victim of checking fraud, take the following actions:
*Report the suspected fraud to the police and keep a copy of the police report.
*Send a copy of the report, not the original, to the institution that tried to draw on the bad check. Make sure you get written confirmation back that you are not being held responsible for the charges.
*Close any checking accounts that have been compromised or that you did not open. Have the bank put a note on your file about why the accounts were closed and instructing personnel not to reopen them.
*Contact the credit bureaus to see if any collections activity has been placed on your report as a result of the fraudulent checks. Contest this action and have it removed.

Once you’ve performed all of these actions, you can open a new checking account with a different number. Make sure you use a very secure password and never leave your checks where they can be accessed by a thief. You may even want to keep them in a fireproof safe in your home.

Which is Riskier Debit Cards or Credit Cards?

A lot has been reported about the debate between debit cards and credit cards in terms of which puts you at a higher risk for identity theft. This is especially important debate these days, as debit cards become more and more prominent.

In 2009, debit cards were used for over 50 percent of noncash financial transactions, up from 1 percent just 15 years prior. The most popular of the debit cards, the Visa debit card, is in the pockets of over 350 million Americans today. To decide which card is riskier for yourself, take a look at the following facts.

Credit Cards
*You pay using money belonging to the creditor and receive a monthly bill.
*You can dispute charges with a vendor before having to pay for them out of your own pocket.
*You usually have 100% fraud protection if you report the fraud within 60 days of when it occurred.
*The maximum liability you can be held responsible for, if you report fraud in a timely manner, is $50.
*You are usually credited back the amount under investigation until the investigation is resolved.

Debit Cards
*You pay using money already in your savings account.
*You use a personal identification as added security when paying in person.
*The cash you use to pay can be immediately deducted from your account.
*There is no way to stop a payment once it has been processed.
*You can dispute charges, but you can be held responsible for up to $500 in fraudulent purchases unless you report the fraud within two business days.
*Disputes must be investigated within 10 business days.
*If you don’t report the dispute within 60 days, you could lose all of the money in the linked bank account.

The biggest risk with using debit cards comes if you have your savings and checking accounts linked together so that your savings can cover any overdrafts. If a thief starts using your card and doesn’t get caught right away, it’s possible that he can drain the money out of both of these accounts.

It’s recommended that you set up an account just to use for debit purchases and that you keep it completely separate from other financial accounts. We absolutely love this tip, read it again and then make sure you take action on it. Also, keep the balance relatively low, putting only the money you need for your monthly purchases in it.

Whether you use a credit card or a debit card, watch out for shoulder surfers and skimmers. Shoulder surfers peer over your shoulder trying to get a glimpse of your card number. They may also try to watch you type in your personal identification number or security code. Skimmers are electronic devices that record your card number. They are sometimes present on ATMs. Try to stick to familiar ATMs so that you will be able to quickly recognize if they have been tampered with.

For more information on this subject please see http://www.idtheftcenter.org/artman2/publish/c_guide/Fact_Sheet_131.shtml . To protect yourself from identity theft …. Just follow this link.

Credit card fraud has been going on for decades, but just like with many other aspects of our lives, the Internet has made it a whole lot easier. Why? Because of online shopping.

Thanks to the literal explosion of online shopping opportunities, thieves can spend hundreds of thousands of dollars using stolen credit card information without ever leaving the comfort of their homes or offices.

They can get credit card numbers in several ways, including these common ones:
*Stealing a person’s purse or wallet
*Getting the information through a fraudulent phone call or email
*Buying a number from a black market website
*Simply guessing a number by using an electronic number and name generator

While it’s impossible to prevent a thief from guessing your credit card number, of course, there are some things that you can do to prevent the first three occurrences from happening.

First of all, before you do anything else, make a photocopy of both the front side and the back side of each credit card and other identification card that you own. That way, if one gets lost or stolen, or you notice fraudulent charges on them even if they weren’t stolen, you can quickly cancel the cards. You’ll have the card number and the phone number that you need to call. Of course, don’t keep these copies on your person. Instead, leave them at home or in a safe deposit box.

To prevent the second instance, don’t respond to any unsolicited requests for personal information. If you call your bank and the representative asks you for your account number, that’s fine. If the bank calls you, that’s a different story. When you’re supplying personal information over the phone or via email, always be the one who initiates the contact. You can never tell if the people contacting you are really who they say they are.

To keep your credit card numbers off of black market websites, choose an identity theft protection plan that includes a service that scans these sites regularly looking for your information. While it won’t prevent your information from being posted, it can go a long way in helping you to get the affected cards canceled in a timely fashion – before anything really bad can happen to your accounts. The service may also be able to do a kind of financial audit to try to figure out how your information got on the board in the first place; in other words, where your vulnerabilities lie, so that you can plug the holes.

Lastly, you have to remember that there are other types of fraud beyond credit card fraud so you want to make sure you order and review your credit reports, check over all statements carefully and consider using a credit monitoring service for daily alerts. You can’t be too careful nowadays.

No one wants to be a victim of identity theft. That’s why identity theft protection companies were created. If you practice some vigilance, on top of having one of these companies work on your behalf, then you’re pretty well covered as far as keeping your information safe and preventing this crime from happening to you.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department recently released some tips for protecting yourself. Some are new, and some you have probably heard before, but identity theft tips are always worth repeating in our opinion.

Here is a summary.
*Go to annualcreditreport.com three times a year and get copies of your credit report from each bureau – one per quarter.
*Read your financial statements and bills carefully to make sure you actually made any charges that are reported.
*Make sure your bills are coming on time in the mail, or sign up for electronic payments and statements and avoid the postal service altogether.
*Don’t donate to or make purchases from organizations that you are not familiar with. The people requesting the money could be scammers.
*Power your computer off when you’re not using it, especially if you have sensitive information stored on it or you’re connected to wireless Internet. Password protect everything you can.
*Call 888-567-8688 to opt out of unsolicited credit card offers if you haven’t already. This can result in fewer eyes on your credit report.
*Don’t believe things that are too good to be true. In most cases, they are not true – especially when they are costing you money.
*Keep items with sensitive information on them out of unlocked mailboxes. That is asking for someone to steal them. It happens more than you think.
*Avoid putting your Social Security card in your wallet or purse. Leave it in a safe deposit box or fireproof safe at home if possible.

While most of these tips are common sense, it’s easy for something simple to slip your mind at times. I know I haven’t been diligently ordering credit reports. That’s why an identity theft protection plan is so handy. It watches out even when you don’t and you can never be too careful in this day and age.

While identity theft has been a problem for Americans for literally decades, it’s only in the last two that this crime really took off as far as it occurring over the Web. Thanks to the information superhighway, thieves can steal information from virtually anyone in the world, anywhere, at any time. Since most Americans, over 75%, have access to the Internet either at home, at work, or both, everyone needs to know a few simple rules about how to protect themselves during their online activity.

Spot phishing scams before you get hooked by reading emails with links in them carefully. If these emails have numerous spelling errors, it can be a dead giveaway. Another way to tell is to simply roll your mouse over the link so that the URL appears in your address bar. Does the address look like one for a legitimate site or does it have extraneous characters? Not sure? Delete the email. Just contact the organization that supposedly sent the message using verifiable contact information.

Don’t download email attachments unless you’re certain that you know where they are coming from. A lot of people get in trouble when their friends’ or relatives’ email accounts get hacked. The crooks send emails from these legitimate accounts and the recipients of the messages trust that they are real.

Because of this, the thieves are able to get the recipients to download spyware or other malware onto people’s machines. Then all it takes is some digging to find account information the people save or type in to their browsers. To avoid this, don’t download attachments that come wrapped in dubious emails, such as those that have subject lines like “I love you” or “you gotta see this.” You may miss out on a funny YouTube video, but better safe than sorry.

When you’re shopping online, be careful where you make your purchases. Try not to buy from stores that just look like a compilation of Google ads and popup windows. Instead, stick with merchants you know to be real. There are some thieves who set up fake commerce sites just to collect information.

A good way to use the Internet to protect yourself instead is to use it to sign up with one of the best identity theft protection services. While you do need to provide some personal information so that the service can monitor your credit properly, the well respected plans have secure sites and thoroughly documented privacy and security policies. They are organizations you can trust.

A lot of smart phone users are doing something that’s not too intelligent. They are not password protecting their phones. When they don’t, they are putting their personally identifiable information at risk. When you lose a cell phone it is always annoying – and it happens to one in five smart phone users – but if you lose it and someone a bit unscrupulous finds it, this can lead to much bigger problems including identity theft.

Instead of trying to sell the phone, which is what people seem to think happens when criminals steal or find cell phones, identity thieves will be more than happy to hang on to it. According to Get Safe Online, “It’s what is actually on your phone that counts more than the handset itself.” What’s on the phone can include phone numbers and addresses for the phone owners’ acquaintances, passwords for personal accounts and even possibly financial information. After all, a good smart phone can store as much sensitive information as can a laptop computer.

Most all smart phones on the market today have an option for the user to lock the phone, but less than half – a full 67 percent – do not take advantage of this feature. Part of the reason is that people find it to be inconvenient. If a person wishes to unlock it, it’s necessary to enter a personal identification number, usually of four digits. In reality, this only takes seconds to do, and you shouldn’t have to do it unless the phone isn’t in use for a preset amount of time.

It’s a good idea to take advantage of this option so that the phone will lock automatically if it’s left out in public and, of course, if it gets stolen. It’s worth having to deal with a temporary annoyance. When choosing that four digit number, it’s important to pick something besides a birth date or the last four digits of a Social Security number. It’s also a good idea to ensure no one is looking over your shoulder when you type in the PIN. You never know who could be a potential thief.

Since some thieves can hack into phones even when they are password protected, be careful what you do when using the phone. It’s probably not the safest to store any type of account information on the smart phone, just as it’s not to save it on a laptop.
If your phone does get lost or stolen, contact your carrier immediately to get your number canceled and see if you can get the phone locked entirely. Time is of the essence, so make sure to do it as soon as you notice the device is missing. If you discard your phone intentionally, find out how to clear the memory so that nothing gets left behind waiting to be found. It varies depending on the phone in question so please check with you manufacturer and carrier.

For a little extra help to protect yourself from identity theft please explore our site including the identity theft tips section.

If you’ve never fallen for a scam yourself or become a victim of identity theft, you may think that anyone who does has to be either insanely stupid or insanely naive. Truth is, this is not the case at all, according to an article in the May issue of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine. Instead, the author reveals that there are several attributes of human nature that make people – all people – vulnerable.

We Believe in First Impressions
When thieves present themselves as being articulate, professional, and – well – legitimate, we tend to believe that they are who they say they are. Even if we notice little cracks in the veneer, we tend to ignore them since they don’t fit with our already determined idea of who the person is. Sometimes scam artists will create someone “official” to confirm their offers and identities, since people tend to believe references from individuals with important sounding titles.

We Think It Won’t Happen To Us
While some people expect the worst all the time, most people don’t. Thieves latch onto optimism by promising something good will happen instead of something bad. For example, you get an email saying you inherited millions of dollars from a nonexistent relative, or you get a decent sized royalty check before losing that money and more in an investment scam. When we have to take action to achieve that good result, we feel like we are in control, like nothing can touch us. It’s funny that the article states that the people most likely to fall for a scam actually have some experience with the area in which the scam is carried out, such as investing or the lottery.

We Have a False Sense of Security
Many believe that the government, computer software, or security policies on their credit cards will offer them protection from identity theft. It won’t. A study from the University of Exeter stated that this is “unrealistic or simply impossible.” But still, it seems the majority of people who are vigilant about protecting themselves from identity theft are the ones that have already been victimized and know how bad the experience can be.

While an identity theft protection company can work for these people, it’s really important that people who haven’t been victimized use one for preventive purposes. You buy auto insurance in case you’re in an accident in the future. You don’t wait until the car crash and then start interviewing agents. Same goes for house insurance or boat insurance, so why not protect your most precious asset…. your identity.