Identity Theft

Identity theft is a growing problem that victimises thousands of people worldwide on a daily basis. Valuable information that is written on documents including credit card information, national insurance numbers and bank account and routing information, can be stolen out of the bin or recycling by savvy and determined thieves. Many people mistakenly assume that merely blacking out important numbers is enough to deter identity thieves. Unfortunately this is not the case.

Sophisticated thieves do not need a complete set of information in order to steal a persons' identity. Sometimes a name and parts of an address or a few old phone numbers are enough to create a new persona, including credit cards issued in the name of the person whose identity was stolen. Documents that otherwise seem innocuous, like a national insurance and tax id numbers can be used to create new documents that help steal identity. The more little pieces of information a thief has, such as past employers and hospital of birth or an old passport or driver's license photo with a name on it, can be enough information to cause millions of dollars of debt and years of grief for the victim. This is why people and businesses often turn to a shredding service to help them deal with the large volume of material they need to shred.

The best thing to do is to shred all documents will all identifying information, no matter how innocent the information may seem. This can add up to thousands of pages of documents a week, which is no easy task for a small shredder.

Additionally, computer disks, including DVDs and CD's can contain private information that cannot be erased. Only a commercial shredder can handle harder material such as this. Commercial shredders are able to shred clothes, large volumes of paper, plastics, and many other materials that smaller domestic and office shredders cannot handle. Even credit cards can slow down domestic and office shredders. A shredding service has large shredders that are capable of handling large volumes of heavy material without slowing down.

A reputable shredding service can help any home or office prevent identity theft and important information from getting into the wrong hands. Hiring an outside service also saves time and money in the long run. In addition to saving money and time spent tracking down and stopping identity thieves, an outside service saves time and money over using a small shredder for large volumes. A shredder can uses large amounts of energy every year. This cost is greatly increased when the machine is taxed by using it at a much higher volume that it was designed for. Much of this cost can be saved by hiring an outside company to provide this service for a home or business.

Jennifer is a business consultant and has worked with different companies in her career. She thinks that it is important for businesses to dispose of private documents through a shredding service to protect information. For more details, please visit The Shredding Alliance.

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Worried about becoming the victim of identity theft? Not sure what steps you can take to help protect the identities of you and your loved ones? If so, then this article on steps to avoid identity theft is definitely for you. I'll discuss a few easy ways you can safeguard yourself and some red flags to keep an eye out for.

Guard all of your information when it comes to finances - The only time you want to give a bank account or credit card number is when you are physically paying for something.

Social security numbers stay confidential

- This is the key that will unlock your entire identity. Never give this to anyone unless you can be sure of why it is necessary to give it out and who you are giving it to. To stay on the safe side ask that your health insurance company or any other companies that use your social as an ID number give you a different substitute number instead. If your motor vehicle agency uses it for your driver's license ask that they also give you a different number instead.

Guard against imposters

- There are many dishonest people pretending to work with businesses you do business with. They may try to email or call you saying they need to verify sensitive personal information. If this happens be very suspicious! Before giving out any information, contact the company yourself to confirm that the email or call is actually from them.

Guard your mail

- Most people overlook this but your mail is something that needs safeguarding as it has personal account numbers and other valuable information. Always collect if from your box as promptly as possible and have the post office hold it if you're away for any reason. Also when sending out mail be sure to send any type of bill payments directly from the post office or other public mailbox and not from your home. Dont throw your mail in the trash. Shred it!

Keep your PIN numbers and passwords memorized

- Do not leave these numbers in a wallet, desk or anywhere else where somebody could easily find it. Also be sure to make them difficult to crack. Don't use birthdays, kid's names or anything else someone might be able to guess or figure out.

Get your names off any credit marketing lists

- The credit bureaus create these marketing lists for all types of pre approved credits offers. These can be a treasure trove for anyone trying to steal your identity as they can steal the offers from your mailbox and then apply for a card under your name. To get off these lists simply call 888-567-8688. You need to be sure to have your social security handy as you'll need to verify yourself to be removed. Getting off this list has no effect on your chances when trying to apply for credit.

Lock Up Valuable Info

- Have a spot where you can keep all of your personal information secure whether at home, school, in your car or at work. The harder it is to get access to the harder it is to steal

Hopefully, this article on steps to avoid identity theft has shown you a few of the ways to keep your valuable information free from the prying hands of others. When it comes to protecting your personal information be diligent, as a stolen identity is a nightmare and not something you'll ever want to have to deal with.

Larry McCullough is a 20 year Retired Devil Dog(Marine) who loves to surf and market the Internet. Owns several websites and love to help people. Love to workout and eat healthy, currently works at the USPS...
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It's a sad fact that identity theft and fraud is quite common today. In the last ten years it's estimated that over 50 percent of adults in the US have faced some form of identity theft. Here's a review of some of the common ways that you can have your personal financial information stolen and how to avoid them.

The biggest threat to anyone is probably the information that they already have online. However, this may not be information that they have knowingly placed there. It is information put there by companies with which they have obtained credit, or have otherwise done business. We read every week of a company whose records have been compromised, whose client/credit information has been stolen. There' s not much you can do about this, except to limit the businesses to you deal with to the best. Keep the number of business you share your financial information to the minimum.

Other forms of identity theft are under your control to a greater extent.

Never respond to phishing emails. This is an email that looks very similar to that you might legitimately receive from a company you have or might do business with. You might get an email from Chase bank requesting that you confirm bank information, etc. They request that you login to take care of some urgent business. It usually includes a logo similar to a real institution and a link to the website and sign-in screen. Of course, it isn't really from Chase, and most institutions are quick to say they will never send such an email. Don't respond to these emails. Don't click on the links. If you believe it might be legitimate then find the contact information of the institution independently and get in touch them separately.

Be very careful on mobile phones, since a similar scam occurs when entering some websites or applications. You enter a site and there is a popup screen requesting your email ID and password. People who are less familiar on a small screen or who are inattentive may enter this information thinking it is a legitimate request initiated by their phone. It isn't. Armed with access to your email account, they can comb through it for other IDs, accounts and passwords.

Be very careful on social network sites such as Facebook and others. You should have all your privacy settings set to the most private. Of course, you should not provide age, address and phone number information at all unless there is something critical you' d like to accomplish by doing so. Avoid revealing information that could be used as security access questions on other sites when you've forgotten your password. For instance, your pet's name or family history (mothers maiden name, etc.)

Don't use your email ID for any other important accounts. Especially don't use the same password with your email ID in another account. If they compromise your email account, they'll have access to the other accounts as well. In general, don't use the same password on many different accounts and sites. Obviously once they get the password, it's only a few short steps to get your accounts/ IDs, and then you'll be completely compromised.

Protect your Social Security number. Essentially, you should not give your SS number to anyone except where it is absolutely necessary. In some situations, where an institution already has your number, and wants to verify it, you can often simply provide the last four digits, and that's enough. In other cases, when applying for a loan, or anything requiring a credit report, they will need your social security number. The key here is to only apply for credit when you truly need it. More importantly, only deal with institutions you believe have a system in place to safeguard your information. You should never give it over the phone unless you are absolutely certain it is a trusted source on the phone.

Take your exact address off of your personal literature such as a resume and other documents where it is non-essential. Have you ever been asked for your zip code to verify a credit card purchase? If someone has your resume (with your address), and they steal your credit card separately, they can fraudulently make purchases. They wouldn't have been able to without your address. This is an example of how thieves can chip away at your identity information from different angles, and combine different pieces to steal from you.

To continue please see Part 2 of Identity Theft - The Best Ways to Avoid It at http://www.best-financial-advice.com

Sean P. Greene http://www.best-financial-advice.com/

I am a financial professional with extensive experience solving analytical problems in business planning, marketing and operations. I have worked with many companies and individuals to help them achieve their business and financial goals.

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