This post is originally authored at the home security blog at FamilyHomeSecurity.com.

If you have a credit card, one of your biggest fears is probably that your card might be stolen. However, since many of us now make purchases online, there are now more ways for credit card thieves to gain access to your personal info. If your credit card information has been stolen or compromised, there are a few ways you can reduce your chances of suffering a devastating financial loss. Here are some tips about what you should do as soon as you believe your credit card info is at risk.

Call and Report Your Card Stolen

This should be the absolute first thing you do when you think your credit card has been compromised. Immediately call your credit card company, and report that your card information may have been stolen. This way, you can avoid any future fraudulent charges that may be posted to your account. Most companies will immediately deactivate your card, and may even stop any pending charges that have been posted since the time when you believe your information became compromised.

Place a “Fraud Alert” on Your Credit Report

Just in case, it’s always best to place a “fraud alert” on your credit report if you think your credit card information may have been compromised. Despite what you might think, cancelling your credit cards doesn’t ensure that a thief won’t be able to make fraudulent charges in your name. They may have gained access to other personal data through your credit card, which means your identity could be at risk. A fraud alert will mean that no new accounts can be opened in your name until the alert is removed from your account. To do this, you’ll need to contact all three credit bureaus individually.

• TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289 (www.transunion.com)
• Equifax: 1-800-525-6285 (www.equifax.com)
• Experian: 1-888-397-3742 (www.experian.com)

Get A Copy of Your Credit Report

You’re entitled to receive a free copy of your credit report from all three credit bureaus once per year. In some cases, you may also be able to gain an additional free report after activating a fraud alert. It’s best to have documented proof of your credit report before any potentially fraudulent charges or accounts are opened in your name. Print out a physical copy of your credit report, and file it for future reference.

File An Identity Theft Report

If you want to be completely sure that your personal info will remain safe, you might want to consider filing a full identity theft report. These reports are usually in two parts, which may be time-consuming to complete. The first part of the report should be filed with your local or state authorities, such as the police. The second part of the report will be filed with a consumer reporting company, and will depend on your situation. Be sure to have detailed information available when filing your report. This should include the date that your information was most likely stolen, as well as information on any fraudulent charges or accounts that have been opened since the alleged theft. You might also have to provide documented evidence of the theft, if you can.

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1. Identity Theft and Credit Card Security This post is originally authored at the home security blog...
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This post is originally authored at the home security blog at FamilyHomeSecurity.com.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is currently best-known for being the governor of California. However, ever since Arnold starred in his first film (which was called “Hercules in New York”), he has taken on the role of a businessman, a model, a bodybuilder, an actor and a politician. In 1996, Arnold starred in a family comedy called “Jingle All the Way”, which was about his search for the perfect Christmas present for his young son. The film featured an epic battle between Arnold and Sinbad, who played a rival father also pursuing the coveted “Turbo-Man” action figure. Though the film received mostly negative reviews from critics (it currently has a 16% approval rating on the movie review site “Rotten Tomatoes”), it did receive one award nomination – Director Brian Levant was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for “Worst Director”.

Finding the perfect presents for your family members can be a frustrating task, especially if you plan to do a lot of your shopping around the holidays. With the popularity of online retailers, many people are now opting to purchase their family’s holiday gifts through the internet. However, many people don’t realize the vulnerabilities involved in shopping online. Identity thieves, scam artists and fraudulent websites are some of the potential dangers that you could face while buying online. Stay safe! Here are some essential tips to help protect you and your privacy.

Be Wary of Phishing Websites.
In some cases, you could navigate to a website that appears exactly like a popular online retailer (such as Amazon.com), though the url will be slightly different. These sites are often called “Phishing” sites, and they exist for one primary purpose – to steal your information! The best way to avoid being scammed by a phishing website is to install a browser that checks each site to make sure that it’s genuine. Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox both have the ability to check for phishing websites.

Using a Credit Card?
Most of the safety surrounding use of your credit card online is common sense. Never give out your credit card information to an individual who contacts you claiming to be from a certain company (without verifying their identity). Always keep track of the charges that show up on your credit card statement, looking out for fraudulent transactions.

Educating Your Children
If you have children, its important that you have a sit-down talk with them about shopping online. Your child may need to purchase online gifts for family members. When in doubt, always try to make sure that their online time is supervised, either by a parent or a responsible adult. Many parents don’t let their children shop online until they are old enough to use the internet responsibly.

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This post is originally authored at the home security blog at FamilyHomeSecurity.com.

Joe Ryan opened a bill from his hospital saying he owed them $44,000 for a surgery. The only problem was he’d never gone to the hospital for the surgery. He didn’t have any scars that surgery would have left behind, he didn’t miss any work, but the hospital insisted he owed them money. He had become a victim of medical identity theft and his credit was ruined.

Medical identity theft is an increasing problem for families in America. It is the fastest growing kind of ID theft. Estimates show that 250,000-500,000 people fall victim to medical identity theft every year. On average, the theft costs the victim $20,160 and can lead to a loss of coverage or a destroyed credit.

Anndorie Sachs, a mother of four in Salt Lake City, became of victim of medical identity theft when her driver’s license was stolen by a drug abuser. The drug abuser also found Sach’s medical records. She checked into a hospital using Sach’s identification, had her baby and used Sachs’s insurance to pay the bills. Sachs didn’t know about the theft until she received a call from the hospital saying her baby had tested positive for methamphetamine. “I said I had not recently had a baby, that my youngest were 2 years old,” Sachs recalled. She told them, “Come meet me and you’ll know that I didn’t just have a baby.” Convincing investigators that she was a victim of medical identity theft was no easy task, though.

Medical identity theft can cost more than just money. It can cost a life. When medical records are stolen, they are often altered. Blood types are changed, medicine you may be allergic to disappears from your records and previous surgeries are erased. If you are suddenly rushed into emergency surgery, you and your doctor may not catch these mistakes before it’s too late.

To prevent medical identity theft, watch your credit report. Pay attention to the medical debts listed, large or small, and make sure they belong to you. Examine explanations of benefits from your insurer. If something is incorrect or doesn’t belong, contact your insurer. Request a record of the benefits that have been paid for under your name once a year. Do not ignore any statement you get that isn’t yours – even if it says you don’t owe money.

Sources:

http://www.healthnewsdigest.com/news/Guest_Columnist_710/Preventing_Medical_Identity_Theft.shtml

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/medical-identity-theft-protect-identity/story?id=10047398&page=1

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2. How to Protect Yourself from Identity Theft This post is originally authored at the home security blog...
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4. Identity Theft and Credit Card Security This post is originally authored at the home security blog...

This post is originally authored at the home security blog at FamilyHomeSecurity.com.

What kind of information do you share online?

Many people aren’t fully aware of how much information they are sharing with other people, companies and users on the internet. Its easy to forget that everything that many of the things you post online quickly becomes documented, archived and picked up by search engines. With a few keystrokes, a stranger could find out more about you than you may realize.

There was recently a lot of buzz about “Please Rob Me“, a website that collected and published when certain users on twitter advertised that they were not at home. Since then, there has been criticism, validation and other reactions to the concept of shedding light on social network information sharing. Please Rob Me has since stopped publishing a live feed of twitter updates, with a message from one of the site’s founders:

Currently we’re looking through the emails we’ve received regarding the future of the website. As soon as we’ve thought of a suitable way to continue, you’ll find it right here. We’re not showing the Twitter messages anymore, as they no longer add anything. If you don’t want your information to show up everywhere, don’t over-share

Another website, “I Can Stalk U“, has picked up on the same concept, publishing a feed of when certain people blatantly advertise that they will be out of their homes.

“Rob Me Now” is another website that searches for phrases and tags that indicate when someone has left home. A message from the site’s founders says:

Gowalla is a fun application. Geotagging is fun. But please, think before you Geotag. It would be really easy to use 4sq or gowal.la as “todo” list for a burglar – but this is nothing we recommend or encourage! Do not tweet/blog about your vacation plans. Don’t use your voicemail to tell people when you are away. Use email auto responders wisely – don’t tell exactly when you are on vacation.

What Does This Mean?

As facebook is possibly going to be releasing a new location sharing feature soon, it’s extremely important to understand why location sharing is such a big deal. The backlash against websites such as “Please Rob Me” and “I Can Stalk U” has been considerable, with some people even going as far to claim that these sites are participating in “fear-mongering”.

The reality is, of course, subject to personal interpretation, and is defined only with what you feel comfortable with. However, you need to be fully aware of the potential consequences of making your location publicly available. If you aren’t comfortable with a stranger being able to approach you at a restaurant and say “Hey, I saw that you were here from your post on Twitter, so I came here too”, then you should probably be opting out of most location sharing features.

The issue of burglary is another potential consequence of location sharing, which has also recently been highlighted in news stories. A burglar planning to hit a specific neighborhood could search on facebook, twitter or other social networks in order to determine daily schedules. For example, if you are “checking in” twice per week at your yoga class, a burglar would be able to determine that you are usually not home during the same days each week.

What Should I Do?

Here are a few videos to help you to tweak some of your privacy settings. Remember, even with good privacy settings, you should always be mindful of the information that you share online. Never, ever share information that reveals detailed personal information, even to people who claim to be administrators of a social networking website!

Modifying Your Privacy Settings on Facebook
Here is an explanation of how to modify some of your privacy settings on facebook. After new updates to the privacy settings (as well as the default option for many items being “viewable by everyone”), it’s a bit difficult to understand or modify some of the settings. This short video shows how to make some of your data not viewable, or unable to be indexed by third parties.

Click here to view the embedded video.

How to Modify Your Privacy Settings on Facebook
This is another explanatory video detailing how you can modify your privacy settings. This video is more recent than the previous video, and also shows you how to opt out of many of the sharing features that are included on facebook. It also includes a more detailed explanation of how to modify and change your settings. Many of these features have the same configuration settings as previous versions of facebook.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Identity Theft on Facebook is Easy
This interesting video details a study that a company did about identity theft on facebook. They created a fake profile, and did an experiment to see exactly how many people they could convince to share information with them. Amazingly, a large number of people responded, unknowingly sharing a large percentage of their personal information with the “anonymous” profiles. Keep this in mind next time you respond to a friend request from someone that you don’t know!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Setting up a Twitter Account
This video shows how to set up a very basic twitter account, as well as how to tweak some of your twitter settings. However, this video isn’t focused on privacy, and should only be used as a rudimentary reference. Always modify your twitter settings to reflect the amount of privacy you want to have over who views your information.

Click here to view the embedded video.

**Title Photo Source: http://image3.examiner.com/images/blog/EXID39209/images/resized_foursquare.jpg

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This post is originally authored at the home security blog at FamilyHomeSecurity.com.

Unfortunately, we live in an age where people can’t always be relied upon for their honesty. In some cases, it may be necessary to check identification information, references and other information before building a relationship with a person. Doing a background check can be an effective way to help build trust with a new individual, and to keep your own interests safe.

For example, many parents often do a thorough background check on a potential nanny before hiring them to care for children. There are a variety of methods you can use for doing a background check, some of which require the services of a professional. Here are a few of the options you may use to do a background check on an individual.

Before You Begin

Before you begin searching for methods to use for a background check, you first need to gather information about the individual. While some services may require only a name and address, you should try to gather the following information:

• Name
• Current Address
• Past Addresses
• Employment History
• Social Security Number
• License Number
  

After gathering this information about the individual that you will be doing the background check on, have them sign a form that confirms that all of the information that they have given you is up-to-date and correct.

By having this information, you can make the process of acquiring a background check much easier.You may also need to acquire written consent from the person that you will be checking up on. For example, if you are doing a background check on a potential employee of your company, you would have them sign a form giving you permission to access their background information. Without this consent form, you may not be able to acquire background information about an individual.

Hiring an Agency

Since doing a background check on someone yourself can be difficult, some people opt to hire the services of a professional agency. Unfortunately, there are many fraudulent background checking agencies, which may steal or sell personal information about individuals. Be sure to thoroughly research the agency that you use, including testimonials from their past customers.

The main drawback of hiring a professional agency to do a background check is that it can be very expensive. Depending on the scope of your search, some agencies may charge thousands of dollars for their services. Be sure that you take into account the cost of a background check before hiring an agency.

Doing it Yourself

State governments often handle background checks on criminal history. As stated above, you will most likely need to provide a consent form in order to access this information. To check someone’s credit report, you will have to pay a fee to the credit agency. Also, there are several state and federal laws that designate what kinds of decisions you can make based on someone’s credit report. To check a person’s educational references, you usually only have to make a phone call requesting the information. To check someone’s driving records, you can contact the DMV in the person’s state(s) of residence. You will usually need to provide all relevant information (including the person’s license number), and the DMV may charge you for accessing this information.

This post is originally authored at the home security blog at FamilyHomeSecurity.com.

It’s a warm September night, and your family is out visiting friends. While you’re away, a black-clad figure darts onto your lawn, avoiding the headlights of passing cars. The burglar uses a crowbar to pry open an unlocked window, and slips inside. Within minutes, the thief has stuffed a bag full of electronics, jewelry and other valuable items. Suddenly, he happens upon your desk drawer full of important documents. Bank records, social security cards, passports, birth certificates and other items are neatly filed away with tabbed labels. Suddenly, this petty thief has become a different kind of criminal – an identity thief.

One in every 10 US consumers has already been a victim of identity theft, according to statistics published in 2009. What’s even more surprising, is that from 9-18% of people victimized by identity theft don’t discover that their identity has been stolen for over four years.

Stolen Identity? What to Do Immediately

Once you figure out that your identity has been compromised or stolen, you need to take action as soon as possible. Here are some things that you should do immediately, to minimize damage.

Cancel Your Cards.
This may seem like common sense, but some people aren’t even aware of the customer service number to call to cancel their credit/debit cards. For debit cards, you should call the bank at which you have an account. If it’s an online bank (such as Paypal), you can usually cancel your cards by calling the customer service number on their website.

Close Your Accounts
Even if you aren’t fully aware of how much your identity has been compromised, it’s still highly recommended that you close all accounts associated with your name. Once you have done research about fraudulent activities done in your name, you may have to close accounts that were opened without your knowledge.

Put a “Fraud Alert” On Your Credit Reports
By placing a fraud alert on your credit reports with all three credit bureaus, you can prevent additional damage to your credit score. When an inquiry is made on your credit report (possibly by the person who has stolen your identity), the fraud alert may prevent them from being able to open any additional accounts in your name. Here are the numbers for all three credit bureaus:

• Experian: 1-888-397-3742
• Equifax: 1-800-525-6285
• TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289

You should also obtain a copy of your credit report from all three credit bureaus. This can give you a better understanding of some of the financial activities an identity thief has done in your name. You may also find inaccurate information that has been changed and/or modified – it’s important that you get this information removed immediately.

Contact the Federal Trade Commission
It’s highly recommended that you contact the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) to file a formal complaint. This provides important information that allows your case to be investigated by law enforcement officials. Here is the phone number for the FTC’s identity theft hotline:

• FTC: 1-877-438-4338

Contact the Police
Filing a report with the police can actually be one of the more difficult actions that you take in protecting your identity. First, contact the local police in your area and ask to file an in-person report. If they say that they aren’t required to take police reports for identity theft (which is the case in some states), you can contact your state’s Attorney General. When you file your report, be sure that you have a copy of your credit report, documentation about all action that you have taken to protect your identity, as well as a copy of the complaint that you filed with the Federal Trade Commission.

Sources:

http://www.spendonlife.com/guide/identity-theft-statistics

http://www.yourcreditadvisor.com/blog/2007/03/your_identity_h.html

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/consumers/defend.html

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This post is originally authored at the home security blog at FamilyHomeSecurity.com.

Identity theft is gaining more recognition as being a legitimate threat to people worldwide. Aside from being featured in TV shows, movies and books, identity theft has also become a problem for everyday consumers as well. You may not realize it, but every time you use your credit or debit card, you are putting yourself at risk for the theft of your identity. Today’s identity criminals may only require your name, address or your social security number in order to assume your identity, effectively ruining your name, reputation and credit score. Here is a general guide designed to help give you more information about identity theft, and the methods a thief may use to steal your identity.

What is Identity Theft?

Any time someone uses a credit card number, social security number, name or other information that doesn’t belong to them, they have committed identity theft. Often times, criminals will steal the information of others in order to commit crimes, make large purchases or fund fraudulent activities. It is becoming more common, even as many people are taking steps in order to protect their personal information.

Am I At Risk for Identity Theft?

In the United States alone, it’s estimated that over 9 million people have their identities stolen each year. In many cases, the affected people don’t even realize that their identities have been stolen until the damage has already been done. Identity theft takes many forms, as criminals now have sophisticated methods that they may use in order to steal your identity. In general, every person with a bank account, credit card or social security number is technically at risk for identity theft.

How Can My Identity Be Stolen?

There are many methods that identity thieves may use in order to assume someone else’s identity. Some of these methods are performed in public places, such as restaurants or retail stores. Other methods make use of fraudulent emails, phone calls or letters claiming to be a company that requires your information. Some examples of methods of identity theft include:

Physical Theft
When you lose your credit card, driver’s licence or social security card to a thief, you are at immediate risk of having your identity stolen. Some thieves still resort to straight stealing of a person’s wallet, identification documents or purse. In addition to this, some thieves bribe employees of banks or other institutions that have access to your personal information.

Phishing
In this method, a thief will assume the identity of a reputable company or banking institution, perhaps a company that you already do business with. They will send you emails, letters or other documents stating that they need to “update their records”, or “confirm your information”, in order to convince you to surrender your personal data to them.

Skimming
In this method, a thief will wear a special scanning device when working at a location that processes credit cards (such as a restaurant or retail store). When they run your card through the store’s system, they will also run the card through their scanning device. This device will store your name, address, credit card number and any other information associated with your card. They may either use this information to steal your identity, or sell it to another thief.

Dumpster Diving
Perhaps one of the most well-known methods for identity theft involves a thief rummaging through a person’s trash to search for important documents. These documents may be credit card offers, bills, bank statements, pre-approved credit offers, bank checks or tax documents. Once they have this information, they can effectively steal your identity.

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This post is originally authored at the home security blog at FamilyHomeSecurity.com.

In today’s world of technology, we are constantly exchanging personal information over email, telephone calls and while browsing the internet. While this has provided us with enhanced methods of communication, it has also spawned the growth of new types of criminal activity. Identity theft is rapidly becoming more common, as many people mistakenly believe that their personal information is not in danger of being stolen. However, in reality, over 9 million people have their identities stolen each year, in the United States alone. To help protect yourself, it’s best if you are aware of certain things that you can do to help protect yourself against identity theft.

Identity Theft Prevention Tip 1: Purchase a Paper Shredder.
Many criminals obtain enough personal information from a person’s garbage to steal their identity. For example, many thieves search the garbage of high-end apartments and housing complexes, searching for important documents. With a bank statement, a utility bill, a pre-screened credit offer or another piece of “trash”, a thief may have all he needs in order to steal your identity.

To prevent this, purchase a heavy-duty paper shredder. This way, you can make sure that any important documents that you put in your trash won’t be able to be used to steal your identity. If you wish, you can also purchase a shredder that is able to destroy CD’s, discs and DVD’s, if you have any stored personal information on them that needs to be disposed safely.

Identity Theft Prevention Tip 2: Modify Your Bank Checks.
Many people don’t realize that the information that is printed on their bank checks could potentially be used in identity theft. For example, many people have their social security number or telephone number printed on their checks. While it’s often required to have your address on a bank check, any other information is unnecessary. If a potential thief got hold of one of your bank checks, he could have the name of your bank, your account number, your phone number and your social security number. This would be more than enough information for your identity to be stolen.

Identity Theft Prevention Tip 3: Screen Your Phone Calls.
When first setting up an account with a bank, credit card company or utilities company, they may require personal information (such as your mother’s maiden name, social security number, past residences, etc) when activating your account. However, once this information is on file, most companies will not contact you again to “confirm” this information. Be wary of any phone calls from anyone who claims to be a representative from a company, asking for personal information. It’s highly possible that this could be a fraudulent phone call.

Identity Theft Prevention Tip 4:Secure Your Computer.
Many people think that storing personal information (such as bank account numbers, email passwords, etc) on their computer automatically makes it “safe”. However, there are many different computer viruses that are designed to give identity thieves access to all of your information. To prevent this, it’s best if you protect your computer with a firewall. A firewall will make it difficult (if not impossible) for your computer to be infiltrated by a potentially dangerous virus.

If you have Windows Vista or Windows 7, your computer has an effective built-in firewall already installed. However, you still need to make sure that this firewall is enabled. Navigate through your Control Panel to “Windows Firewall” or “System and Security”. Make sure that the firewall is enabled and protecting your computer. If you don’t have a firewall, there are several different programs you can purchase to protect your computer. There are also free firewalls that you can use to help protect your computer.

Identity Theft Prevention Tip 5: Screen Your Emails.
Many identity thieves will attempt to get you to surrender personal information by email. You may get an email stating that you’ve won a prize of significant value, or have been “specially selected” to receive a cash reward. Other common scams involve emails that state that you have won a foreign lottery, or are the benefactor of the funds of a deceased distant relative. Don’t be fooled! These emails are usually designed to ask for your information in order for you to receive your prize. While some of these emails are simple spam emails (designed to promote a product, charge “monthly subscription” fees, etc), it’s very possible that by replying to these emails, you could have your personal information stolen.

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This post is originally authored at the home security blog at FamilyHomeSecurity.com.

The idea of typing your credit card number onto a webpage can make you nervous. But it shouldn’t. Although very occasionally e-commerce websites get hacked, using a credit card for online shopping actually offers you some protection should you ever get ripped off. Luckily, when online fraud is involved many banks and merchants will credit you back the amount owed provided you catch the mistake in time. However as always, prevention is the best protection so here we provide some general information to keep your credit card details safe when you are shopping online.

Online Shopping Tip 1 – Make sure the site is legitimate

Before you purchase anything you should check over the site’s details to ensure it is legitimate so you may shop with confidence. Check that:

-The store accepts credit card or PayPal payments. Never send cash or a check to a website.

-Site uses SSL encryption to protect customer data en route to the site.

-Site sports logos from trusted authorities such as VeriSign and the Better Business Bureau Online.

-Store lists its real world location, including phone numbers and a street address.

-Site offers a detailed privacy policy describing the information it collects and what it does with the data.

Even after checking over these steps you’ll need to monitor your credit card account carefully to make sure nobody is adding bogus extra charges to your account after you make your purchase. Most banks put a limit on how long after the initial purchase that you can dispute a charge, so examine your monthly statements or check your account more often.

An alternative while shopping online is to get a separate credit card with a lower limit to use exclusively for online purchases. This will lower your risks of being badly ripped off.

Online Shopping Tip 1 – Extra security measures to protect your credit card details

If you’re still unconvinced and want to feel more secure shopping online there are measures you can take.

You can get a disposable credit card number. Citibank (www.citibank.com/us/cards/tour/cb/shp_van.htm) and Discover (www2.discovercard.com/deskshop)are services that work for a single transaction so even if the card it stolen it will be useless to be further ripped off.

Another alternative are merchants such as Amazon.com who will let you place your order online and then provide your credit card details over the phone.

A final option is to sign up for a PayPal account (www.paypal.com). PayPal will act as the middle man between you and the seller so that you credit card details never directly pass hands.

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