Let me start by telling you a little story about my friend Courtney and why she decided that protection against identity
theft was a must. Courtney loves to travel, in fact she has been all over Europe, to Japan, Mexico, Canada, and all across the United States. She always carries a couple of credit cards, some cash, an ATM card, and a few travelers checks. She has her passport, social security card, birth certificate, and drivers license on her at all time.Courtney was traveling through Florida one summer and her purse was snatched while she was in the restroom at a restaurant.
Her friend was supposed to be watching it, but it would not have matter because the thief was very slick and took it while flirting with Courtney's friend. Courtney had all of her identity in this purse. She was devastated. Her parents had to
wire her some money so that she could afford to get home since she could not swipe her credit card at the airport to claim her boarding pass. She actually had to take the bus because they were the only ones that would let her travel without a photo id and that even took some negotiating on her part.
When she arrived home she had to go to the hospital that she was born at to get a new birth certificate. Luckily she was
smart enough to leave a photo id from college at home so that she could use it with her birth certificate to get her social
security card. Then, she had to take it all to her license branch to get a duplicate drivers license. She also had to call
and cancel all her credit cards, bank cards, and she was out over $300 in cash, plus the purse was a $150 purse.
Fortunately for Courtney the thief only had enough time to use her credit card to purchase $500 worth of things and her
credit card company agreed to refund half of it to her. The thief was able to use her bank card for another $150, but the
bank was not as kind and would not refund any of Courtney's money for her.Courtney immediately decided that identity theft protection was a must for her. She found a great company online and did her
research, then she called them and got her peace of mind with her identity theft protection plan. Her plan costs her about $40 each month, but this one incident cost her over $800 plus many hours of her time and energy.
The moral of this story is that protection against identity theft is just as necessary as car, home, renters, or health
insurance. You need to be protected and you need a plan in case something like this ever happens to you.
We all need protection against identity theft and we all worry about our financial information being stolen. Don't worry, though, protecting yourself is not as hard as it might seem and you don't need to spend $50/month on some protection racket to keep you safe. The first thing you should do is be aware that the risks exist and that you could become a victim of identity theft. Understand that and you'll be all the more vigilant in protecting yourself against it. Next, know what the odds of your being a victim really are. For Americans, the odds are 1 in 5 that you'll be targeted for identity theft during your lifetime.
Of all the ID thefts that happen each year in America, only 11% of them are online. That's amazing, I know, but the real truth is that most identity thefts take place in the real world by conventional (non Internet) means. About 28% of those are credit card thefts and fraud and nearly 20% more are checking and savings account fraud. This means that your credit and banking accounts are the most likely targets for identity thieves to aim for.
The reasons for this are simple: consumer credit is easy to get, most people have it, and it's easy to use once stolen. Stealing information online is "sexier" for the news media to cover, so it's seen more often there, but it's relatively complicated and more difficult to do. Setting up a website, hiding yourself from authorities by masking all of the information used to set up the sites and information, and then getting email lists or other means to "advertise" is costly and time consuming. Stealing a wallet or purse is much simpler and easier.
Most thieves target the obvious: wallets, purses, cars and homes. Some are slightly more sophisticated, using cell phones or other methods to photograph cards as they're being used. Some work at the very store you're purchasing items from and do false swipes of your card to record it into small devices for this purpose.
Being aware of how you can be robbed is the first line of defense. This allows you to see what's going on around you and know the theft when it happens. Keep your eye on your cards at all times, limit the number of cards you carry with you, and keep your cards safe and secure when not in use. Keep your purse close to your body with your arm looped through the strap so it's harder to grab and steal. Keep your wallet in your front pocket where it's harder to pocket pick.
Be aware of who's around you when you're using the ATM and cover your hand while entering your PIN number. Do the same at the store when swiping your debit card. Hold your card in such a way that it can't be easily photographed-with a thumb over the numbers, or the face side (where your name and account number are) into the palm of your hand.
When you hand your card to a clerk, watch how it's handled and returned to you. Call attention to anything unusual or that doesn't seem right. Make sure the card is only swiped into the cash register and not into some other device. Never hand your card off to a waiter or clerk and let it out of your sight.
Finally, monitor your credit reports, bank accounts, credit card statements, etc. for changes you didn't authorize. You are entitled to one copy of your credit report from all three bureaus every year. Use it! Read through your bank and credit card statements line-by-line and look for charges or debits you didn't authorize. Many thieves avoid detection simply by using the card only once for a relatively small purchase and then moving on. Since most people don't read their bills every month and just look at the "total owed" balance, this means the thievery will likely never get noticed.
Just being aware of the risks and how to limit them will go a long way towards protection against identity theft. Don't worry about it obsessively, but know that it can happen and be vigilant about prevention. It's easier than you think!
theft was a must. Courtney loves to travel, in fact she has been all over Europe, to Japan, Mexico, Canada, and all across the United States. She always carries a couple of credit cards, some cash, an ATM card, and a few travelers checks. She has her passport, social security card, birth certificate, and drivers license on her at all time.Courtney was traveling through Florida one summer and her purse was snatched while she was in the restroom at a restaurant.
Her friend was supposed to be watching it, but it would not have matter because the thief was very slick and took it while flirting with Courtney's friend. Courtney had all of her identity in this purse. She was devastated. Her parents had to
wire her some money so that she could afford to get home since she could not swipe her credit card at the airport to claim her boarding pass. She actually had to take the bus because they were the only ones that would let her travel without a photo id and that even took some negotiating on her part.
When she arrived home she had to go to the hospital that she was born at to get a new birth certificate. Luckily she was
smart enough to leave a photo id from college at home so that she could use it with her birth certificate to get her social
security card. Then, she had to take it all to her license branch to get a duplicate drivers license. She also had to call
and cancel all her credit cards, bank cards, and she was out over $300 in cash, plus the purse was a $150 purse.
Fortunately for Courtney the thief only had enough time to use her credit card to purchase $500 worth of things and her
credit card company agreed to refund half of it to her. The thief was able to use her bank card for another $150, but the
bank was not as kind and would not refund any of Courtney's money for her.Courtney immediately decided that identity theft protection was a must for her. She found a great company online and did her
research, then she called them and got her peace of mind with her identity theft protection plan. Her plan costs her about $40 each month, but this one incident cost her over $800 plus many hours of her time and energy.
The moral of this story is that protection against identity theft is just as necessary as car, home, renters, or health
insurance. You need to be protected and you need a plan in case something like this ever happens to you.
We all need protection against identity theft and we all worry about our financial information being stolen. Don't worry, though, protecting yourself is not as hard as it might seem and you don't need to spend $50/month on some protection racket to keep you safe. The first thing you should do is be aware that the risks exist and that you could become a victim of identity theft. Understand that and you'll be all the more vigilant in protecting yourself against it. Next, know what the odds of your being a victim really are. For Americans, the odds are 1 in 5 that you'll be targeted for identity theft during your lifetime.
Of all the ID thefts that happen each year in America, only 11% of them are online. That's amazing, I know, but the real truth is that most identity thefts take place in the real world by conventional (non Internet) means. About 28% of those are credit card thefts and fraud and nearly 20% more are checking and savings account fraud. This means that your credit and banking accounts are the most likely targets for identity thieves to aim for.
The reasons for this are simple: consumer credit is easy to get, most people have it, and it's easy to use once stolen. Stealing information online is "sexier" for the news media to cover, so it's seen more often there, but it's relatively complicated and more difficult to do. Setting up a website, hiding yourself from authorities by masking all of the information used to set up the sites and information, and then getting email lists or other means to "advertise" is costly and time consuming. Stealing a wallet or purse is much simpler and easier.
Most thieves target the obvious: wallets, purses, cars and homes. Some are slightly more sophisticated, using cell phones or other methods to photograph cards as they're being used. Some work at the very store you're purchasing items from and do false swipes of your card to record it into small devices for this purpose.
Being aware of how you can be robbed is the first line of defense. This allows you to see what's going on around you and know the theft when it happens. Keep your eye on your cards at all times, limit the number of cards you carry with you, and keep your cards safe and secure when not in use. Keep your purse close to your body with your arm looped through the strap so it's harder to grab and steal. Keep your wallet in your front pocket where it's harder to pocket pick.
Be aware of who's around you when you're using the ATM and cover your hand while entering your PIN number. Do the same at the store when swiping your debit card. Hold your card in such a way that it can't be easily photographed-with a thumb over the numbers, or the face side (where your name and account number are) into the palm of your hand.
When you hand your card to a clerk, watch how it's handled and returned to you. Call attention to anything unusual or that doesn't seem right. Make sure the card is only swiped into the cash register and not into some other device. Never hand your card off to a waiter or clerk and let it out of your sight.
Finally, monitor your credit reports, bank accounts, credit card statements, etc. for changes you didn't authorize. You are entitled to one copy of your credit report from all three bureaus every year. Use it! Read through your bank and credit card statements line-by-line and look for charges or debits you didn't authorize. Many thieves avoid detection simply by using the card only once for a relatively small purchase and then moving on. Since most people don't read their bills every month and just look at the "total owed" balance, this means the thievery will likely never get noticed.
Just being aware of the risks and how to limit them will go a long way towards protection against identity theft. Don't worry about it obsessively, but know that it can happen and be vigilant about prevention. It's easier than you think!
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