WHO IS ROBBING YOU: IDENTITY THEFT

Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in America and you may be having your personal identity robbed from you without you even knowing it for months on end.  It can bankrupt you in just minutes and ruin your reputation and your credit for years, maybe for life.  It is no joke and it is happening every day.

The thief is stealing your identity for the purpose of gaining access to your accounts, to get a credit card, buy a house, rent an apartment, establish an account with a utility company, garage, or buy a vehicle, get charge accounts at stores or credit cards from banks, buy airline tickets or a vacation package to some luxury destination, get a loan or even file for bankruptcy.  They are robbing you blind and all before you even have a clue it is happening.  While they are enjoying life on easy street your life is going right down the tube.

You probably don’t know the thief and the thief doesn’t know you either nor does the thief care who you are or what your circumstances may be.  He has no pity.  All the thief wants are those magic numbers, your numbers.  He wants your good name and every dime you earn or ever have earned.  He doesn’t care how hard you worked for it so long as he gets it, gets it all and he knows how to do it. 

Sadly too many of us just hand it over without even knowing we are doing it.  You go to bed one night thinking you have a nice chunk of money stashed away for a rainy day and all your bills are paid to date and you wake up more broke than a crushed bag of pretzels without a dime to your name and insurmountable debt.  You’ve been robbed; your identity stolen and someone has had a field-day on your good name.  It is a shame but it is happening every day, over and over.

All the identity thief needs is your birth date, your address and your telephone number, land line or your cell phone and he needs your social security number, not even the whole number and any combination of these numbers to steal your identity, pretend to be you.  Once the robber opens one account it is really easy for him to open more or borrow funds in your name.  Those are now your bills, not his, but he gets all the benefits and you get the migraine.  How did this happen?  You didn’t do it.  You’ve been robbed; your identity has been violated.

These identity thieves gather information about you from your insurance carriers, your banks, loan companies, your doctor, your lawyer, schools and colleges, your employer, military installations, government installations, accountants, government assistance programs, anyplace they can hack into.  They know how to do it and they are very good at it.  They pick up your personal information from your discarded mail such as bank statements, pre-approved credit applications, your utility bills, store charge receipts, ATM receipts, PIN numbers that you use carelessly, credit card slips and banking card and loan offers you get in the mail.  Be sure you know who you are dealing with.  You just may be dealing with a thief.   Leave no footprint to your identity where anyone can get their hands on it.  Be careful of how you do business.

They hack into your computer and steal your identifying information when you purchase on line or they may send you an email that looks legitimate enough from a company you deal with asking for an update on your account information that links you to a fake website where they collect all that vital information that gives them free access to YOU.  They become you because they have just stolen all your personal information.  Now they can buy, live free, take your dream vacation, enjoy your retirement and you can’t charge a loaf of bread if your life depended on it.  Your financial reputation falls into the hands of collection agencies and you will spend the next seven to ten years straightening out the whole mess, if you ever can…And all because one person robbed you of your identity.

There are ways to prevent or at the very least protect you from identity theft to a very large degree and a lot of it is just plain common sense.  We need to treat our identity with respect and not be careless in how we use it.

You don’t need a dozen different credit cards.  Get rid of the excess. Cancel the credit cards you do not use on a regular basis.  If you haven’t used one in the past three months you definitely do not need it.  Shred your card.

Minimize your personal identification information and only carry the cards you will be using that day or weekend.  Take only what you actually need to use.  Create passwords and PINs that are not easily guessed and create passwords that are at least eight characters and a mix of letters, both upper and lower case, and a combination of numbers that do not fall in sequence.  Do Not use common words or phrases, your zip code or other identifying numbers. (SAMPLE: kCEhC_3-101.tOPs-7Y_m84 is a safe password or PIN)  Using dots, dashes and underscore is also helpful.  Most places allow 4 to 24 characters in a password or PIN. 

Make a list of all your credit card and bank account numbers with the customer service phone numbers and your PIN numbers and keep them in a safe, locked place where others cannot get to them, or not easily.  Don’t carry them in your wallet or purse.  Use a PIN number you can remember, one that is personal only to you and not a number someone else may easily identify.  Don’t use your birthday for example or the last four digits of your Social Security number.  Use words or spelling of a word that is not found in any dictionary.  Make up your own word.  Scramble the letters…And DO NOT put your Social Security number on your checks. 

If a business insist on a Social Security number give an alternate number using 3 digits, 2 digits and then 4 digits.  They may use this for identification so be sure you have the number you used for this particular business transaction written down or memorized.  For example, if there is a question regarding your account they may ask you for your social and they should not ask for more than the last four digits.  Never give your real one on a general business transaction.  Your local department store, your dentist or your doctor does not need it and should not ask for it.    

DO NOT give out personal information over the phone, through the mail or over the internet unless you are absolutely sure who you are speaking to or dealing with and you have initiated the contact.  Always ask for a call back number and the person you are dealing with to identify their self including a last name.  Get the address of the business you are dealing with and not just a PO Box.  Get a physical address.

Ask for the business manager’s or owner’s identity and who the caller’s supervisor is.  Don’t be afraid to ask questions.  Write all this information down and keep it; just in case.  It may seem like a lot of work and a waste of time but you will be glad you did when you have to unscramble the mess an identity thief made of your life.

NEVER submit your credit card number to any website unless it is encrypted on a secure site (https) and look for the button on the screen for a padlock symbol and DO NOT select to save your information for later use in other transactions.  It may take you a few seconds longer to time the information in again for your next transaction but it will also protect you from having an unknown person making transactions with your identity.  When logging into a website log in each time rather than having your information saved and use a pseudonym, not your real name for log in.

Be careful when using an ATM or a long distance phone card and be aware of who is standing near you.  That someone may be looking over your shoulder to get your PIN number.

Shred all personally identifying papers you are discarding, like pay stubs, bank statements, credit card statements, old cancelled checks, old tax forms, insurance forms, pre-approved credit card applications, any and all financial information; shred it, don’t just tear it into a few pieces and toss it.  Don’t hand the thief a jig-saw puzzle that he can simply put together and then have a field day with your good name.

Know the approximate date of your billing cycles from companies you do business with.  If bills do not arrive within 2 or 3 mailing days of the usual date call the company and make sure they have your correct mailing address and ask if the bills have been mailed.  If they have been mailed and you haven’t received it, check for a change of address they may have that was given them by an identity thief that may have taken over your account.  A change of address should not be given over the phone but should be done through the U. S. Postal Service in writing, signed by you.

The same goes for any request you may have made for a credit card.  If it is approved and does not arrive in a timely manner check with the bank or financial institution to see if a change of address has been given.  An identity thief may be using your new card.

Check your personal credit at least twice a year or any time you suspect someone may be using your personal information in a way that is harmful to you.  The Fair Credit Reporting Act allows you to get your credit report from three major bureaus once every year.  The three bureaus are Equifax, Experian and Trans Union or you can go to www.annualcreditreport.com on the internet and get your personal credit information. 

If you find a problem correct any mistakes you find on your credit report immediately by sending a letter to the reporting agency with an itemized list of all problems and a copy of the report you received.  Keep a copy of your letter and mail it to them “Return Receipt Request.”  Contact the fraud department of these agencies.  Close all accounts you believe may have been tampered with in any way and file a police report and send a copy of the report to your creditors…And file your complaint with the Federal Trades Commission. 

DO NOT give out personal information on social networking sites like Face Book or Twitter.  Use a pseudonym.  And don’t give details of you vacation plans or when you will be away from home or for how long.  Don’t give an identity thief an open door to your personal business.  It is not their business.

Protect your computer by using firewalls and anti-virus software and keep it live, active and up-to-date.

Don’t be a victim to identity theft.   This may all seem a little paranoid but there is nothing paranoid to wake up in the morning to find your accounts have been hacked, your identity stolen and you are worse than broke.  Safe is always better than sorry.

For further information you may want to read

THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO E-SECURITY by Michael Chesbro

And/or DON’T BE A VICTIM by Michael E. Chesbro

IDENTITY THEFT by John Q. Newman 

You are not only stuck with hundreds of dollars of debt, you are in a tangled web that will most likely take years to get out of. There were more than 3000,000 such cases in 2010 according to the Federal Trade Commission. With all the tech savvy thieves those numbers can only go up.

Medical fraud can be as simple as someone at the doctor’s office swiping you ID and insurance information or your social security number. Even some doctors will download your information from data bases and charge you for services you never had. Nurses, receptionists and pharmacists can use your identity to get drugs for themselves or to sell. Organized crime rings might also be involved, which buy and sell stolen information on the black market.

Medical fraud accounts for as much as 60% of all identity theft in the United States. It can be disastrous. You might not even be aware of it for a long time. Many victims don’t learn of the fraud for one or two years afterwards. In the meantime the interest is building up and ruining your credit ratings. Your benefits can be maxed out and leave you with no insurance coverage, or you might be denied coverage later for preexisting conditions that you don’t have. Inaccurate records also threaten your health.

Guard your insurance card. Be very wary, if it’s lost or stolen report it right away. Since thieves will divert statements to another address, you’ll never know a false claim has been filed. Request an itemized list from your insurance company annually or more often. Keep a check on your credit report more than once a year. Unpaid medical bills will go in these reports. It’s the way most people find they have been victims of medical theft.

If you take a free screening for say, a vision exam, blood pressure test at a pharmacy or health fair, never give out your insurance card number or other personal information. If you suspect you are a victim, act fast. request a copy from your health care provider, even if you have to pay for it. Don’t mention fraud at this point. If it’s thought that your medical record might be mixed up, it will be almost impossible to access your own records.

Once you confirm it, call authorities and file a report at your local precinct. Also notify the FTC, at ftc.gov. click on “Consumer Protection” then, “File a Complaint.” or you can call 877-IDTHEFT. Then, call your medical providers to clear your records. You will have to do all the paper work but they can point you in the right direction.

Publish your articles on Triond and earn income, it’s free.

Ruby Hawk’s Articles:

http://socyberty.com/work/watch-out-for-job-scams/

http://socyberty.com/law/daniel-balsam-goes-after-spammers/

http://socyberty.com/crime/fraudulant-use-of-name-and-articles-settled/

http://bizcovering.com/business/companies-selling-your-personal-informations-for-billions/

http://socyberty.com/issues/violence-against-women/

What lessons did you learn from the recession? Many individuals learned to live more within their means because of the uncertainty of the next paycheck. Millions of people lost their jobs, or had their hours reduced drastically as corporations and businesses had to cutback for the survival of their businesses. Individuals relying on those businesses and corporations for a paycheck had to cutback on their own spending to survive the recession. Many who had never really had a budget before had to come up with a plan; even so, many still lost their homes to foreclosure and their cars to repossession.

In the news lately their have been some glimmers of hope to those deeply hit by this recession. Some job numbers are looking up and some don’t look so great. Unemployment numbers appear to be going down. However, there is a new crop of freshly graduated college seniors and high school seniors that will be entering the market looking for jobs. More and more older citizens are either staying in their jobs longer due to uncertainty or rejoining the workplace to make ends meet.

It is important to retain those lessons you have learned within the last few years. Although there may be signs that things are looking up – or at least that is what the politicians, corporations, and economists would want you to see; the economy is far from being stable. It appears that many consumers have already forgotten the lessons they have learned and consumer spending rose 2.7% in the first quarter of 2011.

Loosening your tight purse strings may be tempting, however, learning to be more conservative with the spending is a characteristic of truly successful individuals. It is important to learn to delay gratification and to work within a budget. Learning about money and how to manage it is important not only for children and young adults, but it is extremely important to learn about it as adults. The booming economy, “free-spending”, easy credit days of by-gone years are gone and may be for years to come. It is important to retain the lessons that the recession has taught us.

Checking Your Credit – It’s important to check your credit report. There may be things on there that you did not do – or even if you did you can see how some of your actions may be reflecting on your credit report. You can check all three credit reporting bureaus (transunion, equifax, experian) for your free credit report once a year. The report you will receive does not include your “credit score” that is an additional charge (which may make sense to pay the fee if you plan on purchasing a large ticket item within the next year). You can get your free credit report at (http://www.anualcreditreport.com).

Getting Organized – Getting your records, files, and bills organized is an important step to reducing debt, becoming financially secure, and recession proofing your finances. It is hard to pay the bills if you misplace them. Set up an area that is a designated “financial center” and immediately place your opened bills and other financial papers there. This will make tax time or looking for that receipt you need to return your merchandise.

Putting off Purchasing – Avoid spending on unneeded items. Question each and every purchase you make. Do you really need it? Calculate how many hours of work is required for the purchase – many times when you put it in perspective that “great deal” is not such a great deal. Sale items are only a good deal if you really need it – avoid spur of the moment purchases. Try shopping with a list and sticking to it. If you have a large amount of stuff in storage, in the garage, in the closets you probably are making too many unnecessary purchases. It really is amazing how quick those small purchases and trips to the fast food restaurant adds up. Putting the brakes on purchasing is one of the easiest ways to improve your financial situation.

Avoiding Late or “over-the-limit” fees – Banks and financial institutions really love the individual who is occasionally late, or over their limit, because they collect late fees that can be as high as $29 – $39 an incident. A good idea is to list all the bills that you owe and write them down on the calendar – this way you know who you have to pay, when it is due, and how much. It helps to eliminate those spur of the moment purchases when you see that the money is already spoken for.

Budgeting – developing a realistic plan – Develop a budget and make sure it is realistic. How much is coming in in one column and how much is going out in another column. If there is more going out – what can you reduce or eliminate? What do you really need vs what do you want? This may require some real soul searching (we’ll leave it at that for now). Here is a great free website that will help you to budget your money (https://www.mint.com).

Tracking your Spending – Are you wondering where all your money is going? You’ll be amazed what you are spending it on if you try tracking your spending. There are programs that help track spending such as Quickbooks. You can easily set up a spread sheet on the computer – some programs have templates already set-up to help with this. It is important to balance your checkbook by writing down your expenses and payments and subtracting from your deposits.

Paying Down your High Interest Credit Cards – If you have more than one credit card, be sure you are paying down the higher interest credit cards faster. But remember to pay them all on time and at least the minimum. A good habit to get into is to always pay more than the minimum amount due on the credit card.

Knowing What you Owe – (Open those Bills) – Opening the bills and knowing what you owe is half the battle; don’t avoid opening the bills because you don’t want to see the bad news. Write the bills on your calendar to remind you when it is due.

Look Into Refinancing – If you have a mortgage or loan look into refinancing – Interest rates are very low right now. There are online calculators that will help you determine whether it makes sense to refinance.

Create an Emergency Slush Fund – Start saving for an emergency. A good rule of thumb is to have 3 to 6 months of living expenses saved for a rainy day.

Don’t let the lessons you learned during the recession be forgotten so easy. Don’t allow yourselves to be lured back into the consumer mentality of spend and charge.

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I was told that the background check and drug screen would take about 3 weeks to get back,  but I would go to work in May.  I know I don’t take drugs and know that the drug screen would be okay.  They called and told me the drug screen was clean and as soon as the back ground check got back I would go to work.  This was on Wednesday.

Today is Saturday.  I received in the mail a letter that told me that they were sorry to inform me I did not meet the standards of the work criteria.  Seems I was rejected due to a my credit. We filed for Chapter 13 in August of 2010. We choose to file Chapter 13 so that we could pay back every bill due to anyone we owe.  My husband is a heart patient.  He has 7 stints in his heart, and takes many medications to keep him from having a heart attack.  We aren’t bums and don’t intend on cheating anyone out of any money we owe.  We just didn’t have $150,000 extra dollars laying around to pay for health care that the insurance didn’t pay.  We work hard and have lost just about everything we own in the last year.  Bankruptcy was our last resort.  Anyone can be put into the situation at any given time. 

Loosing the job doesn’t bother me as much as having every bill that was put on the Bankruptcy, highlighted and mailed to me from this Hospital.  That’s a smack in the face.  Besides that what does my credit have to do with a Scheduling Position anyway?  I am hard worker, and have been working in Medical Offices for the last 13 years.  Its all I know, and its what I have made a living out of doing.  I feel this is a form of discrimination. 

Bad things happen to good people and sometimes we have no, control over them.  Not once was I ever ask why I filed a chapter 13. Or why I have bad credit.  There are reasons, and sometimes we have no choice.  I have to have a home and a car to survive in this world.  We would be homeless if we hadn’t filed, and we would have lost our car.  So how are we suppose to continue doing the correct thing in this life if we are discriminated against?  Presently my husband and I are eating one meal a day and going without the basics to just be able to live.   This is so unfair!!

There are plenty of ways that you can find out your credit score and one of the easiest ways is by doing it online. A simple five minutes spent filling out an online form will let you see your chances of getting credit now and in the future, any problems that you may have had in the past and even if someone has tried to obtain credit on your behalf. This is one of the most popular ways to keep an eye out on identity theft and therefore means doing this quick task annually could save you a lot of stress in the long run.

If you have had troubles in the past with regards to money, your credit report will show you this and this is a very quick way to learn how to avoid problems in the future. If the reasoning behind your bad credit is because you were late paying bills, you may extra special care in the future to pay all of your bills on time and the same theory can be applied to any credit problems. We can all be silly with money when we are younger and just starting out on our own away from parental guidance but what you do not realize is the impact that these decisions can have on your life in the future especially when it comes to buying a house.

As a general rule, it is a good idea to find out your credit score on a yearly basis to ensure that not only is your credit safe and in a good place but also to make sure that no-one is trying to steal your identity. Why not try looking at your credit report online to see if you can find something interesting out about yourself today?

If that person does not make you laugh on a daily basis. Every relationship must have laughter.

Do not accept proposal if you already argue over finances. It only gets worse after marriage. Two debts become one. Be sure to check and compare credit reports. Credit is a big deal especially when buying your first home together. Once you marry your partner, your debt becomes theirs, and theirs becomes yours so be careful.

Never get married due to a pregnancy. Marriage may not be the answer. Just because you were compatible one night, doesn’t mean that you will be compatible the rest of your lives. So marriage may actually hurt your child. They would rather see you happy than have parents who fight, especially in front of them.

Most importantly, don’t marry a man or woman who is abusive. It is much easier to escape their grasp if you leave before taking the vow. If a person is abusive before marriage, it is only going to get worse. Even if it is verbal abuse, it is most likely to turn to physical abuse. Many times they try to keep you by making you think that everything is all your fault.

Those are just a few of my thoughts. I hope I will be able to help at least one person through this piece. So don’t just say yes to any man or woman when it comes to their hand in marriage. You must be completely in love with that person in order for that marriage to prosper.

Before the commercialized romantic assaults clouds your judgment too much, have an honest discussion with your intended about credit, specifically their current credit debt and their credit history.

If you’ve worked hard to establish a good credit rating and your intended has significant debt, or perhaps even defaulted debt, it will effect you and not in a good way. Your good credit report will remain yours, but after marriage if the two of you apply for joint credit, both of your credit history reports will be taken into consideration when negotiating terms of a loan. A less-than-stellar credit report from either party of a joint loan application will result in a higher loan interest rate.

Love is grand, but credit is forever, and a bad credit report will negatively impact all your future loan applications as a couple.

Take an ‘I’ll show you mine if you show me yours’ approach to checking out each others credit report prior to popping the question this Valentine’s Day season. Definitely not romantic and not something that Hallmark makes a card for, but something that is necessary when planning a future a together.

Think about all the things you will need to fill out job applications, create a resume and fill out paperwork for background checks. This will include your current address and your addressed for the past 10-20 years. If you’re having trouble remembering all of this, go online and order a free credit report from one of the top three reporting agencies. It’s amazing all of the information contained there, but one useful item will be a list of all the addresses you’ve used. You will also need to know your social security number and your driver’s license number and expiration date, so jot these down also.

Your employment history

You will also need a comprehensive list of all the places you’ve worked, the address (or at least city and state), the name of your supervisor, your rate of pay and your title. Also list the job duties that were required, the equipment you used, and then make some notes about the accomplishments you had in that job. For the dates of these jobs, you’ll at least want to know the month and year. If you cannot remember these and the company is still in business, try calling the Human Resources department to see how you can get your starting and ending dates.

Your education

You will then need a list of every school you’ve attended going back to high school. Make sure you compile the start and ending months and dates, the subjects you studies, any diplomas or certificates earned, any awards you earned and any honor societies you joined. If you’ve taken additional training in business-related areas such as computer programming or Web site development, make sure you make a list of these since they will be relevant to an employer.

Your references

You will also need a list of references. For professional references, you’ll need at least three people who have worked with you in the past who will give you a great recommendation as an employee. It is a courtesy to contact them first and ask permission to use them as a reference, ask them the address and phone number they prefer that you use in your job applications and then thank them later after you get a job. You may also be asked for personal references. These can be your friends, however, choose carefully the people you ask to be your personal references. You want those friends who will present you well, speak well of you and conduct themselves professionally during an quick telephone interview.

Read your credit report

Did you order that free credit report to fill in the blanks on your addresses for the past 20 years? If you didn’t, you need to order this because these days most employers will run a credit check before they hire you. Make sure there are no surprises in your report. It is not uncommon for people to find errors, so get to them first and do what it takes to get them corrected.

Now that you’ve compiled all of this information, you can create your resume. You are also ready to fill out any form presented to you, so make sure you take your notes when you go to a business and are asked to fill out forms there. Many employers now have online applications and these will now be a breeze for you. Stick to the project and remain optimistic. You can get a job even if it’s been awhile since you’ve had one.

First of all, there are ways of keeping check on your credit report on a monthly basis. You can either pay a small fee to receive your credit report monthly or you can continue to dispute bad credit listed on your report in order to receive an updated report without paying. Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion give the opportunity for you to get a free report once a year, but that is not good enough to keep track of your credit.

Once you receive your report and you see some activity or opened accounts that are not yours then immediately contact the three consumer reporting companies and let them know. They will put a fraud alert on your report so that no other accounts can be opened. The Equifax number is 1800-525-6285

• The Experian number is 1888-experian
• The TransUnion number is 1800-680-7289

Check the address information listed on the reports to be sure that they are yours. If not, be sure that they change it. Also check the employment history to make sure it matches yours; otherwise change it to its correct information.

The next step would be to close the accounts that are not yours. This may hurt your credit score a little but it is worth it if you continue to risk someone getting all of your information and ruining your credit. You will need to contact these accounts and keep records of things said with who you talked to so that you will have it as proof. You will also want to have things in writing as well for instance, writing a letter to the company to inform them of a fraudulent account and the need to close it. Since this has become such a problem in past years most companies will not give you a hard time and will act quickly. You will also want to make sure to get records of activity on these accounts so that you can dispute these charges.

In order to help stop the person that stole your identity you will want to report it to the police and to the Federal Trade Commission. By doing this it will also help you to prevent the fraudulent information to continue on your credit report, it will extend the fraud alert, and make sure that the fraudulent information will not reappear later.