While most people assume total strangers are the ones who steal mail to gain personal information, the truth is, most of the victims know the thief. It might be your significant other, an old friend, a local immigrant, construction workers in the area or even an advertisement delivery person.

Here is a list of the most commonly seen patterns and profiles of a typical mailbox thief or identity thief.

1. Love Interests: Many times, those who have their identity stolen or their mail stolen are the victims of their new significant other. It’s fairly easy for a significant other to steal mail, considering they know the person’s schedule, habits and may even gather the mail for them on occasion. Thus, if neighbors see this person collecting your mail, they likely won’t think twice. After all, they are a steady person in your life. However, many thieves look for relationships in which they can gain something significant. In fact, they may have entered into the relationship with the full intention of scamming you after they’d become a regular part of your life.

2. Old Friends: In thousands of mail theft cases, the thief is someone who the victim knew previously, but wasn’t extremely close with at the time of the mail theft. These people have an advantage of possibly knowing your schedule, the cars you drive and the income you make. They might even know if your credit rating is clear or other information like your mother’s maiden name or the banks you use. This can make their job much easier, should they infiltrate more information via your mail.

3. Immigrants: While you should obviously not racial profile, studies show most mail thieves and identity thieves work with larger groups based outside the US. In most cases, mail thieves aren’t isolated con artists working in your area only, or even by themselves. There are larger rings of mail theft operations located all around the world, with the sole purpose of gathering your personal information.

4. Construction Workers: If you live in an area where construction workers are often present, such as a community which is still being built or near a home that’s having a new roof put on, be wary. There have been thousands of cases involving construction workers and mail theft. These thieves are often disregarded as strangers in the neighborhood, because they’ve obviously been hired to do a specific job. However, they can use this level of neighborhood comfort to spy on your activity and figure out when the best time to snatch your mail might be.

5. Advertisement Delivery Personnel: Most of your local advertisements likely come included in your everyday mail delivery. However, in some areas, advertisements will be hung on your mailbox’s exterior areas by delivery people. Companies hire low wage workers to drive around to each mailbox and hang the advertisement tag. This can be extremely dangerous for you and your mail, however. It is all too easy for one of these drivers to simply open your box and get the mail out, unsuspectingly.

While any mailbox that locks may act as a deterrent to a potential thief and cause him to look for an easier target, this thought will not always protect you from these illegally driven individuals. Opting for a well built, heavy steel locking mailbox will help prevent yourself and your mail from becoming an easy target. Substandard quality containers can easily be opened with a screwdriver or a prying device. high end locking box will contain your mail in a truly safe fashion.

Available in a number of sizes, colors, and shapes, there’s a theft-resistant mailbox for everyone. Offering something for everyone, whatever your taste may be. Why own a shredder or carefully cut up all of your sensitive material, only to leave your mail as vulnerable as a sitting duck? After realizing that someone has stolen your identity it can cost thousands of dollars to rectify your credit and personal finances. prevent this from occurring than try to repair the damage that has been done. This will not happen to you if you buy a mailbox with a sturdy lock.

During these trying economic times, we all are looking for items that offer the best quality at the most reasonable price. When it comes to locking mailboxes, you get what you pay for – a cheap mailbox won’t provide the same level of security as a heavy built mailbox. Cheaper in price and quality. Identity theft costs a lot of money that could have been saved by a small investment in a locking mailbox.

Convincing a company they have never even applied for credit for their business may seem an impossible task. There are some who will take advantage of the current trend of identity theft, trying to pass on debts they made as the subject of identity theft. However, there are many people who experience this theft every day. The quicker they can begin to clean up the mess, the quicker they can get their financial lives back in order.

Just like the theft of any personal property, the theft of identity needs to be reported to the local authorities. The reason the person believes someone is obtaining credit without their knowledge and approval will have to be documented as will any suspicions of who may be responsible.

Once the report has been filed with the police, a copy will need to be sent to all three national credit reporting agencies. This will need to be done along with a request to halt any credit reports from being issued to any creditors. Banks, credit card companies and any other lenders with whom the victim deals will also need to be given a copy of the theft report. Then work can begin to clear up their good name.

With many credit cards and bank cards, obligations created with a stolen identity are nullified. However, this is done provided the right steps in reporting identity theft have been taken.

Additionally, some families are learning that identity theft insurance can offer protection beyond the financial losses.

In most cases of identity theft, even if the banks and credit card companies forgive the victim the money they have lost, there is the issue of their credit history being destroyed.

Their name will have been sullied by numerous negative items being reported to the three credit reporting agencies. It can be a time-consuming and demanding practice to have those items removed from the record.

As the person’s credit score drops dramatically, interest rates they are charged increased exponentially, if they are granted credit for just about anything. Even if their current lenders understand their dilemma, they may be reluctant to extend credit.

Some companies offering identity theft insurance will help restore a victim’s credit record as well as help clients recover any monetary losses they have suffered as a consequence.

Many people believe that identity theft only happens to those who are careless with their personal information.

While for the most part this might appear true, some companies and even government agencies have reported the theft of confidential information about their customers. This can compromise their identity information, regardless of how careful they have been protecting their own information.

Even as landlords and management companies entrusted with the purchase of a mail receptacle approved by the United States post office will try to keep things safe, cheap mail box raiders seek your identity. Depending how cheap your landlord is, they may find it. There are essentially two routes you can take at this juncture to safeguard your personal information.

First and foremost, consider contacting the building owner and lobby for the purchase of a secure, commercial mail box or even individual mail boxes to which only the tenant has a key. Granted the expense is higher. But, if you can get enough tenants to get together and appeal to the building owner, you may have some success.

Barring that, you may need to consider getting a post office box and keeping your mail and identity safe at the post office. Although it is a bit of an inconvenience to pick up the mail from there, the inconvenience you save yourself by not having to dispute fraudulent charges is huge!

While this is not as secure as the locked box—most individual boxes do not offer a locking feature—it does make it easier on the landlord who does not have to worry about getting back a key.

Of course, there are also other commercial mailbox options for apartments and townhomes, and many townhomes in particular have begun featuring the in-door mail slot. Since this virtually eliminates the need for an outside mailbox, the integrity of the building is maintained and so is the privacy of the individual renter or unit owner.

For larger apartment buildings this is of course not a viable option since mail carriers most likely will not be willing to traverse several floors within the building to drop off mail and instead will only consent to dropping the mail at a central location.

In some cases the manager’s office is still the mail drop off point and from there a clerk or employee may sort the mail into individual slots, but because of the security problem this approach represents it is virtually phased out—usually in favor of the communal mail drop with individual keys– as one of the commercial mailbox options for apartments and townhomes.

After all, there is no better way to stand out on the street than by virtue of the mailbox, and copper, aluminum and bronze mailboxes all have the ability to be crafted in such a manner as to be eye catching designs that passersby and others are bound to notice.

Many homeowners have begun to capitalize on the way personalized mail receptacle dress up a residence, and the truly imaginative have often chosen to make their own. While aluminum is the most commonly used material because of its inexpensive nature, copper is used with a bit more hesitation.

First and foremost, copper, aluminum and bronze mailboxes stand higher risks of being vandalized or stolen, but off all those, copper has the highest risk, simply because so many are now entering the recycling trade and found that there is good money to be had for copper wiring and other items.

Bronze is beautiful but it tends to be heavy and requires reinforcement of the pole and special anchoring and for this reason mailboxes made from this material are not stolen quite as often.

Of course, where Rubbermaid plastic weather and vandalism resistant mailboxes truly shine is in the arena of keeping safe the mail that is delivered in wet and cold climates and where frequent rain and snow has a way of interfering with many activities. Those with regulation plastic boxes know that very often water can leak into the receptacle itself and the resulting soggy mail is hardly easy to read.

At the same time, metal mailboxes do not fare any better in wet weather and although they keep out vandals, they do not prevent water from entering and some may actually begin rusting within days of being out outside. To this end the Rubbermaid plastic weather and vandalism resistant mailboxes present a line of products that fit each and every need, and do not encounter the problems that so many other mail receptacles have faced.

For the consumer, the line of Rubbermaid plastic and vandalism resistant mailboxes makes a lot of sense and even though some may a bit more costly at the onset, the fact that they do not need to be replaced nearly as often as some of their counterparts makes it clear that they will pay for themselves in virtually no time at all.

Having solar lighted mailboxes and posts in such a situation makes the job of the mail carrier a lot easier and also allows those coming home in the dark to see their lit up mailbox as the homing beacon alerting them to the proximity of their driveways. In such instances security for other reasons plays a vital role as well.

How easy would it be for an identity thief to simply drive by and empty your mailbox while you are away? Yet with the advent and growing popularity of solar lighted mailboxes and posts, this kind of activity no longer goes unnoticed but is now illuminated, greatly increasing the risk of the individual up to no good.

In addition to the foregoing, the idea that solar lighted mailboxes and posts are a great way of saving on money is a given. After all, simply consider that even without the need for electricity, your property is still properly illuminated and thus provides safety to your home as well as your mail – all with just the simple solar lighted mailboxes and posts.

There are specialty sites that offer mailbox covers for seasonal décor or fancy flags that add mailbox flair. You can show the neighborhood that you are a true blue cocker spaniel fan or flash the bright green of a john deer tractor. You can order these items online or you can do so through a catalog.

Replacement parts can also be found if you have had your mailbox damaged or destroyed in an unfortunate accident. If you cannot find the exact item you are looking for there are even sites that will take an item description or scanned photo and track down your item for you.

You can truly find what you need in mailbox accessories online. You may be interested in looking into a security mailbox. Locking Mailboxes can prevent you from falling victim to identity theft. If you are out of town for the season or just on vacation you don’t have to worry over the safety of your mail.

So if you are looking for any mailbox or other mail related items or accessories you can find it online. You don’t have to leave your home instead you can simply sit back in a comfortable chair and order the mail accessories that you are looking for.

You have everything canceled and your driver’s license replaced. Three months later you begin receiving collection agency phone calls about cellular phone bills, credit cards and loans. They have your name on them but you don’t live in Washington and you did not buy a houseboat. You have become a victim of identity theft. Who do you call? Where do you turn?

You can resolve this nightmare and have your identity repaired by using a restoration service online. These companies guarantee that they will make the phone calls and do the necessary talking to get this resolved. You simply have to have an affidavit notarized, get a police report, mail letters that are provided by the agency with instructions and keep track of this with a record form.

The stress and hassles are relieved. The collection calls and harassments are stopped. For a single person case it is estimated that it can take about $400.00 dollars to repair a persona-stolen identity. This may vary depending on the extent in which your identification was used and how many people it was sold to. No matter the cost of the repair it will be worth knowing that your name once again belongs to you.

If you have a mailbox fashioned from metal, spruce it up with magnets! There now entire scenes and holiday themes being sold for the express purpose of adorning your mailbox and it is not surprising that those loving their metal boxes are thinking of using this route to make it more attractive. Since it can be changed at any time, this is a wonderful way to spend some time with the kids decorating for the holidays or just killing an hour or two on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Install a fancy flag to your mailbox and when you are hailing the mail carrier to come by and pick up a letter, she or he is sure to notice! Some flags are the tried and true red ones, but others are now for sale that come in animal shapes and also flower shapes. Why stop there?

Mailbox parts and accessories such as flags can be made at home and you might just use your standard flag and paint it, attach some sparklers to it, or even glue a number of fake flowers to it! Just make sure that the inside is flat enough to lie snug against the box when not in use.

With statistics like these it is hard to understand why we are not more protective of our personal information. Not only are the rates of theft victims high but the cost and time to correct these fraud actions is not to be laughed at either. It costs an average identity theft victim $6,000 dollars. It takes fifty billion dollars per year in the U.S. to correct frauds matters.

An average identity theft account takes 40 hours to resolve and an even greater time to correct a fraudulently blemished credit report. It is sad to report that many cases of identity theft are due to a friend or family member’s betrayal. Other causes can include lost wallets, stolen purses, paper mail theft and Internet fraud.

A shocking 65% of identity theft occurs offline through methods like a criminal scavenging through your trash. In order to protect ourselves we must become cautious of where and how we display our personal information.

Do not provide personal details in emails or phone calls. Shred mail and keep documents in a locking file cabinet. Purchase a locking mailbox and stop mail when you are out of town. Simple steps can keep you from becoming a staggering number in an identity theft statistic.

Make Your House a Visible Landmark

Decorative mailboxes also serve another purpose which is to make a visible landmark for your home. Since many homes look similar these days, especially in housing developments where all the homes are built by the same builder, having a decorative mailbox which stands out from the rest will make a visible landmark for visitors to look for when coming to your house.

Express Yourself

A decorative mailbox is also a great way of expressing yourself to others. These types of mailboxes are available in all types of styles and you are certain to find one which expresses your likes in one way or another. If you have a particular hobby or like a certain type of animal, you might just be able to find a mailbox which features that particular motif on it. Adding a decorative mailbox to your home is a great expression of yourself to others.

Not only does this organization provide replacement mailboxes but they have new posts as well, and demonstrate the choices at the community recreation center. The mailboxes, with post, cost between $125 and $625.

The mailbox replacement program is a cinch for the homeowner. All she or he has to do is select from the vast array of mailbox and mail post designs and make their payment. The delivery as well as the installation of the mailbox is included in the cost. The installers even remove your old ugly mailbox and post. Street numbers are included, and the proceeds after cost are given to an area beautification committee to fund further projects.

In this particular mailbox replacement program there are eight different mailbox and post styles from which to choose. At the lower end, the $125 Hickory style, is the traditional but attractive look of wood. The 4×4 wood post is treated to withstand the ravages of inclement weather and the size of the mail box itself is standard. You can choose from white, black or brown. The price includes vinyl decal house numbers.

Clearly the most striking, the Linden, is the highest priced. This $625 mailbox replacement is oversized, with a monogram on the box and a post made of cast aluminum coated in powder. The house numbers are golden and two sided. You also get a gorgeous three inch raised bronze initial. The color choices for this beautiful mailbox and post are black, white and French bronze.

What is a decorative mailbox exactly? Generally speaking, these are out of the norm when compared to other mailboxes. For instance, you may be able to find a decorative mailbox that is in the shape of your favorite animal or sports ball. As you can imagine, this will make your mailbox stick out amongst your neighbors.

Keep in mind that you will have to pay a bit more money than usual if you are interested in a decorative mailbox. This is not to say that you are going to have to spend hundreds of extra dollars, but one of these will set you back a bit more than a standard mailbox.

You can find decorative mailboxes in local stores as well as online. Make sure that you take the time to shop around so that you get the mailbox that will look best on the front of your home.

All in all, a decorative mailbox will make the exterior of your home much livelier. Instead of living with the same boring mailbox, why not bring some added excitement to your home? Not only will you be happy with the end result, but your mailman will be as well!

What exactly does this mean to you?

In terms of protection of your identity, most services offer up to date credit reports on a routine basis from one of the three major credit-reporting agencies.

Their service monitors your credit report and notifies in the following cases:

• new accounts opened in your name
• negative remarks on your credit report
• any public records added to your credit report
• any inquiries made on your credit report
• change of address requests

Most Identity Theft Protection Services also provide assistance should you become a victim of identity theft. Most of these agencies will work to clear your name and your credit. This can be of great benefit in reducing your expenses and the time it can save you. Many victims spend an average of 175 hours clearing their name, which often costs them time from work.

These services often will notify all the appropriate agencies on your behalf, such as credit card companies, banks, credit bureaus, Social Security Administration, Federal Trade Commission, Secret Service, Department of Motor Vehicles, United States Postal Service, and law enforcement. Identity Theft Protection Services can also offer to search national databases for further evidence of identity theft including, criminal records, federal watch lists, DMV records, any addresses in your name, and banking activity.

In retaining a Prepaid Legal Identity Theft Protection Service shop around, comparing costs and quality of services provided. Also, check the agency through the Better Business Bureau. Inquire as to when the agency began, with a cautious eye for any newly started business. Be aware that these agencies are not providing any service you could not render yourself.

They are offering to heighten your identity protection by saving you time and work and they offer the same thing should you become a victim. In the process, know that by giving them access to your personal information you could be putting your identity at risk.

In a recent report by the US Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics, 3 percent of all of the households in the United States have been made a target by people who are looking to commit identity theft. This translates into approximately 3.6 million households. Even though 3 percent may not seem like a lot, do you know just how much money these people overall?

In addition, 48 percent of these same households reported that their credit cards were used by somebody that was not authorized. Also, 25 percent of these households reported that their bank account was used by somebody that was not authorized to do so.

This recent study also shows that households that have over a $75,000 income are more susceptible to these crimes.

The best way of preventing yourself from becoming a statistic is too simply stay informed as to what is going on around you. If you make it a practice to never give out your personal information, except when necessary, you will be able to help your odds. Also, be very careful with any documents that contain personal information.

Overall, identity theft is a huge problem across the entire world. There are thousands of people that make a living by stealing identities. By exercising extreme caution you will be able to avoid becoming the next person to be hit with one of these crimes.

Identity theft security is not actually more of an issue when shopping online than it is in any other phone or face-to-face transaction, but shoppers and other Internet users or non-users think that it is. Their concerns for identity theft security for these online transactions must be assuaged or online merchants will be severely impacted. Thus, identity theft security’s focus on e-commerce.

Some online tips for your own identity theft security while shopping online include the advice to shop from only known reputable merchants. Never purchase from a Web vendor that does not display the firm’s physical address and phone number.

When it is displayed verify it through online sites such as Yahoo or Google local. Call the number and see if it is answered with the business name. Do a reverse search through sites such as AnyWho.com and make sure the phone number is listed and indicates the firm’s name as owner.

The most obvious form of online identity theft security is to verify the security of the order page you are using when you give your identity and credit card information. If secure you will see a closed padlock sign at the bottom of the Web page screen. The page should also have a URL that begins https rather than http. The s indicates that the page is secure.

A look at Biblical times gives tales of many men, such as Simon Magus, Alexander of Abonoteichos or Theudas claiming divinity. This is confirmed by the numerous warnings of false gods and false prophets throughout the Bible. If you’re going to steal an identity, why not go for the top and claim to be God?

Another ambitious soul in the Middle Ages claimed to be Christ as he gathered followers until an appointee of Bishop Aurelius murdered him. Christ has had reported cases of identity theft to this day, quite possibly making his the most stolen identity in all of history.

Around the year 1392, a Franciscan Friar, James of Julich was boiled alive after falsely claiming to be a bishop and ordaining countless priests.

Identity theft has not isolated itself to the church. Following the sudden death of Roman Emperor Frederick Barbossa in 1190, many pseudo-Fredericks rose to the occasion. In 1225, many men claimed the identity of Baldwin of Antioch upon his death. The lack of media and technology, aided in attempts at identity theft of the rich and powerful.

History provides many examples of imposters taking advantage of missing people of wealth and position. Following the Bolshevik’s execution of the Russian Tsar Nicolas II and his family, countless young women attempted claims on the identity of the Grand Duchess Anastasia. In colonial Virginia, Sarah Wilson, an indentured servant, convinced people that she was Susanna Caroline Matilda, sister of Queen Charlotte, which would make her sister-in-law to the King of England, King George III. Her elaborate attempt at identity theft ended when her master captured and returned her to a life of servitude.

The crime of identity theft is as old as history. It is a crime that did not need technology to succeed, but at the time thrived on the lack of it. Identity theft has always been a stepping-stone to other crimes, usually related to wealth and / or power.

The second purpose behind email identity theft is for spamming. The most common of the ISPs and email providers have spam blockers. If, however, someone perpetrating email identity theft sends an email to an individual or firm under the guise of someone that person or firm knows the message will not be blocked.

Here are some tips on email identity theft prevention.

The first suggestion for prevention of email identity theft is to use a DNS service supplier or domain registrar not related to your Web host company. This is useful to prevent your being blocked on the Web if someone passes themselves off as you and commits phishing or spamming expeditions.

You might want to take this one step further and keep a second copy of your site as a hot backup from a second server and host provider. If the first host company fails you can switch quickly.

Shorten your Time to Live (TTL) settings, which will limit your DNS records lifetime. The longer your cached copies of the DNS records are available the longer users can be directed to the fraudulent site.

The last tip on email identity theft prevention is to choose a host that gives you an IP address that is not shared. If you share your address and the other sites are victims of email identity theft, you could be shut down when they are.

If you are interested in reporting identity theft you will need to know who to speak with. The reason that most people don’t report this sort of theft is because they simply don’t know who to call. You should never let this hold you back from reporting identity theft.

The first place that you may want to contact is the Social Security Administration. Even if they can’t directly help you, they will be able to point you in the right direction. The Social Security Administration can be reached by calling 1-800-269-0271.

The Federal Trade Commission may also be able to help you out, or point you in the right direction. They can be reached via phone at 1-877-IDTHEFT.

If you know that your credit card information has been stolen you will not want to waste time with the Social Security Administration or the Federal Trade Commission. You will want to call your credit card company direct, and tell them what happened. This will allow them to put a freeze on your card, and quite possibly assist you in tracking down the problem.

By reporting identity theft, you are doing more than just helping yourself. You are also helping other people who have been victims, as well as people that can become a target at any time. If you feel that your identity has been stolen, make sure to report it right away.

The number one thing to remember about identity theft insurance is that it will not cover charges that are made to your credit card if it happens to be stolen. But on the other hand, this sort of coverage will make sure that you are reimbursed for the time that it takes for your credit to be completely restored.

Many people are not sure of what this covers, but it is quite simple. You will be reimbursed for the time you must take to get everything straightened out, as well as any fees that go along with attorneys, notaries, or postage.

Also, when you are looking into buying a policy you may want to consider a coverage known as wrongful incarceration. Wrongful incarceration occurs when somebody steals your identity and then commits a crime; this in turn leads to you being arrested. If you have coverage for this, you will get reimbursed for any fees that may occur during the process.

Identity theft insurance is most common for people that own businesses. This is a great way of protecting themselves against this growing problem.

Finding identity theft insurance may be a bit difficult. There are not too many insurance companies that offer this type of service. But if you look around enough, you will have no problems finding a policy that suits your needs.

But just because this crime is common, does not mean that you should give into it. Instead, you should learn how to prevent identity theft from happening to you.

The first thing that you will want to do in order to ensure that your identity is safe is to never give out your personal information to anybody. If for some reason your social security number is requested, make sure that it is an absolute necessity.

Many times, the only reason that somebody will need your social security number is for filing reasons. In other words, they can find another way to identify you. By simply asking questions you will greatly decrease your chances of somebody stealing your identity.

Also, make sure that you take extra care of your belongings. This means that you should never lose your social security card, credit card, or any other form that lists this information. If somebody comes across these things they will be able to access your personal information, and use it with no problems whatsoever.

Being aware of your surroundings and asking questions is one of the best ways to ensure that your identity stays safe at all times. This may seem easy, and it is!

Overall, anybody can be a victim of identity theft. But just because you are a possible target, does not mean that you can’t help yourself avoid any problems down the road. By keeping your information confidential you will increase your chances of staying safe in the long run. Prevention is possible; get started today.

Stealing someone’s identity enables the thief to make a frightening number of financial and personal transactions in someone else’s name, leaving the victim responsible for what might turn out to be a mind-boggling turmoil in his or her life.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) keeps records on identity theft, and, not surprisingly, the number of incidents reported increase each year. The recent identity theft statistics reveal that ID theft affects as many as ten million Americans each year! According to FTC’s identity theft statistics, the losses to businesses and financial institutions total nearly 53 billion dollars annually.

These identity theft statistics further reveal that the most common types of ID thefts are credit card frauds, communications services fraud (such as opening a cell phone or a utility services account using someone else’s information), bank fraud and loan fraud. For years, the primary cause of identity theft has been good old-fashioned or low-tech analog crime.

Impersonators rummaging though mailboxes, snatching purses or searching the garbage for discarded bank statements or credit card receipts. Rapid advances in technology have seen a plague of sophisticated phishing attacks. Identity theft statistics expose phishing as the most dangerous of all ID thefts that uses both social engineering and technical subterfuge.

Phishing can have serious financial consequences. In a phishing attack, the victim is sent an email that “appears” to be from a bank or other financial institution. The victim is then told to click a link and verify his/her account information or supply personal identity data. The link appears to be a legitimate site, but is in fact a scam. The moment he/she enters sensitive data, the identity thief gains access to account information and can empty the bank account.

Phishers can also take out credit cards in the victim’s name, steal ISP account information and do other financial damage. In its latest report on identity theft statistics, the research group Gartner says that close to 60 million Americans reported receiving a phishing email, and 1.7 million people have been victims of identity theft, which cost banks and credit card companies $1.2 billion in losses.

You must take steps to protect your account information, social security numbers, passwords, etc. Now. Always memorize and shred important documents that you are discarding. Don’t simply throw these types of documents away!

Of course, this means that you have to familiarize yourself with the potential dangers you are exposed to when documents containing personal information are accessed by thieves. The best way to prevent identity theft is to be aware of all your personal ID numbers, such as bank accounts, driver’s license numbers, SSN, credit card numbers and so on.

Do not share or lose important documents

There are many ways in which a thief can get access to your personal information. Once they have access to it they will pretend to be your legal representatives and will operate all sorts of transactions using your identity. You can however prevent identity theft by always being aware of the whereabouts of your personal information.

Make sure to store all important documents in a safe and hidden spot in your home and keep on eye on them while at work. Do not share sensitive information with people that claim to be representatives from a bank or any other institution check them out first and see if they really are who they claim to be. Being a little suspicious with anyone demanding personal information is one of your best defenses against identity theft.

Proper document disposal prevents identity theft

Beware of dumpster divers a name used for thieves that retrieve personal information from the garbage you throw out of your home or workplace. Try to prevent identity theft by making sure documents, envelopes, faxes and printed e-mails are disposed of properly by using a paper shredder nut just crumpled up and thrown in the waste basket.

There are various effective paper shredder models available on the market and they will increase the security of your discarded documents. In fact, shredders are an accessory required by the new 2005 FACTA law for any business that has one or more employees.

Online identity theft techniques

Spoofing tricks the user into giving the perpetrator personal information, such as credit card numbers, the social security number, diver’s ID and so on. Internet identity theft is even more dangerous than regular ID theft, where the thief steals personal documents or recovers personal information from the garbage. With a stolen wallet, you are at least aware that you might become a victim of identity theft.

On the other hand, the Internet identity theft schemes will leave you clueless and it might take months before you discover the theft. E-mail spoofing uses addresses and headers that make the e-mail seem like it was sent by a trusted source.

IP spoofing allows thieves to get unauthorized access to a PC while link alteration redirects users to the hacker’s site. Here are a few tips, recommended by the FBI, that will allow you to decrease the chances of falling a victim to Internet identity theft.

Tips on avoiding ID theft

Access websites cautiously especially if you follow a link from an e-mail. Internet identity theft is often triggered by unsolicited mail never give out any personal information to such e-mails.

Some spoofing techniques warn you that your account (e-mail, Pay Pal and any other type of account) is in danger of being terminated if you do not provide your password or other information be aware of such schemes.

Online payment is quick and easy, but always go with a trusted intermediary and payment processor. Your ISP should learn about any form of internet identity theft, which will enable them to prevent future problems. Secure sites begin with a https in the URL address bar. There should also be a lock symbol (icon) in the bottom part of your browser.

To detect key logger spyware, you need to know what it is and how it works. Key logger is an invisible software program that identity thieves can use to track your online activity.

It is almost impossible to detect key logger on your computer and even if you’re careful you’ll never know if it is recording information such as bank account passwords and credit card numbers.

You won’t even see your machine slow down or see anything unusual. It just silently watches every keystroke you type in as if the identity thieves were standing over your shoulder.

At least on third of all online scams can now be traced to keylogging. If you type key logger into any Internet search engine you can find several perfectly legal ways to buy and install it.

Several businesses use key logger software to monitor employee activity and parents can use keylogging to check up on the web sites their children are visiting. But in the hands of a hacker wanting to steal your financial information, key loggers are extremely dangerous.

Attackers who use key logger spyware often sell the information to third parties who can funnel money out of bank accounts or charge up credit cards. Hackers who use keylogging to get into one computer at a company have the ability to steal vital information from the entire organization.

The best rule of thumb is to carefully monitor what you download on your computer and what sites you visit. The major sites of banks and retailers are usually relatively safe. But be aware of downloading free software from an unfamiliar site that could leave you vulnerable to a potential hacker.

Here are a few tips to protect you against keylogging:

Never open spam e-mail.
Do not open e-mail attachments from someone you don’t know.
Do not click ok on pop-up windows without reading them first.
Use a firewall to help prevent any unauthorized computer activity.
Run a weekly, full system anti-virus computer scan.

Computer experts say the number of keylogging crimes is on the rise but there are ways to protect yourself . Detecting key logger spyware and destroying it can be done by installing spyware protection software.

Becoming aware of the different ways that you can avoid this from happening to you is the first step to protecting yourself.

The FTC (Federal Trade Commission) states that over 27 million citizens of this country were victims of identity theft in the last 5 years. According to the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation), the number of victims will increase by 500,000-700,000 each year. Identity theft has increased by 79% from the year 2002 to 2003.

The “Identity Rehab website states that every 79 seconds an identity is stolen in this country. The Bureau of Justice conducted a National Crime Victimization Survey in 2004 with the following results:

• 3 in 10 households experiencing identity theft discovered they were victims by missing money or unknown account charges.
• 1 in 4 households experiencing identity theft discovered they were victims when contacted by a credit bureau.
• Approximately 2/3 of households experiencing identity theft reported some type of monetary loss.

A more recent survey noted by Identity Rehab found that 85% of identity theft victims found out when they were denied credit. It was also reported that 28% of identity theft was due to a lost or stolen credit card.

The FBI has estimated that the average person takes 12 months to realize that they have been victimized by identity theft and then another 175 hours on average to clear their name. According to the FTC, it costs victims an average of $1,500 just to restore their good name. The average victim sustains a loss of $1,200 and 1 in 5 people lose over $5,000. The average business loses over $10,000.

A recent survey conducted by an insurance company found that 30% of identity theft crime occurred on the internet. Identity theft is the fastest growing white collar crime in the United States today. Unfortunately, the average arrest rate is under 5%, making this one of the least convicted crimes.

The six types of identity theft are:

Fraud perpetrated by theft of your social security number

Theft and/or unauthorized use of your credit card or credit card number

Telephone fraud through unauthorized use of your cell phone

Cell phone number or calling card

Checking account fraud

Internet fraud

The newest and perhaps most insidious of the types of identity theft – fraudulent identity theft prevention firms. Perhaps the most invasive of the types of identity theft is the fraudulent acquisition and use of your social security number.

There is nothing more valuable to your personal and financial information than your Social Security number. It is the primary identification used for reporting taxes, obtaining employment, and establishing and maintaining a credit history.

If a thief obtains your social security number the resulting problems for you could be very serious. With the number the thief could be hired as you, get loans in your name and open credit cards.

About the only way to keep from becoming a victim of this type of identity theft is to guard your social security number stringently. Do not give it out to anyone unless you absolutely must. If a firm says they have to have your number inquire about how they are using it.

What makes this the worst of the types of identity theft is that “canceling” your old social security number by getting a new number won’t solve the problem.

Credit reporting bureaus will just combine the two social security number histories, and if any creditor only finds your recent history they’ll be suspicious about what went before.

The first thing is to buy a shredder and use it. A small home or home office shredder can be purchased for under $25. Shred any paperwork that contains any personal or financial information about you and your family before you throw it in the trash or dumpster.

A practice known as dumpster diving is the most common way for credit identity theft perpetrators to get hold of your personal information. Yes, they actually go through your garbage or climb in the dumpster and dive through the trash.

To prevent credit identity theft you should shred any receipts for items that you paid for by credit card and any credit card application that you receive in the mail. You should shred all your pay stubs, your bank statements and deposit or withdrawal receipts. Shred your out of date tax returns and your utility bills and payment stubs. You should always shred any paperwork that includes your social security number.

Ask for and carefully view your credit report once a year, from all three major credit reporting bureaus – Experian, Equifax and TransUnion. You can get your own credit report free of charge once a year.

What you want to look for, that could be an indication of credit identity theft or at least credit identity theft attempts, are an excessive number of credit inquiries. If you can’t account for any of these someone might be attempting credit identity theft.

Another cost effective measure to be prepared in case of credit identity theft would be to sign up for prepaid legal services, which would entitle you to less costly attorney services should credit repair be needed.