What advanced technology gives us is an option to fortify our personal data, which we invariably miss to do. The same technology, instead, is used by identity thieves to steal our data, even without leaving any trace.

Why is it so?

Because they are the active lot and we are the lazy ones.

Identity thieves constantly battle to get their hands on recent technology so that they can use it to their advantage. They walk an extra mile to get that, but even when every advanced technology is made available to us, we do not tend to use any of them.

How many of us have tinkered with privacy setting in Facebook to keep our photos, updates, etc. visible only to our friends, or to some of our chosen friends? The feature to make Facebook safe is already there, but very few people tend to use it, because of which most of the Facebook profiles are up for grab for identity theft.

This is not just one of case. There are many such things that we have been left the way they are on social networking websites. A social networking unfortunately is a gold mine for identity thieves.

What to do then?

• Go to the setting menu (or any equivalent menu) and play with the privacy settings until you hide every detail from prying eyes.
• Make all your photographs private, and confine the visibility to only those whom you intend to see. You should hide them from your friends as well, for you never know who will misuse it. Keep it visible only to those who matters or those who should see the pictures.
• Do not post your postal address, telephone numbers, mobile numbers, or personal mail IDs in open forums, or in places where everyone can see it. If you have to share the number or any other personal detail then send it in a private mail.
• Keep your personal information close to your chest. Do not give away anything to anyone, until and unless you trust the recipient completely, and you have faith that they will not misuse anything shared with them.

Technological advancement in itself does not expose us to identity theft, but our inability to use it to protect us does make us naked in front identity thieves. With more people storing their personal data online for convenience, companies are beginning to use solutions like the Trend Micro cloud computing security suite to protect their users from information leaks and network intrusions.

One of the most common methods is to use your old computer against you.  Many people don’t realize that even if you delete the files on your hard drive, most of the information can be recovered.  So when you throw away your old computer, or donate it to someone else, most of the info is till there.  That means stored information and passwords.  A thief can pick these up pretty easily.

You should always destroy an old hard drive, to keep yourself completely safe.  That’s really the only way to make sure the information is gone.  Otherwise you run the risk of someone else using your information against you.

Another mistake many make, is to just throw away documents.  Old bills, bank statements, etc.  They don’t realize that these provide all the information an identity thief needs to assume your identity.  Anything with your name and address needs to be shredded.  So a document shredder is an important addition to every home.  Or if you don’t have one, tear up the documents yourself.  But make sure to make the effort, or else an ID thief could have an easy pay day at your expense.

Pay attention to what information you freely give when people are in close proximity to you.  A mistake many make is filling out forms publicly, or giving out social security numbers where others can see or hear.  You have to guard that information.  So make sure any personal forms you’re filling out in public are covered up as you complete them.  Don’t talk about your personal information when others are within earshot.  You can’t know who is listening.  Additionally, Clear browser cookies afterwards to avoid third party tracking. Reputation.com and similar services can automatically do this for you. A mistake many make is filling out forms publicly, or giving out social security numbers where others can see or hear. You have to guard all of your information.

Identity theft protection services claim a variety of options which are useful to monitoring your credit.  Where some services offer more options and levels of protection for a monthly fee other protection programs may consider providing a credit reports as a basic option for identity theft protection. This ambiguous tactics used by Identity theft protection services is often viewed as a disadvantage and most often misleading.  Several opinions recommend reviewing a variety of Identity Fraud prevention programs and comparing prices based on the level of protection offered verses the need. Establish for yourself if the cost for services to be performed matches the needs your seeking in an Identity protection program.

Many prevention programs can be beneficial in helping you identify scams or alerts of suspicious activity.  And since the majority of consumers lack the time and resources to review daily, weekly or monthly credit reports, you may feel these services are worth the money.   Taking into consideration that many identity fraud protection services will merely offer the tools you need to perform your own monitoring, this may be just what you’re looking for. Remember no one can meet your identity protection needs better than you, they can only assist you to meet them more efficiently.

Simple tactics offered by identity fraud prevention programs will instruct you to make minor adjustments in your daily habits. These adjustments can discourage identity thieves from making you the next target of their identity theft scam.   Remember criminals look for opportunities to gain your private information and will go to great lengths to get it. By changing certain habits you can decrease your chances of having your information stolen, for example; when paying by checks, avoid filling out your check while in line. Most retailers have computer enhanced registers that will fill in the blanks thus decreasing the criminal’s opportunity to memorize your information. 

Try working on covering the key pad at an ATM or credit card machine when entering your private pin number as well as frequently change your passwords and pin numbers on accounts to ensure identity protection.  Proper storage and/or destruction of documents containing personal information such as bank and credit card statements will leave one less avenue criminals can use.  Making minor adjustments and focusing on your weakness will assist you with defending yourself against credit card identity theft and ensure you’re practicing identity fraud prevention guidelines.

In the last 2 -3 years the identity fraud protection industry quickly took control in order to support the massive amounts of people affected by identity theft.  Yet, consumers weren’t the only ones damaged by the serge in identity thefts. Business such as banks, credit card companies, merchants and other financial organization had to exhaust vast amounts of money on upgrading security systems, and incorporating identity theft insurance as method’s to stop identity theft.  Everyone was affected by internet scams and identity theft methods increased provoking wide spread panic by consumers and business.

The internet became the ultimate tool for identity theft and identity theft scams. It’s usage by criminals to infect the web bred skepticism and fear.  Retailers had to guarantee their sites were secure before consumer would buy on line, and web sites where developed to provide information on identity theft tactics.  Careful consideration has been taking over the past few years to decrease the number victims since 2003. By increasing identity fraud prevention services and educating the public on identity theft protection methods criminals should be deterred and consumers will be equipped with avenues to secure their personal identity and reduce the risk of future threats.

So how do you find the right organization that assist in identity theft protection? By keeping track of information provided when financial accounts are established.  Every creditor including credit reporting agencies can instruct the proper protocol when reporting identity theft. Make sure you obtain a police report as soon as you suspect your identity has been lost or stolen. This report is vital documentation required by the Identity theft insurances agencies as well as credit reporting bureaus when reporting identity fraud.  Your financial institution can assist you with filing a claim as well as monitoring your account for any suspicious actively.

The FBI and other state organization can serve as advocates and back up support with identity theft protection.  Contacting these organizations, such as Social Security Administration and the Department of Motor Vehicles will track usage of your social security number and driver’s license. They can also prevent violators from using your information and assuming your identity.   Since identity fraud prevention is a national responsibility it involves reporting services of the Better Business Bureau, should identity theft result from business negligence.  Many agencies will be more than supportive in providing identity fraud protection when the need arises.

So how do you find the right organization that assist in identity theft protection? By keeping track of information provided when financial accounts are established.  Every creditor including credit reporting agencies can instruct the proper protocol when reporting identity theft. Make sure you obtain a police report as soon as you suspect your identity has been lost or stolen. This report is vital documentation required by the Identity theft insurances agencies as well as credit reporting bureaus when reporting identity fraud.  Your financial institution can assist you with filing a claim as well as monitoring your account for any suspicious actively.

The FBI and other state organization can serve as advocates and back up support with identity theft protection.  Contacting these organizations, such as Social Security Administration and the Department of Motor Vehicles will track usage of your social security number and driver’s license. They can also prevent violators from using your information and assuming your identity.   Since identity fraud prevention is a national responsibility it involves reporting services of the Better Business Bureau, should identity theft result from business negligence.  Many agencies will be more than supportive in providing identity fraud protection when the need arises.

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In the last three years; Identity Theft protection services have increased; they provide support in the battle to combat identity theft, by working in conjunction with other prevention services.  Your need and budget determines which Identity theft prevention services to use.  On average the cost of basic coverage for identity theft protection ranges between $100.00 to 250.00 annually.   Basic identity theft protection only covers a fourth of services needed.  For full protection to include identity theft insurance, the cost is increased by an average of $300.00 or more per year.  In a perfect world, the presents of identity theft protection services would stop identity theft completely; unfortunately scammers develop new, illusive and resourceful ways to steal your identity.

Educating yourself on identity theft protection practices can give you profound insight on how to stop identity theft.  Think of identity theft protection as a security system much like the systems that protects your home or car. It’ intended to monitor your credit activity and work as liaisons between you and your credit report, by means of alerting suspicious activity.  Moreover, identity theft protection programs are intended to deter identity thieves rather than stop them. Just think of how much it would cost if your identity was stolen, it would be considerably higher than the basic protection cost you make to shield your identity.

According to the Federal Trade Commission; if victimized by identity theft, investing in identity theft insurance prior to the occurrence would be considered a practical method of preventing a total lost.  Based on FTC reports, over 27 million people were affected by identity theft scams within a 5 year period, and these figures only account for 40% of the populous which actually reported the crime. Of the 40% reported, only 15% invested in identity theft insurance and were able to recover avoiding a total lost.  Regrettably over 60% of the nation’s population to include businesses experienced a total lost during this identity theft epidemic.

Identity fraud prevention is the ability to actively increase your likelihood of lost recovery as well as reducing the odds of being an identity theft victim.  By using identity theft insurance you’re provided with the security offered by financial institutions to assist in the refund of money lost as a direct result of identity theft. And in most cases your financial institution will offer identity theft insurance in addition to providing a level of identity theft protection, where your account is concerned.  Incorporating various forms or identity theft previsions can give you the piece of mind in knowing that your information is secured.

Having identity theft insurance is a proactive method to guarantee your ability to recover certain losses.  Investing in Identity theft protection services can assists in monitoring credit reports and providing alerts if there are changes or discrepancies to your public account. These services are aware of specific actions and can flag suspicious activity on your behave.  Although these methods are options for identity protection, you must also commit to providing protection for yourself.  Always keep your information someplace safe and avoid carrying private information in your wallet. Never disclose account numbers or pin codes to anyone not on your account.  When shopping or paying bills online remember to verify the usage of a valid site and never allow the system to remember your card information.

Even if your information is not breeched, familiarize yourself with internet identity theft scams.  Optimize identity fraud protection by working with identity protection services and add identity theft insurance to any bank or financial accounts. Increase your awareness of the various techniques utilized by scammer determined to steal your personal information and decrease your chances of being an identity theft victim. Learning the basics of how to stop identity theft will keep you ahead of the scammers and give you the security of having a protected identity.