Identity Theft of College Student and Online Scams
Identity theft occurs when your personal and private information falls into the wrong hands. On March 13, another incident of stolen information occurred, this time involving over 11,000 college students across America. The students were not informed until at least a month later and are told to go on consumerinfo.com to sign up for one year of free credit report and monitoring, courtesy of the company that lost the important information.
the FTC had sued consumerinfo in the past for being deceptive.
decide for yourself if you are involved– Visit FTC.gov for more information on identity theft.
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2005/08/consumerinfo.shtm
find out more by visiting google.com and typing in consumerinfo sued in the search.
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Deter – Detect – Defend Against Identity Theft
In the course of a busy day, you may write a check at the grocery store, charge tickets to a ball game, rent a car, mail your tax returns, change service providers for your cell phone, or apply for a credit card. Chances are you don’t give these everyday transactions a second thought. But an identity thief does.
Identity theft is a serious crime. People whose identities have been stolen can spend months or years and thousands of dollars cleaning up the mess the thieves have made of a good name and credit record. In the meantime, victims of identity theft may lose job opportunities, be refused loans for education, housing, or cars, and even get arrested for crimes they didn’t commit. Humiliation, anger, and frustration are among the feelings victims experience as they navigate the process of rescuing their identity.
Working with other government agencies and organizations, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has produced this booklet to help you remedy the effects of an identity theft. It describes what steps to take, your legal rights, how to handle specific problems you may encounter on the way to clearing your name, and what to watch for in the future.
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Identity Theft Prevention | Credit Reports & Fraud Alerts
From the U.S. Treasury Dept. Explains how to obtain free credit reports from the credit bureaus. Also explains how Fraud Alerts work and how to activate them.
credit report online, free online credit report, credit free report score,
3 in 1 credit report, transunion credit report, creditreport.com,
credit report personal, national credit report, cic triple advantage credit report,
free annual government credit report
Identity theft is a serious crime. It occurs when your personal information is stolen and used without your knowledge to commit fraud or other crimes. Identity theft can cost you time and money. It can destroy your credit and
ruin your good name.
Deter identity thieves by safeguarding your information.
■ Shred financial documents and paperwork with personal information before you discard them.
■ Protect your Social Security number. Don’t carry your Social Security card in your wallet or write your Social Security number on a check. Give it out only if absolutely necessary or ask to use another identifier.
■ Don’t give out personal information on the phone, through the mail, or over the Internet unless you
know who you are dealing with.
■ Never click on links sent in unsolicited emails;
instead, type in a web address you know. Use firewalls,
anti-spyware, and anti-virus software to protect
your home computer; keep them up-to-date.
Visit OnGuardOnline.gov for more information.
■ Don’t use an obvious password like your birth date,
your mother’s maiden name, or the last four digits
of your Social Security number.
■ Keep your personal information in a secure place
at home, especially if you have roommates, employ outside help, or are having work done in your house.
Defend against ID theft as soon as you suspect it.
■ Place a “Fraud Alert” on your credit reports, and review the reports carefully. The alert tells creditors
to follow certain procedures before they open new accounts in your name or make changes to your existing accounts. The three nationwide consumer reporting companies have toll-free numbers for placing an initial 90-day fraud alert; a call to one company is sufficient:
Equifax: 1-800-525-6285
Experian: 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742)
TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289
-FTC.gov
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How To Protect Yourself From Identity Theft
Guarding your personal information is the key to protecting yourself against identity theft. Don’t carry unused credit cards and your social security card in your wallet. Don’t give out your social security number to doctors. Ask your employer what they do to keep your personal information safe. If you are careful about protecting information like your social security number and mother’s maiden name, you can reduce your risk for identity theft. Watch this Expert Real Estate Tips video for more identity theft solutions.
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Identity theft prevention by Credit Freeze | www.IdentityTheft.info
The credit bureaus are keeping quiet about the best identity theft prevention option, the Credit Freeze.
They apparently dont want you to know about the credit freeze (a.k.a. Security Freeze) because once your credit is frozen they can not sell your personal credit information to numerous marketers.
We want you to know about this little known secret and ask that you share it with your friends and family; the most effective personal option for identity theft prevention is the credit freeze, period.
A credit freeze is a more effective method of identity theft prevention than a fraud alert (what Lifelock and others sell) because with a fraud alert, creditors still have access to your credit file and often ignore the alert and grant credit anyway!
So both methods are aimed at stopping identity thieves from obtaining new credit lines in your name but the credit freeze is a much more potent protection for consumers concerned with identity theft prevention.
Because the credit freeze is only obtainable directly from the credit bureaus (and they dont want you to know about it) there is very low public awareness about this identity theft prevention option.
It is easy to learn how you can freeze and unfreeze your credit at the three major credit bureaus through the use of a credit freeze. We show you how, step by step in this video.
Please visit http://www.IdentityTheft.info, for more information about a security credit freeze and identity theft prevention.
Identity theft affects fifteen million victims a year resulting in fifty billion dollars in fraud. As these numbers show the impact of identity theft is staggering.
What can you do to protect yourself? Hi, Im Bob Sullivan from MSNBC. The safest and frankly the only effective way to stop many types of identity theft is to place a security freeze on all three of your credit files.
A freeze prevents anyone from accessing your credit report. Without that credit history a company wont approve a loan or issue a credit card. So identity thieves can not get credit in your name.
Let me take you inside id theft for the info you need to get a security freeze.
Credit freezes arent free. Prices vary from state to state. If youre a victim of identity theft credit bureaus may waive the fee. You will have to contact all three credit bureaus; Experian, Equifax and TransUnion and provide them with your personal information. The process will be slightly different at each bureau.
At Experian you will first get this warning that a security freeze may make your life very difficult, but dont worry because it is not permanent. You can lift the credit freeze if in when you want to apply for credit. Now, pick your state. Then you will be asked for your name, social security number, date of birth, current and past addresses dating back two years, a copy of your drivers license and one utility bill. Notice you will pick a pin unlock code, write that down and put it in a safe spot. You will need it later to have the credit freeze lifted. Send the paper work by certified or overnight mail to Experian PO Box 9544 Allen, TX 75013 and in a few weeks you will get a notice from Experian that your credit file is frozen.
You will need to contact the other two credit bureaus too to be sure your credit is safe.
Again, it is important to note that to obtain the highest identity theft prevention level you must put a security freeze in place at all three credit bureaus.
To get a credit freeze from Equifax, send a certified letter with the requested information, a utility bill for proof of address, a police report if you are a identity theft victim and payment. Fees are different depending on where you live so you should check for your state online.
TransUnion wants similar information; a copy of your drivers license and payment. Send your credit freeze request to TransUnion Fraud Victim istance Department PO Box 6790 Fullerton, CA 92834. In a few states residents can apply by phone.
Security freezes offer real piece of mind to people who are worried about identity theft prevention. Remember a credit freeze may delay any new loans, credit applications or other purchases you legitimately want to make so you will have to plan ahead for thawing that credit freeze.
There is no full proof method of identity theft prevention but a credit freeze is currently the best option available.
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