The Fastest Growing
Crime in America
from the April
08, 2008 eNews issue
http://www.khouse.org
In recent months
several high profile
security breaches
have brought the
subject of identity
theft back into the
national spotlight.
Most
recently, Hannaford
Bros., an east coast
grocery store chain,
said that it was hit
by a data breach
that exposed more
than 4.2 million
credit and debit
card numbers. So
far, more than 1,800
cases of fraud have
been reported in
connection with the
breach.
It is the fastest
growing crime in the
nation and no one is
immune. Anyone can
become a victim.
Identity theft is
when someone obtains
your personal
information - such
as your bank or
credit card account
numbers, information
about your income,
your Social Security
number (SSN), or
your name, address,
and phone number -
and uses it without
your knowledge to
commit fraud or
theft.
Identity theft is a
serious crime.
People whose
identities have been
stolen can spend
months or years -
and their hard
earned money -
cleaning up the mess
the thieves have
made of their good
name and credit
record. Some victims
have lost job
opportunities, been
refused loans for
education, housing
or cars, or even
been arrested for
crimes they didn't
commit. According to
the Federal Trade
Commission, each
year almost 10
million people - or
about 5 percent of
the adult population
- discover that
they are victims of
some form of
identity theft, and
that number is
growing each year.
Minimize Your Risk
Although you
probably can't
prevent identity
theft entirely, you
can minimize your
risk by managing
your personal
information wisely.
Following is a list
of ways you can
protect yourself
from identity theft:
-
Monitor the
balances of your
financial
accounts. Look
for unexplained
charges or
withdrawals.
Order a copy of
your credit
report and make
sure it's
accurate. An
amendment to the
Federal Fair
Credit Reporting
Act requires
each of the
nationwide
consumer
reporting
companies to
provide you with
a free copy of
your credit
report, at your
request, once
every 12 months.
For more
information
visit
www.annualcreditreport.com
Before disposing
of documents and
junk mail, shred
or destroy bank
and credit card
statements,
bills,
pre-approved
credit offers,
and anything
that contains
personal
information such
as your SSN and
income or tax
information.
Update your
virus protection
software
regularly.
Computer viruses
can have
damaging
effects,
including
introducing
program code
that causes your
computer to send
out files or
other stored
information.
Don’t download
files from
strangers or
click on
hyperlinks from
people you don’t
know. Opening a
file could
expose your
system to a
computer virus
or a program
that could
hijack your
modem.
Use a firewall,
especially if
you have a
high-speed or
“always on”
connection to
the Internet.
Read Web site
privacy
policies. They
should answer
questions about
the access to
and accuracy,
security, and
control of
personal
information the
site collects,
as well as how
sensitive
information will
be used, and
whether it will
be provided to
third parties.
Use intricate
passwords when
online, change
your passwords
on a regular
basis, and don't
use the same
password for
every website.
For more information
on what to do if you
believe your
personal information
has been compromised
or your identity has
been stolen contact
the Federal Trade
Commission (there is
a lot of valuable
information on the
FTC website).
We are all at risk.
It is worth your
time and effort to
get informed about
identity theft and
to take precautions
to protect yourself
and your family from
fraud.
Let me add two
additional
suggestion to
the following
list of security
measures that
are mentioned
below.
1. I never open
up an attachment
or link from
even personal
friends
unless
there is a
"personal"
message
pertaining to or
explaining the
attachment/link.
2. It is wise
policy to
frequently
(monthly) change
important
passwords for
all on-line
financial
institutions/transactions.
Want to look anything up?
Please visit
stories, etc.
for more pictures, stories, etc.
|
|
|