Protection from Identity Theft

Identity theft is the fastest growing criminal activity in the 20th Century, replacing illegal drug sales.

How BIG is this Problem?

Banks, credit card companies and businesses that house servers storing passwords or other sensitive information all report "break-ins"through Trojan viruses or other online hacking methods - resulting in the loss of millions of pieces of information. Instances of lost information are employees selling it and other lax security measures resulting in thieves having access to your identity.

Thieves Want

- Your Name
- Date of Birth
- Home Address
- Phone Numbers
- Social Security Number
- Driver's License Number
- Credit Card Numbers
- CW2 Security Code (the number on the back of your credit card)
- Your Credit Report
- ATM Cards
- Telephone Calling Cards
- Mortgage Details

Where Are They Getting Your Information?

- Banks
- Credit-Reference Agencies
- Retailers
- Credit Card Networks
- Data-Brokerage Companies
- Payment Processing Companies
- Phone Companies
- Schools
- Your Employer
- Doctors, Clinics and Health Departments
- Government Agencies

There are other effective methods:

- Dumpster Diving
- Mail Theft
- Retail Theft
- "Phishing"/pretexting/pretending
- Purse/Wallet Theft

What are Thieves Using Your Information For?

- Making charges to your existing credit cards
- Opening new credit cards in your name
- Having phone or utilities turned on
- Withdrawing money from your existing bank accounts
- Employment purposes
- Driver's Licenses
- Tax Fraud
- Social Service benefits
- Student loans
- Business or Personal loans
- Health care
- Mortgage loans/leases
- Auto loans
- Using your ID when caught committing a crime

How Can You Protect Yourself?

- Keep a photocopy of your credit cards, bank account numbers and investment account numbers in a safe place
- Keep your credit card receipts
- Put a "fraud alert" on all your credit reports
- If you apply for credit and the card doesn't arrive on time, call the card issuer
- Choose difficult PIN numbers or passwords. (Don't use birth dates, your mother's maiden name, etc.)
- Never give personal information to anyone who sends you an email, a letter or calls you asking for it
- Shred personal information
- Don't use the ATM machine if someone is watching you
- Pay attention to what's going on around you
- cell phones often have cameras in them. If someone is standing by you with a cell phone while you're entering a PIN number, block their view
- Review your bills each month. If there's something you don't remember, call the creditor.
- Check your credit report at least once a year
- Store your cancelled checks safely.
- Don't leave your purse in plain sight when driving
- Keep your valuables locked in the trunk or glove box when driving
- Make all personal information on your computer password protected
- Don't carry information about your PIN numbers, passwords and account numbers in your purse or wallet

Warning Signs that Your Identity Has Been Stolen:

- A loan application is denied, or you're refused extended credit requests
- You are contacted by a debt-collection agency
- Your purse or wallet has been stolen, or your house broken into
- Unfamiliar activity on your credit report

What to do if it Happens to You:

- If your purse or wallet is stolen, call the police
- Contact your bank, credit card and other credit extending companies and report the theft
- Close accounts
- Contact the credit-reporting companies
- Have fraudulent activity removed immediately and monitor your credit report every 90 days for the next year
- Put everything in writing
- File a report with the Federal Trade Commission
- Change passwords on your existing accounts and create new ones for new accounts

Identity theft is real. There are no guarantees you can keep your information safe, by taking proactive steps to protect yourself, you can minimize your chances of having an "identity crisis".

About the Author
Host, Sintilia Miecevole offers resources for purses with designs influenced by the latest trends at http://www.trendipurses.com. Be sure to visit http://www.trendipurses.com to find information from designer handbags, fashion, trends and accessories to vintage, replica, wholesale and much more.

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Protection from Cyberstalkers

Computers and the Internet are becoming indispensable parts of America's culture, and cyberstalking is a growing threat.

What is Cyberstalking?
Cyberstalking can be defined as threatening behavior or unwanted advances directed at another using the Internet and other forms of online and computer communications. Cyberstalking occurs when electronic mediums such as the Internet are used to pursue, harass or contact another in an unsolicited fashion. Internet CyberStalking is used to slander and endanger victims, taking on a public rather than private dimension.

Cyberstalking is the term used to describe stalking behavior undertaken by way of computer. Although no universal definition exists, cyberstalking occurs when an individual or group uses the Internet to stalk or harass another. Essentially cyberstalking is the act of stalking using the Internet, e-mail, or other electronic communication devices. Everyone who receives e-mail or uses the Internet is susceptible to cyberstalking.

In order to address cyberstalking, it is critical to understand stalking in general. The fact that cyberstalking does not involve physical contact may create the misperception that it is less threatening or dangerous than physical stalking. In many cases, cyberstalking is simply another phase in an overall stalking pattern, or it is regular stalking behavior using new technological tools. Essentially, cyberstalking is an extension of the physical form of stalking.

The anonymity of online interaction reduces the chance of identification and makes cyberstalking more common than physical stalking. The ease of use and non-confrontational, impersonal, and sometimes anonymous nature of Internet communications may remove disincentives to cyberstalking. Although cyberstalking might seem relatively harmless, it can cause victims psychological and emotional harm, and occasionally leads to actual stalking. More disturbingly, pornographers and pedophiles have begun to use cyberstalking as a way of locating new victims.

It is commonly assumed that cyberstalking is not as serious or harmful as real world stalking. It is true that cyberstalking bears little physical resemblance to traditional stalking methods such as following and loitering.

Cyberstalking is a relatively new phenomenon. The stream of data is sketchy, but some insights into cyberstalking trends are emerging. As with regular stalking, cyberstalking often begins when you attempt to break off a relationship. Anecdotal evidence from law enforcement agencies indicates that cyberstalking is a serious, and growing problem.

While cyberstalking has become a worldwide problem, most cases originate in the United States, making Americans the most vulnerable group of targets. It is estimated that there may potentially be tens or even hundreds of thousands of cyberstalking victims in the United States. A common area regarding cyberstalking is at the "edu" sites, which are educational institutes, such as colleges and universities. While, historically, cyberstalking has mostly been men stalking women, the reverse is happening more often as well.

In many instances, cyberstalking is simply another phase in an overall stalking pattern, or it is regular stalking behavior using new, high-technology tools. Keep a record of contact made (in relation to the cyberstalking event) with website administrators, victim support organizations and law enforcement personnel. Often, cyberstalking ventures offline and the cyberstalker may attempt to track down the victim physically. These things are important because online cyberstalking and bullying is increasing, and further, is grossly underreported.

By the use of new technology and equipment which cannot be policed by traditional methods, cyberstalking has replaced traditional methods of stalking and harassment. The investigation of cyberstalking and other computer crimes can be complex. The lack of adequate statutory authority also can limit law enforcement's response to cyberstalking incidents. Out-of-date and missing account, subscriber, and user information, as well as anonymizing tools, presented problems for law enforcement during cyberstalking investigations.

About the Author:
Francesca Black develops educational material for http://www.security-port.com and http://www.security-protection.net a top resource for locating security related RSS feeds.

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Protection from a Home Invasion

If you have a lot of jewelry, valuable documents, cash or other negotiable items, consider installing a safe or a burglar alarm. Don't leave notes for service people or family members on the door, these act as a welcome mat for a burglar.

Trees located near windows or shrubbery that might shield a burglar from view can be major flaws in your home-protection plan. Consider your landscaping plan in light of your protection needs. Keep shrubs trimmed below windows to reduce cover. A burglar would rather enter through a window that is hidden from view than one where he is exposed.

A door with too much space between the door and the frame is an invitation for the burglar to use a jimmy. Reinforce the door with a panel of 3/4-inch plywood or a piece of sheet metal. It is also easy for a burglar to pry through rot. Replace rotted door frames with new, solid wood. When installing a window lock, drip some solder on the screw heads. It will stop a burglar from unscrewing the lock after cutting a small hole in the windowpane.

When you are away or traveling have neighbors, friends or family pick up your mail or even better contact the post office to hold your mail. Employ someone to mow your lawn, use your garbage cans, and park in your driveway when you are away. Even if a burglar knows you are away, the activity around your home will act as a deterrent. Consider an investment in a monitored home security system as they are a very effective deterrent against crime. The home security system that you install need not be a state-of -the art. For the most effective alarm system, conceal all wiring. A professional burglar looks for places where he or she can disconnect the security system.

Some individuals even will place a home security system sticker in their window even though you don't have a security system. The sticker may be enough to cause a thief to pass your house. Put up a security system sign or beware of dog sign and make it visible from the road. Believe it or not it is a proven deterrent.

Use simple safety systems to protect your home. Use locks and other mechanisms to lock the doors that are difficult to break. The longer the burglar takes to break into the house, the greater the chances that he will be caught. Use multiple locks for the doors and windows. At minimum utilize a double locking system for all doors and windows.

If there are door hinges on the outside of your house, take down the door and reset the hinges inside. Otherwise all a thief has to do to gain entry to your home is knock out the hinge pin.

It's simple for a thief to break glass panels and then reach in and open a doorknob from the inside. A door with glass panels should be either fortified, replaced, or secured with dead bolts that can only be opened with a key. Secure sliding glass doors with bars or locks, or put a wooden dowel or broom handle in the door track.

Dogs are good deterrents to burglars. Even a small, noisy dog can be effective burglars do not like to have attention drawn to their presence. Be aware, however, that trained guard dogs do not make good pets. Obedience training and attack training are entirely different, and only the former is appropriate for a house pet.

Think like a burglar. Put yourself in his shoes and find out the weak spots in the house from where the burglar can enter the house. When you do this you will be able to find the weak spots and can protect your home better. For example stand outside the window of your living room. Look at all the valuables in the room that a burglar can take. See how you can hide them, from view or rearrange them, in other rooms where they are not visible. Use hasp with protective covers for locks. This mechanism will make it more difficult for the burglar to break into the house. Have a home burglar alarm security system fitted in your house to protect your home.

Plan to "burglarize" yourself. You'll discover any weaknesses in your security system that may have previously escaped your notice.

About the Author:
Francesca Black develops educational material for http://www.security-port.com and http://www.security-protection.net a top resource for locating security related RSS feeds.

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Pink slip protection offered by mobile phone company

Apr 9th 2009 at 7:00PM

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Virgin Mobile is the latest company to offer price protection for customers who lose their jobs.
Starting April 15, the phone company will offer what it calls "Pink Slip Protection" that will pay for three months of its service for new and existing customers who lose their jobs. Customers must prove that they're eligible for state unemployment benefits, and must have one of Virgin Mobile USA's prepaid monthly plans that don't have annual contracts.
While three free months of cell phone use while looking for a job may not sound like much time, it's a start that should help people get back on their feet and find a job, said Bob Stohrer, chief marketing officer for Virgin Mobile.
"We hope that what we're helping people to do is get themselves situated and back into employment," Stohrer told me in a telephone interview.
Like many companies offering help to people who lose their jobs -- Walgreens, Ford, Hyundai, FedEx Office, and others -- it's a tactic to build the brand and help create customer loyalty. After all, if a business helped you when times were tough, maybe you're more likely to stick with them for the long haul.
Virgin Mobile's Stohrer admitted as much, saying the Pink Slip Protection plan could tip the scales for someone looking to buy a cell phone amid all the prepaid phone choices out there.
"Anybody who takes advantage of this is going to become a better customer for us in the long-term," he said.
The national unemployment rate is 8.5%, so its probably safe to assume that about the same percentage of cell phone customers are unemployed and could use this plan. At a time when having a cell phone is no longer a luxury but a necessity, especially when looking for a job, Virgin Mobile customers may flock to the program when it starts April 15.
"You rely on your cellphone even more when you're out of a job" and networking and trying to get ahold of employers, Stohrer said.
Customers must have a Virgin Mobile monthly plan for at least two consecutive months to be eligible for the pink slip plan. People with one of its text-only plans are also eligible, although texting to request a job interview isn't recommended.
Getting a helping hand, if only for three months, is still a helping hand.
"We're trying to help somebody get back on their feet and manage costs when they're really tight," Stohrer said.

Aaron Crowe is an unemployed journalist in the San Francisco Bay Area. Read about his job search at www.AaronCrowe.net

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