Identity Fraud is running rampant in the world today, are you safe? According to financial research, Identity fraud is the fastest growing crime in America, and is the #1 concern among consumers. Personal identify theft occurs when a criminal steals another person's private information and opens fraudulent credit accounts, stealing their identity and financial information. According to two studies done in July 2003 (Gartner Research and Harris Interactive), approximately seven million people became victims of identity theft in the prior 12 months, that is over nineteen thousand lives per day!
Identity theft happens in an unlimited number of ways, some are highly complex, some are as simple as trash diving. It's hard to believe, but some people make a good living by dumpster diving. They dig through public dumpsters and private trashcans looking for information, and it's totally legal. According to the U.S. Supreme Court (California v. Greenwood, decided May 16, 1988), all rights of privacy and ownership are forfeited by your disposal in the trash. The Court also said: "It is common knowledge that garbage is readily accessible to animals, children, scavengers, snoops, and other members of the public." Another form of attack is the more familiar online computer fraud or computer hacking method. Simply put, the steal all your personal information from your own computer by hacking into your home or office computer.
Protecting your online interest is best left to high quality security software from Norton, Symantec or many other firms. The best defense for protecting your personal identity theft is quite simple, shredding documents with your personal information before disposing of them. Don't give away your information to the public, SHRED IT! A short list of the items you should shred is listed below:
Financial Statements Credit Statements and Receipts Personal Checks Pay stubs and employer or other income documentation Anything showing names, addresses, phone numbers, and social security numbers, etc.There are many quality shredders to chose from, most of these you can purchase online at discount office supplies web-sites. Many of the better and less expensive brands will not cost you a great deal of money and will do a great job for you. Shredders by SWINGLINE, FELLOWES and HSM are all fantastic and offer quality products. Choose a shredder with cross cut capabilities to really destroy the document and secure your information.
Securing your identity from theft is an ongoing challenge, these are just a few simple and yet effective ways to protect your precious identity. By shredding and securing your documents and controlling your on-line purchases, you should be fine keeping your personal identity safe for a lifetime.
The Urgency of ID Theft Prevention
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