Ever wonder what law enforcement officials do to protect their identity? Wonder no more because youll discover exactly what the criminals tell police about their identity theft scams.
The U.S. Postal Service has shown that there were close to 12 million cases of identity theft in the country for the year 2006; which totaled to approximately $6.3 billion to consumers. This ridiculous statistic most certainly made consumers more aware; but so many people still don’t know about the special methods these identity crooks use. At an exclusive interview, an infamous identity theft revealed 4 common myths she took advantage of, in order to prey upon the innocent.
Myth #1: Only Men are Identity Thieves
This is a very common myth that makes an identity thief’s job so much simpler. One of the main issues is that the media portrays most identity thieves as men. In actuality, most criminals are fashionable and attractive females! You can steer clear from this deception, by closely monitoring your personal data with both women and men. According to researchers, both men and women let their guard down around women, more than they would with men. Remember, everyone is a potential identity thief. You don’t have to become fearful that everyone you meet is a crook, but just be aware.
Myth #2: Placing Trust in Your Neighborhood Store Clerk or Restaurant Waiter
This is probably one of the most difficult mistakes to steer clear from, because most of the time we have to give personal information when making purchase or eating out. However, some of these people have two jobs. By day they may work at the local shopping mall, yet at night they take on another job. This other job is basically to provide credit card and account numbers to people. It’s so easy to do, since the account information is in-hand. To avoid major issues, review your statements closely, and think about keeping track of your purchases with a journal.
If you monitor your statement closely as soon as you receive them, the less stressed you’ll be, should a situation occur. Let’s think about it…how quickly can a person, working at a shopping mall or restaurant, get access to hundreds of customers’ personal data? You got it…very quickly! Our notorious identity thief revealed in her interview that most identity theft criminals work at these sorts of places for a few months, and once all the information is in-hand, they’re on the next flight to the Bahamas!
Misconception # 3 Tossing Out That Junk Mail Unopened
If you have good credit, bad credit, or no credit at all, your information is out there. On average, you can get about 15-20 plus offers every month to open a new checking/savings account, or a credit card. The thing that makes this a big problem is that most of us are too lazy to closely monitor our documents. There are two types of people in this situation. There’s the person who may not have a shredding machine, but still decides to just throw the mail with all sorts of personal information in the trash or just tear it in half. Then there’s the person who actually owns a personal shredding machine, but doesn’t “feel” like shredding each and every piece of information.
Listen, all a thief has to do is get a hold of one piece of information from your trash can and you quickly become a victim. Dont believe me? Let me ask you this, what are doing at 3a.m.? Really, well guess what our trustworthy identity thief is doing? She is in your trash can randomly pulling a bag out of your can for shifting and sorting later. Tip: After you shred your documents, add a little water to the bag before you seal it and then toss it. Not only will the pages be sliced and diced but will also be a wet and soggy mess, completely unusable by anyone.
Mistake #4: Mailing or Receiving items from Your Home
Hopefully you’re starting to understand the intensity of this issue. Identity thieves can commit crimes all sorts of ways. Your outgoing credit card payments now become their personal piggy bank. Experts say that some identity thieves are bold enough to fill out a change of address form in the victim’s name, simply to gain complete access to financial and personal information. Here’s a tip: Be sure to drop all outgoing mail at your local United States Postal Service mailbox. You may also think about opening a P.O. Box. Although it may seem like a hassle, you’ll be less stressed than losing your life’s savings; and these are the preventative steps to follow if you want to beat identity theft.
The real problem is that there are so many opportunities to become a victim; you really need 24 hour protection. Stop trying to make it without help!
Please note, there are not that many people that can protect themselves and their families, successfully, without help. You’ve been trying to do it alone, and it’s not very effective. Wouldn’t it make sense to have someone who has been through what you’ve been through, or better yet, what you DON’T want to go through? Companies like LifeLock provide awesome identity theft solutions for people like you and I.
When finding an identity theft protection service provider, make certain it has been recommended by law officials, and that the service will actually work in a real-life situation.
Identity Theft Prevention and Identity Theft Protection are crucial. Stop Identity Theft with LifeLock. Life Lock can guarantee identity theft never happens to you. To learn more about how to protect yourself from identity thieves, visit lifelock.com
