| |
| |
|
Credit Information |
|
|
|
19,178 Identity Theft Victims Per Day - Are You One Of Them?
Identity theft statistics are shocking. And we are told that it will only become worse, before it gets any better. Are you likely to be affected? According to recent studies, up to 7,000,000 people become identity theft victims each year, in the United States alone. That's over 19,000 cases a day, or 799 cases an hour. Whichever way you look at it, these are shocking figures. And with more and more people using the Internet, online banking, and other hi-tech services, things aren't likely to improve any time soon. In fact, another research, a survey conducted on behalf of the Federal Trade Commission recently, tells us that the situation is even worse. According to the FTC survey report, 4.6% of the US population were identity fraud victims last year - that's 10 million people. According to the FTC figures, if someone fraudulently opens a new credit card or another loan account under your name, on average you can expect the dollar amount to go to about $10,200. That's just an average amount. To clean up your name, and your credit rating, you will need to deal with this experience. You can expect to spend between $500 and $1,200 of your own hard-earned money cleaning up the mess. You can also expect to invest between 30 and 60 hours of your time. The above figures are just cold statistics. They say nothing about the emotional trauma, through which you are likely to go when it happens to you. It's all very well to read and hear about bad things that happen to other people. It is quite different when the same thing happens to you, or your loved one. Is there anything you can do in order to protect yourself? There is. Quite a bit actually. It's all based on common sense and, while there are no guarantees in life, you will minimise the risk and make the life of an identity thief a lot harder. Funny thing about thieves. They don't like working hard. If you make it hard enough for them, they will usually go away - to find an easier target. One of the common-sense things you can do in order to protect yourself, and your family, is to make yourself aware of the current scams that may affect you. The most infamous one at the moment is so a called 'phishing' scam. In a nutshell it looks like this: You get an email that looks like it was sent from your bank. They ask you to log in to your online account and verify some of your details. For your convenience, there is a link included right in the email. All you have to do is click on it an log in. Don't ever! The moment you click on that link and log in, the scam artists have your login ID and password recorded. This will enable them to log in to your account and within hours, or days, your account will be cleaned out!. There are two common-sense approaches to deal with this. First, you have to realise that your bank already has all the details they need to operate your online account. If they didn't, you wouldn't be able to open it in the first place. So, you can most likely quite safely delete the email and forget about it. Secondly, if you have any doubts as to the authenticity of the email, you can get the bank's phone number from your local phone book and give them a call. Tell them about the email you received and ask if they tried to contact you. I bet they are going to be as surprised as you are. And just remember: Whatever you do, never, ever, log in to your bank account, or any other sensitive account for that matter, right from an email. You already have the login link somewhere in your records. If not, go to the bank's main page and look for an online login page. What we covered today is just one of the things you need to do in order to protect yourself from identity fraud. There are many more. Lack of space doesn't allow me to cover more in this short article. You will find many more tips at http://www.credit-report-a-z.com/articles.html. They are free to implement and could save you lots of time and money. Andrew Obremski is the owner of www.credit-report-a-z.com, a web site devoted to information about credit reports, identity theft, debt, and other personal finance topics. Webmasters: Author's permission is granted to reprint this article, provided that: 1. The whole article, including the bio info above, is reprinted intact. 2. All links are live and in pure HTML (no Javascript or redirection allowed).
MORE RESOURCES:
Credit - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Bad Checks, Bounced Checks, & NSF Checks Negotiable instruments like checks and drafts have become an indispensable part of any business transaction today. As a result, it has become increasingly important to safeguard a business against financial losses arising from the receipt of fraudulent or bad checks. Dont Trade Your Future for Todays DooDads "Easy Low Down Monthly Payment," "Buy Now Pay Later," "You Deserve the Car Today and We Can Finance It for You," & "Spend Today, 0% APR until Next Year!" We see those statements above every where today, on TV commercials, car dealership, banks and magazines. Those statements have put a lot of people into a financial disaster, because the statements make a lot of people believe that acquiring bad debts is an ok thing to do. Why Is It important! Your credit is the most important thing you have other than your breathe. There are three types of people in this world. Five Debt Negotiation Facts These five debt negotiation facts along with a few debt reduction planning tools gives you the ability to control your own debt. For many people today credit card debt is a mounting problem and very few know how to successfully negotiate debt settlements. Bad Debt Recovery Bad Debt IdentificationIdentifying bad debt is not as easy as it sounds. But the earlier it is done, the better are chances of recovering it. Protect Yourself Against Identity Theft Identity theft is when someone uses, without permission, your personal information in order to commit any frauds or crimes. Identity theft is a felony that is becoming more and more common. Useful Tips on Borrowing Money Here are some useful tips on borrowing money. Borrowing money is one of the most common sources of funding for a small business, but obtaining a loan isn't always easy. Negotiating Rates with Your Credit Card Company Ok, let's face it, everybody hates high credit card rates, and they drain hard earned money out of your wallet. As a valued consumer, it is apparent that you learn how to negotiate to get the absolute best rate that you possibly can. SuperCharged Secret 2, Credit Card Utopia INTEREST BEWARE, THERE'S SAFETY IN NUMBERS!Note: The following is part 2 of a 5 part series, Over the course of these 5 articles, I am going to introduce you to several methods for maximizing the use and benefits of the best Credit Cards and offers on the market today. This information, when used in conjunction with one another, is unlike anything you've ever seen before. What Are the Most Common Ways to Commit Identity Theft or Fraud? It's the number one source of consumer complaints at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and unfortunately, it's one of the simplest crimes to commit. Identity theft involves information from your daily life, from shopping, bill-paying, and even applying for a job. Credit Report - Check Yours Regularly - and for Free In the twenty-first century, there are few documents that have a greater impact on the lives of Americans then their credit report. Credit rating determines one's ability to buy a home, a car, or to obtain a credit card or a job. How Does a Creditor Determine Whether to Grant You Credit? Credit 101How does a creditor determine whether to grant you credit? For many years, creditors have been using credit scores and credit scoring systems to determine if you'd be a good risk for a loan or credit card. More recently, credit scores have been used to help determine what rates you pay for insurance. Your Credit Rating and How To Check It There is a lot of confusion surrounding UK credit ratings, credit scores, credit blacklists, credit reports, and credit files. This guide to your credit rating aims to give you the facts you need. What Is the Fair Credit Reporting Act and What You Should Know About It The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and the recent update to this law called the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA) protect consumers against inaccurate information being reported by credit bureaus and the privacy of that information. What does this mean to you?When you make purchases on a credit card, make payments to your accounts, open new bank or credit accounts, borrow money, buy a house or a car, and even fund your education, your financial information is reported by creditors and lenders to a credit bureau. Which Business Credit Cards with Reward are the Best? Thinking of applying for a credit card with a reward program to help you and your business? Here is a brief guide to some of the best programs on the internet.The Platinum Business Credit Card with rewards from American Express is a great offer. Common Credit Score Myths A lot of credit score myths about fico score ratings get spread around and some of them are just outdated information. Sometimes even lenders can give you the wrong advice and it can get confusing. Making Sense of the Information in Your Credit Report If you've ever applied for a credit card or loan, you've probably had your credit report reviewed by the lender. Your credit report has a huge impact on your financial future, so it's well worth your time to be sure that you understand what your credit report says about you. Secured Credit Cards- Consumer Tips Whether you have no credit or damaged credit, secured credit cards are a good tool for building a good credit history.Several months ago Tom, a member of CreditBoards. Getting Married? What Are The Finance and Credit Implications? There is a big difference between looking after your own finances while living alone, or with parents, and living with a partner. The transition can be very difficult, especially if both partners are strongly independent, or one partner is financially weak and the other strong. Choosing the Best Low Interest Credit Card With so many low interest credit cards on offer, how do you know which one to choose? Here is a brief guide for choosing your low interest credit card.The Chase Manhattan MasterCard is a great choice, for those with an excellent credit rating.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2008 |
Comment by Marshal Cohen