Identity Fraud Protection and Education - The Shocking Facts and Figures

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

CIFAS - the UK's Fraud Prevention Service have published some rather worrying statistics when it comes to identity fraud and general theft of personal data for illicit purposes. Their data shows that there are two types of ID theft:

Identity Fraud - where personal/confidential information which has been stolen is used to obtain goods or services. Or alternatively, the stolen information is often used to forged identity documents including passports, driving licences and more. These false documents can then be used to apply for credit cards, loans or other financial services.

Account Takeover - is another sort of identity theft where an individual's bank accounts are taken over and drained dry.

Neither of these types of identity fraud is pleasant for the victim and in this time of recession within the UK (and worldwide) ID fraud is on the rise. In 2007, 2008 and 2009, there were over 65,000 incidents of identity fraud annually and a sharp rise in the number of account takeovers from 6,272 in 2007 to well over 16,000 in 2009. The steep rise in 2009 onwards, shows that not only that identity theft is becoming more prevalent but also that the knowledge about how to prevent it is not sufficiently widespread. It's not only the individual that suffers from ID theft, but society as a whole. Banking institutions, loan companies, insurance firms and the providers of goods and services all suffer as a result of identity fraud and generally the cost is passed on to the consumer. The result is - everyone suffers. It is estimated that identity fraud costs the UK economy over £1 billion per annum.

Identity Fraud Facts and Figures

The facts and figures of identity fraud are pretty shocking:

The average amount stolen from a victim through identity fraud is over £1,000, yet only 7% of people have been a victim. Despite this, 95% of Britons believe ID fraud is a direct threat to them.

25% of people in the UK do not shred confidential documents at home.

96% of people believe that organisations do not handle their data correctly and as a result they might be at risk of ID fraud through the actions of others.

In the UK, there are around 4.3 million victims of identity fraud to date and the number of victims continues to grow.

Statistics show that around 18 million households in the UK are failing to properly protect themselves from the risk of ID theft.

Yet identity theft protection is simply a matter of education in prevention methods. In many instances, this simply involves encouraging home owners and individuals to shred important and confidential documents before disposing of them in their weekly rubbish - because this is where the biggest threat lies - criminals rifling through your rubbish. Obviously shredding all your paperwork is a hassle and takes time, but there is an alternative. The Japanese have invented an ID protection stamp, which is a simple stamp that when used quickly and easily covers and obscures personal data and cuts out the need for shredding. Confidential waste can then be put to better use and recycled rather than thrown in the landfill - while you can remain confident that your data is safe and secure.

Don't be a victim of ID fraud, protect your data simply and easily with little hassle or fuss.

Adrian writes on behalf of Stamps Direct - the UK's exclusive supplier of the ID protection stamp.

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Are You High Risk for Identity Theft? Get Protection

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AppId is over the quota

Identity thieves originally went after high value targets that had the most money. Nowadays, they have gone out of that comfort zone and target lower income groups who make for easier pickings. Identity theft cases have skyrocketed in the 21st century fueled by technological advancements. It is becoming easier for identity thieves to get information about people which they eventually use to carry out fraudulent activities. Although identity thieves prefer richer people, their information is not as easy to come by compared to low income earners. The following people are more vulnerable to identity theft.

Frequent users of social networks. Research suggests that people who frequently use social networks are vulnerable to identity theft due to the possibility of sharing personally identifiable information. People who have used such networks online for over five years are twice as likely to fall victim to identity theft.

People who reside in apartments in major cities. Identity theft in this case is made possible by the ease by which mail can be intercepted by identity thieves. This group of people also move house frequently. This means that mail can easily land in the wrong hands at a previous residence.

It has become fairly obvious that online shoppers have the highest risk factor when it comes to becoming a victim of this kind of theft. This is because they usually give out loads of sensitive personal information and even credit card numbers.

A proactive approach can serve as a good means of preventing theft. The following are some steps that can be taken to deal with the risk of identity theft.

Always ensure that on changing addresses, you inform the people that send you regular mail such as banks. This will prevent your mail from landing in the wrong hands.

Always shred documents that have personally identifiable information before throwing them in the trash. Even better, burn items with highly sensitive data.

Always cancel all credit cards that you no longer use. People usually get shocked to see purchases made with unused credit cards.

Always have passwords that are hard to guess. Password-protected accounts usually have personal information within them.

Memorize all important numbers such as social security numbers so as not to leave them lying around on a written piece of paper. If not, save them in a secure password-protected location.

Check your bank statement every month to make sure that all transactions were performed by you.

Always make sure that any website you use to make online purchases is genuine. Such websites are usually validated and make use of secure connections.

Britney Fuller is a writer who enjoys writing on a number of different verticals. For more on identity theft, Online Security Authority offers readers information on tips for job seekers concerned with identity theft.

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Understanding Identity Protection

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AppId is over the quota

Identity theft protection is one of the most critical things that you can do, specifically in this day and age when everybody is putting a great deal of private information on the internet and shopping on the internet frequently. If you're seeking a bit more information with regards to identity protection, you've definitely come to the right place, which is certainly true. We will talk about the importance of protecting your identity and a few of the things which you can keep in mind when you are thinking about this important matter here in this short article.

Your credit card information and facts and your social security number are the two things you should be worried about. This information is the most important information out there, and this is the sort of information that people are often stealing on the web. There are several pointers that can definitely help you as getting your identity stolen is certainly a significant issue that you do not want to have to manage.

It is crucial that you monitor your bank accounts and credit card accounts on a daily basis so that you can be sure that all of the charges are charges that you've really authorized. You should also get a credit report every so often so you can ensure there have not been accounts opened in your name or related to your social security number. If you do see unauthorized activity, you need to report it immediately and take the necessary action steps to make sure that it doesn't happen again.

Making sure that you prevent this before it really happens is the best thing to do. You can buy software such as Lifelock to accomplish this. If you do this, your data will be protected each time you get something on the web or enter your very own information anywhere on the net, and that's definitely a very important thing.

You wish to browse around and read some reviews to get the best protection when considering identity theft protection and the purchasing of software such as this. For instance, if you're thinking about Identity Guard, you can search for "Identity Guard reviews" in Google and see what results show up. Reading about the kinds of experiences other consumers have had with these programs is essential. You need to find identity theft protection that has a great deal of reviews that are positive since these programs will be the very best, you will find.

There are many things that you must remember when you are thinking about identity protection. Hopefully you have a better knowledge of this topic in general and you're more prepared to take precautions to protect your identity now that you have read this article. If you protect your identity in the correct way, you need to be able to prevent unwanted incidents and save yourself lots of time, money, and hassle in the long run.

If you're concerned about your identity, it might be a smart idea to get some more facts about Lifelock and also Identity Guard reviews.

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Personal Identity Protection

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AppId is over the quota

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 StatementsCredit Statements and ReceiptsPersonal ChecksPay stubs and employer or other income documentationAnything 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.

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