Identity Theft Prevention

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What Can You Do to Protect Yourself? Explains the steps you can take to protect yourself from identity theft. Identity theft is a serious crime. It occurs when your personal information is stolen and used without your knowledge to commit fraud or other crimes. Identity theft can cost you time and money. It can destroy your credit and ruin your good name. Deter identity thieves by safeguarding your information. ■ Shred financial documents and paperwork with personal information before you discard them. ■ Protect your Social Security number. Don't carry your Social Security card in your wallet or write your Social Security number on a check. Give it out only if absolutely necessary or ask to use another identifier. ■ Don't give out personal information on the phone, through the mail, or over the Internet unless you know who you are dealing with. ■ Never click on links sent in unsolicited emails; instead, type in a web address you know. Use firewalls, anti-spyware, and anti-virus software to protect your home computer; keep them up-to-date. Visit OnGuardOnline.gov for more information. ■ Don't use an obvious password like your birth date, your mother's maiden name, or the last four digits of your Social Security number. ■ Keep your personal information in a secure place at home, especially if you have roommates, employ outside help, or are having work done in your house. Defend against ID theft as soon as you suspect it. ■ Place a "Fraud Alert" on your credit reports, and review the reports carefully. The alert tells creditors to follow certain procedures before they open new accounts in your name or make changes to your existing accounts. The three nationwide consumer reporting companies have toll-free numbers for placing an initial 90-day fraud alert; a call to one company is sufficient: Equifax: 1-800-525-6285 Experian: 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742) TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289 -FTC.gov

Channel: News & Politics
Uploaded: March 10, 2007 at 1:21 pm
Author: ScamExpert

Length: 0:08:40
Rating: 4.18
Views: 7,958

Tags: Identity Theft Prevention

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Video Comments:
jsndnl (Sunday 7th of September 2008 08:51:18 PM)
Well, I hope government could give a more serious punishment for the people who commit criminal, such as Identity Theft at least put them on the jail for 50 years and bail $1,000,000.
pc1news (Monday 18th of August 2008 03:26:20 AM)
Captivating Dialogue, I was on the edge of my seat through the whole video
iUploaded (Thursday 3rd of July 2008 11:45:31 AM)
Avoid scams All spam emails/unsolicited phone calls/letters and faxes are scams. As a general rule - ANYTHING involving Western Union/money gram = Scam. If you sell stuff online.. Accept Cash or paypal only. If you buy stuff online.. Use Paypal only. Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is! NEVER(ever) give out your personal information to strangers online or offline! Do not click on a link embedded within any potentially suspicious email. Always be on guard.
iUploaded (Thursday 3rd of July 2008 11:45:05 AM)
Security Alert- Protect your PC by updated spyware and updated virus protection and firewall. Change your passwords on a regular basis, and use passwords that use at least 8 characters that mix numbers and both lower and upper case letters (harder to hack).
iUploaded (Tuesday 13th of May 2008 03:31:03 PM)
Does somebody want to transfer millions of dollars into your account? Does someone want you pay you to cash cheques and send them the money? Met a new friend/penpal on a friendship/dating site who's asking you for money? Has a dying person contacted you wanting your help to give his money to charity? Have you sold an item and are asked to accept a payment larger than the item amount? IT'S A SCAM! Don't fall for common scams like this fight them! Credit: Ravenshaolin ALL SPAM EMAIL = SCAM!!!
canman5060 (Friday 29th of February 2008 11:54:48 AM)
there is no way you can 100% protect yourself from ID thefts. Those predator can employees or major employees from large institutions like banks, government offices, tax offices,utility company, and even immigration department, even the one who issue you social security ID card, driver's license.Who knows ?
canman5060 (Friday 29th of February 2008 11:54:43 AM)
there is no way you can 100% protect yourself from ID thefts. Those predator can employees or major employees from large institutions like banks, government offices, tax offices,utility company, and even immigration department, even the one who issue you social security ID card, driver's license.Who knows ?
lenskap (Thursday 27th of December 2007 02:05:51 PM)
If you have an identity thief and kill that person, would you be charged with murder or suicide?
JueputaGuebon (Tuesday 25th of December 2007 04:20:06 PM)
so what are they gonna invent to protect us from ID theft?
CodeBlue7 (Thursday 15th of November 2007 05:07:29 PM)
Scam of the Week: Fake checks Scam Beware! Don't accept or cash Checks from strangers. If you do you may lose up to $4000 or more of your own money. More Info> fakechecks dot org ALL Unsolicited bulk e-mails are Scams!!!! TipS: To avoid scams, Keep your Greed in check. Have a healthy sense of skepticism. Ask lots of Questions. Lastly, God for wisdom and understanding... God Bless -Freddy, Scambuster.