A few years ago, an unnamed man walked into a bank on Long Island, NY and withdrew thousands of dollars from an account. That bank account belonged to my father. Whether it was the fault of the bank teller for not checking the photo identification of the man or not, the fact remained that this person got away with a form of identity theft. By pretending to be someone he wasn’t, this person illegally obtained personal information belonging to my father in order to withdraw funds from his bank account.
Identity theft will affect all of us at some point in our lives. This is why identity theft protection is so important. According to an article published in USA Today, in 2003, approximately 25% of victims said their personal information, such as credit cards, checkbooks and Social Security cards, had been lost or stolen, according to a survey by the Federal Trade Commission.
Since 2003, identity theft hasn’t gotten any better; it’s gotten worse. No doubt, there seems to be a very clear correlation between identity theft and the increased number of people who use the Internet to do their banking as well as shopping and other business transactions. For instance, in 2009, the Internet Crime Complaint Center released its latest annual report on victims’ complaints received and referred to law enforcement. From January 1, 2008 – December 31, 2008, the IC3 website received 275,284 complaint submissions. This is a (33.1%) increase when compared to 2007 when 206,884 complaints were received.
10 Tips For Identity Theft Protection [source]
- Ensure websites are secure prior to submitting your credit card number.
- Do your homework to ensure the business or website is legitimate.
- Attempt to obtain a physical address, rather than a P.O. box or maildrop.
- Never throw away credit card or bank statements in usable form.
- Be aware of missed bills, which could indicate your account has been taken over.
- Be cautious of scams requiring you to provide your personal information.
- Never give your credit card number over the phone unless you make the call.
- Monitor your credit statements monthly for any fraudulent activity.
- Report unauthorized transactions to your bank or credit card company as soon as possible.
- Review a copy of your credit report at least once a year.
For more information about identity theft protection, contact LifeLock today at 1.800.543.3562.