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Q&A: about identify theft. my wife shut down her computer last thursday, and when she tried to get into her mail ,?

Wolf — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 19:24:02 +0000

Question by jerry l: about identify theft. my wife shut down her computer last thursday, and when she tried to get into her mail ,?
she was blocked out. she has been using the same address & password for more than 10 years. all of a sudden yahoo says it is wrong.i and some of our friends got e-mails yesterday begging for money from the united kingdom her e-mail is: barrettlyle@yahoo.com she is a cancer survivor and really needs her computer. what should she do???

Best answer:

Answer by Gary¢
yahoo is doing some maintenance work, so some e-mails get lost or blocked..
but in your case, that some one is extorting money from you, it is a different case
some one hacked your e-mail and or your computer.
give few days then send e-mail to yahoo or change account password using other computer and in different location/connection/house.
>

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!

Technorati Tags: About, Computer, Down, Identify, into, last, Mail, shut, Theft, thursday, tried, wife

Is it considered mail fraud or identify theft if someone sends you unsolicted mail or email?

Wolf — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 03:20:02 +0000

by Rosa Say

Question by beautibydi219: Is it considered mail fraud or identify theft if someone sends you unsolicted mail or email?
My daugther in law is harssing me.

Best answer:

Answer by luvsbigchix
No, mail fraud and identity theft occur when the sender impersonates somebody else.

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Technorati Tags: considered, Email, Fraud, Identify, Mail, sends, someone, Theft, unsolicted

Identity Thieves Steal Your Mail Before They Steal Your Identity

Wolf — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 21:37:01 +0000

Identity Thieves Steal Your Mail Before They Steal Your Identity

One of the most common ways an identity thief steals your identity is by first stealing your mail. That is why everyone should have a mail box that locks. Most new homes are now built with mail boxes that lock and if you have one of the old kind that you just pull open, you should upgrade to a locking model. If an ID thief is successful in stealing your mail, you may never even know what he has stolen. Until it is too late, that is.

Do you get those pre-approved credit card applications in the mail at least once a week? Those are exactly what an ID thief is after. Identity thieves will take your credit card application and change the address to their address or PO box and then send it in. They are hoping to get a brand new credit card sent to them in your name, without you even knowing it.

That is the reason why those pre-approved credit card application everyone gets in the mail are so bad and should be banned. They have personal information already on them and you don’t even have to fill them out! It is terribly annoying to get them so often and I have to make sure I shred them and not just throw them away.

You should pay particular attention to all junk mail that has any of your personal information on it. You need to make it as hard as possible for identity theft to happen by making sure you shred that kind of mail. An ID thief is always on the lookout for something that he can use to pretend to be you and send in. Department store credit applications are a similar type of mail that you need to make sure you shred.

It is a much different world we live in today than just 10 years ago. We all now seem to have multiple accounts online and so many passwords a normal person has to write them all down just to keep track. We have multiple credit cards as well and many have more than one bank account. We pay our bills online and it can all be overwhelming.

It is for this reason that it is more important than ever to keep track of all your accounts and passwords and protect them from prying eyes and thieves. The “prfession” of being an identity thief is now more prevalent than ever because there are so many new ways an ID thief can get access to your information. The only way to fight back is to be aware of everything you do and make sure you try your best to keep your private information hidden.

Idenity theft is a very scary problem that we all must avoid. Please visit my site to find out all you need to know to fight back against the ID thieves.

Technorati Tags: Before, Identity, Mail, Steal, they, Thieves

Identity Theft Solutions for Families

Wolf — Wed, 12 May 2010 19:30:13 +0000

Bernard Pragides asked:

People who become victims of identity theft often have to bear a lot of problems that results from the theft; therefore it is better to avoid theft altogether when possible. And luckily there are several identity theft solutions for families that are very useful for the prevention of these identity thefts among the family members.

Identity theft solutions for families start with the family members themselves. Points to consider include:

1) Many identity theft solutions are very simple things to follow like avoiding giving out personal information about any member in the family to any outside person. The children may disclose information, therefore, the useful information like passwords of accounts, and other things should be kept away from them.

2) Another way in which identity theft can occur is due to the loss of any official papers containing private information; hence it is advisable that all such papers should be properly preserved in a safe manner and copies and unneeded documents destroyed with a shredder. The passwords of the accounts should never be written down on paper. All this information should remain only in the mind of the owner or in a safe place.

3) The theft may also occur if a person leaves or moves from his house and still has his mail sent to that address. Therefore, identity theft solutions for families also include the proper provision of the information about the changes in the address.

4) Identity theft solutions for families also include joining only standard organizations and commercial companies. This is because in order to join any organization, it is often required of members that some personal information about the person or his family be shared. In addition to this, everybody in the family should be aware not to provide information to any person who is not officially from that company.

5) In addition to the above-mentioned offline identity theft solutions for families, there is also need of precautions for online identity theft for families. The occurrences of online identity theft are more frequent today than those happening offline. Thieves do it with the help of the virus spyware and other hacking software. Online, they enter the PC system and then they can take away the information that is stored on the PC. Therefore, identity theft solutions for families includes the use of spy ware protecting software.

6) Identity thefts also occur due the use of the internet. Many members of the families have email accounts, online bank and other types of accounts. The information related to these accounts and other additional information provided to these accounts may leak through them. Therefore, identity theft solutions for families includes all the measures to prevent this from happening.

In short, online and off, all family members should not provide unnecessary information for their accounts, and they should carefully choose their passwords. This will enable scammers from hacking your accounts. In fact, a weak password is among the major causes of all the hacking of online accounts and information.

Many times some unnecessary pop ups or some links appear on the screen. Clicking on them should be avoided at all times.

Technorati Tags: Address, Family Members, Mail, Proper Provision, Shredder

Steps to Take If You’re a Victim of Identity Theft

Wolf — Sun, 02 May 2010 13:25:47 +0000

Paul Wilcox asked:

You’ve always paid your credit card bills before they were due. Your rates on the few cards that you have are low as you’ve always been responsible for your actions etc.

Recently you’ve noticed that a few strange things have been going on and you’re wondering if you’ve been an identity theft victim. You’ve been receiving some phone calls from debt collectors, a credit card has arrived in the mail that you didn’t request or maybe you’ve even been turned down for a revolving charge card because you didn’t make payments on something else.

These things may be pointing to the fact that you’ve become a victim of identity theft. If you think this may have happened, there are a couple of things that you need to do right away, such as notifying fraud departments, check your credit report and definitely report your situation to the police.

Report the Problem to Fraud Departments

If you’ve become an identity theft victim, the first thing you need to do is report it to the fraud department of the three credit bureaus. They are Experian, Equifax and Transunion. You can choose to report just to one of the bureaus as they will pass it on to the others so that they are all aware.

As soon as the credit bureau is notified of the identification theft, they will flag the accounts of the person. When accounts are flagged, the potential creditors will have to call the person applying for credit personally.

If you’ve reported your identity theft, as a victim you can expect your personal account to be flagged for 90 days. After the flagging you will be notified that this has been done and given a list of other rights for victims.

After you’ve received this information you can obtain a free copy of your credit report. It’s also strongly advised that you make a formal request to the three credit bureaus that your account be flagged form the usual 90 days to 7 years.

Check over your credit report closely to look for items that seem out of place. If you find questionable entries you should inform the credit bureaus of them. After reporting the fraudulent activity, the credit bureau is under no obligation to reveal it to others who are authorized to look at your personal credit report.

Technorati Tags: Cards, Creditors, Mail, Report Fraud, Transunion

Identity Theft – A Common Occurrence You Can Avoid

Wolf — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 04:35:28 +0000

Jesse Whitehead asked:

Right at this very moment there could be someone walking around claiming to be you and using your credit cards. It is not very hard to steal someone’s identity, so why don’t we try to make it just a little more difficult for them. To avoid becoming a victim of identity theft, here are a few simple steps you can take.

1. You can greatly reduce the risk of being a victim of identity theft by closely watching your credit and financial transactions. Always be sure to monitor your credit card and banking statements online once a week at least. If you see any suspicious activity, report it immediately to the institution involved.

2. If your wallet, purse, or items such as credit/debit card or drivers license are lost or stolen, report it immediately to the appropriate institutions and authorities.

3. When you apply for new credit cards after having the others stolen or lost, you should look for them in the mail within a few business days. If you have not gotten your new cards in a reasonable amount of time, you should call your credit card company back and let them know you have not received it.

4. You have probably seen the commercials and read the ads placed by businesses who promise that they can protect your identity from being stolen. Most of these companies have similar kinds of benefits such as active credit monitoring, credit alerts, free credit reports, and wallet protection services. Services are available for a monthly or yearly subscription. You can get protection for just yourself or the whole family–including your children.

5. If you subscribe to one of these I.D. protection and monitoring plans, you can simply call them when your wallet or purse is stolen, and they will make all the necessary calls to the credit card companies, banks, and so forth. They will initiate the process to cancel your accounts and open up new accounts in your name, with new replacement cards quickly sent to you. You can avoid the hassle of doing it yourself, save time, and not have to worry that you forgot to do something. It is well worth the few dollars a month you will pay for the subscription.

Technorati Tags: Business Days, Credit Monitoring, Mail, Victim Of Identity Theft, Wallet Purse

Identity Protection Services – are they worth it?

Wolf — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 01:03:15 +0000

Little Mom asked:

It seems that every other article I see is about the hazards of identity theft. I am conscientious about shredding my mail, but beyond that, do I need to subscribe to some service, such as CSIdentity to protect myself?

Technorati Tags: Csidentity, Identity Theft, Mail, Protection Services

Identity Theft Prevention

Wolf — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:51:13 +0000

ScamExpert asked:

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 …

Technorati Tags: Birth Date, Financial Documents, Fraud Alert, Mail, Social Security

How to Avoid Credit Card Fraud

Wolf — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 23:24:29 +0000

S. Stadler asked:

Identity theft is all too common this day in age. It seems like the problem is growing to new extremes. As a major facet of identity theft, credit card fraud is also largely preventable by taking basic precautions and using good financial common sense. Read on for a few of the most effective ways to avoid fraud completely.

Keep Your Digits to Yourself

Don’t let anyone borrow your credit card or have access to your card number. A large amount of credit card fraud happens simply as a result of not paying close enough attention to who is doing what with your card. Keep tabs on who has your card and for how long. For example, most of the time at retail stores and even at restaurants you can see what’s going on with your card. If at all possible, watch to make sure no one is “mishandling” your credit while processing it.

Destroy Old Receipts

Even though it is now a law in many places that transaction receipts must not display any more than the last few digits of your number as part of the print out, that’s really no guarantee that your personal and credit card info is not still there. Make sure none of the credit receipts are left behind for the next person to see. It’s best to destroy old receipts by shredding them once they’re no longer needed.

Shred Credit Card Applications

Think about how many credit card applications you receive by mail in the course of a month or so. Each and every one of these is practically an invitation for fraudsters to take advantage. They can get them right out of your mailbox or even the trash and fill them out to obtain their own under your name in no time at all. To reduce your chances of becoming a victim, check your mail as soon as possible every day and be sure to shred all unwanted applications before discarding them.

Only Do Business with Secure Websites

The web has a reputation for being sort of the Wild West when it comes to credit cards. The perception is that information is stolen routinely and identity thieves are abundant. While it’s always better to be safe than sorry, this notion of online lawlessness is largely a mis perception. In fact, when doing business with reputable businesses online, your financial info is probably even safer than it would be in a typical offline transaction. Just make sure the connection is secure (look for the padlock logo in your browser) and that you completely trust the company you’re paying.

Review Your Statement

Often considered a last resort when taking steps to avoid credit fraud, reviewing your account statement line by line is also a surefire way to catch any misuse of your card before it’s too late. Simply by reporting any misuse to your card issuing bank, most liability is averted right then and there. On the other hand, choosing to just pay the bill without looking at the charges listed is a great way to be an ongoing victim of credit card fraud.

Knowing how to avoid credit card fraud is mostly accomplished by being aware of how fraudsters practice their trade, but even more so, by taking easy, basic steps to protect your identity. Don’t allow yourself to be a victim!

Technorati Tags: Extremes, Facet, Mail, Retail Stores, Shred

Identity Theft Issues – Essential Things to Know in Order to Avoid Identity Theft or Fraud

Wolf — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 03:15:02 +0000

Bernard Pragides asked:

Today, Identity fraud has become one of the most common thefts of the decade – It has been featured in different kinds of magazines and Television shows. It seems like each year the amount of cases being published increase drastically.

In America alone, over 27 million cases are being filed each year and it is still constantly increasing. It is also due to the fact that slowly most of the purchases are done through information – usually credit cards are the ones with high risk, since if they know all about your personal information they can easily use your card to purchase over the internet.

Now, in order to prevent Identity fraud I have listed the essential things you can do to prevent this from happening to you and your family. Keep in mind that if you follow these things you will prevent identity theft at least 90% of the time. So please take note of the information I am about to share with you.

1. Information Awareness

Now this is very essential, you should be extremely wary of the amount of information you are giving away to the public. It can be on the internet or hard copies of your identification documents. So in order to be aware of the situation you just have to limit the amount of information you give out, especially on the internet. Don’t publish all of your information online.

Another thing is you should not allow anyone to copy or borrow your identification documents without proper reason.

Plus, always deal business with an official sanction of a company – Do not try to deal with individuals that don’t seem to have any official identifications, you can also check the person by calling up the company. Shred any financial papers you receive before disposing of them in the trash. This includes any solicitation notices that you may receive for any credit cards or mail from other financial institutions.

Lastly, don’t bring your Social Security Card (or Identification number) with you unless it’s absolutely important.

2. Report Odd Credit Information

This is an extremely important part of preventing identity fraud. Most of the time, people who are involved in the cases think that they could be subjected to identity fraud problems, unfortunately they don’t follow their gut instinct to check.

The telltale signs are monthly expenses that show up in your credit card payment but they don’t provide any form of billing and check your credit card transactions to make sure that all transactions are made by you and if there is a discrepancy, immediately call the company to stop any fraud from continuing further.

And lastly, check your credit report at least once a year to make sure your information (and credit standing) is correct. That’s why it is essential that you exercise these tips and relate them to your friends and family to prevent any of identity theft/fraud problem in the future.

Technorati Tags: Hard Copies, High Risk, Mail, Sanction, Social Security Card