Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in the U.S. The U.S. Secret Service has estimated that consumers nationwide lose $745 million to identity theft each year. According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, the average victim spends 607 hours and averages $1,000 just to clear their credit records.

Identity thieves employ a variety of methods to gain access to your personal information. They may get information from businesses or other institutions by stealing it; by bribing an employee who has access to records; hacking into records; or conning information out of employees. Once identity thieves have your personal information, they may use it to commit a fraud or theft in your name.

photo credit: Mikey G Ottawa

How can you tell if you have become a victim of identity theft? Some signs include unexplained charges or withdrawals from your financial accounts; bills or other mail stop arriving (the thief may have submitted a change of address); a credit application is denied for no apparent reason, or debt collectors begin calling about merchandise or services you didn’t buy.

The Best Managed PC Care on the Planet!

Your computer can be a goldmine of personal information to an identity thief. To protect yourself and your computer against identity theft consider:

” Updating virus protection software frequently. Consider setting your virus protection software to update automatically. The Windows XP operating system also can be set to check for patches automatically and download them to your computer.
” Not opening files sent to you by strangers, clicking on hyperlinks, or downloading programs from people or companies you don’t know.
” Using a firewall program, especially if you use a high speed Internet connection like cable or DSL that leaves your computer connected to the Internet 24 hours a day.
” Providing your personal or financial information through an organization’s secured website only. While not fool proof, a lock icon on the browser’s status bar or a URL for a website that begins “https:” (the “s” stands for secure), may provide additional security.
” Not storing your financial information on your laptop, unless absolutely necessary.
” Deleting all the personal information stored on a computer before disposing of it. A wipe” utility program to overwrite the entire hard drive is recommended.
” Checking with an anti-fraud education organization such as Card Cops (www.cardcops.com). Card Cops runs a web site designed to help consumers determine whether their credit card numbers may have been stolen. They monitor Internet “chat rooms” where identity thieves illicitly trade and sell stolen credit card numbers. CardCops turns the information over to law enforcement authorities, but also allows consumers to access their database to see whether individual card numbers may have been stolen. In the first two months of operation, the site identified more than 100,000 stolen credit cards.

As with any crime, you can not completely control whether you will become a victim, but you can take steps to minimize your risk by remaining diligent and by minimizing outside access to your personal information. The Best Managed PC Care on the Planet!

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Name, Rank and Social Security Number

1. The software has to be compatible with the operating system you’re using.
No matter how good an anti-virus software is, it will be useless if it won’t work with your operating system. Check the software for system requirements and specifications before buying and make sure it is compatible with your computer.

With newer systems, this is probably not a problem but if you’re using an older OS such as Windows 98, you will need anti-virus software that will be handled easily by your computer.

2. It has to offer automatic protection for background operations.
An excellent feature to look for when buying an anti-virus software is background protection. This means that even without manual intervention, the program is capable of scanning your computer for viruses and neutralizing them as soon as they emerge. With a program like this, you will be protected all the way.

3. It should be capable of disaster recovery.
Just in case a virus attack leaves your system in rather bad shape, the disaster recovery feature of an anti-virus software should be able to normalize your system. That way, your computer will still be operable and useful.

4. It must offer automatic updates.
New viruses and threats appear regularly, so it’s important for your anti-virus software to be up-to-date. Before buying an anti-virus software, determine if the manufacturer offers automatic updates for their product. That way, you won’t forget to download the newest security features. You should also find out if updating your program is easy and if it’s free, at least for a reasonable period of time.

5. The anti-virus software is certified.
In order to be labeled as effective and reliable, the anti-virus software should be tested and pass the standards set by certain certification laboratories. These include ICSA (International Computer Security Association), The West Coast Checkmark and the Virus Bulletin 100% Awards. Buy the anti-virus software that has passed at least one of these certifying groups.

7. It has to have firewall protection.
A firewall helps protect your system from threats actively, especially when you’re working online. A firewall is usually a separate program and in fact, even if the anti-virus software doesn’t offer it, you can still opt to obtain it from another software vendor. However, this is a feature that is a good must-have. Since your anti-virus software and its firewall protection feature comes from the same manufacturer, you can be assured that the two programs will be compatible with each other.

8. The software must be configured to check your computer automatically.
Other than being effective in detecting and cleaning your system of viruses, the software should be able to offer automatic checkups. No matter how vigilant you are, there is always a danger that you’ll miss an important checkup schedule. So if the anti-virus software is capable of being configured for automatic checkups, it will help you ensure that your system is healthy and protected.

9. The anti-virus software must be easy to use, configure and install.
In order for an anti-virus software to be effective, it has to be easy to understand and use. Otherwise, you will find it difficult to manage it and will probably not be able to maximize it in order to fully protect your computer. Choose the software that is easy to install, one that allows you to easily scan your system for any infected files, with features that are easy to understand and access.

10. The anti-virus software must come with excellent technical support.
Before buying an anti-virus software, find out if the product comes with technical support. Technical support is more than just an FAQ section on your software – it should also include e-mail support, a dedicated customer service number and strong knowledge base, among others. You might also want to check the software if it comes with its own help document. Do not buy anti-virus software from a vendor who will leave you out in the cold once they have your cash.

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Choosing the Right Anti-Virus Software: 10 Tips Before You Buy

Can your name ever be used to do bad things? Apparently, if your identity ever gets stolen, yes. For example, your name can be used to buy products that never get paid for or participate in scams that steal money from people using your bank account. You’re not on ‘Scare Tactics’, this is real life or at least the danger you’ll be facing online if you’re not careful. Watch out for these 10 signs to avoid becoming a victim of ID theft:

1. Your monthly bills and statements are missing from your mailbox.
Probably one of the earliest signs that you are about to become a victim of identity theft is that those bills, bank and credit card statements either arrive late or never get sent to your mailbox at all. It could be that the person who wants to steal your identity has changed your date of billing. It could also be that your billing statements have been re-routed to a new address to make it less obvious that your ID has been stolen.

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2. You receive credit card statements showing multiple purchases you never made.
Another sign that you might be a victim of ID theft is that your credit card statements arrive with lists of transactions you don’t know about. They could reflect items you never bought at shops you never went to.

3. Your credit card transaction was denied even if you’ve just paid your recent billing statement.
When paying for your purchases at the counter, your credit card gets denied. Strange, because you’ve just paid for your bill in full the week before. It could be that the thief who has stolen your identity has maxed out your credit card and has left you to deal with the problem on your own.

4. Your debit card statements show withdrawals on days when you didn’t make any.
You will find transactions reflecting several withdrawals from your debit card even if you didn’t use it. Your money’s gone and you’ll probably find it impossible to retrieve it.

5. The trash bags containing some of your personal documents that you didn’t shred have been stolen.
You’re wondering, ‘Why would anybody want to steal trash bags?’ Trash bags can mean a lot of opportunity for identity thieves because there is a wealth of information about you in them. If you’re not careful, your name, address, credit card billings, bank account numbers, even Social Security information may be exposed unnecessarily if you don’t dispose of them properly.

6. You receive billing statements from companies you don’t transact with.
One day, out of the blue, you receive a statement from a company showing that you owe them money. Unfortunately, you do not remember ever doing business with them, ever. When you check with the company, they confirm that yes, indeed you obtained something from them through credit and no, it wasn’t an error on their part.

7. You receive a billing statement from a new credit card you never applied for.
A new credit card is usually a good thing if you really wanted one but a billing statement from a card you never used? That’s a clear sign that you have become a victim of ID theft. Better call the credit card company to inform them that someone else is posing as you.

8. Your loan has been denied even if you have excellent credit.
Another troublesome indication that an identity thief is going to include you in his/her list of victims is that your loan application has been turned down. This, in spite of the fact that your credit is spotless as far as you know.

9. You get calls from loan agencies you’ve never applied a loan from.
When this happens, expect trouble. Loan companies call you up asking why you have defaulted on your payments. When you ask how it happened, they’ll tell you that someone pretending to be you has successfully applied for a loan and has reneged on the loan agreement.

10. You seem to have written bad checks and authorities want to talk to you.
Another sign that you have become a victim of ID theft is the strange transaction you seem to have done with a bank, such as open an account and write some bad checks. If you don’t correct this immediately, you could find yourself in a lot of legal trouble.

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10 Signs That You are About to Become a Victim of ID Theft

IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 11, 2007
SafeMedia Warns of more P2P Identity Theft in aftermath of Seattle Criminal Indictment
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“Most individuals and organizations who have P2P networks on their computers don’t even know that they have exposed their sensitive corporate, personal, financial, and health information to identity thieves,” warns Pasquale Giordano, President/COO, SafeMedia Corp.

Boca Raton, Fla. – SafeMedia, citing a Sept. 7, 2007 Seattle indictment, believes it is the first case involving P2P networks. U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Seattle Police indicted Gregory Thomas Kopiloff of Seattle for allegedly using information on tax returns, bank statements and credit reports to obtain identity information to defraud consumers, banks and retailers. According to their investigation, thousands of potential criminals each day use P2P networks to steal consumer information necessary to commit identity theft and fraud.

SafeMedia’s P2PD solutions guarantees complete Identity theft protection for any computer connected to a government, corporate or university network, cable or DSL modem that has a P2P client installed.  SafeMedia’s P2PD technology is the only solution that can guarantee complete protection of your computer from identity theft associated with contaminated Peer 2 Peer networks.

SafeMedia’s P2PD eliminates the threat of criminals who are using encrypted or non encrypted contaminated P2P networks to steal government, corporate and personal identity information.

“Most people who use P2P networks don’t even know that they have exposed sensitive government, corporate and personal, financial, and health information and this indictment on an alleged Seattle fraud ring shows what a group of ID thieves could do if they grab your information,” said President/COO Pasquale Giordano, SafeMedia Corp. “SafeMedia’s P2P Disaggregator (P2PD) Solutions is the only solution that can guarantee that criminals using P2P network clients can never access government, corporate or personal records.”

According to a four-count indictment unsealed in U.S. District Court, Thomas Kopiloff used Limewire, Soulseek and other “peer-to-peer” file-sharing programs to troll other computers for financial information, which he used to open credit cards for an online shopping spree. The report said, he bought more than $73,000 worth of goods online, then resold those items at steep discounts and kept the proceeds.
For the full story please visit: mayocommunications    
 
[Editors: For more information about SafeMedia Corp.'s new product line visit: http://www.safemedia.com/. For media interviews contact: George McQuade, at MAYO Communications, 818-340-5300 or
818-618-9229 or PR@MayoCommunications.com.]For more great content, information and stories like this, please Join Us, Monday LIVE @ 11:00 MST for:

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P2P Identity Theft

Ontario woman lives through ID-theft nightmare “Evil twin” stole almost $20,000 from her account over several months, but the bank took years to treat her as a victim!

Two years after her identity was ripped off, Barbara Stafford is still dumbfounded that her evil twin was able to steal almost $20,000 using a bogus driver’s licence.

The Whitby, Ont., resident got a phone call from her bank on Valentine’s Day in 2005, telling her that a young woman in Calgary obtained a debit card in Stafford’s name and withdrew $7,100 from her account. Read the rest here: VancouverSun.com

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This is a great article please click the link above to finish reading!

“Hot Fun in the Summertime” is a 1969 hit single recorded by Sly & the Family Stone. The single was released in the wake of the band’s high-profile performance at Woodstock, which greatly expanded their fanbase. Thematically, “Hot Fun in the Summertime” is a dedication to the fun and games to be had during the summer!

It’s not 1969 anymore, so please be careful with your pocket book and your wallets, and your internet use when buy anything on the internet with your credit card. ID-theft nightmares can be stopped if are smart and shred all documents daily and when on vacation use your common sense. so you can still have Summertime Fun in the Sun and not regret it…

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Summertime Fun, might mean years of reliving being a victim!