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Use Common Sense to Fight Identity Theft
Identity theft is the fastest growing crime reported in America. Criminals seek to discover an individual's full name, Social Security number, birth date, credit card and ATM numbers, driver's license number among other bits of personal information for the purpose of engaging in fraudulent activities.
The two most common kinds of fraud are account takeover in which money is drawn from financial account for personal use and name fraud where personal information such as name, date of birth, and Social Security number are used for the purposes of opening a new account.
Identify Safeguard, a watchdog organization, estimates that since 1997 more than 27.5 million Americans have been the victims of identity theft. The resulting damages to business and individuals exceed $53 billion.
It may take victims of this fraud months, or even years, to erase the damage done by thieves armed with the three most critical pieces of information - name, birth date, and Social Security number. Common methods of obtaining the information included sifting through garbage, stealing wallets or purses, stealing mail, and securing the information from a computer.
According to a survey conducted by computer retailer CompUSA, some 88 percent of those responding to the questionnaire kept their confidential files on their home computers with no security measures in place. Another survey by the company indicated that 21 percent of computer users have been tempted by solicitation emails to give out the critical information.
Security specialists recommend the following precautions to guard against identity theft. Do not respond to email requesting you to provide personal information. Choose secure passwords and change them often. Do not give out personal information over the telephone unless you are completely certain with whom you are dealing. Store your Social Security card in a safe location and do not carry it with you.
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