Datamation Logo

How to Protect Against Identity Theft

Home Security
Penny Klein
By Penny Klein
February 28, 2005
Datamation content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More.

Identity theft is a hot topic. You hear about it on television credit

card commercials, and you hear people talking about it in their every day

lives.

The problem is that many people don’t take it seriously and they don’t

take the necessary protective measures.

I have talked with many folks on this subject and the majority say, ”It

won’t happen to me”. I guess I felt that way too, until my sister had it

happen to her. You would have thought that since both my sister and I are

security specialists, we would know better.

It all started when my sister moved from a rented townhouse to a new

place. After the move, one of her credit card companies mailed her a

blank check to use to transfer money. The problem was they sent it to her

old address. The person who was living there took the checks, wrote in a

sum of money, and cashed them at various locations.

My sister spent many days working with the local police, credit

companies, credit bureaus and even the post office (theft of mail is a

federal offence), trying to resolve the problem. Although she didn’t lose

huge amounts of money and her identity wasnt’ compromised, the theft

caused her many lost hours and many sleepless nights wondering what other

mail would go to her former townhouse. She had to cancel all of her

credit and debit cards and place a watch on her credit report to ensure

that it wouldn’t continue.

Here are some helpful tips to avoid identify theft:

  • Shred or burn papers with credit card or bank account numbers,

    Social Security numbers, etc.;

  • Don’t put your Social Security number on anything, unless it is

    legally required. And don’t have it printed on your checks. For those of

    you with driver licenses that routinely use your Social Security number,

    check with your DMV to see if they offer another option.

  • Check your credit report once or twice a year to make sure it

    doesn’t have accounts you don’t know about.

    The major credit reporting agencies are:

  • Equifax — P.O. Box 105873, Atlanta, Ga. 30348-5873 — Telephone:

    1-800-997-2493;

  • Experian Information Solutions (Formerly TRW) — P.O. Box 949,

    Allen, Texas, 75013-0949 — Telephone: 1-800-397-3742, and

  • TransUnion — P.O. Box 390, Springfield, Penn. 19064-0390 —

    Telephone: 1-800-916-8800.

    If you have been victimized, file a police report. You will need it when

    disputing charges with various creditors. Also remember to write letters

    to have erroneous and fraudulent items removed from your credit report.

    Stealing mail and papers isn’t the only way to get information. Phishing

    is the newest wave in identity theft. This method uses various online

    techniques to fool you into providing financial and personal information

    to people waiting to take advantage of you.

    Phishing uses spam, email or pop-up messages to deceive Internet users

    into disclosing credit card numbers, bank account information, Social

    Security numbers, passwords, and other sensitive information.

    These e-mails appear to come from a legitimate company, usually a

    financial institution or credit card issuer, urging you to immediately

    reply with personal information so your account is not deactivated.

    To increase the chances of people falling for this type of scam, they’ll

    even use the company’s logo, colors, and standard disclosure text. The

    e-mail usually will contain a link that takes you to a fake site made to

    look like the company’s legitimate Web site.

    Here are some clues that an email is part of a phishing scam:

  • Look for misspellings and poor grammar;
  • The Web site often does not have ”http://” in the address bar at

    the top.

  • There generally is an urgent tone or call to action. Phishing

    e-mails will allude to dire consequences, such as ”your account will be

    deactivated if you do not respond within 24 hours…”

    The Federal Trade Commision works to prevent fraudulent, deceptive and

    unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information

    to help consumers spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint or to

    get free information on consumer issues, visit www.ftc.gov, or call

    toll-free, 1-877-382-4357.

    For more information on identity theft, visit InsideID’s Identity Theft Prevention and Recovery Guide.

      SEE ALL
    ARTICLES      
    • Previous Article
    Apple to Open Tiger
    Next Article
    Are Your Visitors Seeing What You Think?

    Subscribe to Data Insider

    Learn the latest news and best practices about data science, big data analytics, artificial intelligence, data security, and more.

    Similar articles

    AI

    AI in Cybersecurity: The Comprehensive Guide to Modern Security

    AI in Cybersecurity: The Comprehensive Guide to Modern Security
    Security

    What Is Cybersecurity? Definitions, Practices, Threats

    What Is Cybersecurity? Definitions, Practices, Threats
    Security

    How to Secure a Network: 9 Key Actions to Secure Your Data

    How to Secure a Network: 9 Key Actions to Secure Your Data
    Datamation Logo

    Datamation is the leading industry resource for B2B data professionals and technology buyers. Datamation's focus is on providing insight into the latest trends and innovation in AI, data security, big data, and more, along with in-depth product recommendations and comparisons. More than 1.7M users gain insight and guidance from Datamation every year.

    Advertisers

    Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on Datamation and our other data and technology-focused platforms.

    Advertise with Us

    Our Brands

    Technologyadvice ServerWatch TechRepublic Enterprise Networking Planet eWeek Project Management eSecurity Planet IT Business Edge
    Privacy Policy Terms & Conditions About Contact Advertise California - Do Not Sell My Information

    Property of TechnologyAdvice.
    © 2025 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

    Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.