4 Ways to Keep Your Identity Safe

Valuable information and comments. I would just add the following: I have had a post office box for more than 20 years. Much easier to thieves to steal from your street mailbox than from your post office box. All important materials are received at the post office. I do not have my newspaper or mail that comes to my home stopped when I am away from home for a day(s). I have a trusted and reliable friend get these for me on a daily basis. Never allow your computer or services that you are using (such as google, internet explorer, etc.) to “remember your user id” and/or password. Take the moments it takes to enter them yourself each time u use your computer. I have recently also used two services that were mentioned in a recent issue of the AARP magazine that stop ALL unwanted mail from coming to me. I stopped them indefinitely. Anyway, hope these thoughts are also of value. Best wishes.

G’day Frank!

Great article and very timely.

My two banks CITIBANK and National Australia Bank, both have instituted a system which is very helpful. Whenever we do a transaction with them, and after the usual ID checks, they send a Code number usually of four numbers to my cell phone. I have to retrieve the one time number, and enter that code number into my page during internet banking, BEFORE any details can be seen. Seems to be working fairly well so far.

Best wishes,

Don.

Those are excellent recommendations. I am all for the verbal password being initiated and enforced, at the bank
I think everyone should get a shredder, as inexpensive as possible.
I also believe everyone should secure the services of Lifelock.
Thank you for the really good information you supply us with.

very good

My car was broken into. I’m not sure what info was taken. Be sure to remove sensitive info from your car too. I have a really loud, really sensitive car alarm now.

Very good Frank. I appreciate the advice me and my family receive from you. Keep up the good work. Thank you

Keep up the good work Frank, we need people like you who go looking for the good info that will help us all.

Good advice….another thing that might be added is E-mail security.
one of my accounts was recently hacked.
now fixed with VERY strong password and image protection to get into e-mail. in other words we can never be careful enough.
You do a great job with all your information, thank you so much.

2012 over 300,000 SC citizens tax files were compromised when security measures weren’t updated by the government. It made national news letting everyone know the tax system had been compromised when folks were filing or had already filed their taxes. Everyone was advised to check their credit reports, charge cards and accounts for accuracy as well as to contact their banks to check on accounts. Computers are good teaching tools but hackers are out there, no information is safe.Good advice, suggestions given here, thanks.

Good advice; I think I’ll take it!

Very good article and good points to remember. With today’s information highway, the Internet, most activity is done on-line either through a PC, MAC or Mobile device and your privacy is wide open and ready to be compromised. The biggest issue today is that no one takes an affirmative stand against the “bad people” and we play only a defensive role with outdated technology. Technology has not kept pace with the detriments imposed on users of the Internet.

Truth is the internet from day one was never designed for security. If someone wants the data in your PC or wants to infect you so you can then infect even bigger fish, they can easily do it at will and you will never know when it occurred, who did it, how it was done or that your PC is infected and giving away all your secrets.

The internet is the Wild West of Information and no one seems to really be concerned with EFFECTIVE security because the Internet would have to be re-invented to have any level of real security. What is offered today is “Old School” technology for good enough internet protection.

As an Internet security specialist I have been helping Internet users with their internet connections for years and it is very easy to run into a big problem especially with many Wi-Fi hotspots available today. Some users in your proximity, while you access a Wi-fi Hotspot, may be able to “sniff” you traffic remotely and see what you are accessing, including your login names and passwords for many popular websites. Although I know how to manually protect my computer, I find it much easier to let Jumpto protect all my connections without a manual setup. When I use Jumpto I know that no hacker can see my traffic, ever. It is unfortunate that hackers prey on vulnerable people who do not know how to defend themselves while accessing the Internet.

In life there are the “brave ones” and the “cowards” that hide behind them…Always criticizing the efforts of the brave ones. Thank you Frank for being the “brave one” and putting yourself out there. As far as the cowards who criticize your grammar,…They are sticks without berries. What good have you done in the world today? Cultivate your own garden instead of criticizing your neighbors. And while you are at it….Plant some berries.

great advises at a time in our lives when it is so important every day for all of us
Few years ago someone stole my cc numbers and ran up a charge
Luckily I was able to prove it after several investigative meetings
Also, change passwords every so often
Thanks

Last week someone in Houston Tx tried to access my internet account, which of course, has access to my bank account. Google notified me of both attempts and refused to let them on my website. They knew I had never accessed my account via mobile phone or from Houston, TX. I really appreciate their vigilance.

Bank of America was also terrific. They helped me change to wildly different passwords, totally different from one account to another They also said if someone did access my charge cards or checking i would not lose the money and they would cover it.

Finally they told me to get in touch with Experian, Transunion etc. and put a freeze on my credit so that no one can open an account in my name unless they call me and get my permission. This freeze will be active for three months and I will renew it when it expires. Experian was very helpful in that they notified the other two credit agencies for me.

If anyone knows further steps I should take, I would appreciate being informed.

Quite a number of years ago, I remember a bank asking me for a verbal password. Much more common seems to be the security question. All too often, that question is, “What was your mother’s maiden name?” Anyone with access to information about your grandparents or uncles on your mother’s side of the family knows her maiden name. With all of those websites that claim to be able to find people, that information is out there everywhere. What I have often done, especially with online accounts, is lie. For example, when they ask for your mother’s name, put in the name of a second cousin or your best friend’s aunt, or just make up a name. The important thing is that you remember what you answered, and anyone who gets your real information will answer the question incorrectly. It probably goes without saying, but never give any information to anyone you don’t know who calls you on the phone, no matter who they claim to be. Even with caller ID, unless you positively recognize the number as belonging to an institution you do business with and trust, you have no way of knowing who is really on the other end of the line. Also, be aware of how businesses you frequent treat your personal information. Several years ago, I had some unauthorized charges on one of my credit cards. The people at the auto repair shop where I brought my car had a habit of leaving customer’s repair orders on the counter while they went off to answer the phone. I suspect that someone walking by took the opportunity to get my information from the paperwork, since that was one of only two establishments where I had used that card during the preceding months.

Thank you for the helpful information. Did not know about the “verbal password”. Good idea.

re: one error (SKIP H.) proper english is: ‘My family and I’, not ‘me and and my family’.
but on to more important things.. another hint is when you have your checks printed NEVER, EVER have your first name on them. Use just an initial. That way thieves have NO idea what full name to sign or use from a possibly lost check or even deposit slip that you wrote a note on. NEVER use your SS# on them either, NOR your driver’s licience, and mainly..try not to shop at amazon. They do NOT allow you to opt out. You have to apply and beg for months to have them remove your info. They have NO opt out options!! (period!). I found this out when I shopped with them once and my debit card was hacked within the same day and several $100.00 gift cards purchased on my account for places I have NEVER shopped (never will shop, and contacted as soon as I got my statement). Amazon was the ONLY place I had used the card. NEVER carry your cards unless they are in those protective aluminum lined sleeves (you can make your own or get them very cheaply on ebay). You can also change your accounts for free every so often at banks or tell them you will go elsewhere. Tell them you want to be contacted if ANYONE accesses you account, even their own bank officers. They can access even which computer the request came from to tell your WHO at the bank looked at your account and when.
And, if you have a typo or error in internet communications, don’t stress over it, LOL.

Proof-reading can go a long way to avoid identity theft. ReadIng your blog I found at least one error. Can you find it? Not being facetious, just trying to help :)

Most identity thieves that I have encountered were not meth heads. They were average tax paying individuals. Go figure.

You can also put a freeze on your credit files where a company is unable to pull your credit report.