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While there has been a foray of rants about identity theft, the problem persists. Is it really something to worry about? In most cases, you may lessen your worries, but never delete them.
Getting your money is the goal of most identity thieves, even though some need to change their profiles for other purposes. Cell phones are one of the latest tools used by crooks. As of late, residents have received calls from major financial services to verify credit applications, using cell-phone numbers given to lenders for reference purposes. Your cell number is listed on another’s phone when you call them, and you never know who may have access. Why are cell numbers used rather than home phones? It may be because it is easier for some to obtain, especially those that live out of state. The record shows your name and number. Another reason is that some folks don’t often leave their phones on, and efforts to contact them may fail. Hence, some companies quit trying, and list it as a valid number, for credit purposes. Some major internet sales companies accept only one payment form, Paypal. While I am not claiming that Paypal has problems with security, at least one local resident has had to change a major credit-card company account three times in the last eight months, due to purchases for I-Tunes, Facebook, and other goods and services being charged to them. The only company that had access to their account was Paypal. Using the internet, the charges were caught before the billing cycle was over, and the dispute was successful. Most companies will help customers, as they should, but checking bills carefully is essential. The lack of security is of paramount concern. Recently, while calling a company about a charge, a local customer had another illegal charge pending, with the same company. The card company did not inform them of such activity, which was suspicious in nature, and should have been mentioned by the phone rep to the customer. The customer had to go through the same scenario, the next day. If you use the internet for any financial transactions, you are advised to change your password on a monthly basis. What is not mentioned by most advisors is that you should closely check your profile. When changing a password recently, one customer saw that someone in Tazewell, VA, had their home phone listed as the card-holders work number. The FBI took care of that; that’s how serious it can be when people try to steal, via the internet. However, with extradition not allowed from Indonesia, for instance, some folks work daily from off-shore locations to steal. Most folks know that you should not have your Social Security number on your checks. If asked for your SS number, offer your State driver’s license number, if you must give them any information. Or, at least offer only the last four digits. Never give information over the phone, unless you feel secure that it is a must. Never think that your phone lines or wireless internet activities as being secure. Cordless phone conversations can be monitored by others; even some land lines have allowed folks to hear others speaking. Wireless internet activities within “hot-spots” are the latest targets of thieves. They are relatively easy to hack, as a local TV station exemplified, recently. If you want to keep your identity, your money, and not be burdened with toilsome security tasks, read as much as you can about the subject, purchase good insurance, deal with reputable companies, read your financial statements carefully, and keep your records secure. Some companies offer great identity insurance for about ten-dollars, monthly. Shred documents, and be careful about information you give to others. It’s your life, and your money. No one is out of range of becoming a target for thieves.
Is there a solution? Never will the system be perfect, but identity insurance is about the best thing to come along. A local banker recently said that he would not conduct business without it, for about ten-dollars per month. Transferring risk: Currently, other than taking some measures mentioned and staying up with the latest news, identity insurance is your best bet. An example for coverage is $1 million, for $10 monthly; not bad. Consider insurance, and do your best to protect yourself.
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