Identity Theft and Online Safety

By: Natalie Aranda
Submitted: 2007-01-17 16:23:30
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We’re often shocked by the stories of identify theft victims we’ve heard or seen on TV. While the Internet lend the convenience of online shopping to average Joe and Mary, con-artists have found a new platform to scam innocent people. With the availability of countless online shopping sites, both e-commerce providers and consumers have a high stake in identity theft prevention and online security.

No matter what type of online shopper you are, identity theft prevention is something you always have to consider. For instance, if you do choose to buy an item from an internet store, make sure you know it is a legit site. There are hundreds of frauds on the web, and for that reason, you are putting yourself at a huge risk without keeping an eye on suspicious activity. You should also be aware of any strange e-mails in your inbox. This is because most scams are sent through e-mail, since internet junkies are always up for a “free giveaway” or “gift.” For instance, if you receive an email from your “bank,” and they want you to confirm your social security number in exchange for a prize, chances are it is a fake. No bank would ever put you in a situation where your identity could be potentially stolen.

While identity theft protection is important when shopping online, one must also know what to do when shopping at an actual store. It is essential to guard your card! While purchasing at stores, anyone could easily peer over your shoulder and memorize the necessary information. Therefore, you must be careful with how careless you are when paying for an item. If you feel that you are being watched, make sure you check monthly bank statements and keep track of everything that you have purchased. Without being organized, your identity may slowly be slipping away!

In order to prevent identity theft, one must also be careful when they are in a dressing room. Recently, reports have stated that criminals tend to check dressing rooms for credit cards. Most women are unaware of this threat, thus they leave their purses very close to the opening of the dressing room. As a result, people can easily snatch the purse and swipe any necessary credit card information.

If you are generally quite smart about keeping information private, chances are you will never have to struggle with identity theft protection. However, even if you are safe, it is important to know what to look for. No matter what you do, do not give your credit card information over the phone. Even if you are ordering from a catalog, chances are the company will only ask for the last 4 digits or other information. If you have fallen victim to a scam, it is important to immediately close your credit cards and order new ones. This also means that you need to cut up all bank statements and any other document you may be throwing out with personal information on it.

While identity theft is a large problem due to criminals hacking into financial databases, it can easily be prevented. As long as you do not have too many credit cards and protect yourself by never giving out this information, you should be relatively safe. One should also choose a pin number that is memorable, so you do not have to write it down anywhere near your card. After all, if a criminal does find your card and pin #, chances are you will be in greater trouble. Nevertheless, it is a frightening world filled with money hungry people. For that reason, it is extremely vital to protect yourself against identity theft and to always know identity theft prevention tips.

Natalie Aranda writes on e-commerce and online security. We’re often shocked by the stories of identify theft victims we’ve heard or seen on TV. While the Internet lend the convenience of online shopping to average Joe and Mary, con-artists have found a new platform to scam innocent people. With the availability of countless online shopping sites, both e-commerce providers and consumers have a high stake in identity theft prevention and online security. While identity theft is a large problem due to criminals hacking into financial databases, it can easily be prevented. As long as you do not have too many credit cards and protect yourself by never giving out this information, you should be relatively safe.

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