Corporate Identity Theft

Corporate Identity Theft. Stop Pretenses! Secure your Company from Corporate Identity Theft.

Corporate Identity Theft

Corporate Identity Theft. The maniacal cruelty and audacity of identity theft criminals have now reached into the corporate world of business companies. In November 2005, the corporate identity theft crime wave reached the UK businesses.

Corporate Identity Theft. According to brief reports last November, the corporate identity theft cost UK businesses up to £50M a year. Why? What is the modus operandi of these corporate identity thieves? Actually, it has been going on for years now.

Corporate Identity Theft. Believe it or not, there are criminals posing as company directors on certain companies! Each year, as they see how gullible some people could be, there has been increasing number of them. They order goods that they never pay for and then sell those products for profits thus ripping off suppliers.

Corporate Identity Theft. As a smokescreen to make them seem legitimate, they register through government agency handling company registrations, change company records and run up credit using company’s name.

Indeed, there are rouges that claim/pretend to be the manager or other illustrious title of a company and check that company’s credit rating. When he/she see that it's good, he starts his game. By forging and filing forms at the government agency where companies are registered, he notifies the appointment of a fictitious new director. He then implies that there’s a new registered office address for the company.

Since the Registrar of Companies cannot check the validity of the documents, and is not obliged by law to check them, they proceed to register them. Afterwards, the thief orders high value goods and services on credit. He/she may use false IDs and then pretend to be a company director.

To countercheck, the supplier may search at Companies House. Since the accuracy of the thief’s claim has been established there already, the supplier will not see anything amiss. However, once the goods are delivered, the fictitious company directory disappears, without paying. The company he represented then suffers the set back.

As of now, according to reports many companies are suffering from this kind of corporate identity theft. It has become a present problem since even smaller companies are as vulnerable as large ones.

A company who has become victim of a corporate identity theft may even find out long after the rouge has taken off. Once they need a loan, they may be surprised of being denied credit and learn that they cannot obtain credit because they already have significant financial obligations. Until they can clear up that these are made by somebody else has accumulated these debts using the company’s name, their business may suffer terribly.

Beware, for this may happen in your company. You must know that it's the medium sized and smaller businesses being targeted.

Security and trust are very important aspects in corporate ethics code. Corporate identity theft seems to have broken the barriers of these ethical bounds.

Whether your business is in UK or in any other part of the globe, avoid falling victim to corporate identity theft. There are simple precautions that you can make sure to make sure corporate identity theft does not taint your company’s good name.

Here are protective measures recommended for companies to prevent other people from pretending to be you.

First, make sure that the thief has not targeted your business. You need to frequently check with the government agency handling company registrations to see if your company’s registered office is accurate. You can do it online by finding out the website of the government agency mentioned.

You can also sign up proof service in order to pre-empt the thief. If your business is in UK, you can file online for PROOF service.

Filing for proof service means that certain changes in the information about your company should only be filed electronically. This must include the changes of company director’s name and your business address.

Once you file for proof service, filing through paper forms will be rejected. There are user name, password and authentication codes used in these electronic forms wherein your documents will be protected and no one else who does not know these codes can access them.

Do not let the tentacles of corporate identity theft get into your company. Stop pretensions of thieves and fight back. Aside from the preventive measures given, companies can find other means of preventing and eventually, stopping the insidious attacks of this crime.

I thought you may be interested in reading some of the bullet points contained in this post about  Corporate Identity Theft.

And  also, check out my other guide on Computer Identity Theft.

Computer Identity Theft

Computer Identity Theft. Ways to Protect Yourself from Computer Identity Theft

Computer Identity Theft

Computer Identity Theft. Identity theft is considered as a huge problem in our society. Since everyday, there is an increase in the number of user of internet and most people consider computer as a big part of their lives, there is also an increase of cases of identity theft. 

Computer Identity Theft. Individuals who are new in using the internet sometimes become to victim to computer identity theft systems. In most cases, the person involved in the identity theft systems uses your credit cards to buy supplies and merchandise for themselves.

Computer Identity Theft. While others will get an application for credit card, make bank account and destroy your good credit score.  In addition, making some correction about such subjects includes more time, effort and is stressful, so here are ten useful ways that you can use to avoid yourself from being an identity theft prey.

•  Make a disposable email address

Make sure that you have an email address that you can only use for businesses and other personal communication. If for instance, you want to buy something online, or you want to join a newsgroup, it is better than you use a disposable email address.

Yahoo and hotmail are some of the free accounts where you can make you own disposable email. Both of these are able to interface with other famous email clientele such as the outlook and the outlook express. You can use one of the two for your purchasing transactions.

•  Cover up your internet identity

If your name is Chris Brown try to not to use it in making your email accounts especially when having business with people you are not familiar with and deceitful-looking.

Perhaps if your birth date is April 3, 1980, do not make an account that contains both your name and birth date.

•  Use a unique password

You can use one password for your private data, and then use a different one for your dealing account and another one for your disposable email addresses you made. If possible, do not use passwords that appear in order like password3 for your private account, password4 for you business transactions and password4 for disposable email addresses. 

•  Use “tough” passwords

Avoid using birthdates, anniversaries, or your children’s birthdates when making passwords. Do not use passwords that are purely letters or numbers.

In addition, to not to use passwords consist true words. Make passwords made of phases like “I drink 1 glass of milk everyday”. Get the first letter of every word in the phrase and it will result to “id1gome”. 

•  Change your passwords

You must change you passwords at least every 6 months or if you want, you can have it changed every year. If you think your passwords have been exposed, change them for your protection.

•  It is important that you only use one credit card for every online transaction that you make

If you have more than three credit cards, stick to the one that you know will best work for online transactions. This is to monitor the transactions made with each of your credit cards. Therefore, if your other credit cards have an online transactions you are certain that those are fake.

•  Make use of a credit card rather than a debit card

Though many debit cards have online purchase safety steps, it is easier to fight fake charges than to refund debit card finances already used.

•  When you make online transactions ensure that it is safe

If you are making your first transaction on the internet, make sure that the company you are dealing with is someone familiar or referred to you by a trusted one.

•  Check for the company’s privacy guidelines

When doing the first purchasing online, ensure to check the privacy guidelines, search for logos from purchasers groups and try to find out if they are a member of the better business bureau. If possible, click the logos to confirm that they are genuine. 

•  Do not open or sign up email inviting you to update your email account or credit card information through email.

These are only fraudulent. Some people do them attempt and secure your personal data. Most of them increasingly improve their modus operandi and go to great lengths to appear genuine like the company websites using their own logos.

Following the above guidelines, you are surely keeping yourself away from this computer identity theft.

Article You May Be Interested In Reading Check Credit ReportIdentity Theft.

Check Credit Report Identity Theft

Check Credit Report Identity Theft - Check Credit Report Regularly and Beware of Identity Theft.

Check Credit Report Identity Theft

Check Credit Report Identity Theft.  All of us know the importance of credit report in our lives. Our credit report show our personal information such as your legal name, alias names, addresses, current and previous employers, and date of birth.

We also have that credit report summary showing the following:

• Current and past credit status

• Total number of open and closed accounts

• If the balances of our accounts are current or delinquent

• Public record information such as federal bankruptcy records local government court records, liens, judgments, and child support records (information that can stay in your record for up to 10 years)

• Credit inquires that we use when applying for a credit card or loan

• Detailed account history - very up to date information about your loan payments

• Credit card debt and payment history

• Credit score.

Check Credit Report Identity Theft.  Your credit score is a number ranging from 330 to 830. The higher the number assigned to you, the better your credit is. It increases the chance of you obtaining a loan or credit account.

The Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax are major credit bureaus collect, maintain, and distribute our credit information.

Our credit report does not also end with our financial matters. We also use our credit report for a variety of purposes not related with mortgage and other loan applications.

Check Credit Report Identity Theft.  Auto insurance companies often request us for copies of our credit reports as part of the process in applying for auto insurance. Our employers may also request for our credit reports as basis in deciding whom to hire for a specific position. Our credit report may also be the important link for us to know if we have become victim of identity theft!

Identity theft is a criminal act wherein our personal financial information, supposed to be confidential, are obtained through illegal means and used for unauthorized purchases and transactions.

The most common forms of identity theft are the credit card fraud, bank fraud, communications services, and fraudulent loans.

Check Credit Report Identity Theft.  The audacity of an identity thief is shown in his/her use your personal information, which could be result to a financial disaster and a damage of reputation on your part. Falling victim to this harmful activity could impugn your financial reputation for many years to come.

There are a lot of thing you can do to minimize the risk of becoming a victim of identity theft. This article focuses on obtaining and reviewing your credit report, quite similar to what we do when we perform network security assessments.

The information from our credit report reflect our credit and consumer habits. Unless you make efforts to obtain necessary credit reports, you may never know how credit worthy you is or not. Obtaining credit reports is also a way to check if you have fallen into the insidious identity theft crime.

Verifying and frequently checking your credit report is a good means to make sure no one has obtained your identity. You may think that it may not happen to you, but there is nothing wrong by being doubly sure. If ever there are evidences pointing to the fact you are being robbed of your identity, then you can quickly act upon it. Avoid major damage to your personal and financial reputation that took you so many years to establish.

Here are ways to check your credit and see if there are evidences of your credit account being used by identity theft:

1.  Carefully examine your credit report copy upon receipt. Look into the section dealing with inquiries against the report. If you do not know about this yet, well, every time you apply for a loan or credit card there is an inquiry initiated against your credit report.

You will recognize the inquiries against the report if you are the one who have applied for a loan using your credit account. However, if you notice certain entries you do not recognize, immediately notify the credit-reporting agency.

2.  If you notice errors, such as a bill paid off but still show as outstanding on the report, then notify the agency and request for it to be removed. You must follow up personally on these corrections and make sure that your specific request has been acted upon.

Be alert always and take the issue of identity theft as a serious threat to our good name. Make sure that your personal and financial information never get into the wrong hands. It is for the good future of your family, too.

I thought you may be interested in reading some of the bullet points contained in this post about Check Credit Report Identity Theft.  And  also, check out my other guide on Bank Identity Theft.

Bank Identity Theft

Bank Identity Theft - Avoid becoming another Hopeless Victim of Bank Identity Theft.

Bank Identity Theft

Bank Identity Theft. Ever wonder how identity theft occurs? It is actually quite fascinating, if it is not a very malicious and dangerous crime.

Identity theft occurs once a thief assumes another person’s identity by using confidential information supposed to be known exclusively by that person. The thief will commit fraud using the person's name and important confidential information without the victim ever knowing about such transactions.

Bank Identity Theft. When the person or victim finally finds out about the crime committed, the thief is long gone in excruciating anonymity. They leave behind a ruined reputation, and a paper trail of ruined credit, debts and collectors.

Sometime the implications of identity theft usually cause the wrongful arrest of the victim. Why so? Because, without the identity theft angle in the case, it can be assumed that the victim was the one who committed the crimes because it was done under his/her name.

Bank Identity Theft. It is an alarming occurrence and usually, the victims would suffer the implications of the crime for years to come.The past several years brought about an alarming wave of identity theft crimes in different areas dealing with personal information and economic transactions.One of the hardest hit by identity theft crimes are the banks. 

Bank identity theft has been around long before there were credit card, social security, internet, job banks, airline and medical community identity thefts.

Bank identity theft occurrences vary. Some cases involve a thief continuously withdrawing huge amounts of cash from a bank account of another person until there is none left. Another case may involve the identity thief assuming the name and other personal information of another person then files for a bank loan.

Armed with personal information of another person, an identity thief can obtain a driver's license. He/she can open new lines of credit and bank accounts even buy a car and get a mortgage. Bills and statements from these transactions are diverted to the thief's temporary address.

They then bilk the victim’s credit line for all it is worth in cash advances, loans and credit card debt without intent to pay. All these occur with the thief hidden in a shroud of anonymity.

Bank identity theft and other forms of identity theft is a nightmare for millions of people who have become victims of such crime. Indeed, the figures of those victimized have reached into millions already. Sadly, though state and federal laws and stricter bank transactions have been imposed, the number of victims continues to rise each year.

When the walls come crashing in, you are left holding the bag and the thief is long gone. Financial recovery from identity theft can take years.

In United States and Canada, many people have reported unauthorized persons taking out funds form their bank or financial accounts. There are even worst cases when the victims report of an identity thief who has totally taken over their identities. With it, the thief have run up huge debts and committed crimes all under the name of the victim.

There was a notorious case of identity theft wherein the criminal, a convicted felon incurred more than $100,000 of credit card debt. Aside from this, the felon also obtained a federal home loan, bought homes, motorcycles, and handguns using the victim's name.

With maniacal pride, he called his victim to taunt him. He declared that he could continue posing as the victim for as long as he wanted. During that time, identity theft was not yet a federal crime. Then, the thief filed for bankruptcy still using the victim’s name.

Very bitter was the fact that the criminal only served a brief sentence while the victim and his wife spent more than four years to restore their reputation and credit. They also spent more than $15,000 of their own money to win back their credit. The criminal did not even made restitution for all the danger he had caused.

The only positive thing that came out of this case and the others similar to this is when the Congress created a new federal offense against identity theft in 1998.

You can avoid being a victim of bank identity theft by identifying red flags that may indicateHere are several red flags that indicate you may be a victim of identity theft:

1. There are bills for a credit card account you did not open.2. There are notice charges, which you did not authorize on your credit card statement3. No bills and credit card statements arrive on the days you expect them.4. Unauthorized transfers or withdrawals on your bank statements show.5. Notifications from collection agency about accounts you never opened.6. Calls or notices from businesses about merchandise you did not buy.7. Debts showing up on your credit reports that you did not file.

I thought you may be interested in reading some of the bullet points contained in this post about Bank Identity Theft. And  also, check out my other guide on ArticlesConcerning Identity Theft.

Identity Theft Protection Information

Identity Theft Protection Information. Some identity theft protection and information that you can not do without basic knowledge.

Identity Theft Protection Information

Identity Theft Protection Information. People of all ages and status can be a victim of identity theft. Since you are not an exception, you just have to educate yourself to be able to spot identity theft when you see it coming…

How can you do this?

1. Identifying identity theft.

The most common scenario is that victims are not aware that they are victimized unless they are given notices of unpaid bills and purchase charges. Whenever someone is put into this kind of situation, there is always a tendency to be mentally and emotionally affected.

Identity Theft Protection Information. You have to double and even triple your precautions when you know that you are among those persons that have a good credit history. Identity thieves are always on the lookout for persons having your kind of credit status. This makes their actions quicker. Also, they know that they can do more damage to you if your credit is good.

These thieves can take complete control over your existing credit. Not only that, they can only open new ones put under your name. That does not stop there. Your personal information can even be used to write counterfeit checks, take and transfer money and achieve employment.

Identity Theft Protection Information. Using the conventional method of going over your thrash or by using someone in your workplace, these thieves can get hold of bank statement, credit card accounts and other vital information.

You will know that you are a victim when you find yourself denied credit or even employment. You will also know this when you get calls or letters saying that you have been approved or denied credit for which you never applied or billings on purchases you never made or unusual credit card or utility bills.

Start being suspicious also if you notice that you are not receiving credit or bank statements and other kinds of mailings that you usually get regularly. All these things can only mean that you are the newest addition the number of identity theft victims.

2.  Taking countermeasures.

If you do not want to be one of the victims, you need to know what actions you should take to prevent this from happening.

You should:

Identity Theft Protection Information. Not give out give personal data to just about anyone or anywhere. Do not give out your information over the phone or on the Internet.

Check your statements. Identity thieves get away with their crime because most people do not check their credit or bank statements regularly. Be sure that you know your past statements too so you can compare them with the new ones.

Not take everything with you. Carrying cards, passport or social security card in your wallet is very dangerous. It is also not advisable to throw receipts anywhere.

Have a secure mailbox. Do not make it a habit to leave mails in your mailbox. It is best if you have your own postal service mailbox. That way, your mails will not fall into the wrong hands.

Tear up or shred anything that has your personal data in it. This is especially important if you plan on throwing away these things. Make sure that the information is not anymore visible once you decide to dispose of them.

3. Ask for assistance.

It can be noted that 60% of the identity theft victims surveyed did not inform the police. But some were able to contact the police and was able to find out what happened.

If you are certain that you have become an identity theft victim, do not think twice. Report immediately to the proper authorities. Request a copy of your credit report agency and dispute anything you think is fraudulent.

Make sure you inform your creditors if your credit cards were stolen, as well as your bank checks. Ask for new credit cards, and close any existing bank accounts and open new ones. If your debit card gets stolen, get a new one and use a different password.

Be cautious when establishing new credit with a different Social Security number. Having two might lead to confusion when trying to repair your credit report.

Preventing yourself from being an identity theft is within your capabilities. Follow the information on identity theft protection mentioned above and you will be able to fight the battle and come out successful.

I thought you may be interested in reading some of the bullet points contained in this post about Identity Theft Protection Information. And  also, check out my other guide on IdentityTheft Protection.

Please also check out my other guide on  Identity Theft Online.

Identity Theft Protection

Identity Theft Protection. Learn How to Prevent Identity Theft

Identity Theft Protection

Identity Theft Protection. No one wants to be a victim of identity theft, as it is so difficult to clear all the transaction made by these thieves. If you do not have enough knowledge about it, you will not be prevented from being a victim of it.

All you need to do is to prevent yourself from being the victim.
However, how are you going to do that?

Read this article and find out how you can prevent being victimized by these thieves.

The best way to protect you from being a victim of identity theft is to protect your information. You should know all the possibilities that your information can be obtained. You must be of good control over your information to avoid it from being stolen.

Identity Theft Protection. You should be aware of the means to obtain your information. There are in fact many ways to get it. These are the following means:

•  Purchasing goods and services over the net
•  Online banking
•  Throwing away your previous credit cards without destroying it
•  Storing personal data and information in your computer
•  Cellular phone use
•  Wireless phone use
•  Using your passwords and numbers for identification

Identity Theft Protection. You need to safeguard your personal information using the following techniques. You should be conscious about it, as it will give you proper education on what to do and what to learn in terms of handling your account. Follow these simple guidelines to protect yourself from the harm of identity theft:

• It is safer to memorize your security codes and numbers other than writing it down. Never print these numbers on your checks.
• Give your files protection from making passwords. These can only be opened if your personal security code or password is entered.
• Never use your birth date or your name as a password; it can be an easy guess to the people.
• Require your credit bureaus to give you regular reports on the review of your credit accounts.
• Install software in your computer to avoid malicious software to enter your computer. Software such as firewall will minimize the chances of downloading bad software such as spyware, adware, and keyloggers.
• This software will unnoticeably enter your computer to spy on all the operation made in your computer. With the use of firewalls, you are sure to get rid of this malicious software in real time.
• Do not include your personal information on the email inquiry. You should also avoid sending information over email.
• If you are sure that the reputable website sent you a business transaction, go to the particular official website of the sender to reply. Never use the link indicated on the email sent.
• Never open mail attachments if you are not sure about who sent it to you. These attachments may contain software that can enter your computer system unnoticeably. This problem can be solved by using software that gets rid of them. Choose software that updated continuously.
• Do not provide personal information when you are filling up forms online. Do not provide your personal data and most special your financial information online.
• During a telephone call, never give your personal data and information on the one you are talking to.
• You can give your financial information and other data if you are the one to initiate the conversation.
• Never mind the mails that tell you to complete your application on credit cards especially online.
• Never discard any previously used credit card before destroying it. Shred it tears it and torn it into pieces to secure that these credit cards will not be used again.
• If you lose your credit cards of other important cards report about it immediately to authorized personnel. You should temporarily close your account until the card has been captured.
• Destroy all the documents that contain your personal data and information. Burning them can be more preferable.
• Never discard bank receipts, credit card receipts and transaction receipt in public areas. Some people may obtain this information and use it against you.

These are the guidelines to protect you from experiencing the wrath of identity theft. Make sure to follow these guidelines well for the protection of you accounts.

I thought you may be interested in reading some of the bullet points contained in this post about Identity Theft Insurance.