It seems every day there is a new story about identity theft and credit card fraud somewhere. Sometimes there are hundreds of these stories in a day. With so many people out there desperate to take our credit card numbers, how do we keep them save? Here are five tips that will give you a good start.

Keep your Numbers Private

Your credit card is a personal card that is meant for you. While it may just seem like a piece of plastic, you should not freely lend your card out to people you know, or give out your credit card number for no good reason. Even when you have to pay for something at a restaurant or other location, you should try to keep an eye on what is happening to your card to make sure someone isn’t copying down your numbers to use later.

Shred Receipts

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Receipts are not supposed to show more than the last four digits of your credit card, but many of them do. They also have a lot of your other personal information on them. Once you are done using your receipts, or filing them away for taxes, you should shred them instead of putting them in a regular trash can. Don’t make the information easy to find for someone who may be up to no good.

Shred Application

Credit card applications come in as much as other pieces of junk mail. You may see them so much that you no longer care about them and toss them in the trash without a second thought. That is not a good idea. That application has some of your information on it. You should always shred credit applications to make sure someone else doesn’t fish them out of the trash and try to open a line of credit in your name.

Use Secure Websites

If you do a lot of online shopping, make sure you are using a secure online site. Look for that little padlock logo in the corner of your web browser so you know the information you are entering is secure and only going to those you want to be giving it to.

Watch Your Card Statement

The best thing you can do to keep your credit cards secure is keep a close eye on what is happening on them. If you do online banking, you should check your credit cards regularly to make sure all the charges coming through are ones you put there. If you wait until the statement comes, make sure to look at it as soon as it comes and call if you see anything that is suspicious.

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When you discover you have been victimized and someone used your credit card to make an unauthorized purchase, time is of the essence. On the subject of credit card fraud, a good thing to remember is that it is just as important to be proactive as it is to be reactive – so do not wait to report the incident.

Check Out Your Liabilities

If your credit card is stolen or used fraudulently, understand that as long as your report the theft as soon as you know it happened, you will likely only be responsible for the maximum of . In the event your credit card number and not the card itself was stolen, you are not liable for anything per federal law.

Understand the Fraud Procedure

When you notice a fraudulent charge on your credit card statement, you must contact your credit card company within 60 days to remain protected from the charges. If the merchant where the purchase was made has a signature for the purchase then the credit card company will be responsible for resolving the charge. If the transaction happened over the internet or in some other forum that did not require a signature, it will be the merchant that is responsible for charges.

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New Account Fraud

There are time when people will find that someone used their personal information to open a new credit card account. In this case, you will have to file an official police report to confirm the fraudulent activity and identity theft. Generally, once a report has been filed and the new account contested, the information will be removed from your credit report without further damage.

Dealing with fraudulent financial activity can be extremely frustrating. You will often feel like you are chasing your tail – going around and around with customer service reps, trying to get some answers. But it is your persistence that can make a difference in your efforts. Do not let fraudulent activities go and ruin your otherwise good credit. If you find you are getting the runaround from one representative, ask for a manager and go through the ranks until the issue is resolved.

Also, be sure to keep impeccable records about your progress. Always note the day and the time and the name of the person you talked to in resolving the problem. Keeping these records will help you keep up with all conversations which can be important if you must continue fighting the charges. Keep all of your notes safely stored, even after the issue appears to be resolved. You never know what may resurface at a later point.

Online theft is a despicable crime that takes advantage of people in a virtual world that uses email, websites, chat rooms and instant messaging to communicate.

There are several different types of phishing that have evolved over the years but they all have one thing in common – they will attempt to trick the recipient of a message into providing personal data such as credit card details, social security numbers, and their important account passwords.

The number of online phishing attempts is ever increasing but the good news is that it isn’t too hard to avoid.

If you can learn some basic tips then you will never fall victim to this cyber crime.

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Here, then, are things you need to do to avoid getting phished -

* Think about disabling file sharing on your computer.
* Always use caution when opening email attachments, especially when they come from strangers.
* If you need to enter your details on a website then check their privacy policy and make sure you understand how they will use your data.
* Regularly check your bank and credit card statements and look for signs of fraud.
* Make sure you have a firewall, antivirus software and an anti-spyware program installed and update them regularly.
* Always keep your operating system fully updated and patched.
* Always choose secure passwords that are hard to guess or crack.
* Take advantage of the free reports that you can get from the credit bureaus.
* If you think that you may have already become an identity theft victim then report it to the authorities immediately.

Additionally, there are a few things you positively want to avoid doing -

* Never give your personal data to anyone via the telephone or directly (even if they say they are your bank, credit card company or someone offering you a job) unless you’re absolutely certain that the person or institution can be completely trusted.
* Never click on links in emails, even if they appear to be from your bank. If an email says there is a problem with your account then get the bank’s telephone number from a statement and call them to verify if that is true or not.
* Never store personal or financial information on a laptop or external drive as these are stolen far more often than desktop computers ever are.

The recent trends in technologies have led to the introduction of several avant-garde products. In fact, there is no exception in the case of wallet industry, and what that has led to innovation in this scenario is the launching of iWallet – the high tech cash and credit card wallet that hit the market in December 2009. Introduced by Iwallet Corp and the brain child of Steve Cabouli – iWallet has been primarily designed as an answer to overcome identity theft as well as its after effects.

iWallet holds the distinction of being the only high tech wallet that is developed by eminent engineers that work in projects with NASA. One of its prime specialties is that it could be opened or accessed only if it recognizes your fingerprint. This in turn is due to its amazing features such as incorporated biometric scanner. As a result, once if your finger is associated with your iWallet, only you could open or access it.

Another highlight of this wallet is that it could be paired with selected PDA cellular phones via the Bluetooth Technology. As such, it results in producing loud, audible alarm in case if your cellular phone and iWallet is separated by 15 to 30 ft away. This feature serves as a theft deterrent and alert in such situation if you forget or someone tries to steal your iWallet or mobile phone.

iWallet boasts of a hard case construction, and is tamper resistant. It is therefore highly durable as well as long lasting, thereby protecting your cash and imperative information from all kinds of environmental damages. Further, it contains in it a number of slots and compartments in order to comfortably store your cash as well as different types of cards like credit cards, debit cards, and social security card.

iWallet allows you to choose from three amazing models such as Model SC-5144 (100% carbon fiber), Model LC-5346 (carbon fiber & Kevlar), and Model LC-5245 (carbon fiber & Kevlar). The price of these models is just US$ 599.95. However, if you are looking for a reasonable choice but containing in it all the aforesaid features, then superb options are available in the form of iWallets made out of fiber glass, which you can own it for just US$ 299.00! It is available in six different models.

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Wallet is an item that is carried by almost men in order to store their money as well as important information. However, many men have tendency to overload their wallets with unnecessary things, which in turn may easily draw the attention of thieves, thereby sometimes resulting in identity theft and its after effects. Hence, it is advisable to slim down your wallet by removing it from unwanted wastes and bills. Equally important is to avoid carrying some vital information whose mislay may create havocs in your life. Mentioned further in this article are the things that must be avoided while you organize your wallet.

First of all, avoid carrying your social security card in your wallet, as the data contained in it is a useful piece of information for thieves and they may use it for several unscrupulous purposes, from opening credit accounts and taking loans in your names to draining your bank accounts.
Another important document that must not be kept in your wallet is passport.
Likewise, documents such as birth certificates must not be carried in your wallet.
If you need to carry check in your wallet, then in stead of carrying the entire checkbook use just one check leaf in order to serve your purpose.
It is also important to avoid carrying house keys or car’s key in your wallet, as in case if your wallet is pick pocketed, you may lose your keys as well.
Further, it is not a good practice to carry not more than one credit card or debit card in your wallet.
It would also be better to avoid placing items such as spectacles or glasses in your wallet.
If you use ATM cards, then it would be better to avoid carrying huge amount of cash in your wallet.
If not necessary, then avoid keeping USB or flash drive in your wallet.
Above all, as mentioned earlier, remove unwanted bills, receipts, and papers from your wallet. However, be careful when you throw these papers, as thieves may adopt a practice namely dumpster diving in order to retrieve your sensitive information.

With the holiday season almost upon us, stores both in your community and on the internet will be flooded with rabid hordes of shoppers, anxious to find the best bargain before anybody else does.  The problem is that far too many people check their brains at the door on other matters, making it very easy for the more unscrupulous among us to take full advantage of it.

We’re talking about rip offs here, and the holidays seem to be a popular time for the worst among us to make themselves known.  There are any number of con games making the rounds at any moment, and knowing the warning signs to look for will be most beneficial in helping you to avoid them.

One of the most popular rip off games is the free vacation. You may receive an e-mail informing you that you just “won” a free vacation to a popular resort, but you must call an 800 number to claim it.  Once you do, you are then hit up for various fees, sometimes totaling between 00 – 00, for “booking fees” or other nonsensical items.  Legitimate contests will never ask you to pay a dime in order to receive your prize.  Anybody who does is a rip off.

The crazy first cousin to the free vacation is the travel rip off.  You have a specific destination in mind, and you find a site that promises exactly what you are looking for, with a rate that seems heaven sent.  But here is the catch: they do not accept credit cards.  They insist on payment through a bank or wire transfer.  That is your red flag.  It is a rip off.  Reputable companies will always provide a means for you to pay with your credit card, since it is after all, the most convenient method.

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One of the more recent trends in the rip off world comes directly from the e-mail box of your friends, or so it seems.  You get an e-mail from them with a remarkable sob story, that they are vacationing in Barcelona or some other equally exotic (not to mention distant) destination, have had their wallet (or purse, or both) stolen, and need money wired to them to either pay their hotel bill or pay for their flight back home (or both).  Typically these are the results of e-mail theft from social networking sites such as Facebook, another reason to set social networking settings on private.

Of course Black Friday always means the usual crush of mad shoppers out to find the hottest toy of the season.  We’ve all seen the annual news reports of grown men fighting over toys in the Wal-Mart aisles.  Many think they can avoid this problem by finding the toy online, but the rip off artists know this too, and you could find you money vanishing with nothing showing up on your doorstep.

The easiest solution is to shop locally through CraigsList and conduct all exchanges in person, with cash in hand. This is not always possible with eBay sellers, however,  so do your research on the seller before placing a bid.  That is what the seller feedback is for.  It is always preferable to deal with someone who has a long history of positive feedback as a seller.  If anything about the deal sounds dubious, don’t do it.

Identity theft is a problem for law enforcement year round, but there is a noticeable increase in such cases around the holidays.  With such a huge crush of frantic shoppers crowding the malls, it is open season for those who would seek to steal your wallet, purse, credit cards or debit numbers.  You should always know where your wallet is, and make it as difficult to get to as possible.  Be sure to cover your hands when using the ATM machine, because you never know who may be watching.

Among the more popular rip offs trending in the last couple of years is the fake charity. These are phone calls or e-mails soliciting donations for what may sound like a worthy cause.  Your interest is peaked.  They are appealing to the best in human nature, the desire to help out the less fortunate, and any good person is going to be predisposed to help. Unfortunately, the company soliciting you is a fraud.   They will take your money and the people you think you are giving to will never see a dime, and you will be none the wiser.  Worse yet, if you give them your credit card or bank information, you could be in for a very rude awakening.

To keep it safe, only contribute to those charities that you know and trust.  If a call does sound interesting or appealing, do not make any donation over the phone.  Ask them to send an addressed return envelope and information on their organization.  Tell them you want to research it.  Reputable companies will do this.  Scammers will not.

So enjoy your holiday season, and make sure your money goes where you want it to go….

(2 of 5) Identity fraud gang operating in London caught on CCTV stealing post, which was used to fraudulently open bank accounts with overdrafts, credit cards and mobile phone accounts. The gang members have been identified as Kingston University students, and are operating in the Kingston-upon-Thames borough of London. Identity fraud is a fast growing crime that is dominated by Nigerian gangs operating predominately in London, and particularly target blocks of flats. The gang were able to fraudulently open bank accounts with large overdrafts at high street banks through internet applications with just details from a bank statement. They then intercepted the mail returned by the banks with the online username and password details. The gang gained access to this apartment block from a fellow Kingston University student who was living in the apartment block and was colluding with them by giving the gang the access codes to the front door. According to Experian (largest UK credit agency) In 2009, it took an average of 416 days for fraud victims to realize they have been attacked. This gave fraudsters more than a year to compromise their victims accounts, build up debts in their names, destroy their credit ratings and then move on to someone else. press.experian.com www.experian.co.uk Protect yourself by regularly monitoring your credit reports from Experian, Equifax and Call Credit. Pay particular attention to searches on your credit report for companies that you havent …

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With the rash of mailbox bashings in rural areas in 16 states, victims are becoming creative in their strategies for protecting their mailboxes.  Some ideas are pretty humorous. Here are a few of them.

One rural resident determined that it was boys from the nearby school who knew her daughter. She called up some of the boys’ mothers and told them that she was installing three surveillance cameras on her property to document the vandalism as it was done and to identify the kids responsible. She asked the mothers to talk with their sons, whom she said she knew were not involved in the crimes, and tell them to pass the word along around the school. She didn’t know all the boys’ mothers so she surely figured word of mouth would put a stop to the boys’ late night sport.

In addition, and this is the funniest part, she sat her daughter down and explained the cost of replacing mailboxes and the work required of homeowners affected by such crimes. Then she assured her daughter that if she ever took part in vandalism she would be caught, spend time in jail and have to take a court-appointed attorney to defend her in the law suit. Mom and Dad would not foot the bills. ” Messing with mailboxes is a federal offense,” she said. The fines are up to 0,000 and jail time is up to three years according to the FTC (Federal Trade Commission).

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After serving her jail sentence the girl would have to work to pay the fines and legal fees instead of going to college. Hopefully, the daughter would be able to get a job on a bus line because her car would have been taken away already. This mom was really mad! And, she must have loved her child very much.

One country mailbox owner mused about setting up a cot a short distance from his mailbox. He would have a bucket of paint or dog poop suspended from the tree limb above the road. When the vandals came he would release the bucket on their vehicle. With any luck, it would be their parent’s vehicle and the windows would be wide open.

A couple tired of replacing their mailbox every month for a whole year actually took action on their fantasy. They took the mailbox in every night and put it out again in the morning. This seems to kind of detract from the convenience of the rural free delivery we have come to expect.

Funniest of all is the fantasy of one who said he’d get a black truck with dual exhausts and rev it up when the kids came down the road. Then he would advance as if he were going to chase them.

 Finally, an exasperated victim decided to bash in his own mailbox so badly that it would leave nothing for the bashers to do.

Most of these strategies were offered in jest. They do, however represent the angry feelings which mailbox vandalism produces.

Everybody in both rural and urban areas can completely alleviate these emotions and the

worry over the possibility of identity theft. Mailbox testers have examined many mailboxes for their vandalism proof features. Check these out and make one lifetime purchase that you will never regret. Prevent mailbox vandalism once and for all with a steel locking mailbox.

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Mobile Phones

A bit of trivia for cellular phones; In the early days mobile phones were almost somewhat of a novelty, I’m sure that most of today’s cellular phone users have never heard the term “AMPS”, this was a term used shortly after the first cellular phone service was established in the United States, it is an acronym for Advanced Mobile Phone Service.

In today’s world most consumers understand the value of owning a mobile phone, and what it means when you combine the power of a PDA with a mobile phone. With such a set-up you can conduct business at any time of the day or night because you’ll always have some form of mobile service, even if you roam from country to country. Mobile or cell phones almost make regular telephone service an obsolete technology.

Camera Phones and More

The new camera phones can be used for both good and bad. We all know identity theft is a huge issue these days and a criminal with a camera phone could use it to help steal your identity. The digital camera-phone gives them the opportunity to take photos of you and your documents, they can then send them to a confederate or take or send the pictures back to their computer where your identity information can be reworked and used to steal from you.

The good points of your camera phone are having fun taking photos of pets and friends, and if you happen to be in real estate or the insurance business the camera phone can be a life saver. Many real estate sales people take quick snap-shots of homes or property to show to prospective buyers or to add to the listing they may have. An insurance adjuster can have fast and accurate information on damage to someone who has an insurance claim.

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Other uses for the new cell phones:

They can be a multimedia center

They can be mobile office

Used as a GPS navigation device, (Global Positioning system)

Text messaging is now becoming one of the latest accessories to be added to the new cell phones.

So besides being a GPS, high resolution camera, a method of sending and receiving text messages, your new cell phone can also be a watch, a calculator, a PDA, it can double as an MP3 music player, and in some cases even a TV.

Cell Phone Batteries

The new cell phone batteries are much smaller and last considerably longer than those of just a couple of years ago. You can also greatly increase the life of your cell phone and the battery just by following the manufacturer’s directions for using the phone and how to charge the battery. If there is ever any doubt about whether a replacement battery or charger is compatible, you can go online and check for compatibility of the product or contact the manufacturer of the battery or charger. You can also contact the manufacturer of the phone, however, most of the time they will tell you that they cannot recommend or comment on any products except those that they use or manufacture.

Service Contract

What you need to look for when you purchase your service contract. Here are several items to consider:

Number of minutes for peak and off peak time.

Shared Minutes

Unlimited Night & Weekends

Free Long Distance

Nationwide Coverage

A Family Plan

Roll-over Minutes; With this plan if you don’t use all your minutes for the month they carry-over to the next month. The carrier will usually wipe this out at the end of the calendar year.

Ring tones

If you don’t like the drab ring tones that your new cell phone comes with you can change this quite easily. With all that is available you can have a fun sounding ring, along with a wide range of graphics, faceplate covers, and ring tones. You can check online and find something to fit any taste and style. If you want you can use MP3 ring tones, these are the latest advancement in the ring tone industry.

This Identity Theft is the one everyone focuses on because we are losing billions each year to id theft. But here is the thing, you know those cute little commercials on TV with the man’s voice coming from the woman’s body and the woman’s voice coming from the man’s body. They talk about ZERO liability. That is a lie! If you don’t contest a bill within 60 days YOU are stuck with it and with our Bankruptcy laws you can’t discharge it. How are you going to contest a bill you never got. These ID thieves are doing change of address cards and having your mail forwarded to another place, a PO box or another residence

As we journey more into the world of technology, we cringe at the thought that someone somewhere is on a very expensive shopping spree with credit cards and identification under your name. Warning: 27.3 million Americans identities have been stolen!

A nightmare indeed, but federal authorities recently unraveled a scheme by a man using file sharing software to get into other user’s computer system. Gregory Thomas Kopiloff of Seattle, allegedly used P2P Software to steal the personally identifiable information of at least 83 people. Kopiloff stole ,000 worth of merchandise using user’s personal data.

You probably have used or know someone that has used software like BearShare.com, Limewire.com, Kazaa.com, Soulseek.com, Fastrack.com. These type of software actually shares a particular folder on the hard drive of your computer with potentially thousands of users utilizing the software and that are part of this so-called “file-sharing network.” The users of this file sharing are in danger of having the computer hacker having access to sensitive data such as social security numbers, tax information, credit information and other personal information. With this type of software, a hacker can even have access to individuals personal digital pictures, music and all types of documents. According to the National Research Council, “Computers at Risk,” 1991, “The modern thief can steal more with a computer than with a gun. Tomorrow’s terrorist may be able to do more damage with a keyboard than with a bomb. Can we stop this?

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Monster.com was also hit by hackers not too long ago. 1.3 million monster.com users personal information were exploited. Later on, those same crooks that broke into Monster.com vault of personal data went on to hit USAJOBS.com, the federal government’s official job search site and stole over 150,000 user’s information. Credit Card companies have also been hit.

It’s time to secure your computer with your life. The luxury of the internet is a two edge sword. We can indulge ourselves in all the information that we want, explore the world with a few clicks of a button, communicate instantly and we can shop through all the multitudes of stores and hundreds and thousands of products. We are the ruler of our own internet kingdom!

But can we manage our internet castle, or does the evils of the outside world can control and destroy us. It’s a digital world, my friend. Billions of bits of information cross our little technological planet. From thieves, to child molesters and to your boss – we are more vulnerable now than 20 years ago. A sacrifice for all the goodies we can get from our “lovely” internet? Definitely.

Here’s a few simple things to do to avoid a fatal intrusion into your life:

1. Don’t have personal info stored in your computer. (easier said than done, most people have their whole lives inside that little box). But limiting such things, as social security numbers, tax info and identification numbers from your files can help tremendously.

2. Don’t file share. (Good luck on that one.) And don’t give out any personal information from an unsolicited email! Sadly, many people do this.

3. Always keep in mind that whatever you have in your computer, anyone can possibly get. For example, those special valentine pictures of your intimate other. It happens more than you think. A couple from Virginia had intimate pictures on their personal computer and were shocked to see those same pictures on the web on a adult website. Who would’ve’ known, huh?

4. Powerful Anti-hacking software. For example, The Nuker at www.stop-hackers.com is a super software that can stop hackers to get into your system. Best of all, it’s free to try.

5. Keep laptops out of prying eyes. Oh, yea -don’t lend out your computer to anyone! Let’s be stingy with this, you guys. Nothing personal.

Anti-hacking/Anti-spy ware is mandatory. But don’t rely on those fake software, you got to use a legitimate software. Remember 9 out of 10 pc’s are infected with spy ware or ad ware. Be wise. Your computer and your life depends on it!

To stop any type of hacking or for more information please review www.stop-hackers.com. With new hacking software and creepy crawlers all over the internet,you need a good anti-spyware product.

To fight back against identity theft, go to ftc.gov. Learn more. Be wise. If you want to know what real hackers are doing today then check out www.attrition.org. This is one of the places on the Internet where hackers “gloat” about their attacks on innocent individuals.

The increase in identity theft and in turn identity fraud worldwide makes it important for both individuals and businesses to make certain that sensitive and private information is carefully and safely stored when it is needed, and completely destroyed when it is no longer needed. One of the best methods available for destroying sensitive information and documents is the use of a paper shredder. By shredding important documents, individuals and businesses alike can safeguard themselves against criminal access to these same files and records.

A paper shredder has the ability to shred a variety of documents, including credit card bills and receipts, bank statements, actual credit cards, checks, pay stubs, and photographs, to name a few.

Paper shredders are typically available in two forms: strip-cut and cross-cut. A strip-cut paper shredder cuts paper and documents into strips, as the name suggests. Typical strip sizes are about quarter of an inch in thickness. For the cost, this type of shredder can handle a high volume of sheets, and typically requires less maintenance than other types of shredders. This type of shredder is often perfect for small offices and documents that are less sensitive.

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Cross-cut paper shredders are designed to cut paper and documents into small pieces instead of strips. This technique increases the level of security, while at the same time making it easier to deal with the waste. The small paper pieces are easier to dispose of than the longer strips, which can often take up a lot of space in a wastebasket.

Some paper shredders are designed to shred documents to a very fine level, and as such come complete with blades that are not very sturdy. In these cases, staples and paper clips can cause severe damage to the blades, and cause the shredder to work in a less efficient manner. To avoid this problem, most office elect to use a shredder that cuts strips into large pieces, as paper clips and staples are easily “eaten” by the larger, more sturdy blades.

Shredder oil and lubrication are other considerations that need to be made by any office manager looking to purchase a paper shredder. Since dust from shredded papers can often stick to the blades, using oil can keep the paper dust from accumulating. With the added lubrication, the movement from the blades can help push the paper dust through, easily increasing the efficiency of the paper shredder’s blades.