Golf Gal asked:


I have heard that there is a way to make it harder for credit cards to be opened in my name by adding a pin or something to my ssn. My mom has stolen my brother’s identity but he didnt press charges and now I am affraid that it will happen to me.. Is there something I can do to help prevent this?? Please help!

seafishivyou asked:


regards of others using your photo pictures, and personal information and claiming to you ??????????????

We assume credit card identity theft only happens to those technically-inclined individuals purchasing items online – how wrong we are to assume.
A woman cleans her purse of non-essentials tossing old credit card receipts into the trash bag; it contains her credit card number and her signature. A man gladly allows his travel agency to keep his personal credit card number on file for future use; someone impersonating him calls up and orders airline tickets. A couple, preparing to move to a new home begins clearing out old personal papers, tossing them into a bag without shredding it. Little do they know once they remove from their home and place the trash onto the sidewalk for pickup it becomes personal property – available for any thief to retrieve?

It comes as no surprise that credit card identify theft is still flourishing and on the rise. We practically call the thieves over to us and hand them our information. We use credit cards so often it becomes impossible to trip up sometimes and reveal too much information to the wrong person.

The Internet has become an advantage for consumers who enjoy shopping at home and a windfall for thieves and hackers who know the weaknesses of security features online. And with every new technological feature thought up to stop an online thief there’s another one out there working to break down the new feature and amass a new windfall.

Credit card identity theft can be halted and you can protect yourself but there are so many unique methods to steal and newer ones popping up each month. The common scams may be easier to ward off but who has the time these days to safeguard personal information from every known and new credit card identity theft crime out there?

Paying a small fee to a company to watch over your identity is well worth it. We pay insurance to cover our vehicles and insurance to cover our homes but what about you’re personal identity and the headaches that will follow?

While there are many to choose from, Trusted ID has some benefits that stand out. The identity threat score ask questions to gauge your threat and gives advice on what you can change to minimize your daily risk. They also have a $1,000,000 insurance coverage plan for out-of-pocket expenses, just in case someone was to breach their security plan.

Just think; credit card identity theft happens every day to those who said “not me” and wouldn’t acknowledge any risk. It’s such a widespread crime and although you may not be held personally responsible your credit will suffer and will take years to remove those negative marks from your credit report.

The good news is, credit card identity theft is preventable and you can do something about it before it begins.

By: Greg Mckeon

About the Author:

Await Your Reply: A Novel
by Dan Chaon
Amazon Price:
Customer Review: A brother has been missing 10 years, a student has run off with her teacher, and another has just discovered that he was adopted. The intersection of these three events and people produce a novel about identity and dependence that changes their live...

Vanishing Act
by Fern Michaels
Amazon Price:
Customer Review: One of the guys gets hit in the pocketbook and the vigilantes plunge to the rescue. Identity theft is the theme of VANISHING ACT by Fern Michaels in her long running Sisterhood series.
A few surprises and plot twists, but everyone has a part to...

Think Twice
by Lisa Scottoline
Amazon Price: $13.50
Customer Review: Really? I kept thinking to myself has no one thought to check their fingers prints, maybe I have seen to many CSI/Cop shows or something.

This story just seemed really dumbed down to me, where's the strong Bennie at? So many other things...

Worried Individual asked:


About 10 months ago I lost my ID (not Drivers License, just ID) card. I was naive and stupid, I didn’t report it in any way. The other day I applied for another ID and in doing so reported it ‘lost.’

Just today, I received an odd envelop from the Postal Office, with a letter enclosed, stating that they ‘Found it my id outside the Post Office in San Fransisco.’ My old ID, the one i haven’t seen in 10 months.

I didn’t lose it in SF, I know where i lost it, it was very far from SF.

It seemed odd to me that I got my ID card back almost immediately after I reported it lost. I came to the following possibilities:
1) The PO had it somewhere and when it was reported lost they sent it to me.
2) Somebody has been using it, and when it went expired, they thought they may be cruel and unusual and let me know that I was being screwed.

Is it possible for somebody to steal my identity with just an ID? My credit has went up ALOT in the past 10 months, could this be an indicator?
Heh … Here’s another possiblity, a minor found it and was using it to buy cigarettes. When they went in to the 711 teller scanned the card and it was denied, they figured they would send it back my way by the ‘baby in a basket on the porch’ technique, except this time the baby was an ID and the porch was the PO.
I have tried the link provided for the credit report. None of the three worked. One said “You have already gotten your annual credit report” and the next one said this:

“For security reasons we cannot provide a credit report online. This may be because the government has placed a freeze on your account, has a fraud flag or you are in active military duty.”

Weak.
Note: By weak I meant the websites are weak, not your answer.

Thanks for your help everyone! I will be going to the bank tomorrow.

always wondering asked:


Identity Theft appears to be getting worse. I have taken measures to continue to interact “online”,However, I don’t know how to educate myself or other’s at this time to be completely secure while on the internet?Does someone know a safer way to enjoy the computer?

Spicer asked:


Okay, I used to live with this guy whom I thought I knew. But as it turned out he was an ex con who had been in prison for B and E several times. He stole from stores and then me too. He took my credit card and made purchases with it. I found out and confronted him. THat card was to build up my credit. I was going to make little purchases and pay it back straight away. He screwed it all up because soon I had to pay back $500.
He promised he would make the payments each month and for a while he was. So I relaxed and let him do what he was doing. At some point he stopped the payments though he kept saying he was making them.
I called the company to ask what the balance was because I had come into some extra money from school fafsa and they told me that it was 1500 when last time I checked it was 420. I almost fainted!
I hadnt been able to get an apartment to move out and now I knew why!
My entire credit is screwed up now. I keep contacting him to get my card fixed. But he ignores me.
What do I need to get a civil suit against him? He has a history of theft which can help. Not to mention he stalked me for a long time after I broke it off. He is a crazy guy and I **** dealing with him. He is manipulative and very two faced.
His parents are very wealthy though and pay his rent and college tuition.
So he never needed my card. He did it impulsively because he loves to steal.
I can prove that he loves to steal thats its an addiction if that helps.
He used many of his purchases for his girlfriends on adult friend finder that he was cheating on me with. I dont know how to contact them, but I had seen many emails. And I know he has an account on that site.
Anyway, just tell me what I have to do. Ive never done this before. He has been sewed in peoples court before by a man he was working for.

And dont tell me to get a lawyer. I have NO money. All I want is for him to pay back on the card that he used. He made a verbal contract that he would pay it back and he never did leaving me in debt and facing the bill. I dont even know where my card is to be honest. I havent seen it in a year because he lost it.
I dont know the login information for the online account. That was all him. He was completely in charge of that card. He used identity theft to use it and take control over the card because his credit is so bad he couldnt get a card of his own.
For your information, I did stop the card. Just because I cancelled it didnt make the charges he already put on it go away. The first thing I did was cancel it. There were still payments to be made. I NEVER allowed him to use it. He stole it from my purse.

Credit card identity theft is one of the most common form of identity theft. Here, an identity thief uses your credit card information to gain access to your personal accounts and make huge purchases without financial obligations. When this happens, they can ruin your credit score you will have a hard time applying for mortgages, car loans jobs and even housing rentals.

One of the most common mistakes that people make with their credit cards is bring all of their cards and keeping them in one wallet. This significantly increases the risk of identity theft since if your wallet or purse is stolen, the identity thief can gain access to ALL your CC accounts and they can use all these to eat at expensive restaurants, make online purchases, and subscribe to various services. Of course, as they are thieves, they will not be financially liable to all the purchases that they make.

Whenever possible, bring only one credit card whenever you make a purchase. This can significantly reduce the risk of identity theft because, as mentioned above, if you ever lose your wallet or purse, they will not have access to all your credit cards. As soon as you realize that your purse is stolen where your credit card is, immediately call your credit card company and put a freeze on your account so that no purchases will be made following the theft.

One good practice that is rarely done by most people is not bringing their credit card. Often, if we only need to visit our friends or when we go to work, we don’t really need out card as we don’t plan to make any purchases. For this instances, bring enough cash that you will need for the rest of the day. This can also be a very good budgeting practice since you are less likely to make impulsive purchases which can affect your budget.

You should never provide any credit card information to anyone who contacts you over the phone. These are common scams which are done by most identity theft criminals. They will call you up and pretend that they are representatives from a legitimate financial institution and they would ask you to verify your account with them as they are currently undergoing system-wide maintenance. Failure to verify your account can lead to closure of your account or discontinued service. You have to first verify the identity of the caller and ask for a call back number. Once you hang up, search for the customer service line of the company that was represented and call them back.

The three digit card at the back of your credit card should also be protected because once an identity theft criminal has your CC number, it will be totally useless if they don’t have the three digit code-also known as the CVC2 code-with them. This three digit code is like a PIN number for your account that will ensure that anyone who is making an online purchase with the card is the authorized owner.

By: Tina L Douglas

About the Author:

Await Your Reply: A Novel
by Dan Chaon
Amazon Price:
Customer Review: A brother has been missing 10 years, a student has run off with her teacher, and another has just discovered that he was adopted. The intersection of these three events and people produce a novel about identity and dependence that changes their live...

Vanishing Act
by Fern Michaels
Amazon Price:
Customer Review: One of the guys gets hit in the pocketbook and the vigilantes plunge to the rescue. Identity theft is the theme of VANISHING ACT by Fern Michaels in her long running Sisterhood series.
A few surprises and plot twists, but everyone has a part to...

Think Twice
by Lisa Scottoline
Amazon Price: $13.50
Customer Review: Really? I kept thinking to myself has no one thought to check their fingers prints, maybe I have seen to many CSI/Cop shows or something.

This story just seemed really dumbed down to me, where's the strong Bennie at? So many other things...

harryd asked:


My son had his identity stolen last year and the guy was caught, but he still gets stopped from time to time at airports when checking in for a flight. He was given a password by the police to show that he was the victim, not the theif. The police told him the problem may never go away.

propcidss asked:

Moving on to the direct cost of noncompliance… Its not all about the poster child for breaches. As estimated by June 2009, TJ Maxx has paid out over 320 million for what was originally thought of, as 45 million records, yet ended up being over 94 million records in breach. They actually got a pretty good deal overall because it cost of about the same for 94 million records as it was estimated to cost them for 45. The latest is heartland payment systems with over 130 million records and counting. And certified as quote compliant by Trustwave on April 30th, about nine months before the breach was discovered. Well it only took three months for the stock price to fall 57%. This breach proved that you cannot be certified one day and quit worrying about breaches the next. Real-time monitoring is something every merchant has to do.