What is Passport Identity Theft?

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]For many of us, a passport is the gateway to paradise.  It is that identifying document that allows you to legally cross borders throughout the world.  Considering how important a passport is, it is natural that such an essential document has become a prime target for many identity thieves.

From fiction to reality

Highlighting the dangers of passport identity theft, an author by the name of Frederick Forsyth wrote a book entitled, “The Jackel.”  The story evolves around an assassin who seeks out the identity of a person around his age who died as a child.  After finding information about the deceased victim, the assassin applies for a passport in their name.  This book was written long before the widespread use of computers and technology as we know it today.  The evolution of electronic data has made it much easier for authorities to check for validation with the ability to match dates for births and deaths.  This technology has closed many of the loopholes mentioned in Forsyth’s book.

On the other hand, all of these loopholes have not been closed to creative identity thieves.  There has been word of alleged attempts from imposters using Forsyth’s fictional approach by trying to issue fraudulent passports in New Zealand.  The plot consisted of thieving the identity of a disabled individual who is very unlikely to apply for a passport.  After spotting a victim, the thieves would complete a routine passport application in that person’s name without their knowledge.

Believe it or not, a black market exists in many countries that thrives on using passports to steal identities.  A large part of the motivation revolves around illegal immigration and other criminal activity.  Because of this growing problem, authority agencies across the globe have worked steadily to improve the process of issuing passports.  These efforts were also enforced due to the numerous terrorists threats and incidents that have occurred over recent years.  Several countries now insert data chips inside of biometric passports, along with other modifications to the designing and verification procedures.

I Lost My Passport … Now What?

In the long run, losing a passport can prove to be a more serious matter than having your driver’s license stolen.  When this important document falls prey to a malicious individual, there is a great chance that it will be used to commit identity theft.  If you happen to lose your passport, it is very important contact the authority who issued it.  If you are in a foreign location at the time, you would need to report the loss to the country’s embassy.  In this instance, it is possible to have a temporary passport issued, allowing you to carry on with a vacation.

If you are visiting a foreign country, the passport should remain on your person at all times.  Remember to keep the document concealed properly rather in a bag that can be easily snatched away.  Another option you have is to use the security deposit safes provided by your hotel.  One should never downplay the consequences of losing a passport.  By taking the necessary steps to protect this important document, you are also minimizing the possibility of identity theft.

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What is Passport Identity Theft?

Victims of Identity Theft: What Next? Worksheets

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Identity theft is a rapidly rising crime that has the power to victimize individuals regardless of race, location or social status.  When obtaining your personal information, a criminal can use those details to open fraudulent accounts, thieve assets, or completely assume your identity.  When it comes to fighting this malicious crime, identity theft worksheets have proven to be a valuable tool for you or victims that you may know.

When a criminal steals someone else’s identity, the task of reversing this damage can be frightening, frustrating and quite expensive.  After learning that a crime has been committed, a victim typically has to endure a lengthy process in order to restore their lives.  Since many victims of identity theft are often left with thousands of dollars in debt, restoring credit ratings is typically one of the first steps in the recovery effort.  When completed properly, identity worksheets work wonders in reversing the damage inflicted by a criminal.

How to Complete Identity Theft Worksheets

Identity theft worksheets are created to make sure a victim takes all the necessary steps towards recovery.  Designed by a team of experts, they provide guidelines for action that needs to be taken as soon as the crime is detected.

Victims may learn that they have been targeted by an identity thief in a number of different ways.  This can occur after reviewing accounts to find that withdrawals or charges have been made without approval.  Others may not realize that there is a problem until more severe damage is inflicted.

All victims using identity theft worksheets should carefully follow each and every step.  Each individual should study their worksheet to determine the relevance of the particular situation. This is very important as the crime differs from case to case.  Identity theft worksheets should always be filed and stored for a few years in the event that the crime occurs again.  This will make it easier for the matter to be resolved with minimal financial consequence.  Because victims will once again need to prove that a crime has actually be committed, identity theft worksheets will provide the backup needed to confidently make a claim or a file a report.

Identity theft worksheets serve as checklists and organizational tools to accumulate the information needed to guide a victim through a tedious recovery process.  In most cases, a worksheet will contain specific instructions, along with special areas that record each step within the stage of recovery.  This data is very useful when conferring with credit card companies and financial institutions to reverse the damage.

These worksheets can be found on various identity theft protection sites. All that is required of a victim is to print out the form and fill in the information as instructed.   Keep in mind that each case of identity theft is different, meaning that not all worksheets will pertain to your particular ordeal. After finding one that bests suits your needs, this will be a solution that can drastically reduce your stress and fear regarding identity theft.

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Victims of Identity Theft: What Next? Worksheets

What is Pharming Identity Theft?

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Pharming is a more advanced method of identity theft.  This scam originates on the internet and involves technically sound hackers who secretly redirect an unknowing user’s computer from legitimate sites to those supplied by the scammer.  The pharming website will have a striking resemble to the original, making users much more susceptible to entering their personal details.

Criminals who participate in pharming are so advanced that they are even able to mimic the domains of legitimate web sites.  What makes this crime so alarming is the fact that these expert hackers have the ability to simultaneously re-route thousands of users just by installing a few malicious codes.

Several internet security firms have reported that pharmers primarily use two methods to simulate legitimate web sites.  The first method is to infect a user’s computer with a virus or malware.  This prompts the unsuspecting user to enter their information on a fraudulent site without even knowing it.  From there, the information is stolen by the criminal and identity theft begins.

The second method hackers employ is cracking into DNS (domain name system) servers.  Millions of computers throughout the world depend on these servers to communicate with one another.  After a web criminal feeds erroneous data to a DNS server, millions of internet users are then depending on systems that have been poisoned, redirecting them to fraudulent sites even though they entered a legitimate URL.  This enables a pharmer to obtain any information they request.

How to Avoid Pharming

Pharming has become such a reliable method of identity theft because it is difficult for anyone to know when a site has been hijacked.  In most cases, the fraudulent URL and website appear to be legitimate. The U.S. Senate is currently developing strategies to stiffen the penalties against those convicted of pharming.  Until the laws are finalized, you can follow these steps to keep your identity safe:

1.  Upon reaching a site that requires you to enter sensitive information, always look for details that indicate its authenticity.  This may be a “lock” icon near the browser bar or a URL that begins with “https” as opposed to “http”.

2.  Test the web site’s legitimacy by searching for a digital certificate.  When used, the certificate generally appears in a dialog box in the form of a “padlock” icon.  You can click on the icon to ensure that the certificate’s owner is official.

3.  Instead of using a URL, type the site’s IP address into your browser bar.  You can find the IP address for many web sites by visiting www.whatismyip.com

4.  Keep all of your computer programs updated with the latest patches.

5.  Remain cautious when downloading any free software from the web.  Viruses are often bundled with these programs, making it much easier to be led to a fraudulent site.

6.  Use a firewall application to fend off malicious hackers.

7.  Install and frequently update a quality anti-virus program.  This will reduce the chance of a virus leading you to a pharming website.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

What is Pharming Identity Theft?

Dumpster Diving Identity Theft - the Value of Your Trash

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For many of us, there is one time of the month that we all loath – that moment that calls for us to pay the bills.  After going through the task of just who gets how much of our money, many of us simply discard the bills in an irresponsible manner, feeling that they have no purpose now that the balance has been paid.  This is one of the biggest mistakes you could ever make, one that is likely to make you an unfortunate victim of identity theft.

The truth is that those very documents you despise often contain critical details, personal information that consists of your name, address, credit card and bank account numbers.  After throwing the paperwork in your trash bin, this sensitive information waits to be collected by a city garbage truck.

Your Trash is an Identity Thief’s Treasure

So what’s the problem?  No one will stoop as low as sifting through your trash in search of meaningless bills that you already paid, right?  Think again!  Pride and morals should never be tied to an identity thief.  If one of these desperate criminals happens to snatch up an entire bag of trash that contains all of the bills you just paid, they have literally struck the identity theft lottery.  The information you took for granted will give them all the ammunition needed to open up new credit cards in your name and possibly access funds in your bank account.

Since many individuals will throw away those nagging credit card approval letters, it is very easy for a dumpster diver to respond to them, provide the company with a new address and instantly receive credit in your name.  If your credit is decent, a thief will be instantly approved and quickly receive a card in the mail.  From there, they are liable to rack up thousands of dollars in debt, balances that you may not be aware of for months.

A public dumpster or a personal trash bin can be an absolute gold mine for the aspiring identity thief.  Many times they may stumble upon important documents carelessly discarded by hospitals, accounting firms and profitable corporations.  When armed with this information, a criminal is capable of starting a new life of their own while bleeding their victims dry of funds.

Dumpster diving has proved so beneficial, that some identity thieves have formulated organized crime rings to carry out the act.  It takes the authorities that much longer to pinpoint the suspected perpetrators when these crimes are committed in filthy dumpsters and residential trash bins.  While it is very clear that this isn’t the most sophisticated or glamorous type of identity theft, those facts do nothing to reduce the damage suffered by the victims.

How to Protect Yourself From Dumpster Diving

• – Never discard documents containing information such as a Social Security number, driver’s license number, or bank account number into a public trash bin.

• – Always shred important documents you choose to discard as opposed to crumbling the paper and throwing them in the trash.

• – Thoroughly cut up all old credit and debit cards so that the information is not legible and make sure all of confidential information gets disposed properly by using a trusted security shredding company.

Dumpster diving is fairly easy to prevent.  It basically consists of taking the extra steps to make sure your personal information is properly disposed.  A little tedious work from the start can save you from the expensive headache related to identity theft.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Dumpster Diving Identity Theft - the Value of Your Trash

Sticking to a Data Backup Schedule

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Data backup is a practice that should be employed in every network where critical data is stored on servers. The same holds true for home users who have documents stored on a personal computer. Equally important is knowing when to backup your data. Whether it’s a college paper, family photos or emails, this information should be backed up a routine basis. By developing a backup schedule and sticking to it, you can assure that your important information can be restored in case of a disaster.

All of the available solutions allow us to backup data on whatever type of medium we choose. However, if you do not implement both a reliable system and a regular schedule, all of your efforts towards saving and securing your data will be to no avail.

The first thing you should do is determine exactly what you want to backup. This is important, as the schedule mainly depends on the size of your information. We have composed a sample schedule to give you an idea of how often certain kinds of data should be backed up:

Small amounts of data – It’s a good idea to backup small amounts of data, such as your important documents, more frequently. Depending on how many new files you are creating, this information should be backed up at least once a week, although a daily or even hourly schedule may be somewhat more reliable.

Medium amounts of data – This mostly pertains to email messages and project files – content that should be backed up at least on a daily, weekly or monthly schedule.

Large amounts of data – Large amounts of data may include all the above with the addition of images, audio files in MP3 format and video files in MPEG format. This type of data should be backed up at least weekly, monthly or yearly.

Complete backup – For the best protection, your entire hard drive can be saved and stored. This will ensure that all of your important files can be restored. While this is more practical in a business environment, a home user should at least perform this method at least once a year.

Another factor that will help you to determine a working a schedule is the method of backup. Will it be manually or with the aid of backup software? Manually saving your files to an external storage unit is convenient and affordable for some, but software gives you the power of automation and tends to be much more reliable. A quality program can be used to store data on a variety of mediums including CDs, DVDs, FTP servers or USB flash drives. These programs can be easily configured to run automatically without even launching them. All you have to do is make sure your computer is powered on during the time of a scheduled run.

A backup schedule is essential in any computing environment. If you’re concerned that it slows down your performance, set the backup to run a few hours before your work day begins. The most important thing is to develop a backup schedule and stick to it. If you backup your data consistently, you are one important step ahead of an unexpected disaster.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Sticking to a Data Backup Schedule

What is a "Scareware" and How it Works

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]If you have ever received a pop-up that tells you your computer has been infected with a virus along with an offer for a free scan, the first thing you want to do is shut down your browser and then re-open it. The pop-up usually prompts you to click on it to install bogus software that promises to remove the virus it claims you have in your computer.

Although the pop-up appears to be legitimate, the chances are that it was created by a scammer with the intention of invading your computer with spyware. This unscrupulous tactic is known as “scareware” because it is designed to scare you into thinking your PC has a virus and convincing you to click to remove it.

While you are focusing on getting the virus out of your computer, the unethical person that created the scareware pop-up is sneaking spyware into your computer in an effort to steal your passwords, your identity, and your bank account numbers, to name a few things.

How to Recognize Scareware

The pop-up appears to be coming from your antivirus program when in reality, it is being sent over the Internet by a scammer. Depending upon the type of antivirus program you have, in most cases a legitimate antivirus program will automatically perform scans at regular intervals and then notify you that the virus has been quarantined and then removed.

However, the pop-up that is created by the scammer is designed to look like the real thing and if you are not observing carefully it is very easy to be fooled. Scammers know this and this is the reason for creating this type of malicious software.

How to Avoid Scareware

• Understand Your Antivirus Program: Make sure you understand fully how your antivirus program works and become familiar with the ways that the program alerts you when it has detected a virus.

• Close Your Browser: If you suspect the pop-up is a scam, do not click anywhere within the advertisement because it is possible to pick up malicious software by clicking anywhere within the ad. Instead, simply shut down your browser and then open it again.

• Perform Regular Checks: Check your antivirus program on a regular basis to ensure it is up-to-date and provides protection against spyware and adware.

• Change Your Surfing Habits: Change your surfing habits and avoid clicking on pop-up advertisements altogether. If you happen to click by mistake, immediately focus on the URL address at the top of your browser window. If the URL address appears after you click and then suddenly changes before the website appears, you are being hijacked to a different website.

For example, the authentic McAfee antivirus site would include the URL address: mcafee.com. If you click on an advertisement for McAfee and the URL in the top of your browser window switches from mcafee.com to another URL, this is a sure sign you are being taken to a bogus website that is going to do anything from ask you for your personal information to encourage you to download a free scan.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

What is a "Scareware" and How it Works

How Can I Prevent Identity Theft and How Can I Protect My Identity?

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]One of the most important things you can protect is your identity. This means making sure your personally identifying information like your social security number, driver’s license number, bank account information, bank PIN numbers, computer passwords, and even your birth date are kept secret and secure. This way, there is less of a chance of someone finding this information and using it to pretend to be you or access your financial accounts.

There are several steps involved in preventing identity theft. One important step is to protect your personal information by adopting a strict policy on who has access to this information and why. Make sure you know who you are dealing with, and avoid giving out account information and your social security number in favor of less sensitive material when possible. Be prudent with your personal information, after all your identity is at stake.

Another important step in protecting your identity is learning how to keep your cards, documents, and passwords safe. Even when you are prudent about who you give your personal information to and why, identity thieves can often find this information without your consent by getting their hands on your personal documents, plastic cards, and passwords without you even knowing it.

Finally, because identity theft is not entirely preventable no matter how vigilant you are (although performing the first two steps to the best of your ability certainly puts you at a much lower risk for identity theft), it is important to monitor your financial accounts and credit information . This way, if someone does commit identity fraud using your identity, you will be able to minimize the damage and stop the process sooner.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

How Can I Prevent Identity Theft and How Can I Protect My Identity?