What is Being Done to Protect Your Privacy?
While government agencies are submitted to legal requirements that protect your personal information,
other businesses are not. This makes it vitally important to take steps protecting your information yourself
and knowing who has it and what they are doing with it.
State laws do have requirements for the disposal of personal records but the manner of disposal can
vary depending on the nature of the information and the resources available to the business. If you do
business which requires you to keep personal information on record you must check with local law
regarding the disposal of these records.
Fair Information Practice Principles.
While the law is still catching up to the needs of individual privacy protection, Europe, Canada and the
USA have created a guideline of processes for collecting and using personal information. This guide is
called the ‘Fair Information Practice Principles’. It outlines the safeguards necessary to ensure the use of
personal information is fair and to protect privacy.
The core principles outlined in the Fair Information Practice Principles are: Notice/Awareness;
Choice/Consent; Access/Participation; Integrity/Security; and Enforcement/Redress.
Here is a brief outline of these principles:
Notice/Awareness.
Notice and awareness requires businesses requesting personal information to disclose their
information practices before collecting information. The following principles listed would be included in
the notice.
Choice/Consent.
Choice and consent give the individual the ability to allow or restrict the use of personal information
beyond the transaction being initiated. Opt-in or opt-out choices include how much personal information
is included and what it may be used for.
Access/Participation.
Access and participation requires the individual to be able to access, correct or verify their personal
information on record. The means of accessing and making corrections must be timely and inexpensive.
Integrity/Security.
Integrity and security refer to the business’ steps to maintain accurate records, secure the information
and destroy records in an appropriate manner.
Enforcement/Redress.
Enforcement and redress must be established either by self-regulation or legislation.
The full report of Fair Information Practice Principles can be found at:
http://www.ftc.gov/reports/privacy3/fairinfo.htm.
While steps are being made to create enforcement it is up to the individual to be aware of the use and
protection provided by each business and agency they provide personal information to.
What Can You Do to Prevent Identity Theft?
Are you familiar with the expression “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”? This is absolutely
true in regards to protecting your identity from being stolen rather than dealing with the trauma and cost of
being a victim.
It must be stated here that there are no guarantees that the steps you take will prevent your identity from
being stolen. Personal information is available from sources (including government, employment and
other business records) that we are not in a position to personally protect.
Taking steps to limit the use of our personal information makes it more difficult to become a target.
Proper disposal of personal records and other common sense steps will also thwart any opportunistic
thieves.
Here are some steps that every individual should incorporate into the management of their personal
information. What you choose to implement will depend on how much time or energy you want to use in
protecting your information. Making conscious decisions as to how or when our personal information is
shared will give us more control and should become a lifelong habit.
Monitor Your Credit Reports.
If you are entitled to one free credit report each year you can request a report every four months by
requesting one from each of the three credit agencies in turn. It is wise to check your credit report at least
once every year even if you must pay to receive it. If you suspect your identity has been stolen or have
received notice of information that has been stolen you may be able to get free reports throughout the first
year of the incident.
Don’t Carry Your SSN in Your Wallet.
Social Security Numbers, birth certificates, passports or any other personal identification should not be
carried in your wallet. The same goes for extra credit cards and store or gas credit cards. The less you
carry the less risk if your wallet is stolen or lost.
Stop Pre-Approved Credit Offers.
You can stop the mailing of pre-approved credit offers by calling toll-free
888-5OPTOUT (888-567-8688). Ask to have your name removed from the list as pre-approved credit
offers can be easily abused by thieves.
Shred Personal Documents.
If you do throw away pre-approved credit offers or other personal information (such as old tax forms, bank
statements or expired credit cards) you must shred the information before disposing it.
Pick Up the Mail EVERY Day.
Don’t allow mail to sit overnight in the mail box or you give thieves an easy target. Credit card offers, bank
statements and possibly information with your SSN can be used to open new credit in your name or steal
from you.
Don’t Respond to Email Requests.
If you are contacted by a bank or service provider through email you must never submit any personal or
financial information to them. These attempts to ‘trick’ you into believing they are a legitimate business is
called phishing.
If an email claims that you must validate your information and provides you a link to the form DO NOT
OPEN THE LINK! If you are concerned that the request may be legitimate close the email and enter the
URL to the actual business in your browser window. If your account looks fine contact their customer
service department to verify the email. A fraudulent email is called a ‘spoof’ and the company will likely
want you to forward it to them.
Don’t Give Information to Phone Callers.
Unless you initiate a call to a business you should never give personal or financial information to a caller
over the phone. Your bank or Credit Card company will not ask for your card or account number if they call
you. They have that information on file.
If a caller portrays themselves to be representing a charity or offering a prize or trip you can ask for a
phone number to call back. Verify the phone number and hang up. If they are with a reputable
organization you will be able to check the number and call back.
Telemarketing scams that ask for credit card deposits, account information or personal information such
as your mother’s maiden name, your SSN or other information are common. If you wish to donate it is
better to call the organization yourself.
Put Passwords on Your Credit Cards.
Credit card companies like Visa offer added protection by allowing you to create a password along with
the card number when making a purchase. Even if your card is stolen you can prevent thieves from using
it by having it password protected.
Be Aware of Who Has Access.
Don’t give passwords to credit cards or other personal information to friends and family. According to a
survey done by www.idtheftcener.org the victim respondents indicated that 43% of them thought they
knew the imposter. About 34% were aware that the thief had a history of needing money to support a
drug, drinking, gambling or shopping addiction.
Online Shopping.
Only shop at merchants you are familiar with or contact the Better Business Bureau. Look for secure
shopping sites with identifying marks such as https appearing in the browser window or a lock icon
appearing below the webpage on your browser.
Never give PIN numbers or passwords to the merchant. Verify your bank statements immediately online
or over the phone to check the transaction was made for the proper amount and no other charges were
made. Be sure to have anti-virus and anti-spyware programs running and always print out the transaction
record, log out and close the browser when completed.
Read more about Online Privacy in the following chapter.
Always Ask or Opt-Out.
Whenever you are asked for personal information you have a right to know why it is needed and how it
will be used. Online you may find that information in a Privacy Policy (read about that in the chapter ‘How
to Read a Privacy Policy’).
Limit the use of your personal information by requesting financial institutions not to share your
information with affiliates. This is called ‘opting-out’ and the financial institution must allow you to do so.
Once you have requested to opt-out, either on the phone or in writing, they must never share your
information unless you specifically request they do so.
Sign Your Cards Immediately.
When you do receive a new credit or debit card sign it immediately and never carry it unsigned.
Don’t Save Passwords.
Don’t save passwords to personal information (such as online banking) in a program that ‘remembers’
your information. Remove cookies from your computer and have your hard drive professionally ‘wiped’
before disposing it.
Use strong passwords – that means a combination of letters and numbers that can’t be easily guessed.
Never use information such as your mother’s maiden name or birth date that can be figured out by
thieves.
Protect Your Computer.
Set your browser security settings to Medium or higher. Install a firewall to prevent unwanted access from
hackers and install anti-virus and anti-spyware programs. Never download software when you don’t
know where it’s from and never click on pop-ups or spam email.
How to Identify a ‘SPOOF’ Email.
Along with the convenience of the internet has come a new wave of predators looking to steal from
innocent victims. This often occurs through ‘spoof’ emails.
A ‘spoof’ email is an email that appears to be from a legitimate organization or business – often banks or
service providers – but is really a fake email sent from a con artist.
These thieves construct emails that use the logos and styles of the bank or business and attempt to
convince the recipient to reply or click on a link to a website and submit personal and financial
information that can be used to commit identity fraud.
While these emails are extremely common they can be difficult to identify unless you know what to look
for. Here are some signals that an email may be a fraud as well as some general warnings about
dealing with ‘spoof’ emails.
Not Using Your Name.
Spoof emails will likely not have your name in the message. They may be addressed ‘Dear Customer’,
‘Member’, ‘Friend’ or other ambiguous title. Real emails from institutions or business you have accounts
with will use your name or a name you created for your account.
No Account Number.
Companies that you have done business with will have account numbers and passwords on file. If you
are ever contacted by a business that asks you to verify your account number or password do not
respond. Only give information to businesses if you have initiated the contact.
Improper Grammar or Spelling Errors.
A surprising amount of these ‘spoofs’ will have grammar or spelling errors. Whether this is because the
con artist is not a native English speaker or it was done in a hurry is immaterial. A legitimate business
email will not likely have these glaring errors.
Warnings to Close Your Account.
Often the ‘spoof’ email takes the form of a warning that your account has been illegally accessed, that
you have been a victim of fraud or that your account will be closed unless you respond to the email. They
will ask you to click on a link in the email and verify your information. In reality you are giving the
information to the thief who will use it to access your real accounts.
Always be suspicious of emails that ask for personal information. Contact the business through their
official website and find out how to forward the fraudulent email to them. If you have opened any links or
provided personal information you should immediately contact the business about the account and
watch for unauthorized activity. Change all passwords or close the accounts and open new ones with
different access codes.
‘Phishing’ Emails.
‘Spoofs’ are also called ‘phishing’ emails. ‘Phishing’ refers to any email that attempts to get you to share
personal or financial information that can be used to commit fraud.
While ‘spoofs’ pretend to be a known business or institution, ‘phishing’ emails also include offers to
collect prizes, requests for help, charity donations or false notices that you have won a lottery or a trip.
They tell you that to reserve your prize you must give them a credit card number for verification or as a
deposit.
Some emails request your help by offering you a portion of a fund that will be deposited into your bank
account. These are often sent as requests from rich foreign (particularly Nigerian) nobility or government
officials.
They are dangerous groups and should never be contacted or replied to.
Similar scams are also done over the telephone and are called ‘pretexting’. Always contact the
organization or business directly if you are contacted for charitable donations or account information.
Special Concern: Online Privacy
>>>>NEXT>>>>
While government agencies are submitted to legal requirements that protect your personal information,
other businesses are not. This makes it vitally important to take steps protecting your information yourself
and knowing who has it and what they are doing with it.
State laws do have requirements for the disposal of personal records but the manner of disposal can
vary depending on the nature of the information and the resources available to the business. If you do
business which requires you to keep personal information on record you must check with local law
regarding the disposal of these records.
Fair Information Practice Principles.
While the law is still catching up to the needs of individual privacy protection, Europe, Canada and the
USA have created a guideline of processes for collecting and using personal information. This guide is
called the ‘Fair Information Practice Principles’. It outlines the safeguards necessary to ensure the use of
personal information is fair and to protect privacy.
The core principles outlined in the Fair Information Practice Principles are: Notice/Awareness;
Choice/Consent; Access/Participation; Integrity/Security; and Enforcement/Redress.
Here is a brief outline of these principles:
Notice/Awareness.
Notice and awareness requires businesses requesting personal information to disclose their
information practices before collecting information. The following principles listed would be included in
the notice.
Choice/Consent.
Choice and consent give the individual the ability to allow or restrict the use of personal information
beyond the transaction being initiated. Opt-in or opt-out choices include how much personal information
is included and what it may be used for.
Access/Participation.
Access and participation requires the individual to be able to access, correct or verify their personal
information on record. The means of accessing and making corrections must be timely and inexpensive.
Integrity/Security.
Integrity and security refer to the business’ steps to maintain accurate records, secure the information
and destroy records in an appropriate manner.
Enforcement/Redress.
Enforcement and redress must be established either by self-regulation or legislation.
The full report of Fair Information Practice Principles can be found at:
http://www.ftc.gov/reports/privacy3/fairinfo.htm.
While steps are being made to create enforcement it is up to the individual to be aware of the use and
protection provided by each business and agency they provide personal information to.
What Can You Do to Prevent Identity Theft?
Are you familiar with the expression “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”? This is absolutely
true in regards to protecting your identity from being stolen rather than dealing with the trauma and cost of
being a victim.
It must be stated here that there are no guarantees that the steps you take will prevent your identity from
being stolen. Personal information is available from sources (including government, employment and
other business records) that we are not in a position to personally protect.
Taking steps to limit the use of our personal information makes it more difficult to become a target.
Proper disposal of personal records and other common sense steps will also thwart any opportunistic
thieves.
Here are some steps that every individual should incorporate into the management of their personal
information. What you choose to implement will depend on how much time or energy you want to use in
protecting your information. Making conscious decisions as to how or when our personal information is
shared will give us more control and should become a lifelong habit.
Monitor Your Credit Reports.
If you are entitled to one free credit report each year you can request a report every four months by
requesting one from each of the three credit agencies in turn. It is wise to check your credit report at least
once every year even if you must pay to receive it. If you suspect your identity has been stolen or have
received notice of information that has been stolen you may be able to get free reports throughout the first
year of the incident.
Don’t Carry Your SSN in Your Wallet.
Social Security Numbers, birth certificates, passports or any other personal identification should not be
carried in your wallet. The same goes for extra credit cards and store or gas credit cards. The less you
carry the less risk if your wallet is stolen or lost.
Stop Pre-Approved Credit Offers.
You can stop the mailing of pre-approved credit offers by calling toll-free
888-5OPTOUT (888-567-8688). Ask to have your name removed from the list as pre-approved credit
offers can be easily abused by thieves.
Shred Personal Documents.
If you do throw away pre-approved credit offers or other personal information (such as old tax forms, bank
statements or expired credit cards) you must shred the information before disposing it.
Pick Up the Mail EVERY Day.
Don’t allow mail to sit overnight in the mail box or you give thieves an easy target. Credit card offers, bank
statements and possibly information with your SSN can be used to open new credit in your name or steal
from you.
Don’t Respond to Email Requests.
If you are contacted by a bank or service provider through email you must never submit any personal or
financial information to them. These attempts to ‘trick’ you into believing they are a legitimate business is
called phishing.
If an email claims that you must validate your information and provides you a link to the form DO NOT
OPEN THE LINK! If you are concerned that the request may be legitimate close the email and enter the
URL to the actual business in your browser window. If your account looks fine contact their customer
service department to verify the email. A fraudulent email is called a ‘spoof’ and the company will likely
want you to forward it to them.
Don’t Give Information to Phone Callers.
Unless you initiate a call to a business you should never give personal or financial information to a caller
over the phone. Your bank or Credit Card company will not ask for your card or account number if they call
you. They have that information on file.
If a caller portrays themselves to be representing a charity or offering a prize or trip you can ask for a
phone number to call back. Verify the phone number and hang up. If they are with a reputable
organization you will be able to check the number and call back.
Telemarketing scams that ask for credit card deposits, account information or personal information such
as your mother’s maiden name, your SSN or other information are common. If you wish to donate it is
better to call the organization yourself.
Put Passwords on Your Credit Cards.
Credit card companies like Visa offer added protection by allowing you to create a password along with
the card number when making a purchase. Even if your card is stolen you can prevent thieves from using
it by having it password protected.
Be Aware of Who Has Access.
Don’t give passwords to credit cards or other personal information to friends and family. According to a
survey done by www.idtheftcener.org the victim respondents indicated that 43% of them thought they
knew the imposter. About 34% were aware that the thief had a history of needing money to support a
drug, drinking, gambling or shopping addiction.
Online Shopping.
Only shop at merchants you are familiar with or contact the Better Business Bureau. Look for secure
shopping sites with identifying marks such as https appearing in the browser window or a lock icon
appearing below the webpage on your browser.
Never give PIN numbers or passwords to the merchant. Verify your bank statements immediately online
or over the phone to check the transaction was made for the proper amount and no other charges were
made. Be sure to have anti-virus and anti-spyware programs running and always print out the transaction
record, log out and close the browser when completed.
Read more about Online Privacy in the following chapter.
Always Ask or Opt-Out.
Whenever you are asked for personal information you have a right to know why it is needed and how it
will be used. Online you may find that information in a Privacy Policy (read about that in the chapter ‘How
to Read a Privacy Policy’).
Limit the use of your personal information by requesting financial institutions not to share your
information with affiliates. This is called ‘opting-out’ and the financial institution must allow you to do so.
Once you have requested to opt-out, either on the phone or in writing, they must never share your
information unless you specifically request they do so.
Sign Your Cards Immediately.
When you do receive a new credit or debit card sign it immediately and never carry it unsigned.
Don’t Save Passwords.
Don’t save passwords to personal information (such as online banking) in a program that ‘remembers’
your information. Remove cookies from your computer and have your hard drive professionally ‘wiped’
before disposing it.
Use strong passwords – that means a combination of letters and numbers that can’t be easily guessed.
Never use information such as your mother’s maiden name or birth date that can be figured out by
thieves.
Protect Your Computer.
Set your browser security settings to Medium or higher. Install a firewall to prevent unwanted access from
hackers and install anti-virus and anti-spyware programs. Never download software when you don’t
know where it’s from and never click on pop-ups or spam email.
How to Identify a ‘SPOOF’ Email.
Along with the convenience of the internet has come a new wave of predators looking to steal from
innocent victims. This often occurs through ‘spoof’ emails.
A ‘spoof’ email is an email that appears to be from a legitimate organization or business – often banks or
service providers – but is really a fake email sent from a con artist.
These thieves construct emails that use the logos and styles of the bank or business and attempt to
convince the recipient to reply or click on a link to a website and submit personal and financial
information that can be used to commit identity fraud.
While these emails are extremely common they can be difficult to identify unless you know what to look
for. Here are some signals that an email may be a fraud as well as some general warnings about
dealing with ‘spoof’ emails.
Not Using Your Name.
Spoof emails will likely not have your name in the message. They may be addressed ‘Dear Customer’,
‘Member’, ‘Friend’ or other ambiguous title. Real emails from institutions or business you have accounts
with will use your name or a name you created for your account.
No Account Number.
Companies that you have done business with will have account numbers and passwords on file. If you
are ever contacted by a business that asks you to verify your account number or password do not
respond. Only give information to businesses if you have initiated the contact.
Improper Grammar or Spelling Errors.
A surprising amount of these ‘spoofs’ will have grammar or spelling errors. Whether this is because the
con artist is not a native English speaker or it was done in a hurry is immaterial. A legitimate business
email will not likely have these glaring errors.
Warnings to Close Your Account.
Often the ‘spoof’ email takes the form of a warning that your account has been illegally accessed, that
you have been a victim of fraud or that your account will be closed unless you respond to the email. They
will ask you to click on a link in the email and verify your information. In reality you are giving the
information to the thief who will use it to access your real accounts.
Always be suspicious of emails that ask for personal information. Contact the business through their
official website and find out how to forward the fraudulent email to them. If you have opened any links or
provided personal information you should immediately contact the business about the account and
watch for unauthorized activity. Change all passwords or close the accounts and open new ones with
different access codes.
‘Phishing’ Emails.
‘Spoofs’ are also called ‘phishing’ emails. ‘Phishing’ refers to any email that attempts to get you to share
personal or financial information that can be used to commit fraud.
While ‘spoofs’ pretend to be a known business or institution, ‘phishing’ emails also include offers to
collect prizes, requests for help, charity donations or false notices that you have won a lottery or a trip.
They tell you that to reserve your prize you must give them a credit card number for verification or as a
deposit.
Some emails request your help by offering you a portion of a fund that will be deposited into your bank
account. These are often sent as requests from rich foreign (particularly Nigerian) nobility or government
officials.
They are dangerous groups and should never be contacted or replied to.
Similar scams are also done over the telephone and are called ‘pretexting’. Always contact the
organization or business directly if you are contacted for charitable donations or account information.
Special Concern: Online Privacy
>>>>NEXT>>>>
| This site is published by 'Future Past Publishing' (UK). Zinzan St, Reading, Berks. RG1 7UG. All work is World copyright protected. (P. Moring © 2006) |
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Dangers Of Identity Theft '3' |
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