Posts Tagged ‘victim’

Putting measures into place to avoid an identity theft scam at your business probably does not cross your mind very much, if at all, especially if you consider your business to be a quote-unquote small business; however, complaint boards all over the Internet are packed full of complaints related to identity theft and fraud. If you think crooks only target individuals or large corporations, then think again. In reality, even small businesses can be the target of identity fraud. People can use your business identity or secure your list of customers in order to rip off the public or perform other criminal activities both online and offline. Here are some ways in which you can protect your business and your customers from such scams, frauds and ripoffs.

Getting to know how criminals operate is a good way on how to avoid identity theft fraud at your business. Although the most publicized cases of corporate identity thefts being reported are about crooks stealing customer information from the database of large companies, hacking is not the only threat to your business. In fact, cheating and getting access from inside your system is also a big headache. Some online scam artists will try to rip off your customers by pretending to be representatives of your company or even phish information or identities of your present employees to get to you. There are things that criminals can do to twist the arms of your employees, even your most trusted ones, just to squeeze the information they want regarding you, your customers and your business.

So, what can you do on how to avoid identity theft fraud at your business? Make sure that you invest in good software that will prevent viruses, malwares and spywares from entering your company’s computer database. You need such security measures to ensure that you are protected from outside hackers and ripoffs. In order to protect yourself from the inside, you need to be more careful with the people you hire. Also, take the time to inform your employees about the growing threat of identity theft fraud and tell them how they can detect criminals trying to phish information from them. In addition, it is important that you do not allow personal emails, external messaging applications and other personal activities on your company’s computer network. Perhaps if your employees understand how these things are threatening, they won’t feel as if you are attempting to stifle them personally.

Financial liability is one of the biggest impacts of being a victim of corporate identity theft. To protect yourself from financial repercussions and scams, you should find an assurance agency that will help cover loses and other related expenses in case problems regarding hacking and identity theft arise.

From CBC Newsworld, Wednesday December 13, 2006. Susan Lawrence of Toronto had owned her century-old Victorian house for the past 30 years. An identity thief stole the title to her home and mortgaged it to Maple Trust for almost $300000. Maple Trust, even after finding out that the mortgage was fraudulently obtained, tried to evict Sue but only gave up when subjected to the ensuing disastrous publicity….

Take steps to prevent becoming the victim of identity theft
It seems that more and more people I know personally have been victims of identify theft in one way or another. What steps can I take to prevent this from happening to me? One of the most insidious crimes of…

Read more on New Orleans Times-Picayune

From the US Treasury Dept. Explains the steps you should take if you become a victim of identity theft. Identity theft is a serious crime. It occurs when your personal information is stolen and used without your knowledge to commit fraud or other crimes. Identity theft can cost you time and money. It can destroy your credit and ruin your good name. Deter identity thieves by safeguarding your information. ? Shred financial documents and paperwork with personal information before you discard them. ? Protect your Social Security number. Don’t carry your Social Security card in your wallet or write your Social Security number on a check. Give it out only if absolutely necessary or ask to use another identifier. ? Don’t give out personal information on the phone, through the mail, or over the Internet unless you know who you are dealing with. ? Never click on links sent in unsolicited emails; instead, type in a web address you know. Use firewalls, anti-spyware, and anti-virus software to protect your home computer; keep them up-to-date. Visit OnGuardOnline.gov for more information. ? Don’t use an obvious password like your birth date, your mother’s maiden name, or the last four digits of your Social Security number. ? Keep your personal information in a secure place at home, especially if you have roommates, employ outside help, or are having work done in your house. Defend against ID theft as soon as you suspect it. ? Place a “Fraud Alert” on your credit reports, and …

Could you fall victim to “Copier Crimes”
Tucson, AZ (KOLD) – From detailed plans for a building near ground zero, 300 pages of individual medical records, drug prescriptions, blood test results to a cancer diagnosis. Just a few of the thousands of private records found while investigating the threat of identity theft from copy machines.

Read more on KOLD News 13 Tuscon

An elaborate identity theft scheme has reached the highest levels of the US financial system, striking the personal bank account of Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and his wife. (Aug. 27)

Hollywood superstar Will Smith and former NBA player Steve Smith had their identities stolen by the same man!

Credit union to award scholarship named for crash victim
GRANITE CITY – GCS Federal Credit Union will award the $1,000 Nicole R. Thorp Scholarship to a Get Mo’ Green teen club member this May. The scholarship is named for Thorp, an assistant marketing manager for the credit union who was killed in a fiery traffic crash in December.

Read more on The Telegraph

I am a college student and my composition teacher wants us to write a research paper on something that bugs us, so I chose to write about identity theft. In this paper I am required to use resources beyond reading articles and reporting on them, so that is why I have chosen to use this forum in order to get more variety. You can remain annonymous. Thanks for your help!

Avoid Becoming A Victim Of Credit Card Skimming
A 21-year-old Twin Cities woman is in jail after police released surveillance photos of a woman using stolen credit card accounts.

Read more on WCCO Minneapolis – St. Paul