ID Theft Victims Often Know Their Thief

It's one of those lessons in life we all learn at some point. You can't trust everyone. When and how you learn it isn't necessarily the issue as long as you learn it. Many are reminded of this when a trusted friend or relative steals their identities, and according to a recent survey by the Identity Theft Assistance Center (ITAC). According to this survey, 42% of participants knew the source of the crime, and out of those, the largest percentage, 22.61% are victimized by someone they know.

Being victimized by friends or relatives is tough, especially since they are usually the people you wouldn't expect to do such a thing. Like other forms of identity theft, you may never be completely immune, but there are precautions you can take to avoid make yourself less vulnerable. For instance, it's good to keep the data in your home safe so as not to tempt a friend or relative who may be in desperate need of some cash. Bills and credit card statements should not be left out for all to see, and personal financial records and documents should be filed away in a locked box or safe. Do not lend a check book or credit card to a friend or relative no matter how much you care for them or trust them.

Identity theft is hard to deal with as it is, but even harder if you know the thief. Make the theft a little harder by keeping important information out of the reach of wandering eyes.

T.J. Maxx Security Breach

We're all aware of the possible dangers of shopping online. If a website doesn't have a secure log in and order for (https), we shouldn't be shopping with them. But what about a local retail outlet? Is a credit card purchase there secure? While there's always the possibility of dishonest employees, we'd like to assume “yes.” However, this story proves that retail stores are also likely to get hacked along with online vendors. Retail company T.J. Maxx had its credit card computer system hacked just before Christmas.

The computer network in question handles credit cards, debit cards and checks. This network was broken into, and some of the customer data was stolen. T.J. Maxx is investigating to find out exactly what information was compromised so they can contact victims.

The store has issued a customer alert on their website as well as providing a customer helpline to handle customer questions and concerns. If you've made any credit or debit card purchases at T.J. Maxx in the past, you may want to check your credit card or bank statements for charges you didn't make.

More Laws to Prevent ID Theft?

When it comes to laws protecting consumers from identity theft, much of the legislation is at the state level, and some states have better privacy laws than others. However, the federal government has been making moves over the past few years to pass laws attempting to prevent identity theft, including the forming of the Identity Theft Task Force. Now there are a few more laws have been reintroduced to the Senate that will hopefully help protect consumer privacy.

The first one, the Notification of Risk to Personal Data Act would require, as the name implies, would require businesses and government agencies to notify a consumer of a security breach involving the individual's personal data among other things. It would also require a description of the type of data compromised as well as a number for consumers to call for more information. The media should also be notified as well as individual consumers. These and other requirements in this bill hope to give people the information they need if their data is compromised so they can take the necessary precautions to prevent or at least limit identity theft.

The second one, the Social Security Number Misuse Prevention Act, could be highly effective if properly enforced. This bill would prohibit the sale or display of someone's Social Security number without consent. It would also prohibit government agencies from displaying Social Security number on public records in print or electronically. This is a great idea. Too long have companies been sharing this data with affiliates or selling it for profit, and removing Social Security numbers would make an identity thief work a lot harder to obtain this valuable information.

We'll see if these bills pass. You can read more about both of them here.

Identity Theft and the Things We Carry: Employee or Student ID Cards

This is the final segment of my “things we carry” blogs. I know I've mentioned ID cards before, or at least student ID cards, but some things deserve repeating.

Employee and student identification cards are not a problem in and of themselves. Many schools and probably all universities require student IDs in order to register for classes or to use student only facilities, and many companies require employs to carry identification for the company's security. However, the problem is when employers and schools print the owner's Social Security number on the card which becomes a security risk for the employee or student. Many schools and companies that did this have already switched over to provide new ID numbers for the identification cards, instead of the Social Security number. If your school or company has a your Social Security number printed on your ID card, you may want to suggest that they give you a different identification number and may even suggest switching over to a system that does not use Social Security numbers on ID cards at all. It may be an expensive effort, but it will be safer for everyone.

Your Social Security number is the main component needed to open credit cards in your name or take out loans and other services. You can make this all the more difficult by removing any document with your Social Security number from your wallet completely.

Identity Theft and the Things We Carry: Health Care Card

This is another item that, while important, and even useful to carry with you in case something happens, but your health care or insurance card can also put you in potential danger of identity theft.

Obviously, this is one thing many of us would consider to be important to carry in case of emergency illness or injury and understandably so. However, is your Social Security number displayed on the card? Many insurance companies are switching over to the use of different account and identification numbers for their customers. If your insurance company has not made this change, you may want to contact them and ask them to issue a different number. If they are unwilling to do so, you may want to photocopy your card and black out all but the last four digits of your Social Security number and carry that instead. If you need emergency care, your name and the last four digits of your Social Security number are all they should need to look up your insurance information.

You want to be prepared in case of a medical emergency, but you don't want hand over such valuable information as your Social Security number to the wrong person in the process.

Identity Theft and the Things We Carry: Credit Cards

In my previous post, I started the first of a few posts on what we carry with us everyday can make us more appealing as potential victims of identity theft. While your Social Security card is something you shouldn't carry in your wallet unless you know you will need it, credit cards are a little more complicated because you are more likely to need them on a daily basis.

Of course, most of us carry credit cards for daily purchases when we are short on cash, but how many do you need to carry everyday? You will be less likely to notice if one you don't use often goes missing from your wallet or if the bill is re-routed to a different address. Pull out credit cards you are least likely to use and put them in a safe place at home only to be used when you know you'll need them. If you have any you never use or rarely use, you may even want to consider canceling it. An unused account, once discovered, is a gold mine for an identity thief.

Something else to consider would be to keep a list of all your credit card account numbers and the phone numbers necessary to cancel them. Don't carry this in your wallet, but keep it in a safe place. Then if your wallet is stolen, you can call the credit card companies to report the theft and cancel the card before too much damage is done.

Identity Theft and the Things We Carry: Social Security Card

As I've mentioned before, identity theft can be committed in a variety of different ways. While some identity thieves prefer a phishing scam, others may prefer dumpster diving or stealing someone's mail or wallet. Since there are so many ways to get one's identity stolen, consumers need to protect their information on all fronts, and perhaps the place many of us are most vulnerable is follows us around everywhere we go, our wallets. In fact, the items we carry in our wallets daily may provide an identity thief with everything he needs. These next few blog posts will cover some things we may be carrying with us daily that will make us more vulnerable to identity theft.

Do you carry your Social Security card with you in your wallet? After all, you are occasionally asked for it as a form of identification? This is last thing you want to carry in your wallet because if it is stolen, you may very well be handing your identity over on a plate. Only carry it with you if you know for a fact you are going to need it. You know your Social Security number if you need to provide it, and if you don't, memorize it. Keep your Social Security card in a safe place, like a locked box or a safe.

One's Social Security card is the most valuable document to an identity thief. Do your best to keep it out of his/her hands.