In the wrong hands, it’s just as easy for a thief to recover data off your old, discarded hard drive as it is to unravel and read a crumpled piece of paper that you’ve tossed in the garbage. Geek savvy crooks know just how to access the dark corners of your trusty old computer and this can place your identity at risk.

Shredding paper, smashing up CDs, DVDs or USB flash drives that contain any sort of personal or business information is an obvious and simple step to take when discarding any media. But what do you do with your hard drive once you decide to replace it?

Most of your stored data may be trivial or of no concern. No one usually cares very much about your photos, old to-do lists or the kid’s video games. But if your hard drive stores archived email, financial documents, tax records, passwords, account numbers or medical records, then don’t just give it away. Be aware that your personal information can be easily retrieved and used to hijack your identity.

Once a fraudster has enough vital information, they may attempt to transfer your bank accounts, change billing addresses, or apply for new credit cards and often, with surprising success. So it’s more important than ever that you erase or destroy your obsolete hard drive. But how?

There isn’t a portable shredder on the market that you can run your old hard drive through. And just erasing all important files won’t do the trick. There are programs that will un-erase these files and bring them right back.

There are options that promise to cleanse a disk drive using wiping software. There are also destruction services and manufacturers’ recycling programs. But what many PC owners don’t realize, according to some experts, is that many of these options are not 100% reliable.

Your hard drive maintains an index of files used to organise the data on your computer by telling it where things are stored. When you install any file – especially a large one – the information for that file is scattered around the hard drive in bits and pieces. When you request to open the file, the hard drive checks the index first and then it gathers the fragmented pieces and reconstructs them to open the file.

If you later delete the same file, the links between the index and the file disappear telling your system that the file is no longer needed. But the deleted file actually remains on your computer. Even if you’ve taken care to cleanse and overwrite your drive, remnants of data will still exist.

If you have your drive overwritten, you are replacing previously stored data with a predetermined pattern of gibberish. You can find countless brands of software that claim a lofty standard of data erasure and they all work on the same premise of overwriting the drive with bad data. The goal is to effectively render the good data unrecoverable. If you go this route, it’s time consuming but smart to overwrite your disk several times for greater protection.

Here’s the Problem:

Your computer’s operating system may tell you that the data is gone, but the pattern of 1′s and 0′s will still be on your machine – it’s just been overwritten. Skilful hackers can decode this information back into human, readable language. It may only take a modestly resourceful cyber crook with a good shareware program to be able to recover your personal information.

Taking the step of formatting the drive helps to remove patterns but, many format programs still cannot erase the full pattern, only its file system pointer chain. Some commercial devices are available that will thoroughly remove any trace of patterns that could be decoded into information. They perform a low-level format and this should permanently erase the data. Nonetheless, recovery measures are sometimes still possible.

A low level format may not do the trick so you can consider a “degaussing” service. Degaussing is the technical term for de-magnetization and it is considered to be a more secure measure of data erasure. You’ll often read warnings not to get a magnet near your hard drive for fear of losing your data. Degaussing is a process of placing a very strong magnet next to the hard drive so that it no longer holds any information. Still, the process may not purge the disk completely which means some remnants of information may remain recoverable.

Physical destruction is the most reliable method of all to guard against having your information and identity stolen from your old PC. If you’ve used the computer for some time or if you’ve been using it extensively for personal or business use, this is the way to go. And it can be a do-it-yourself project that can be kinda fun.

On the other hand, drives are designed to be robust and most can withstand being mishandled or even dropped, so you may not want to do the destruction yourself. After you unplug the computer wires, you’ll need to remove any mounting screws and slide the hard drive out from the back of its casing. Use a hammer to smash the hard disk platters or even try an acetylene torch to complete the destruction.

If you don’t have the tools or the inclination to do the job properly, you can always hire a hard drive destruction service. Just Google terms like “hard drive destruction service” or “clean out your hard disk” and you’ll find a ton of information and resources that may lead you to a good service close to home.

If your data is confidential, it’s worth the effort to ensure that it stays that way as a measure of identity protection. So before you leave that old clunky Pentium by the curb side, you should take some time to research your best alternative and then decide to save, sell, recycle or destroy that old PC or Notebook.



By: Wilfred Walter

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Identity Theft is when someone uses another person’s social security number, driver license, name, address, telephone number and any other information about that particular person as their own. The unauthorized person that obtains this information without the other person’s knowledge uses this information to commit theft and fraud.

How does a person committing ID theft get my information? By going through your trash, hacking into a computer that you may use, securing a copy of your credit report, stealing credit card and debit card numbers that you may have, stealing your mail,completing a change of address form to reroute your mail to a different address, stealing your purse or wallet, and scamming information from you by posing as a business person.

How would I know if I am a victim of ID theft? If you receive credit card statements for accounts you did not apply for, you do not receive your mail, your credit is being denied and you do not know why, counterfeit checks are used to withdraw money from your bank account, you receive calls from collection agencies about bills for accounts established with your personal information that you do not know about,and other problems that you may have with your personal information.

Should I order a copy of my credit reports to find out if I am a victim of identity theft? Yes, you may want to consider doing this if you suspect that you are a victim of identity theft. You would want to order a copy of your credit reports from all three credit reporting agencies which are: Equifax www.equifax.com 1-800-685-1111; Experian www.experian.com 1-888-397-3742; and; TransUnion www.transunion.com 1-800-916-8800.

What should I do if my identity is stolen by someone? Contact the three credit reporting agencies as soon as possible and let them know that you are a victim of ID theft and ask them to place a fraud alert and your statement as a victim in your credit report file. Order a copy of your credit report from each agency to check the information on your report.

Contact the credit reporting agencies fraud units at these telephone numbers or addresses: Equifax: 1-800-525-6285, P.O. Box 74021, Atlanta, GA. 30374-0241:: Experian: 1-888-397-3742, P.O. Box 9532, Allen, TX. 75013:: TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289, Fraud Victim Assistance Division, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA. 92834-6790.

Should I close my credit and checking accounts if ID theft has occurred? Yes, you may want to consider closing your credit and checking accounts if you suspect identity theft. Contact your bank and creditors about your identity being stolen and consider closing your accounts and establish new ones.

If your checks are stolen, request that your bank notify the check verification company that they use. You may also want to contact the major check verification companies as well.

The major check verification companies that you would want to contact are the following: Telecheck, 1-800-710-9898 or 1-800-927-0188:: Certegy Inc., 1-800-437-5120:: and; International Check Services, 1-800-631-9656.

You may also want to contact a company known as Scan at 1-800-262-7771 to find out if an identity thief has been using your checks. In addition, you should also contact your local police department and report that your identity has been stolen.

Make sure that you file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission about your identity being stolen as well. You can file this report at www.consumer.gov/idtheft.



By: Nocita Carter

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Medical identity theft, by definition, is what results when a thief steals someone else’s social security number or health insurance information in order to obtain medical benefits of their own, particularly in the form of hospital visits and prescription drugs. The two facets of medical identity theft involve financial breaches of security and healthcare fraud. Long-term detrimental effects can easily result from this increasingly prevalent type of identity theft.

Medical identity theft is not as easy to detect or reverse as are the more common forms of identity fraud. This type of identity theft has left victims with tainted health records, medical histories, and diagnoses. Victims may receive bills for medications, tests and even surgeries that they never received. In order to ensure your own adequate identity theft protection, always be on the look out for medical service bills, records and notations that are not and were never applicable to your own history. If at any time you receive a bill for a service you never received, or you’re asked questions regarding an unknown medical condition, you’ve probably been victimized. Some victims of medical identity theft have even received faulty blood transfusions due to their records indicating the wrong blood type. So not only can this crime ruin your credit, it can also be potentially life-threatening.

Thieves often fail to pay their shares of insurance deductibles and co-pays, leaving their victims to receive credit reports detailing unrecognizable medical debts. Having a working knowledge of identity theft prevention techniques will help you protect yourself from this damaging crime. It is estimated that 1 in 6 Americans don’t have insurance, making it very tempting for some people to engage in medical identity theft, especially when emergency situations arise. If, heaven forbid, someone uses your personal data in an emergency care facility, they are very likely to get away with it as these facilities cannot refuse care and are less likely to catch the error in the first place.

To date, there are no government statistics as to the number of medical identity fraud cases occurring annually in the United States, but insurance providers and hospitals agree that this type of theft is presenting itself more and more. Approximately 250,000 Americans have been victims of medical identity theft thus far, according to the World Privacy Forum. If you think your medical records and insurance data are safe, never underestimate a thief’s ability to get their hands on your information. Because insurance companies share patient information, just because you clear up a tarnished medical history does not mean you’re always protected should you decide to switch to another provider.

Should a medical identity thief ever use your good name to seek treatment, you could be refused insurance coverage later–depending on the treatment they sought. It’s no secret that insurance agencies can and will refuse coverage to people with histories of certain drug use or pre-existing conditions. Here are a few medical identity theft protection tips for you and your loved ones to keep in mind:

• Any notices from your insurance carrier should be opened immediately. If you’re ever informed of or billed for treatment you didn’t receive, dispute it right away. Always shred these documents before throwing them in the trash.

• Be diligent about checking your credit report–this is important for any type of identity theft prevention. Strange medical bills need to be disputed with credit reporting agencies, as well as your insurance company.

• If you receive mail from a doctor’s office or hospital where you haven’t been a patient, don’t just assume it’s junk. Open these immediately, as they could be data theft notices or bills for services to which you weren’t privy. Let credit agencies know so they can put fraud alerts on your file. Also let your insurance company know right away.

• Suspect that you’re a victim of Medicare/Medicaid fraud? Call 1-800-HHS-TIPS (1-800-447-8477), contact the Department of Health and Human Services at 1-800-368-1019 or go to their website at http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/.

• Think you might have been the victim of medical identity theft? File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission ( http://www.ftc.gov/idtheft ) by visiting their website or calling their Identity Theft Hotline toll-free at 1-877-IDTHEFT (438-4338).



By: Temp

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No one person can say for sure how large a role bots play in cybercrime today.  Cybercrime will, at some point, make use of a botnet to do everything from spamming to hosting fraudulent Web sites.  Internet security software giant Symantec has protected people from bots for a lot of years and has tracked the evolution of bots from basic threats to highly complicated crimeware.  For at least a few years Symantec has seen a frightening increase in the amount of bots attacking the Internet by way of automatic assaults in search of new victims.

Symantec documented almost 9,000 different variations of the three prevailing bots – Spybot, Gaobot and Randex in the first half of 2005 alone!  This means that there are at least 50 new criminally motivated bots a day searching the Internet for unprotected computers and peoples identities.

The new bots are basically members of an existing ‘family’ of bot software and therefore they are not entirely new.  The identity thieves and other criminals make minor changes in an attempt to sneak past security software, trick a user with a new tactic or capitalize on a newly discovered vulnerability.  Bots and botnets are the “Swiss army knives” of cybercrime, in that they are used for a multiple of purposes.  Bots are a part of almost every kind of popular cybercrime today.  The botnet owners lease out their sinister networks for a fee to the identity thieves and other criminals or use the bots themselves so that they can steal un-protected identities and commit many other types of crime.

Bots are most often part of an identity theft by not only infecting the computer to be used as a “zombie” later but also stealing personal information from an unknowing victim and sending it back to the identity thief.  Below, we want to show you a bot that works for identity thieves on the black-market.  This particular bot was designed for an online forum for identity thieves to assist in basic identity theft tasks, such as finding out whether stolen credit cards are valid, the credit card limits and additional information like the CVV2 code and expiration date.

The following are examples of a bot performing ordinary tasks for different identity thieves:

  !cclimit   4854xxxxxxxxxxxx

 redeyezz   I found limit for your visa

(4854xxxxxxxxxxxx) :   7,535  $

This first example is an identity thief with the name “redeyezz” , asking the bot what the limit is of a presumably stolen credit card by using the command “!cclimit” and the credit card number.

  !chk    4158xxxxxxxxxxxx  xx0x

Vietnamhack  4158xxxxxxxxxxxx  :   xx0x (Valid cc)

  !chk  6011xxxxxxxxxxxx xx0x

  jyde  6011xxxxxxxxxxxx  :  xx0x  (You’re Card is Declined)

This second example shows two identity thieves checking the validity of 2 different credit cards, where one is still valid and the other got declined because it is no longer valid.

 

Do you want to learn about Identity Theft Prevention & Identity Theft Protection. Stop Identity Theft with LifeLock. LifeLock can guarantee identity theft never happens to you. To see how lifelock identity theft protection works



By: Randy Vezina

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Identity theft protection must be a number one priority for you in this day and age. The fact is that you simply cannot ever really let your guard down when it comes to 21st century identity theft protection. The reality is that even when you are having an enjoyable dinner out you must make sure that you have proper identity theft protection in place.

You might initially think that there is no real way in which you can fall prey to identity theft while you are dining out. The fact is that in this day and age a significant number of people from around the world actually have fallen to prey to identity theft after dining out even in finer restaurants. In order for your identity theft protection program to be fully in place you need to understand the risks you face in regard to identity theft even when you are having a pleasurable dinner out on the town.

In this day and age, in most instances when people dine out they tend to use a debit or credit card to pay the tab. You are likely such a person. Because you are likely to use a debit or credit card, you actually are handing over to a person you do not know (your server) a good deal of financial information. You are providing them your credit or debit card to satisfy your tab. And your debit or credit card actually can provide a person a great deal of information – indeed, really enough to begin the process to stealing your identity.

The fact is that in most restaurants the server removes the credit or debit card from your sight. There are some exceptions to this practice; however, in most instances your credit or debit card really will end up out of your sight at least for a short amount of time. Therefore, even if you have other identity theft protection practices in place, you are still at risk.

There are a surprising number of individuals involved in the food service industry that actually work at deals with identity thieves. These servers and other types of employees gather credit card and other information from their customers and turn around and sell it to these identity thieves.

The only sure way of fully protecting yourself against this type of practice is to pay with cash. However, that is not always convenient. With that in mind, you are well served to always monitor your credit or debit card – perhaps checking your account every couple of days online. In this way, you can detect any unauthorized transaction immediately. Moreover, you will want to check your credit reports regularly to make sure that no unauthorized accounts have been opened up in your name.



By: Bernard Pragides

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Credit card fraud is a constant cause of concern for almost every credit card or debit card user. After all, having your credit card details stolen means that it’s more than your money that is in danger of being taken away from you – your name, personal address and your personal identity will all be under threat as well. The last major credit card scandal to rock news headlines, for instance, occurred in March 2007 when US company TJX, the owners of UK retail outlet TK Maxx, revealed that at least 45.7 million payment card details from its customers had been stolen by hackers.

While the TK Maxx credit card scandal sent shockwaves through the credit card statements of many UK consumers, it’s important to see the scale of this particular case as an anomaly rather than the norm. In fact, a recent survey by APACS, the UK payments association, shows that total card fraud losses have continued to fall between 2004 and 2006. Last year, total card fraud losses across the UK stood at £428 million – that’s three per cent lower than 2005′s figure of £439.4 million. In turn, the 2005 statistics were an improvement from 2004, at which time total card fraud accounted for over £500 million.

While fraud on stolen or lost cards and mail-non receipt fraud dropped significantly in 2006 – by a staggering 23 per cent and 62 per cent respectively – other types of card fraud are still on the up. The biggest increase in credit card fraud has been in the card-not-present category – by which card fraud that has occurred over the phone, mail or internet. This category saw fraud rise by a whole 16 per cent.

In fact, online card fraud has been a major concern for many consumers of late as the breadth of the goods and services offered on the internet means that more and more people are paying for products over the internet. However, many credit card companies are taking action to ensure that credit card fraud due to online payments is as minimal as possible.

Visa, for instance, have just launched Verified by Visa – a new service that, once activated, requires the cardholder to enter a personally-set password every time they make a payment online. By using this identity protecting format, Verified by Visa technology allows Visa cardholders to minimise the risk of having their card details stolen online and offers a new method of online payments that is sure to see results.

If you’re looking for a new credit card provider online, and credit card security is one of your primary concerns, you’ll be able to compare credit cards over the internet to establish which credit card companies offer you the best safeguards against security and card fraud. Of course, whatever credit card company you ultimately opt for, it’s always crucial to adhere to basic preventative advice – such as not giving your credit card to any person you don’t trust, and not throwing away your card when it’s expired, but cutting it up instead. Taking these basic precautions against card fraud will minimise the risk of identity theft and will bolster any protection your credit card company might be able to give you.



By: Adam Singleton

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Protect your kids from the risks associated with identity theft. Children often fall prey to identity fraud, and the numbers of young victims grows every year, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). There are several simple tips you can use to protect kids from identity theft.

Why Kids Are Targeted by Identity Thieves

Kids are easy targets for identity thieves. By law, children can’t apply for credit cards, loans or other lines of credit until they are 18. That gives identity thieves many opportunities to steal a child’s identity and use it freely to open lines of credit. In addition to random strangers stealing a child’s identity, unfortunately, unscrupulous family members also often target them.

Children Feel Effects of Identity Theft When They Venture Out in the World

Children who are identity theft victims feel the pain inflicted by the crime when they try to establish a credit history. Applying for a loan or a credit card, children and their families are often shocked to learn that their child has a poor credit history, even though they’ve never had a line of credit. A poor credit score can prevent kids from getting the jobs they want, obtaining credit cards, loans and more. Although justice is on their side, it can take years to clean up a lifetime of identity theft.

Protect Your Kids from Becoming a Victim of Identity Theft

Adults can protect kids from identity theft by taking a few safety precautions. Shredding paperwork from doctors and other entities that list a child’s Social Security number or date of birth can help protect children from identity fraud. Credit card and loan offers that arrive in the mail addressed to children should be addressed with the company sending the offer, so they know that they are sending items to minor children. Social Security cards and other personal information about children should be safely stored to avoid the risk of identity fraud.

Children Identity Fraud Repair: What to Do if the Worst Should Happen

If a child becomes a victim of identity fraud, there are a few things you can do to help them repair their credit history and regain their identity. Their Social Security number should be changed and a police report should be filed immediately. Credit card companies, lenders and collections agencies associated with the phony identity should be notified immediately about the identity theft.

Reduce the risk of identity theft with credit monitoring . Credit monitoring provides an added layer of protection against identity fraud with up to date information about credit scores and details of unusual activities on a credit report.



By: Lisa Nichols

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Pickpockets earn good money selling your identity to an identity thief. There is no firearm or other weapon involved, so even if they do get caught, the jail time is minimal. Forget about getting your Social Security card, credit cards and identity back, they sell it. Your identity is worth a fair bit of change. The same way the jewel thief knows who the jewel fence is, the pickpocket knows who the identity thief fence is. You have your minor league pickpockets and your major league pickpockets. The minor leaguers are just low-skilled opportunists and look for people who are not protecting their wallets and identity.

They go to crowded malls and other public areas where college students like to study and they get up close, sit down and eventually reach into the students backpack. These opportunists also hang out at public beaches to find someone who is sleeping or go to the airport and look for someone waiting around with their luggage. Be careful in crowded commuter trains and subways because everybody is bumping into each other and it is not an un-expected thing to have someone else’s body up against yours. These thieves will carry a newspaper or jacket to hide their hands.

Pickpockets also work in teams where you have your “pick” and your “stall”. You are walking along and suddenly the stall stops and you bump into her, but the pick bumps into the back of you, apologizes in his usual convincing way and your wallet is gone. The pickpockets’ best friend is distraction because we humans usually focus on one thought or action, so if you give us something that is interesting we stop paying attention to our money and identity. These thieves will work in larger teams where two of them will start a fight and the others will prey on the inattentive crowd.

There are children pickpockets as well. One will walk up to you and show you his cute little toy or drawing while the others sneak up from behind and do what they do. Another excellent distraction is sex. A beautiful woman, maybe acting drunk, will walk up and affectionately touch you. Others will play on your good nature and accidentally drop their groceries or change and you respond by helping her while the other team member removes your identity. More dramatic is the team at the beach where one pretends to be drowning while the rest of the thieves help themselves to whatever is on the beach.

Picture yourself at that busy commuter train station or subway station and suddenly someone yells out “somebody just stole my wallet”. Everyone pat’s the area of their clothing where their wallet is and now the other team members know where your wallet and identity is. These heartless beings will also stake out the ATM machines and cash registers to find out where your wallet is. These thieves know not to look like a common criminal and will dress like businessmen, others will carry babies and some will act and dress like tourists. Tourists are a favorite target. Fanny packs, backpacks and purses are easy targets so protect your money and your identity. Perhaps consider buying a money belt. Carry your purse under your arm and don’t look confused or lost (even if you are) because these thieves love people like that.

 

Do you want to learn about Identity Theft Prevention & Identity Theft Protection. Stop Identity Theft with LifeLock. LifeLock can guarantee identity theft never happens to you. To see how lifelock identity theft protection works



By: Randy Vezina

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In the marketplace for ID Theft Protection, three companies are taking the lead. Invisus Direct, Wells Fargo and PrePaid Legal/Kroll, Inc. On the surface, all three companies seem to offer an almost identical product, but beneath the surface, significant differences emerge.

Invisus Direct primarily offers protection against online ID theft, through securing your computer with software which protects you from such predators, and insures you against ID Theft even if it happens in the offline world. If you already have strong PC protection from another software vendor, like McAfee or Norton, or you own a Mac, you may not need the protection that Invisus offers for around $14.99 per month, per computer.

Wells Fargo offers ID Theft protection, with $10,000 in ID Theft insurance to cover the costs of restoring your identity if it is stolen. Like Invisus, the usual suspects are monitored, such as your credit reports etc.

PrePaid Legal/Kroll, Inc. offers ID Theft protection that monitors your credit report, the use of your Drivers’ License #, your medical records, and your Social Security #. The subscription costs $12.95 per month, but here is where PrePaid Legal/Kroll, Inc., differs from the other two programs.

With Invisus and Wells Fargo, if your identity is stolen, they provide you with a do-it-yourself pack, which contains form letters that you have to send to every financial organization with whom you have dealings, explaining the theft and attempting to remedy the situation. On average, the amount of time this takes is 600 hours. PrePaid Legal/Kroll have a different solution. You sign over a Limited Power of Attorney to them, and THEY spend the 600 hours sorting out the mess.

From my perspective, this tips the balance in favor of PrePaid Legal/Kroll, Inc., though if computer security is your primary concern, you might also consider Invisus.



By: Glyn Norman

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The crime that is synonymous with the 21st century is identity theft. Therefore, it is very important that you engage in a program or reliable and comprehensive identity theft protection. Through this article you are provided with specific information about identity theft protection and phone scams. Armed with this information you will be in the best position to better protect yourself against one of the more common ways in which your identity can be stolen.

One of the common tools that people use in order to commit identity theft is the telephone. Through the years, the telephone has been used to facilitate a considerable number of different types of criminal schemes and enterprises.

There are a number of different telephone based identity theft schemes that you need to be on guard for when it comes to your overall efforts at identity theft protection. One common scheme involves an identity thief calling you under the guise of raising money for a reputable and bona fide charity. These individuals have become very adept at making a strong pitch for money for the support of this alleged charity. In short, these individuals can be very convincing.

The identity theft protection plan that you will want to implement in such a situation is to advice the caller that you might be interested in making a donation to the charity in question but you want to do some more homework initially. In this day and age you simply cannot agree to blindly make such a donation over the phone. The odds are great that you will become the victim of identity theft by doing so.

Another scheme that you need to be on guard of when it comes to identity theft by phone involves a caller pretending to be from your bank, credit card company or some other financial institution. These callers likely will tell you that it is necessary to update your account information. As part of your identity theft protection efforts, you must never provide any information in response to such a call. What you need to do is contact your bank, credit card company or other financial institution directly to see if there is a need to update your account information.

There are other phone based identity theft schemes in use today – and new ones are arising all the time. However, through a identity theft protection plan like the one described in this article, you will be in the best possible position to protect yourself against this type of identity theft.



By: Bernard Pragides

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