Feed: Preventing Identity Fraud - AggScore: 10.5
Summary: Preventing Identity Fraud
J Finnis asked: Horror stories abound of people having their identities stolen and suddenly find themselves with huge debts they knew nothing about.It is true that ever more complex financial systems, and in particular the proliferation of online transactions, increase the potential for identity fraud. But by taking a few simple common-sense precautions you can [...]
Preventing Identity Fraud
div stylefloatleft padding 12pxa hrefwpcontentuploads201010identityfraud15.jpgimg srcwpcontentuploads201010identityfraud15.jpg title alt adivdivemstrongJ Finnisastrong asked embrbrbrbrbrHorror stories abound of people having their identities stolen and suddenly find themselves with huge debts they knew nothing about.brbrIt is true that ever more complex financial systems, and in particular the proliferation of online transactions, increase the potential for identity fraud. But by taking a few simple commonsense precautions you can minimize the chances of becoming a victim.brbr Identity fraudsters are clever folk who need only the smallest chunk of info to begin their evil schemes. Avoid giving them the chance by carefully disposing of ALL documents containing your personal details by shredding or burning them. br Be alert to phishing, this is where fraudsters set up a Website that mimics those of banks and other financial institutions. They then send out mass emails claiming to come from those institutions asking recipients to login to the site to confirmupdate some information, kindly providing a link to the fake homepage. They then harvest the login details of those foolish enough to comply. br If you do financial business online, dont respond to such emails. Always enter the institutions Web page by entering its url directly, or from your bookmarks or a search engine NEVER from a link in an email. Before loggingin, verify youre on the right site by glancing at your browsers url bar. br Online shopping online can be fast and convenient, but it can also be a minefield for unwary. Anyone, anywhere, can set up a Website to accept payments. And once they have your money they can be nearimpossible to trace. Its safest to do business with established, wellknown companies such as Amazon. If you choose to buy from a smaller, lesserknown company reassurance can be gained if it uses a 3rdparty payment processor such as PayPal. br NEVER enter personal details such as credit card details onto a Website unless it is using a secure server indicated by its url starting https rather than http and also by a padlock symbol in the bottom right corner in Internet Explorer br We seem to live in the age of bombardment by unsolicited sales pitches. Mostly these are harmless, if very annoying, but occasionally can be a front by fraudsters after your personal info. To be on the safe side, simply refuse to converse with unsolicited callers, even if they claim to be from your bank, insurer etc. And NEVER EVER give any personal info by telephone if you didnt initiate the call. br Most financial institutions now guarantee to make good any customers funds lost though Internet fraud. Does yours Its worth checking the policy of each company you do business with, and if youre with one without a guarantee consider whether you might be safer elsewhere. br It may be one of the most tedious jobs in the world, but regular and thorough checking of bank and other statements can provide an early warning unauthorized activity being conducted in your name allowing you to resolve the matter before it gets much worse. Discipline is the key. If you are reasonably organized in keeping receipts, check stubs etc it shouldnt take more than an hour a month. brbra hrefNicholasadiv
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