Preventing cyber identity theft

Cyber Identity Theft :  

            Identity theft is a criminal offense. It is one of the most expensive and fastest growing crime. Over 9.9 million Americans were victims of identity theft last year. It cost them about $5 billion.

Identity theft refers to identity fraud for an unlawful purpose. It happens when a person knowingly uses identification of another person without legal authorization. Identity theft can be divided into four categories: Criminal Identity Theft, Financial Identity Theft, Business and Commercial Identity, and Identity Cloning.

Preventing cyber identity theft tips:

1. If you have unwanted personal documents like old driver license, you should shred and destroy it.
2. Don’t throw away your annual credit reports. Some people never look at their credit reports. You should spend time to review what looks suspicious.
3. Put your mail in U.S. Postal Service collection boxes.
4. Avoid leaving mail in the mailbox overnight. When you are finishing your mail, you might want to shred it.
5. Sign new credit cards right away. Otherwise, someone else may do it for you.
6. If you lost credit cards, report it immediately.
7. Try to memorize your Social Security Number.
8. Avoid using your birthday as a password.