How To Protect Against Identity Theft And Fraud

By Author: Jackson Petter
Total Articles: 14
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Many a times, when you are not all that attentive about your surroundings, you tend to overlook the fact that there is someone else existing in the same world, with the same name, the same job, the same home and also using your same old credit card for good. You however, are only paying the excess bills, and picking up the pieces of your remaining dignity when you see your name written in bold in places you would otherwise never have wanted. No. This is not some parallel universe that we are talking about. This primarily refers to identity theft and fraud, one of the most dreaded criminal activities prevalent in the world today. There are many geniuses in the present times, who would rather use their intelligence on living under someone else’s name, than using their mental competence for getting their own. These guys are dangerous and you should be up in arms against misuse of your identity. There are many ways to protect yourself from identity theft and fraud. Being cautious is first among them. Thinking that you will never be the victim will not help. if you have a social security number, a regular income and a few credit ...
... cards, you ‘are’ certainly under threat.


Identity theft can be of many different types. Stealing credit cards, that is to say, financial motive may not be the only reason why identities are stolen. There can be many other aims behind wrongly assuming someone else’s identity. Criminal identity theft refers to assuming some other person’s identity when wanted for crime or, the other. Identity cloning refers to completely take over another person’s identity to hide his / her own for legal or, personal matters. People can resort to medical identity theft to get illegal prescription drugs, or, any other medical help whatsoever, that they in their true identity will not be able to avail. All these are potentially hazardous for the real people whose identities are being misused. To protect against identity theft and fraud you will have to be very careful about how you use your vital data. Computers and the internet ruling the lives of people today, and the enhancement of technology by every passing minute, have made identity theft even easier. New softwares made for the sake of the same have made the digital systems of data storage a Hacker’s Heaven.


File shredding is a good way of destroying computer files containing important information. These are softwares that enable elimination of files without any risk of recovery in the future. Once the critical data files are destroyed through file shedding softwares one can consider them gone for good and no hackers can have access to the same in any possible way. The files just cease to exist. Besides these, keeping the computers free of virus and the firewalls on for all the times will have to be ascertained. If any critical data that you may have drilled in your system exists in paper, ensure that they are shredded well. Getting access to paper may be easier to identity thieves than the ones stored in softwares.


About author:
Jackson Petter is an information security specialist with a successful record of history on cases where he has Shredding of Confidential Documents . He has worked on some of the most difficult security projects. You can visit : http://www.securityinshredding.com/