Boyer Alison - The online identity theft prevention kit: stop scammers, hackers and identity thieves from ruining your life

The Online Identity Theft Prevention Kit

Stop Scammers, Hackers, and Identify Thieves from Ruining Your Life

This Atlantic Publishing eBook was professionally written, edited, fact checked, proofed and designed. Over the years our books have won dozens of book awards for content, cover design and interior design including the prestigious Benjamin Franklin award for excellence in publishing. We are proud of the high quality of our books and hope you will enjoy this eBook version, which is the same content as the print version.

The Online Identity Theft Prevention Kit: Stop Scammers, Hackers, and Identify Thieves from Ruining Your LIfe

Copyright 2008 Atlantic Publishing Group, Inc.
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No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without the prior written permission of the Publisher. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be sent to Atlantic Publishing Group, Inc., 1210 SW 23rd Place, Ocala, Florida 34471.

ISBN 13: 978-1-60138-008-1 ISBN 10: 1-60138-008-9

The online identity theft prevention kit : stop scammers, hackers, and identity thieves from ruining your life.

p. cm.

ISBN-13: 978-1-60138-008-1 (alk. paper)

ISBN-10: 1-60138-008-9 (alk. paper)

1. Identity theft--United States. 2. Identity theft--United States--Prevention.

HV6679.O65 2008

362.88--dc22

2008001975

LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: The publisher and the author make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this work and specifically disclaim all warranties, including without limitation warranties of fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales or promotional materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for every situation. This work is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services. If professional assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising here from. The fact that an organization or Web site is referred to in this work as a citation and/or a potential source of further information does not mean that the author or the publisher endorses the information the organization or Web site may provide or recommendations it may make. Further, readers should be aware that Internet Web sites listed in this work may have changed or disappeared between when this work was written and when it is read.

A few years back we lost our beloved pet dog Bear, who was not only our best and dearest friend but also the Vice President of Sunshine here at Atlantic Publishing. He did not receive a salary but worked tirelessly 24 hours a day to please his parents.

Bear was a rescue dog who turned around and showered myself, my wife, Sherri, his grandparents Jean, Bob, and Nancy, and every person and animal he met (well, maybe not rabbits) with friendship and love. He made a lot of people smile every day.

We wanted you to know a portion of the profits of this book will be donated in Bears memory to local animal shelters, parks, conservation organizations, and other individuals and nonprofit organizations in need of assistance.

Douglas and Sherri Brown

PS: We have since adopted two more rescue dogs: first Scout, and the following year, Ginger. They were both mixed golden retrievers who needed a home.

Want to help animals and the world? Here are a dozen easy suggestions you and your family can implement today:

• Adopt and rescue a pet from a local shelter.
• Support local and no-kill animal shelters.
• Plant a tree to honor someone you love.
• Be a developer put up some birdhouses.
• Buy live, potted Christmas trees and replant them.
• Make sure you spend time with your animals each day.
• Save natural resources by recycling and buying recycled products.
• Drink tap water, or filter your own water at home.
• Whenever possible, limit your use of or do not use pesticides.
• If you eat seafood, make sustainable choices.
• Support your local farmers market.
• Get outside. Visit a park, volunteer, walk your dog, or ride your bike.

Five years ago, Atlantic Publishing signed the Green Press Initiative. These guidelines promote environmentally friendly practices, such as using recycled stock and vegetable-based inks, avoiding waste, choosing energy-efficient resources, and promoting a no-pulping policy. We now use 100-percent recycled stock on all our books. The results: in one year, switching to post-consumer recycled stock saved 24 mature trees, 5,000 gallons of water, the equivalent of the total energy used for one home in a year, and the equivalent of the greenhouse gases from one car driven for a year.

Chapter 1 Scary Statistics: Is the Internet Really Safe?

In 2007, United States consumers lost an estimated $3.2 billion in online credit card fraud, according to a study done by Celent Communications. $3.2 billion.

The Federal Trade Commission estimates that ten million Americans have their identity stolen or misused every year. 10 million every year.

One of the major U.S.-based consumer research firms estimated that one of the most common online scams, phishing, alone costs consumers $929 million in 2005. Did you get that? $929 million.

The statistics are scary, and as the Internet gets more and more popular, these statistics are only going to rise unless consumers everywhere begin to work together to take a stand against online identity theft. The best way to make the journey to a more secure future is with a guide, and this online identity theft prevention kit is your map, so to speak. It may sound a bit clich, but knowledge really is power. Until you understand the threats out there on the never-ending World Wide Web, you cannot stop the criminals that want to take advantage of you and your personal information, and until we can stop these crooks, consumers everywhere will lose a ton of money every single year.

How much money? Billions. Let us look at some more statistics:

Americans spend $1.7 trillion in the medical industry every year. Fraud accounts for up to 10 percent of that money billions and billions of dollars.

Crime cost banks and other financial institutions in the United States $33 billion in 1998. That statistic has only risen over this past decade.

The average consumer loses over $2,400 in an identity theft. That is not counting the damage it does to your credit and reputation.

The average business loses over $10,000 in an identity theft.

In 2005, almost 50 people lost over $1 million during their identity theft problems.

A stolen identity can be sold for some quick cash or used for any number of things, such as getting a job, running from the cops, or opening credit card accounts. Some people do not have a day job; they just steal identities. Others are able to work part-time or seemingly live beyond their means. Still others can enter this country illegally with a stolen identity or commit crimes in your name. Anyone you meet, from your sons new girlfriend to your gardener to the guy in the online forums who private messaged you, is a potential threat. Paranoia will get you nowhere. Instead, you have to think fast and act faster, all while continually protecting yourself and your information.