- by Jim Edwards

(c) Jim Edwards - All Rights reserved
    http://www.thenetreporter.com
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Identity theft rates one of the fastest growing crimes in America
today and the Internet can make it even easier for some criminals to
take your good name and drag it through the mud.

Identity theft involves criminals stealing your personal information
such as credit card numbers, social security numbers and other
information, usually to buy things on credit or to empty out your
bank accounts. 

Through your financial liability with your credit cards may be
limited to $50 to $500, it can take years for you to clean up the
mess online identity thieves leave behind.

As with any crime, an ounce of prevention may just cause the would-
be identity thieves to leave you alone and move on to an easier
target.

The following tips can help you avoid having your identity stolen.

1. Never give out your social security number, online or otherwise.
No company you buy things from needs your social security number.

If you do business on the web, obtain a a Federal Tax ID number to
use instead of your social security number.

Once criminals have your social security number, along with your
birth date and address, they have virtually everything they need to
start wreaking havoc in your life.

2. Use a good anti-virus program. One of the ways criminals get your
credit card numbers, passwords and other sensitive information is
through "Trojan horse" viruses that log your keystrokes and transmit
information to the evil doers.

The "Bad Trans" virus that has caused so much havoc is just such a
virus.

3. Always use a "secure" server when transmitting credit card
information over the web and know something about the company before
handing over your information.

You can feel pretty confident that you are using a secure server if
a little lock displays in the status bar on the bottom of your web
browser.

4. A popular new way to pay for goods and services online is to "use
your checking account just like a credit card".

Be extremely cautious about paying this way through the web. By
giving a company your checking account numbers you give away much of
the information necessary to empty your bank account!

5. Never give out information such as your birthday, marital status,
education level or other personal information.

This additional information makes it extremely easy for criminals to
make themselves appear legitimate when they pose as you. Websites
should ultimately only require you to provide your name, email and
billing information for a purchase.

You should avoid any site requiring more information than that.

These criminals prey on people’s ignorance and you can usually
defeat them simply by making it too hard for them to get your
information.

If you do find yourself a victim, immediately contact police and get
legal help. Do not wait because you feel embarrassed or "stupid"
over what happened.

Waiting only lets the trail grow cold and limits how much law
enforcement can do to help you.

–
Jim Edwards is a syndicated newspaper columnist and the co-author of
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