Credit And Identity Theft Protection Ideas

Probably the most common identity theft problem has been when a credit card company

sends out a pre-approved credit application to a person's address and that person no longer lives at that address. They have moved but neglected to notify the post office. If the addressee has not bothered to immediately fill out a change-of-address form and file it with the post office, these pre-approved credit applications will continue to be delivered and just sit in the mailbox.

Many times the mailbox is not secure, i.e. locked. If it is not secure, a thief can come along and remove the envelope or envelopes containing the pre-approved credit applications. They can then use the information contained in them to begin stealing the identity of the person to whom it was meant. Another common problem in identity theft is when someone is using a credit card online in order to purchase a product from a website that might not be totally secure. Some credit companies, like Citicard, have what are called virtual cards now.

When downloaded to your computer, this free software will allow you to get a virtual card number that you can use to purchase products online. This card number can only be used at that particular merchant and for a particular amount of money if you wish. The purchase price will be billed to your regular credit account, but is secure from theft when making a purchase online.

More recently a newer form of scam has been surfacing. When a guest checks into a hotel, they go to their room and the hotel room phone rings as soon as they enter. On the other end is someone who claims to be a front desk clerk or manager. They apologize profusely and tell the guest that there was a problem with the credit card or information they gave to the front desk during the check in.

They ask the guest for his or her card number and expiration date again. Sometimes, the so-called manager or clerk will tell the guest that the card needs to be swiped again and rather than inconvenience the guest by having to return to the lobby, the false manager or clerk will have an employee come to the guest's room with the intention of taking the credit card down to the front desk. The guest is assured that the card will be returned to them immediately. These phone calls are obviously being made by someone who has been near the desk when the guest is checking in and can hear all the necessary information to pull this scam off. Unsuspecting guests who either give out their personal information to a so-called clerk over the phone or are naive enough to hand over their credit card to a stranger at their door are soon victims of identity theft.

Always be wary of anyone asking for personal information. Signup for a credit protection service and watch your credit report.

by: li baocai

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