Crack Down on Patient Dumping

WrittenBy:Connor R Sullivan
According to creditreport.com, there have been over 30 million cases of reportedidentity theft in the past five years. Additionally, over the same time period the Federal TradeCommission has named identity theft as the top consumer complaint, and that consumers lost over $547 million as a result of such attacks.

This is indeed a scary statistic. However,instead of being frightened and unproductive, it is possible to use fear asaway of preparingourselves to combat identity theft and prevent it from disrupting our own lives.

The first thing you should do is monitor how you dispose ofmail containing sensitive personal information. This includes bank statements, credit card statements, pre-approved credit card offers and any sort of invoice containing account or Social Security numbers. Be sureto set aside these documents and use a thorough paper shredder to minimize the chance of thieves finding your records in thetrash. E-mail should also be diligently monitored, as online identity theft has risen exponentially over the years.

Be sure to make astrong password, and use an email scanner/anti-virus program to help protect your computer from hackers who look for your login info. Also, pay close attention to what appearson your bank and credit card statements. If any transaction looks even remotely suspicious, be sure to contact the proper service agent toreport it.

Sometimes identity theft starts out small,leaving people robbedover a longer period of time instead of at one shot. Try not to carry too many pieces of identification on you. Keep it simple - leave Social Security cards, birth records and passports at home (unless absolutely necessary) and use your state ID. Last but not least, never give out any personal information out to people you cannot verify,whether it is on the phone or online.

If someone calls your home and asks for sensitive account information, ask them where they are callingfrom and cross check the phonenumber. If it is from a creditor, take out yourstatement and look on the back at the customer service line - call the company directly to inquireif there is something that needs to be discussed instead of speaking with the questionable party that has called you.

If you are doingtransactions online, check to see that you are on asecured connectionand that you are not being transferred to an off-site location. If youare shopping on Amazon, for instance, make sure amazon.com is always in the URL address and not some disambiguation. So don't become another statistic - be sure to protect yourself from identity theft by using these tips, but mostimportantly of all, your common sense.