I’m pretty certain that everyone has seen the movie The Net and most of you have heard the less popular sequel The Net 2.0. Both films convey a powerfully hair-raising message about identity theft and the incredible potential of modern day technology. The internet has spawned a new way for people’s identities to be taken away and used by online thieves. This makes becoming your own private eye more pressing than ever to gain an upper hand in the battle against identity theft.

Identity theft has been plaguing people for the longest time now. People are wary about giving out their personal information such as Social Security number, credit card and bank information number among others. I’m reminded here of an incident which occurred almost two years ago involving a financial company when one of its employees’ laptop containing customer information including their SSN was stolen. Upon learning about the incident, irate customer calls poured into every call center servicing the said financial company. Each caller expressed their concern which for them was a nightmare, making them paranoid about the thought of becoming victim to identity theft. Fortunately, the company acted with due diligence and swiftness over the matter.

Identity theft – one of the most harrowing crimes that could victimize each one of us that could leave us financially broke or could discredit us in a world where one’s personal information are almost as important as one’s name. There are two types of identity theft according to Privacyrights.org. One is Account Takeover where a thief acquires your existing credit card account information and uses it to purchase anything using the actual card or the card’s number. The other is called Application Fraud, more prevalent in online transactions, where the thief uses someone’s Social Security Number and other information to open new accounts under the name of the owner of the SSN.

In the early days, stealing wallets was the best way for identity thieves to steal personal information as a person’s wallet contains some or almost his entire identity contained in his ATM cards, credit cards and driver’s license. Today, hackers use phishing to fish for people’s identities online using deceptive emails prompting a person to give out his SSN, PayPal account information, bank and credit card information.

Here are some tips to prevent identity theft:

• To find out if you have unauthorized accounts, run a credit report on yourself.
• Always balance your cheque books and other financial statements on a regular basis, and challenge establishments that charge for items you didn’t buy.
• Maintain a minimal number of credit cards so the chances of credit card theft can be decreased. YOu should check for and cancel any inactive accounts.
• If you received pre-approved loans or credit cards and don’t plan on using them, destroy them. Mailbox thieves can easily get to them and avail of them without you knowing.
• Never make the mistake of giving out important details like your credit card number, date of birth, NRIC number, bank account information, and contact information over the telephone. If your bank or another company needs it, they can think of safer ways to speak to you about it.
• Don’t let anyone access your credit, debit, and ATM card receipts. Destroy or shred them.
• Don’t simply throw bank statements or other tax documents. They contain personal information and may be used for identity theft. Shred these documents.
• If you’re throwing away your paycheck, shred it instead. People in the dumpster can find a lot of information about you from that document alone.
• Check your bills well and make sure that no unauthorized charges are being billed to you.
• Always have your passwords and PIN numbers in your head. Never write them down where people can easily see them.
• Photocopy all your credit cards and identification cards and keep them in a safe place. They may come in handy when you need to apply for new ones in case you lose them.
• Keep your eye on your things. Don’t ever leave your purse or wallet unattended, no matter where you go.

Your identity is keeps you unique. Don’t let others duplicate it.

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