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Internet use is rapidly becoming a necessity when searching for that perfect job or career - but how much information is too much and how can you keep your information safe from identity theft while getting that dream job? In this article read about the do's and don'ts for posting your resume online.

Hundreds of thousands of people use the internet everyday to assist them in locating a job and hopefully a career. In the hopes of finding the perfect job employment assistance websites such as Careerbuilder.com; Monster.com and Yahoo HotJobs, just to name a few, are accessed every day. People post their resume on their personal website; they submit to recruiting companies, employment services, and prospective employment business sites as well as in some cases use their college's employment assistance program. Others post employment information, curriculum vita, resume, on line through their employer such as a university; their business or medical clinic homepages to assure prospective clients, students and patients of their qualifications. But how safe is this practice?

Online fraud is one of the most common sources of identity theft according to the Federal Bureau of Investigations. Privacy advocates, Better Business Bureaus and Employment professionals state that job boards are the biggest source of information for identity thieves. While prospective employers maybe looking for a specific profile, so are prospective identity thieves.

Don't think that identity theft can happen to you, just for posting your resume online?

"Jim" responded to an email request from an individual identifying himself as a human resource specialist with a leading company in his field. He did some cursory research, and it appeared to be legitimate, so he went ahead and responded with additional information, such as a more complete copy of his resume, including references and reference contact information, his date of birth and social security number, supposedly provided in order to complete a background check. A week later he called the telephone number listed, and it had been disconnected. He called the company direct and found that no one by the name he provided ever worked there, and that they company never requests personal information until they are made an offer.

"Candace" was contacted by three different "companies" requesting additional information to be used to complete the application process as well as to perform a background check. In doubt, she contacted her BBB, and found out that these companies and techniques were well known and common fraud information gathering techniques.

Even movie star Will Smith and former NBA player Steve Smith have been victims of identity theft, by the same thief.

How can your resume help identity thieves? Access to your resume is like hitting the lottery jackpot for identity theft. In many cases it provides your name, address, telephone number, date of birth, schools attending and when, as well as references information. In some cases all that is missing is a Social Security number, and that can be found out through a variety of methods.

In this age of technology, almost every major employer utilizes some form of job database, online employment assistance, on line application process to assist them in finding qualified candidates for employment. So how do you safely use the internet to find a job, while still giving employers the information they are seeking.

First, rewrite your resume, using a functional resume, instead of chronological. Here are a few do's and don'ts
Do not include your address, include a work location, which could indicate you already live in that area or are willing to relocate.

Do not include dates of employment or graduation; simply indicate educational experience such as BS from University of Smart Resumes Online.
Do not "copy and paste" your regular resume into a comments section of an application or online service.
Do not provide references and references contact information; you may be putting them at risk for identity theft.
Do not include: SSN, date of birth, home telephone number or personal email address.

Do create a job search email address, which does not use your name.
Do use your cell phone number or even purchase a prepaid cell phone system while you are conducting your job search. After verifying that it is a legitimate contact, then use your personal cell phone number for future contacts.
Do state work experiences, indicating an overview of your experience and expertise such as "Financial Analyst."

Research the online job service sites thoroughly. Be selective. Choose to submit your information only to those sites that have stringent privacy policies, or anonymizing services. Print out the licensing and privacy agreement, before agreeing to it and posting your resume.

When approached by a potential employer do not release your social security number, mother's maiden name or any other information. Professionally explain that information is not relevant at this time, however if further in the application process certain information is required to complete a background check you will be happy to provide. Avoid vague offers or request for information.

Report inappropriate contacts or requests to the site utilized. Set your cookies to a high setting to decrease the ability for spyware, adware, or malware to access your computer. Install protection services on your computer and use them regularly. Keep a spreadsheet, database or list of services used, companies applied to and what information was provided. This may help you in the long term, with additional request for information, tracking your employment progress and determining where, if any, possible leaks of your information originated.

By taking these steps you can be a responsible employment seeker and a successful one, not only in obtaining employment, but in protecting your personal, financial and credit information. Remember identity theft does not only involve your credit, a person may even apply for and get your job, using your own information. It's your resume, make sure it's also your job.

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There's (yet again) another threat you should really be aware of.

It's called drive-by pharming.

Symantec has put together a great video on drive-by pharming, which I've posted below, so you don't really need me to explain to you how drive-by pharming works.

But, what you might want to know is how to protect yourself from this new type of drive-by.

The simplest thing you can do to protect yourself is change the default password on your home wireless router. A quick Google search yielded the following pages for changing this password on three of the more popular home wireless routers:

D-Link

Linksys

NETGEAR

If you aren't using one of these routers, just do a Google search for how to change the password on your router at home.

Also, just do the stuff we generally talk to you about here at IdentityTheftSecrets. Basically, work only with Web sites that you know to be at least reasonably trustworthy. (And definitely only click links in emails from people you know, and even then, stay away from any link that looks sort of funny... You may or may not end up installing something simply by clicking on a link. In many cases, as in the case of drive-by pharming, that is all it takes for this attack to do its damage.)

Watch Symantec's video below.

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Veteran's are at high risk for identity theft, and have more to lose. It is important for veteran's to carefully monitor their credit report, social security benefits and veterans benefit information to determine if their identity is being used in any manner, from illegally obtaining credit or medical care to attending a college.

In August 2006, the Veteran's Administration contacted approximately 16,000 individuals regarding a theft of computer equipment containing personal, medical, financial, insurance and veteran's benefits information. In this instance over 2000 deceased veteran's information was also available. In another instance over 26.5 million social security numbers were stolen when a federal employee's laptop computer was stolen. How did this information get stolen? Wasn't it protected by the government somehow?

Apparently it is a common practice for the Veteran's Administration to contract out certain jobs, such as software support and insurance billing, claims and benefits, in order to provide what they describe as better service to veterans. In this particular case, the contract was awarded to the Unisys Corporation and the project involved support to the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh VA Medical Centers and their community clinics. In this instance an Unisys employee had veteran's information contained on his laptop computer which he took home. That evening the contractor's home was broken into and the laptops, as well as other items, were stolen. An investigation was conducted, and resulted in the recover of the laptop computer as no indication that the laptop was stolen in order to gain information for use in identity theft.

In many cases the contracting agency or individuals have access to a great deal of a veteran's personal and financial information as well as social security number, date of birth, address, medical, insurance, or benefits information. Contractors are bound by regulations that are designed to limit their access and use of this information to only using it to provide the services required. The Veteran's Administration claims that it works closely with contractors in developing the "highest standards" of protection and security. However, it does not designate what systems are in place to protect a veteran's information.

Those affected by this invasion of privacy has been provided with information as well as free credit report to monitor their credit information. They have been advised to contact local law enforcement agencies and credit reporting agencies.

In this case, the theft of personal information was apprehended. But what happens when as a result of contracting work out in this fashion someone obtains, sells or uses a veteran's information for the purpose of identity theft? Veteran's benefits include more than just information that can be used for identity theft through illegal credit use;, but this information can also be used to obtain student loans, other educational advantages, insurance and medical benefits and care. What can be done?

First, veterans need to be proactive. Take all the normal and necessary steps such as protecting your information at home and on your computer. Limit access to your social security number and date of birth to only when necessary. Purchase anti virus and anti spyware to protect information contained on your computer. Be sure not to conduct personal or financial business at work, as you don't know who could over hear you or what systems are in place to protect your information. You may want to consider using a "credit freeze" available through many services such as Trusted ID.

If you think your information may be comprised you can do the following: dispute the information on your credit report and ask the three major credit reporting agencies of TransUnion, Experian and Equifax to place a fraud flag on your credit file. This insures that additional steps are taken before new accounts or changes to existing account in your name can occur.

But there are more steps necessary for veterans. Be sure to review your Social Security Benefits statement, at first to become familiar with your benefits and than later to monitor any claims or uses of these benefits. To order a Social Security Benefits report, contact the Social Security Administration office or order online at Request a Social Security Statement. Review your Veteran's Benefits information when it is provided. Determine if any claims or benefits have been made without your knowledge.

The most important advice to veterans is to be knowledgeable and active about protecting all your information, both your benefits, claims, credit and personal information Do not hesitate to dispute false or incorrect information and be sure to contact the Veteran's Administration office www.firstgov.gov as well as www.va.gov/opa. Report any instances of identity theft to local law enforcement agencies, your State's Attorney General's office and The Federal Trade Commission by calling 1-877-IDTHEFT (1-877-438-4338), or visit their web site at www.ftc.gov.

For additional information on the topics mentioned, visit "Do You have a "Trusted" ID Service?"
or
"How to Dispute Your Credit Report

Webroot Spyware Sweeper is a seven time award winning Best Buy by PC Magazine and PC World. Find out why this spyware protection, detection and removal system is considered so highly.

Spyware has become more advanced and different versions of it appear regularly on too many computers without detection. Spyware is a computer software system that "sneaks" onto your computer, typically through internet browsing, email or instant messages, and does one or a combination of the following: collects personal information from your hard drive, interfere with your use of your computer (causing it to behave badly), redirect your internet browser activity by sending the page you addressed to another site and allowing harmful "pop ups."

These are just a few of the really nasty things that spyware can do to your computer. It can also provide unscrupulous individuals with personal and financial information to be used in identity theft and all of this can be done without your knowledge or consent.

With the increased use, functionality, and technology available to spyware programs it is important to make sure to protect your computer, your information and your finances from damage. One of the many methods available to protect yourself is spyware protection software systems, such as Webroot Spyware Sweeper.

Webroot Spyware Sweeper is a seven time award winning anti spyware software program. It has been chosen by PC Magazine and PC World as best buys for spyware protection.

What are some of the features of Webroot Spyware Sweeper that provides it with such high praise? Downloading this software helps you detect spyware software earlier. Webroot says they detect spyware quicker than their competitors and eliminate detected spyware programs in one "sweep" of your system. It is deemed effective on even the most difficult of spyware systems to remove. To anyone who has had to scan, repair and restart their computer several times this is an enormous relief to know that the malicious software will be removed in the first try.

Webroot Spyware Sweeper does not just remove spyware from your computer but detects and stops it from entering your hardware and software before it can do damage. It does this by detecting the freely downloaded spyware programs as they appear, in real time, as opposed to not detecting them until your scheduled or personally initiated scan. It does this through the use of 16 "smart shields" and stops spyware threats like Trojans, SpySheriff, and Downloader-Low Zones, as well as the variations of these malicious software programs that can do harm to your computer..

In order to be this effective Webroot Spyware Sweeper uses the rootkit technology in most spyware programs against them. It detects these particular programs in whatever form they may appear and quarantines the software before it can affect your computer.

This protection software also uses a built in "risk assessment" program to determine if there is any potential danger in your emails, webpage visits, and media downloads and notifies users before the harmful spyware system can access your computer. By advising you of the risk prior to download the control for your protection is placed in your hands and you can note those sites that are potentially harmful. This system also scans incoming and outgoing email messages.

The latest version created a more user friendly set up program as well as regular maintenance of the system and your computer. Advanced users may configure the spyware sweeper software to address specific needs or beginning users may complete the standard installation process. This system is now also easier to use to complete your scans, find out what items are in quarantine and in assisting you in protecting your identity as well as your computer. Users may also determine what type of scan they need, as Webroot Spyware Sweeper now offers quick, full or custom sweeps. The user makes the determination of what they have time for and what they want to accomplish in a sweep or scan and then make the appropriate choices on the user screen. The user screen also provides users with the opportunity to choose between automatics updates to the system or manual updates.

Free customer and technical support is offered both on line and via telephone. Webroot Spyware Sweeper users may contact the customer support center online to access the Frequently Asked Questions page, renew or register their software, obtain the keycode needed for software download in installation and handle their account information. A message board also provides important information on a regular basis regarding the use, installation and improvements to the software system.

One complaint about earlier versions of Spyware Sweeper was that it was not compatible with Windows Vista; however, the latest version claims to now be Windows Vista ready. There have been some operating difficulties with the use of Spyware Sweeper and Windows Vista which are being address at this time with a patch. However, additional research is being conducted to completely resolve these issues.

A free thirty day trial is available; however with it you may only scan your computer, not remove any detected spyware programs. It is necessary to purchase the full one year version in order to scan and remove threats. Webroot Spyware Sweeper is available for $29.95 for one computer/one year of service, $39.95 for two years/one computer or up to three computers for $49.95, all versions are regardless of the number of users on a single PC. It comes with a 30 day money back guarantee.

If you are interested in a free trial, visit Webroot Spyware Sweeper and begin to clean house - on your computer. But just like cleaning your house, be prepared for those unexpected dust bunnies and spider webs you may not have detected before.

The Good, Bad and Ugly about Spoofcard, a software system that makes not only caller id obsolete, but also makes all your phone calls suspect to pranks and identity theft. Untraceable, a movie starring Diane Lane, shows exactly how far this system may go in adding the commission of crimes and protecting criminals from prosecution from identity theft -- and in the movie's case, from murder. It may not be all bad, read more to see why and make your own judgment call.

Untraceable, a movie being released by Sony Pictures, January 25th, 2008 stars Diane Lane as a Federal Bureau of Investigation Cyber Crimes Division Investigator and single parent. Lane and her team of investigators attempt to catch a serial killer who posts his killings on an untraceable website. The more people who access the website, the faster the victim dies. The brilliant bad guy, hacker and apparently computer genius targets Lane as the investigation progresses and teases both her and the FBI with false leads through a series of communications, including telephone calls. These telephone calls appear to originate from a specific address, and the team closes in - to find a normal family home and no killer or victims other than the unsuspecting family who have federal agents bust down their door, guns drawn and screaming to hit the floor.

How does our killer get away with hiding his phone calls and location? With SpoofCard, the latest "gadget" or software system available. SpoofCard allows a caller to disguise the telephone number they're calling from, identifying information, and even their voice and gender. Callers may even record a message, to access at a later time, from any phone, to be connected to and played to the receiver.

How does SpoofCard's (and most any other caller ID spoof's) system work? First you create an account, much like that used for long distance calling cards. You purchase minutes much like a calling card or prepaid cell phone service. Prices range from $10.00 for 60 minutes to $80.00 for 480 minutes. Purchases may only be made with a credit card.

Next, you receive a Personal Identification Number (PIN) to access your SpoofCard account. Using a telephone number provided by Spoofcard, you dial into their service, indicate the number you wish to call; the number and name you wish to appear on the receiving caller ID; and then are offered the options of changing your voice, changing the voice gender and recording a message or making the call direct. You may also record your calls as they occur.

Advocates of SpoofCard claim that there are valid, fun, personal and professional reasons for utilizing this sort of service. First, it is supposed to be a fun form of entertainment. Harmless pranks, like the Domestic Diva who pranked her husband at work calling about a pornographic video that needed returned to the video store and was overdue. The movie did not exist, but she and many others on her message board were amused by her husband's reaction to the phone call.

Secondly, you can create your own unique number to be identified by. For example it takes distinctive ring tones one step further. Your nickname may appear on the caller ID as well as your favorite number, identifying you, as the caller, in a unique way.

Thirdly, businesses such as doctor's offices may find it useful when they are on call. Instead of calling patients back and having their cell or home phone number appear on the caller ID and possibly be used in the future, and bypassing the call service, doctors may program the system to have their office name and telephone number appear on the caller ID, even when returning patients' emergency or after hours calls.

What's the bad part of Spoofcard? People who may not want to speak to you, say after a bad relationship break-up, can be tricked into answering their phone calls when a different name or number appears. Pranks may be carried too far, such as the prank identified in the interview with Paul Zahn (see below). This was a great big spoof joke, that caused fear in a household and hours of investigation by a police department whose time could have been better spent on legitimate crimes.

Also, millions of consumers pay extra for the Caller ID as part of their phone service, but now they can not even trust that. If they are paying for caller ID as a level of protection, they might not be getting what that they are paying for.

Ugly uses for services like Spoofcard are numerous. In 2006, Spoofcard terminated over 50 customer accounts after discovering that they were being used to access voicemail boxes that were not their own. This is done by calling the home or cell number of a person and fooling the caller ID into thinking the call is coming from the same home or cell phone. In cases where people do not put a password on their voicemail box, the phone service is "tricked" into going directly into voicemail, allowing people to listen in on others messages. This is not so bad right? You may be able to find out about affairs or other indiscretions, but the ugliness doesn't stop there.

Identity theft may easily occur utilizing this system. You receive a telephone call from a supposed government agency, law enforcement official or credit lender. You answer. You are asked questions, with an introduction such as, "We believe your account has been accessed, it may be a fraud, could you confirm the following?"

Believing this to be a legitimate call and based on the caller ID, many individuals would follow the instructions and provide their personal and financial information.

Stalking may also occur. Each year thousands of people are victims of stalkers. With Spoofcard, or a similar Caller ID Spoof service, they can disguise their voice and telephone number, making it difficult (if not impossible) to be tracked, except possibly by a government agency.

Is this legal? Yes, it is. After Congressional hearings on the matter, it was determined that Spoofcard does serve a valid business interest, and to some (like doctors or lawyers who may be called at all hours) provided them with a certain level of privacy. Estranged or divorced parents may use it to contact their children when the other party is interfering with communication. However, many stipulations are in effect; such as that the service is illegal only if used to deceive or attempt fraud or theft as a result of the call. In some cases, depending on the state, the recorded calls may or may not be admissible in court.

If you are interested in using Spoofcard for your own personal entertainment or for business reasons, it may be purchased directly through their website. Spoofcard instructs purchasers that it is for entertainment and privacy purposes only and that any uses that result in a subpoena by law enforcement officials will be honored.

The main page of Spoofcard provides the ability to purchase, receive technical support, participate in the forum as well as get frequently asked questions answered. However, after several hours searching the internet and visiting approximately 30 blogs on the issue, there are far too many who are posting that they use this service for questionable purposes. But with anonymous postings, avatars, or log in names, it is very difficult to correctly identify these people. They seem almost proud of it and discuss how very easy it is to get information using this service. Maybe they do it, or maybe they only say the do it to draw attention to themselves or the service. Who knows? But what we do know is this is just the latest in a new wave of technological services that needs to be closely monitored in order to protect individuals from a variety of crimes, including identity theft.

Here's the YouTube video about SpoofCard, where Pauls Zahn talks about the dangers of using and being abused by SpoofCard's "hide your phone number" and spoof your Caller ID service.

Just in case you haven't caught it yet, faking your number on CallerID is called "Caller ID spoofing". It's quite the clever catch phrase that sounds good when it's reported in Congress and on the news...

I'm glad Paula Zahn did this report, but listen to the highly sensational journalism at the end of the video.

"Congress realizes that a lot of American families live in the same kind of "terror" as you do..."
"I guess you consider yourselves "pretty darn" lucky"

Pretty darn lucky? They were the victim of a prank phone call, not of a hostage situation.

And, they never said they live in "terror". There's no reason to use such a loaded word except to get ratings.

That's not journalism. What she's doing here is creating news, and marketing the story to us, rather than just reporting it for us.

(I wouldn't even be surprised if some of the Caller ID spoofing companies mentioned in the video had something to do with this story making it on the news. It's quite the free advertising segment if you ask me.)

But I digress.

Here are a few other companies operating in this space.
CidSpoof.com (Corporate solutions for Caller Id Spoofing)
Telespoof
PhoneGangster
and SpoofCard

Give it a shot for yourself (a trial call is free) to see how it works before making up your mind. (I called a friend and set the caller ID as if it were calling from her mother. It really freaked her out, which left an impression on me too.)

What do you think about SpoofCard and Caller ID Spoofing in general?

Defender Pro, whose corporate headquarters is in New York, NY, is an antivirus software which offers two products for the home or small business computer, Defender Pro 15-1 and 5-1. Each product is good for up to three computers without any additional charge. Each product's antivirus software updates automatically on the hour, as long as you are connected to the Internet.

Read more about the cost, features, benefits and technical support for Defender Pro 15-1 and 5-1 Antivirus Protection Service.

The Defender Pro 15-1 product provides fifteen different services from anti virus and spyware protection; email services such as spam stopper and encryption; and hardware support such as defragging and PC recovery support systems. One unique service provided by the Defender Pro 15-1 product is the ability to "secretly" surf the internet, without leaving a trail, for example by blocking cookies and other tracking tools used by many websites. Another unique service that this product provides is the ability to detect websites that are scams or phishing website. Also, unlike some anti virus software products that include spyware protection, this product provides free updates to the spyware protection system. Lastly, it provides hard drive services for your computer that many other anti virus protection systems do not. Defender Pro 15-1 service may be purchased online for $49.99 and protects up to three computers for one year.

The second home and small business service offered is the 5-1 version. Defender Pro 5-1 features include anti virus, spyware protection, identity theft protection, firewalls and personal computer repair tools. As part of the protection services Defender Pro removes viruses from email and instant messages and protects your computer from invasion.

Defender Pro has partnered with Kapersky Labs, considered one of the global experts on personal and business computer protection. This partnership has provided Defender Pro with cutting edge technology in its anti virus and anti hacker systems and support.

Three types of technical support: frequently asked questions available online; email support; questions and problems are emailed to a customer or technical support specialist to be answered; and telephone support. The FAQ page was a little difficult to navigate and to find information. Some sections of the FAQ page did not contain any content. The email support is unlimited and without charge. Telephone support requires the use of your credit card, as there is a $9.99 per incident charge.

Defender-Pro also offers a general section on how you can protect yourself from computer viruses, spyware, malware, identity theft and other online risks as well as computer problems. Many of the suggestions include the use of a variety of Defender Pro products, however, they also provide useful information that does not entail the use of their products such as, store records in safe place, monitor your credit regularly, don't respond to emails you don't know and be careful where you visit on the internet.

If you are renewing your Defender Pro subscription you can do so for $19.99 for protection of up to three computers.

Some complaints have been made in the past regarding earlier versions of these products but many of the "kinks have been eliminated. The 2008 version of Defender Pro now provides support for Windows Vista and Windows XP operating systems. It is important to make sure that your computer has the proper system requirements, especially enough memory to utilize this software without making it run slowly.

Consumers should note that Defender Pro has several awards and recommendations. It has been named by PC World as one of the best products of 2007, an Editor's Choice product by CNET and comes with a 30 day money back guarantee.

This is the second in a two part series about mortgage fraud, how it occurs, the damage it causes and what you can do to protect yourself. Read on for more information on how you can stop mortgage fraud through identity theft and what to do if you have been a victim.

It is important to fight mortgage fraud, particularly those involving identity theft schemes for several reasons. First, the effect of mortgage fraud is far reaching to an individual. With mortgage fraud, consumers may lose their property, their savings, and their credit rating. Second, lenders are affected by the loss of money, security, and assets in their company, not to mention the lack of trust resulting from mortgage fraud occurrences.

All incidences of mortgage fraud, no matter what type or method used, are now investigated by the Financial Institution Fraud Unit of the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI). It was determined by several federal agencies that it was more effective and efficient to pursue crimes involving mortgage fraud in one single cohesive government organization, instead of several across the United States. The hope was that this would lead to earlier detection, stiffer penalties and the ability to track and penalize reoccurring offenders who may commit the crime in one place and then move to another.

What can consumers do to protect their credit? It is critical to monitor your credit report, receive regular updates, and stay informed. Immediately contact any lenders that provide information on your credit report when you discover pieces of information that are mistakes of fact or that you don't know or recognize. Read your social security benefits statement when it comes in the mail. It can provide you with important information, such as informing you if someone is using your social security number and obtaining benefits in your name. This can be used as a red flag to alert you to leaks in your credit information. Be careful of mailings, telephone calls, email messages or overly friendly realtors who may approach you personally going door to door. These can be bogus attempts to gain both personal and financial information to allow a theft to happen. Be suspicious if you receive information to the "new homeowner" such as welcome coupons or service calls to your home. This can mean that your information has been at risk. Assist your parents, if elderly or if necessary in protecting their identity and financial information.

Carefully monitor your computer and internet activity with an effective form of anti virus and spyware software. Spyware systems are hard to detect, sometimes even harder to get rid of, and can provide the unscrupulous with a great deal of information, both of a personal, financial, or credit nature.

What should you do if you have been a victim of mortgage fraud of any variety? First, report it to the The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)(202) 324-3000 - National FBI Financial Institution Fraud Unit.

The important thing is to stop identity theft before it happens. But if it happens to you, you need to be prepared to begin the long journey of repairing your credit information. It will take time, but it is important to take the necessary measures as soon as suspicious activity is detected.

This begins a two part series on what is mortgage fraud; how it occurs and what can be done about it: such as how to protect yourself and what to do if you are a victim of identity theft and mortgage fraud.

Imagine coming home after your vacation to find another family moving in your home and your possessions stacked in the garage. Imagine filling out an application for a credit card or a new car purchase to find out that you have an existing equity line of credit you never applied for.

These instances are becoming more and more common as identity theft professionals find even more unique and destructive ways of not only obtaining your identity but also of ruining your credit and taking over your home, through a variety of mortgage fraud schemes. Identity theft is not limited to credit cards and small credit loans, but the rising real estate market and fast cash for turning houses over for resale have provided these unscrupulous individuals with a chance to make a large sum of money with very little effort.

Because of the lack of qualified statistics, the actual number of mortgage fraud schemes in the United States as a result of identity theft is unknown. However, what is known is that identity theft is one of the most common mortgage fraud schemes. In 2004, the FTC reports that there were $429 million dollars stolen in fraud involving mortgages and approximately $1.1 million dollars lost in fraud involving commercial loans. The highest incidents of this type of fraud in 2004 occurred in California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Missouri, Illinois, Michigan, Georgia, South Carolina and Florida.

This type of fraud occurs when an identity is stolen and it is used most commonly on a loan application for either the purchase of a new home or a second/home equity loan line of credit. With specific personal knowledge, such as a person's date of birth and social security number as well as address, additional credit information is easily obtained and used for illicit purposes. Other forms of mortgage rackets occur when individuals falsify their credit information, such as income, in order to obtain a loan; inflate property value in order to garner additional money from the sale or the line of credit; or use predatory lenders who have several available hoaxes available to them. Among these predatory lender schemes are offers to assist people with low income or bad credit to repair their credit, offers to assist in the purchase of a home through a land contract, and offers to assist people in avoiding foreclosure. Not all offers are schemes; however, many of them are. Consumers need to be aware.

Quite possibly the most horrific mortgage fraud involving identity theft is the sale of your property without your knowledge. In most of these causes, two thieves are involved. The first obtains your personal and credit information and "sells" the property to an accomplice. The mortgage money is split between the two thieves and they disappear. In these instances, although your credit information is still in danger, you are not responsible for the new mortgage, and it is the lender that is at risk and damaged.

The consumer may get off "easy" but certainly not without damage. After the identity theft has occurred it may take years to correct the problem, hours of lost work time and thousands of dollars in expenses, according to the Mortgage Asset Research Institute. Additionally, consumers that have been victims must find additional means to keep their credit safe from harm in the future.

Experts claim that senior citizens are the people most likely targeted for any type of mortgage fraud scheme for two reasons. In many cases, older, more established homeowners are more likely to have more equity in their homes and they may not take enough measures to protect themselves from identity theft. Regardless of age, these plans require just two things: your personal information and knowledge of the equity in your home. You can try to control how easily accessible your personal and financial information is; however, equity information is, unfortunately, very easily available through a simple title search and tracking of property values and sales in the area.

What can you do to fight mortgage fraud? And how do you report it? There are two very important reasons to fight identity theft and over 18 different agencies and organizations available to assist you with reporting and repairing damage caused as result. Read about these in the next article on IdentityTheftSecrets.com.

I just read (skimmed) this article from the head of a company called MyBinding. While he offers some useful advice in his article, he implies that purchasing a paper shredder will protect you from Identity Theft.

Is it time to beat this dead horse again?

Okay.

Here's the deal.

Identity Theft is so easily committed because all of our information is so easily accessible, and also so easy to falsify. (The real issue is that our social security numbers are so valuable, and until we get that changed, Identity Theft will continue to be a problem.)

It's not that shredding your stuff isn't a good idea, but to suggest that having a paper shredder will somehow protect you is not only misleading, it's just wrong.

(Aside: I'm not talking about corporations here. Corporations which have any personal information on customers or employees, and don't have some sort of shredding plan in place, are just asking for trouble. It's a lot of information collected in one place, which identity thieves thrive on. Why steal one identity and use it once when you can steal 10,000 identities and resell them over and over again? So companies, whether you're small, medium, or large, you must put together a plan that encompasses not only shredding, but information security as well.)

On a personal level, however, the only studies I've ever seen that suggest that (personal, at-home) shredding reduces Identity Theft, were ultimately financed by people who own or are tied to companies that sell personal paper shredders.

Conflict of interest much?

So, shred if you want. It's a good idea.

But realistically, it's not going to reduce your chances of becoming a victim of Identity Theft very much, if at all.

Anyone who tells you otherwise is probably trying to sell you a paper shredder.

(I've posted the aricle I was reading below, just in case you're interested.)

Unfortunately, we all have to be a little paranoid when it comes to identity theft. Credit cards get stolen, computers get hacked and dumpsters get raided, all in an attempt to gain people's person information. Private information such as credit card numbers, social security numbers, bank account information and various bills can be used to steal your identity.

Many businesses and home offices have another layer of information to worry about: confidential documents. These confidential documents can hold information regarding clients or the company itself. Either way, the company is responsible for protecting such data.

What You Can Do to Protect Yourself

Paper shredders are a simple solution to destroying many of the documents and materials that hold private information. While digging through your garbage is not the only way someone can steal your identity, it is a major source. Businesses big and small, educational institutions, churches, homes, banks and government agencies all use paper shredders to protect private documents and information.

Lucky for consumers, there are paper shredders available to meet the needs of everyone. Personal shredders all the way up to industrial shredders are on the market and available to purchase. Depending on the actual space you have for the shredder and your specific security concerns, you should be able to identify a shredder that fits your needs.

Paper Shredder Choices

Like binding machines, laminators and just about every other office product, paper shredders come in many different forms. These are some of the most common:

* Industrial: Industrial High Capacity shredders can handle a high number of documents. They won't overheat even when you insert large stacks of paper simultaneously.

* Cross-Cut: Cross-cut shredders make both vertical and horizontal cuts. This type is usually more expensive than a strip-cut shredder. However, these shredders are more secure than strip cut varieties.

* Strip-Cut: Strip-cut paper shredders slice the paper into long pieces. This is the most basic and prevalent type of shredder. These machines are generally able to shred a large amount of documents quickly.

* CD/DVD: There are also shredders available to destroy CDs and DVDs. Nowadays, many people keep more information on disks than on paper. These durable and heavy-duty shredders will render the disks unusable by slicing them into pieces.

Choosing the Right Paper Shredder

Office product manufacturers offer a wide selection of paper shredders. A quality company will be able to sell you whatever office products you need-paper shredders, binding machines, binding supplies, coil bindings, wire bindings and laminators, all in one fell swoop. New businesses will sometimes buy all of these products at once. For most, however, it is a gradual build-up to outfit a business, home office, church or school.

Once you find an office product company you trust, make sure they offer guarantees on each product. Promises of good customer service and product repair are important when it comes these products as well. This is especially true with something like a paper shredder since it may mean the difference between protecting your personal information and becoming the victim of identity theft.

Most consumers are surprised by the fairly minimal amount of information it takes to steal someone's personal information or corrupt the integrity of a business' security. Taking simple steps, such as purchasing a paper shredder, can help you avoid a lot of pain and suffering in the future. That seems well worth the small investment.

About The Author: Jeff McRitchie is the designer and Director of Marketing for http://www.MyBinding.com. He has written over 100 articles on binding machines, laminators, binding supplies, binding covers, 3-ring binders, index tabs, laminating pouches, roll laminate film and more.

Every internet user should protect themself from identity theft utilizing an antivirus software program, but with so many to choose from, how does a consumer know which product to buy? With this product review, consumers can gain knowledge about a new version of PC Security Shield, 2008 and all the features it provides including standard antivirus and spyware protection as well as not so standard features.

Read more for information on PC Security Shield, it's anti-virus software system, features, special products and services, cost, and how to purchase and use PC Security Shield 2008.

The internet is a powerful tool. With it, you can stay in touch with friends and family, shop, find out information, make travel plans, help children with their homework, and perform a million other useful functions. But with the fun also comes the danger of identity theft and an anti virus software program is absolutely essential for every internet "surfer" no matter what the use.

The three most prevalent internet dangers regarding identity theft are "phishing," " spyware," and "spoofing." Phishing refers to bogus email from an online service or your bank indicating that your account information needs to be verified or that your security may have been breached and you need to confirm you log in information. These messages take a variety of different forms, but these two or the most easily recognized. If you follow the instructions provided in the email, you may provide a third party with your account information. Spyware is an insidious little software system that you may not even know is on your computer without a spyware detection system. This software is used to record keystrokes to obtain either personal and financial information whenever you shop or bank online. It can also be used to access confidential information on your hard drive. Lastly, spoofing, refers to the process through which a legitimate internet site is taken over; redirecting people to a fake internet site where they are asked to provide confidential information.

Some of the most important features to look for when you are searching for an anti virus software program for your personal or business use is to make sure that it provides features to protect against and regularly update for these types of problems. One of the many newer antivirus systems available to consumers is PC Security Shield 2008. This anti virus software program is standard in its provisions of anti virus, spyware and adware protection, personal firewall, automatic daily updates, your choices of real time, and/or scheduled scanning, as well as parental controls which you purchase online, then download to your personal computer. However, PC Security Shield also has some very unique and useful features that consumers may not be aware of.

First, consumers have two options for their subscription service, unlike the majority of antivirus software which usually require a one year subscription. With this software you may purchase your service either monthly or yearly. Second, in the event your computer does become infected with a virus, Security Shield provides a "patch" within 2-3 hours and a complete repair of the virus within 5 hours. According to PC Professionals, Security Shield using F-Secure technology responds 3-4 times faster in repairing viruses as well as updating customers' service with the latest antivirus protection "twice" as often as other anti virus software systems. (PC Professionals, Issue Aug. 2006). Third, this anti virus software system uses not only a filter, but a "blacklist" of sites that send unsolicited email for use in phishing schemes, stops these messages from entering your in box and stores these emails in a separate folder for your safety.

Additionally, the Parental Control features offered with PC Security Shield 2008 are special in that parents can not only block websites according to content, but they can also block internet use during specified times of the day. Parents who have children home after school or whose children may be older and use the internet often unsupervised may find this feature to be particularly helpful. It helps keep children and teens off the internet when necessary and assists them in scheduling supervised times of use, according to the parent's schedule.

Lastly, PS Security Shield 2008 does not have an additional charge for the use of its technical support services for repairs or assistance. Many anti virus software systems charge a per event or per minute technical assistance fee in addition to the purchase of the software download.

The technical support for this software system provides online support in the form of instant chatting, frequently asked questions, and product guides. When I attempted the instant chat session I was responded to immediately, however be sure to have your product or key code associated with the software program available. They also provide for email and telephone technical support. The telephone support does not provide a toll free number, and I was on hold for a little over 5 minutes before a technical support specialist was available.

The system requirements necessary for downloading and utilizing the PC Security Shield 2008 appear to be consistent with industry standards and the equivalent of those required by most other software providers.

The cost for this service is currently $39.99/year after a $20.00 mail in rebate promotion that is currently available. In order to be eligible for the rebate you must: register for one year of service (not monthly); use the service for 90 days; and end your pre-existing anti virus software support with any one of those listed by PC Security Shield. The monthly service program is $5.99 a month for one computer or $9.99 a month for up to three computers.

In our household the most important features are the ability to control not only just web content, but also the times that my children are permitted to be on the web, along with the fact that I can change these times according to my schedule. The other favorite feature is that it protects emails from spy ware, phishing, and keylogging types of emails through two different services; the one being up to date research and the other being a compilation log of "bad" sites that may attempt to hi jack your personal information.

To purchase this service, you simply register online with PC Security Shield; and choose the service plan you are interested in. After that you are provided with a confirmation email which gives you a "key code." You revisit the site, log in, and use your key code to be permitted to download their antivirus software to your computer. Many of the preference settings within PC Security Shield are easily understandable. However, you may wish to use the online chat session to help you with the more advanced settings involved in parental controls or scheduling scans and updates.

In his book, Permission Marketing, Seth Godin, former vice president of direct marketing at Yahoo, talks about how large companies exchange your information. I thought this quote would be relevant for readers of identity theft secrets.

From Permission Marketing (1999) Page 131 and 132 "In traditional marketing, it is totally okay to rent or sell or transfer data. It gets done, secretly, every single day. In fact, it's a multibillion dollar industry. It's scary, but it's true: you can rent the name and address of every one in New York City who has a permit to carry a gun. Then you can filter this data further to produce a list of those women who have a child in private school. Or who live in the building with a high likelihood of tenants who stay in first-class hotels when they travel. Want a list of dental floss users? Not a problem. You can even buy them by brand!"

"Perhaps the most amazing personal data available comes from the supermarket. If you carry a savings or bonus card, a computer somewhere knows exactly which groceries you buy. Last year more than 1.2 trillion worth of goods and services were sold by direct mail. More than half of that was sold directly to consumers. So the information stakes are high.

Direct-mail marketers have discovered that the way to combat their arch enemy -- the cost of stamps and printing -- is to buy the very best mailing list they can find. They test and refine and research and cross-reference, in all in search of increasing the response rates to their mailings by a 10th of a point."

What's interesting about this point, is that if the information is available to marketers, it's also available to identity thieves posing as marketers, and foreign governments posing as marketers (or simply hacking in). Even though Seth Godin's Permission Marketing was published in 1999, the implications of this, and the potential for abuse of the system, are huge.

Of course, we all know that our information is bought and sold. I think you're delusional or misinformed if you don't understand what's happening with your information. However, I've never seen it stated in such a clear way as Seth Godin did here in his book, which shows what a danger and a threat this is to us, with identity thieves becoming more and more sophisticated all the time.

If anyone has any suggestions for ways to get your name and info out of these databases, please post them using the comments field below.

Police arrested a man on charges of Identity Theft and forgery, but when they started going through his computer, they found connections to child pornography.

I've long said that the ethics of someone who would live on the hard work and credibility of someone else's name is likely to be the kind of person who would commit crimes other than identity theft.

Even knowing that from the outset, even before I started this site over 4 years ago, this hurts my heart, and it bothers me to even be the one bringing this news into your day.

But if we can do some good by getting the word out sharing this news (however terrible), and helping to track down the people who may have these kids and be doing who knows what with them, then this will have been worthwhile to pass along.

The news story is below if you want to watch it.

Mostly, if you have been to, or live in, Oregon and can identity anything that is in the pictures and video below, your information can be very valuable to Oregon police.

Does anything/anyone in any of the pictures below look familiar to you?

Andrew Kowalczyk is the suspected identity thief that was arrested, and whose computer they found pictures on...

These women are somehow related to the suspected identity thief (maybe the mothers of the children?) potentially involved somehow in the child pronography...

Background:

The investigation started when a Portland man, identified by police as 33-year-old Andrew Kowalczyk, was arrested at a Puyallup motel on Dec. 27 on suspicion of forgery and identity theft.

Police said they believe he lived in the motel room and used his computer and other equipment to forge documents.

According to authorities, Kowalczyk has an extensive criminal history that includes assault and threatening others with a gun. Kowalczyk was booked into the Pierce County Jail

Puyallup police said they hoped someone can help identify which hotel the pictures were taken in and that the information will lead them to the children. Investigators said they believe the children are endangered and could possibly be in Oregon or Washington.

Anyone with information is urged to call Puyallup police at 253-841-5421.

If you are in Oregon or Washington, or if you know anyone in Oregon and Washington, please forward this along and ask for their help in getting these children out of harm's way.

Again, sorry to bring you such terrible news, but perhaps through the power of the network of amazing individuals connected with Identity Theft Secrets, we can help the Oregon police.

(If this video runs an ad, it's being controlled by the news station, and please accept my apologies. I think that they should remove advertising from a story as serious as child pornography related to an identity thief, but apparently they don't agree.)

TrustedID is a credit monitoring service that does online and TV/Radio promotions around their guarantee to provide one million dollars of identity theft insurance, the ability to limit who sees your credit report, review who has seen your credit report (i.e. is it being reviewed by people you trust), and it also gives you free search engine searches, to determine if your social security number has been compromised. If you would like to have these protections, you may want to take a look at TrustedID, which markets themselves as a different kind of consumer credit protection service.

TrustedID is one of many credit monitoring, identity theft protection companies available to consumers that is available independently and not through one of the three major credit reporting agencies of TransUnion, Experian, or Equifax. It is located in Redwood City, CA and you may visit their website or call 1.888.548.7878 for additional information regarding their company.

TrustedID's credit monitoring service has been featured in such publications as Time, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Newsweek. Its services have also been featured online at CNNMoney.com and CNBC. It is recognized by the Identity Theft Resource Center.

As of Jan. 2008, the price for this service was discounted from its regular price of 154.95 to 104.95 for a yearly subscription, providing the subscriber with a $50.00/year savings (Use Promo Code). Subscribers may also purchase the services of TrustedID on a short term basis for $12.95 a month, with the subscription ending upon non payment or cancellation.

TrustedID's service utilizes the new "credit freeze" laws which, as of November 2007, have been enacted in all 50 states. These laws allow consumers to place a "freeze" or block on their credit information. By freezing their credit information, no new credit may be obtained in their name unless a freeze is thawed - the appropriate term is lifted- by the consumer themselves through a series of security questions and features.

The service provided by TrustedID is aptly named, "IDFreeze." The features for this service include:
- credit card monitoring; so that you are informed if there has been any activity that may indicate your credit card information may have been compromised;
- removal of your name from marketing databases for pre-approved credit card offers, which are sent based on information provided by the three credit reporting agencies and are considered the leading cause of identity theft;
- automatic yearly credit report from all three credit reporting agencies;
- personal attention by an identity theft specialist via email or telephone;
- "Lender Double-check," credit lenders must obtain your approval by telephone before taking any action that can affect your credit; this is done through a "note" issued to Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian;
- $1,000,000 identity theft insurance through AIG and Lloyd's of London; and
- "CreditLock," a service by which consumers direct and prohibit the release of their information to third parties without their express permission (i.e. only to those whom they've entrusted with that information), and which also includes the requirement of an additional step by consumers to release their credit information prior to applying for any credit.

The premise behind this type of credit monitoring is simple. Your credit information is protected before anything happens. The three major credit reporting agencies notify you when and if something occurs on your report. You receive alerts when new credit is opened; when your credit report is viewed; or when you have negative information posted to your report. In a statement by Scott Mitic, founder of TrustedID; "The credit bureaus are in the business of selling your data," {and} "Consumer information is the new gold standard. We want to put the power back in the consumer's hands." (As reported in an interview with consumeraffairs.com). Trusted ID attempts a more proactive approach: instead of consumers waiting to hear that something has happened to their credit information, the information is not available, nor can it be made available, unless the consumer specifically requests that the information be released or that new credit be opened in their name, to a business whom they trust.

This is a bit of a misnomer on the part of TrustedID, since all of our information is already housed in databases outside of the three credit bureaus, but it's at least one step toward protecting your information.

In addition to its credit monitoring/consumer protection services, TrustedID also assists corporations and small businesses with data security breaches and lobbies Congress for stricter rules regarding who can access an individual's personal and credit information. TrustedID also provides, via the TrustedID website, a link to the Identity Theft Resource Center, as well as their own in-site versin, which offers facts and information. Their site also offers "StolenID Search," which is a tool developed by Trusted ID that allows individuals to search by social security number or credit card number to see if their information has been compromised particularly by corporate database security breaches. Videos of consumers who have been victims may be viewed online and there is also a section on frequently asked questions.

If you feel that your credit information is too readily available, and that you should have more control over when and who it is viewed by, Trusted ID may be the service for you. The current cost is less than those offered by TransUnion, Experian and Equifax, and the insurance benefits are substantially higher, according to Trusted ID, because they are so sure that their service can protect you, that ID theft insurance will not be needed if you utilize their service.

From our review of the code on TrustedID's site, it takes approximately 5 minutes to register for this service.

If you are interested in additional information about TrustedID, their corporate products, or if you wish to purchase this service at a $45 discount (using TrustedID promo code), then visit TrustedID online.

Equifax Inc. is most often recognized as being one of the top three consumer credit reporting agencies, including Experian and TransUnion.

Equifax was founded in 1899 as Retail Credit Company and is the oldest of the three agencies. By 1920 it had offices in the United States and Canada and by the 1960's protected millions of credit histories. It has now been in business for 107 years providing consumer and business services. In 1975 it changed its name to Equifax. It is traded on the New York Stock Exchange as EFX, and is a Standard and Poor's (S&P) 500 company. Although its corporate headquarters is Atlanta, Georgia, it employs 4,600 people worldwide in 13 countries and reports $1.4 billion in revenue.

During the 1960's and 1970's, Equifax came under criticism for the extensive nature of information that it was obtaining about consumers. This included information about an individual and other private parts of a person's life like marital status, employment, sex life and political affiliation. Much of the criticism was due to not only the extensive nature of the information, but the methods by which it was obtained, and their willingness to "sell" the information.

Due to the extensive (and possibly inaccurate) nature of their records, as well as the more recent computerization of the records, leading to simpler availability of this information, the U.S. Congress developed the Fair US Credit Reporting Act. This act was designed to protect consumers from the release of specific information about them, as well as limit access to such information.

The Federal Trade Commission has fined Equifax on two occassions for violations pertaining to the Fair Credit Reporting Act. All three companies (Equifax, Experian, and Trans Union) were fined $2.5 million dollars for not accepting phone call inquiries from US consumers attempting to obtain their credit report information.

In 2003, Equifax was again fined the sum of $250,000 for identical infractions of the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Additional services provided by Equifax include the sale of commercial credit reports on companies in the US, Canada and the UK, now making it a major competitor with companies like Experian and the well-known Dun & Bradstreet. Equifax has digital certification services and a payment services division. Equifax also sells credit information to the insurance industry and provides security solutions for global commerce. Its customers range from the everyday small individual consumer to large healthcare and government industries.

One of their most recent services offered to consumers is the Equifax 3-1 Monitoring System.

Equifax's 3-in-1 service costs $12.95 a month. Anyone who chooses to get this service from Equifax will get their credit report monitored at each of the three major credit bureaus (Equifax,Experian and TransUnion). The 3-in-1 deal also includes automated notification of changes to any of these three credit agency reports, the ability to customize their alerts (how often they receive them and how they receive them), and unlimited access to your Equifax Credit Report. Very nice of them to give you the "opportunity" to view your own credit. The policy also includes up to $20,000 worth of Identity Theft Insurance with no deductible (but of course there are certain limitations and exclusions which apply) and they say that you'll be able to access customer service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. (However, it's possible that the customer service may be in India.)

Consumers may chose from several different additional services. One of these is "Score Power" which also: provides access to your FICO score (credit score), an explanation of that your score means, how credit lenders perceive your credit information, a comparison of your score, and the ability to use the Equifax online dispute feature (for free) to dispute errors on your credit report. ScorePower also provides an "Interactive Score Simulator" that shows you how a certain financial decision (to purchase a car for example) may change your credit score. Add-on services currently range in price from $8.95 to $39.95, depending on the features and benefits you choose.

The 3-in-1 policy has some very nice options including the identity theft insurance policy as well as the ability to customize your alerts. This service does provide access to all three credit reports as well as the instant gratification of viewing your report online immediately upon registering for the service, as well as the convenience of having all your credit monitoring, dispute and insurance products in one package. However, some consumers may feel that the price of $12.95 a month ($155.40 for the year) is not a good value.

If you are interested in purchasing this product or would like additional information about other products and services visit Equifax online.