Identity Theft Is On The Rise And If You Dont Believe It Take It From Me – I Almost Lost My Job!
CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECK
If you think, “I don’t need that” than just think about this.
Just a little about me. I am a Captain for one of the largest jet charter companies in the United States, and have been flying professionally now for 10 years. I have spent 20+ years training to be a professional pilot, and I made sure I did everything to achieve that and, more over, to make sure that I did not ruin it.
Now, I had been flying for my present company now for just about 6 months when I had the opportunity to take a transfer within the company that would bring me closer to the ones that I loved the most. For me this is what I had been wanting and hoping for from the time that I got this job. Both my daughter and girlfriend were there, and I needed to get back to be with them.
Identity Theft Protect Yourself And Be Aware
Since the beginning of the internet,” identity theft protect yourself” has been an issue for anyone who surfs for pleasure or business, and even those of us who don’t go online for any reason. Thieves who plan to steal our identities for their own profit have developed a number of scams and tricks designed to fool us into giving out personal information.
Everyone should know the most common tricks, so we all have at least a basic understanding about how identity theft works, both on and offline, in front of the computer, as well as in our everyday lives.
One of the most popular scams is called “phishing”, pronounced “fishing”, and that’s exactly what it comes down to. Thieves fish for information. Protecting yourself from identity theft means being able to decide when one of these criminals is trying to reel you in to get your personal information.
Important Document Security Regulations
At our current technological level it is easy to forget some of the security basics. Identity theft, bank fraud and other so called modern crimes have been around for some time, they just have new ways of being committed. That said, it’s a good idea for all of us to review some of the laws and regulations that are currently in place.
Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act (HIPAA)
HIPAA was enacted in 1996 and the mandatory compliance date is April 14, 2003. All hospitals, doctors, pharmacies, health plans, medical billing companies and any other business entity involved in the health care industry must comply. The rules apply to all protected health information. The Standard for Privacy of Identifiable Health Information requires that covered entities put in place administrative, technical and physical safeguards to protect the privacy of protected health information. One example given of a safeguard for the proper disposal of paper documents containing protected health information is that the documents be shredded prior to disposal. Find out more >>
Why You Need Identity Theft Protection
Why do you need protection from identity theft? If you understand how easy it is for someone to steal your identity then you will have no doubt in your mind why you need identity theft protection.
You see, for someone with ill intentions getting a hold of just a small amount of information can be damaging to you. Such items of information are your name, address and your date of birth as well as your telephone number, and of course the “big mama” piece of information, your Social Security number. This type of information is found daily by going through your trash or obtaining the information from you. You should also keep in mind that statistics have shown that at least half of the victims of identity theft knew the person who stole their identity. Therefore, it is in your best interests to keep an eye out on your identity if someone holds some type of resentment against you as well as anyone who seems a bit nosy for getting personal information from you, and you should never trust your personal information to anyone you know is an addict of any kind.
Billing Warning Signs Of Identity Theft
Being a victim of identity theft can equal financial ruin. Calls from collection agencies, bank or credit card statements with unusual transactions, or unknown bad credit showing up on your credit report are all signs of identity theft. However, some more subtle signs can give you clues before anything leads to identity theft that empties your accounts.
The first sign of identity theft could be a change in your billing cycle. When your bills stop arriving on schedule, you need to find out why. Contrary to popular belief, not all the criminals working to steal your name and money use online identity theft. You need to be concerned when there’s a change in your billing cycle.
Id Theft Part Iv
CRIMINAL VIOLATIONS
So what happens if a criminal uses your name and information when he or she gets arrested. There are procedures to correct your record within the criminal justice databases. These procedures can vary from state to state and even from county to county. Some states have enacted laws with special procedures for identity theft victims to follow to clear their names. You should check with the office of your state Attorney General , but you can use the following information as a general guide.
Identity Theft And How To Prevent It
Identity theft is on the rise as last year more than 10 million Americans were victims that cost them roughly 5 billion. It happens when someone steals your name and other confidential information (social security number, bank information, birth date, address etc) with the intention of committing fraud.
Identity theft can happen in many ways. One common way it can happen is if you don’t shred disposed bank statements or any paper documents as thieves can usually get your personal information this way. Another way is with the advent of phishing scams. Phishing scams are when you receive emails that look like they are from your bank or financial institution asking you to click on a link that takes you to a site that looks like your bank or financial institution. DO NOT ever respond to these emails instead call your financial institution directly if they need action from you.
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