The list grows longer every day. Financial misconduct has become the biggest subject this year and more people are being victimized in this tough economy. Protect yourself from scams, many of which have been around for years.
Identity Theft may only cost a few dollars because of credit card liability limitations ($50 to $500 generally) you may spend years clearing your name.
as noted by About.com:
The problem is prolific. A report on identity theft by the U.S. Department of Justice is worth reading:
At Home.
On Travel.
The Federal Trade Commission also lists things you can do:
Skilled identity thieves may use a variety of methods to get hold of your information, including:
- Dumpster Diving. They rummage through trash looking for bills or other paper with your personal information on it.
- Skimming. They steal credit/debit card numbers by using a special storage device when processing your card.
- Phishing. They pretend to be financial institutions or companies and send spam or pop-up messages to get you to reveal your personal information.
- Changing Your Address. They divert your billing statements to another location by completing a change of address form.
- Old-Fashioned Stealing. They steal wallets and purses; mail, including bank and credit card statements; pre-approved credit offers; and new checks or tax information. They steal personnel records, or bribe employees who have access.
- Pretexting. They use false pretenses to obtain your personal information from financial institutions, telephone companies, and other sources. For more information about pretexting, click here.
The State of Hawaii has enacted new laws to protect the public from this form of finacial misconduct:
Last May, Governor Linda Lingle signed into law several bills which will provide increased protection to Hawaii residents from identity theft. Several of these bills will directly impact Hawaii businesses. Act 135, Notification of Security Breaches, will require businesses and government agencies that keep confidential personal information about consumers to notify those consumers if that information has been compromised by an unauthorized disclosure; Act 136, Destruction of Personal Information, will require businesses and government agencies to take reasonable measures to protect against unauthorized access to an individual’s personal information when disposing of the records they keep; and Act 137, Social Security Number Protection, will restrict businesses and government agencies from disclosing consumers’ Social Security numbers to the general public. All of these bills share a common goal: to protect individuals from exposure to identity theft by imposing limitations and restrictions on the use and disclosure of personal information.
Education is the key to protecting yourself and your family from fraud.
