Identity Theft Crisis

Identity fraud is a crime that costs all of us. As measures have been increased in recent years to mitigate identity fraud, so too has the level of sophistication of the fraudulent acts. Persons that were dedicated to committing fraud had the upper hand for some time, but technology is now catching up to these predators.

Identity Authentication Goes Digital:

Like many forms of communication, a transition is occurring to move paper records to a digitally stored format. Paper identification methods had a downside of being open to tampering. For a while predators where keeping pace with advances in paper record security, in particular home office technology allowed the criminal element to keep up with changes in state-issue ID cards. To stay ahead of criminals seeking to commit identity fraud you need to have an ID authentication process in place. Moving from a dependency of paper to a streamlined digital system is one way identity fraud risk patterns can be identified and mitigated.

The Case to Move Away from Human Error:

Paper forms of identifying a person rely heavily on the skills and ability of a human to identify potential fraud and risk. Training personnel can help with fraud caused by paper records, but there is still an accepted level of human error that is permitted. By placing less reliance on humans to perform an ID check and more reliance on digital technology, the human error factor is reduced and higher efficiency rates can be achieved.

The Case to Move towards Digital ID Authentication:

Moving away from a paper-based identity verification system to one that is digital is a matter of accuracy. By providing your customers with a digital form of identity authentication you are providing better customer service and an added benefit of lower costs because the digital system through increased accuracy can further reduce costs that are passed on by identity fraud. Moving towards a digital ID authentication system means the addition of hardware and software can replace the human error factor that occurs by human-only verification.

The Case to Utilize Fingerprint Biometrics:

Fingerprint biometrics are a leading digital technology that can be utilized in digital identity authentication. Those in a point of service setting that use fingerprint biometrics do so by scanning a customer’s ID through a system and instructing the customer to use a keypad to match fingerprints with a stored fingerprint identity. Fingerprint biometrics help increase the chances that the person in front of you presenting an ID is that ID’s true identity. The result is an ability to capture and link fingerprints to a single ID record, which will increase fraud prevention and help ensure fraudsters do not attempt to use multiple identities.

The Case to Implement Biometric Verification:

Those in a point of service setting pay for fraud twice, once stemming from the initial act of fraud and a second time as a result of cost of goods, services and even insurance rates increases. Biometric verification can help resolve the problem of ID fraud and provide the point of service person that the customer presented is the actual person represented on the ID. The benefit of a biometric verification is that legitimate multiple IDs can be linked to a single person through one unique biometric fingerprint records. The additional benefit is that this unique biometric fingerprint can not be utilized in multiple fraudulent IDs.

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Identity theft and identity fraud are the fastest growing crime in the world. Identity theft and identity fraud are terms used to refer to all types of crime in which someone wrongfully obtains and uses another person’s personal data in some way that involves fraud or deception, typically for economic gain. Unlike your fingerprints, which are unique to you and cannot be given to someone else for their use, your personal data

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Tips to keep your identity safe and away from fraud . Lear the things you need to surf smartly and how to dispose of confidential us mail.

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Identity theft is a crime used to refer to fraud that involves someone pretending to be someone else in order to steal money or get other benefits. With the digital age, identity theft is a major problem world-wide involving BILLIONS of dollars in theft. The term is relatively new and is actually a misnomer, since it is not inherently possible to steal an identity, only to use it. But, that’s not the direction I want to go.

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When it comes down to your financial future, there is nothing more important then protecting yourself from identity fraud. This is because is it your job and your job only to prevent identity theft in order to make sure that everything goes smoothly for you in the future.

Identity fraud is nothing to take lightly as it can turn a persons world completely upside down in a matter of moments. There have been cases where credit cards, car loans, and even mortgage loans have been taken out in a persons name through identity fraud.

Sometimes the people doing the identity fraud can be caught and other times they are not. But the faster you notice something is wrong and take action, the better the chances will be that the thief gets caught.

There is never a reason that you should not take action, even if you know the person who is using your credit. Never let the wrong doings of someone else cause you financial trouble. Your future is completely in your hands and that is why it is so important that you take identity fraud seriously.

Steps You Should Take:

While it may seem like common sense, you should never release your social security number to anyone over the phone. Not only could the person on the other end be taking that information to use it for identity fraud, but also if you are on a cellular phone or a cordless, there could be hundreds of people listening to your social security number.

Never keep your social security card in your wallet either as that is just the thing someone who is into identity fraud would love to see. Try to remember to watch your surroundings as well and never leave your wallet or purse out of sight so that it is not stolen from you.

Keep an eye out on your credit report so that you can quickly identify any changes on your report that you had nothing to do with. Identity fraud will first show signs on your credit report and it is these agencies that basically control your future and whether or not you will ever get credit or another job again.

And that is another thing to consider, identity fraud cannot only affect your credit rating but it can control whether or not you get a job. This is because a lot of companies are now doing credit report searches on potential employees before hiring them.

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If you have ever received a call from a collection agent claiming you owe money for a loan you don’t recall applying for, you very well could be a victim of identity fraud. All someone needs is your name, social security number, date of birth and account numbers to ruin you financially.

This information is easier to obtain that you think, and before you realize it, you are a victim of identity fraud.

There are several common ways identity fraud is carried out. Online identity theft, considered to be the most popular form of identify fraud, is only one. Another method has been nicknamed “dumpster diving,” which involves stealing mail by rummaging through someone’s garbage for identifying documents.

These often include discarded receipts and paid bills, which all have identifying information on them that thieves find useful. One method used to fight identity theft is quite simple and effective: Consumers can reduce the risk of becoming the victims of identity fraud by buying and using a paper shredder. That way, no information of potential importance leaves the house intact.

Have you ever received an email from some stranger overseas claiming that you have inherited millions of dollars but have to send them your account number so they can wire it to you? Have you ever gotten a message from your bank asking for information about you, but you know they already have all that information?

If you can answer yes to either of these questions, you may have been singled out as a potential victim of online identity theft. This identity fraud tactic is known as “phishing.” There is no trick to fighting identity fraud like this, save using common sense. If you aren’t expecting an email from a trusted source or if you don’t know the sender, it is safer to just delete the email.

Of course, the biggest way identity theft gets perpetrated is the most recognizable. Hackers take a more direct approach to fraud. They break into computers and steal the information they need. Again, there’s a good way to fight identity theft of this type: Purchase good virus protection and firewall software to block unwanted intruders from your computer.

A series of three-year surveys that ended in 2006 show that, while there has been a decrease in the number of victims of identity fraud, the cost rose to $56 billion dollars last year. More statistics show that:

The average time a victim takes to fight identity theft is 600 hours. 3/4 of victims who responded to the survey said that the crime involved someone getting their hands on a credit card. The impact of online identity theft and identity fraud is similar to that of violent crimes for the victims.

The problem of identity fraud isn’t just in the United States. In Europe, the British have crunched some numbers, reporting that identity fraud has cost their economy a shocking 1.7 billion pounds.

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