It is very easy to download, user friendly and it guides us how to install Norton confidentiality. We need to follow only the instruction. Norton confidentiality provides a lot of facilities like protecting us from security threats.
How identity theft occurs
Identity theft is a rapid growing crime in all over the world. It is very easy to consign that even simple criminals can steal your identity.
- Personal information can be stolen from corrupt employee
- Most of them throw away their personal details by careless, especially business people.
- Personal information is mostly sold by the brokers to the criminals. The criminals misuse the personal details very effective.
- Sometimes information can be accessed by friends, roommates, family members, and neighbours and so on.
In simple term identity theft is a crime. Identity theft and identity fraud means refer to all type of criminal conviction like using other’s personal information. The report will give you clear cut idea about what is identity and identity fraud and how to avoid this crime.
We should not give out our personal data, social security number, date of birth, your credit or debit number, your telephone calling card or some other valuable identity. If any of your information falls in to the hands of hackers, they might misuse your information in many ways. In United States, Canada and United Kingdom many people complain that the unauthorized person have taken funds out of their bank of financial accounts, there are some worst cases, taken the information of identity and running up in vast debts and committing crime by using the victim’s names.
How identity theft exactly happening?
Spyware
These are program that install themselves on your computer without your permission and collect personal data. The Spyware get install them without your permission and get stored in your hidden files, your program files and in the complete download. Not only on those files might it get stored anywhere in your computer. Spyware can infect your system in many different ways. Some people might not realise that there computer affected by Spyware. If they use any of there personal details, card details and the social security number when there is Spyware on there computer that could be more useful for the hackers to steal there complete details. This is one of the identity thefts in web application. They can even take the personal details from cookies, temporary internet files folder, web browsing history, and scanning documents on the computer’s hard disc. The main purpose is to theft of passwords and financial details. Spyware might collect lot of information and track the user visits websites and then send it to the advertising agencies. Spyware is one the reason for the identity theft in web application
Telephone
The identity theft can be happen in telephone. There are so many real incidents happen via telephone identity theft. It is easy to hack the telephone number; so many hackers can call you up and for the personal details. They are so many hackers call up and tell you that I am calling from ‘x’ company and we have plenty of offers and they will ask you to get registered in their company, some people might not realize that he is a hacker, so in that case they will give their personal details and the card details. So this information is more than enough for the hackers to utilize our details in different ways to buy things in internet. So this kind of incidents happening almost every seconds, every minutes and every day.
The identity theft is on the rise because it is becoming increasingly easier for people to do. A scam that often snags senior citizens is the telephone scam. The scammer can contact the senior citizen by calling from bank or other business. Then the person is asked to give the account information on the telephone. The people use their landline phone or cell phone to give their card details sometimes it is possible for third parties to listen the conversation.
The identity theft via telephone is mostly affected by senior citizens told by ‘Trooper David Wargo’ from ‘Oil City Rotary club’.
Identity Theft in Web Application
The most common frauds identified by NPR’s Report are shown in the graph below
The above report information is survey by NPR’s. In this report its show the identity theft in different field that people are affected. The identity theft can be happen in different ways. They are as follows
The disclosure of stolen customer information is happening in all over the world. Here I am list out the public disclosure of identity theft in web application.
The identity fraud by the end of 2006 was up to almost 70% on the same period a year earlier according to new figures. The Credit expert Experian said between July and December last year, 2,124 people contacted its service for victims of fraud for the first time, up 69% on the second half of 2005.
The report gave by credit expert, said between July and December last year, around 2,124 people service for sufferers of fraud for the first time, and more over up to 69% on the second half of 2005.
The above report gave by metro news paper on Thursday, April 12, 2007. The information taken from the website =
The identity theft is increasing day by day, in the year of 2007 the identity fraud gone up to 70%, in London.
Identity theft a risk we can all watch for
Information from at least 45.7 million credit and debit cards of shoppers at retailers such as T.J. Maxx is currently in the hands of computer hackers. If experts are accurate, it's the largest such conciliation ever of consumer information.
Identity theft is a rising consumer threat, with additional than 9 million fatalities each year, according to the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, a nonprofits consumer information agency.
The association reported 18 data breaches in March, including the following:
A laptop computer enclosed the names, Social Security numbers and payroll information for more than 16,000 employees was stolen from Fort Monroe.
The personal information of more than 300 households -- including names, addresses, birth dates and income ranges -- were constantly posted on a public Web site between October 2006 and February as U.S. Census employees tested new software records.
We trust such government and health care agencies to safeguard the information that we give them. But glitches happen. Computer hackers exist. As companies and government search for ways to lock up the information they are given, we must examine our own habits and records, making sure we do, too.
ID THEFT
It is very important to protect your personal information from hackers, ID theft occurs when someone uses your name, address, social security number, credit card number or other personal information without your permission to commit fraud or other crimes.
What step that we need to take when our financial account information stolen?
First thing we need to inform our bank and then we have to change our password and avoid using mother’s maiden name, your date of birth, the last four digits of your social security number, or series of consecutive numbers like 1234 or something like that.
Identity fraud statistics
The below information clearly says that how people getting affected by identity theft.
The below information taken from ID Theft Protect
The above table clearly evaluate about identity theft and identity fraud statistics in UK and almost most of the developed country.
What steps that we need to prevent identity theft?
- Shredder is an effective way to destroy your personal information. We can buy a cross cutter shredder anywhere in UK and it won’t cost us that much may be around £70 to £80. Shred all your personal information, pre approved credit application received in your name and any financial information that provide access to your personal information and don’t forget to shred your credit card receipt.
- Be careful of “Dumpsters Diving” we should throw anything which someone could become you. Anything which is related to your identifier should be shredded before you through away.
- We should be careful while we withdraw money from ATM, we should always watch our shoulders. If someone gets your pin number without knowledge they can access your account.
- Try to get delivered all your checks to your bank not to your home address
- If you ordered any credit card in mail or your previous card have expired note the date and make sure you get your card on time, in case if you don’t get your card on time call credit card grantor ask them whether the card is delivered. You need to find if any change of address filed if you don’t received the card or billing statement.
- It is safe to cancel all your credit card which you’re not using it, because it is easy for the thief to use it.
- You should put passwords for all your account and don’t your mother’s maiden name or your date of birth. Make up some very effective words that the hackers cannot crack it.
- In your house or a flat try to get a post office box or a locked mail box, because that could more effective to secure all your letters.
- Always ask your financial institutions, doctors, solicitors, what they doing with your private information and ask them to shred it and protect your private information
- Never ever keep your credit card and social security number in your wallet; always keep your wallet safe. Don’t carry your identifier, social security number, passport with you, if not required.
- Be aware if any one calls you at your home or at your work places make sure you don’t give any of your personal details to he/she.
- Don’t never ever put your telephone number or your mobile number on your checks.
- Be aware that you get your credit cards and business cards with your photo on them
- Never ever type your credit card account number on the internet unless it is encrypted on a secured website. As well as for no reason put your account number on the outside of envelops, or on your checks.
- Whenever you’re asked to identify yourself anywhere in bank, schools, university, and at your employer’s, ask them to have an alternative social security number.
- Always keep on eye on your bank statement, all your credit card statement. Make sure you getting your statement on time. If you have any doubt on the statement immediately call your bank and make sure that is truly yours. You should be very careful with you bank statement and your credit card statement. If any statement that you feel not required shredder it.
- Make sure you order credit report at least twice or thrice a year. Check your credit report properly if you see any fraud on your report immediately put a fraud alert on your report.
Spyware Removal
These are program that install themselves on your computer without your permission and collect personal data. This could be one of the identity thefts. So to avoid Spyware from your computer you could buy Spyware removal. It is available in almost all the IT store in London. The best Spyware removal is Spy Sweeper. It is one of the effective software to remove Spyware from your computer. This Spy Sweeper program will take off all the malicious, keep your data very safe and it protect from File transfer, transferring music, photo and any other files. There is another Effective anti-Spyware software is Microsoft windows defender. It is available from Microsoft website and it is free to download. It will clear all the Spyware, Adware, and other kind of Spyware in your computer. Microsoft windows defender is an effective Spyware to protect your computer. It will block the cookies, active X, BHOs, registry back up, and live monitoring for internet explorer page, monitor registry changes, tracking cookies monitoring and process monitoring. It will scan the entire system and keep your computer up to date. It will check your computer regularly and remove the Spyware and Adware from your system. This software has an inclusive database of the mainly commonly for the most part found Spyware, which are detected and can be deleted immediately.
So Spyware is one of the ways for the identity theft in the web. If you don’t want to be a victim for identity theft you could download any one of the effective anti-virus software like spy-sweeper, Microsoft windows defender and Norton anti-virus to protect yourself from identity theft.
There is an effective Spyware, Adware, virus and Dialers remover available on the internet. “Panda Soft” is a kind of Anti-virus removal it can scan your computer and remove all your Spyware from your computer. It is very user friendly and easy to use.
Conclusion
In the above report I told clearly about what is privacy on the web and identity theft, and how it’s happening in web application and what are the steps to be taken to protect you from identity theft. So identity theft is happening everywhere in the world and we need to be aware of ourselves not to be a victim.
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