JD: Protect your personal data at all times. The fact is that the more someone knows about you, the easier it is for them to harm you, people you know, or your place of business. That guy at the bus stop might seem friendly, but could just be sizing you up to see if your skull would fit the others in his collection. Or, more realistically, an employee of X company that you ticked off because you didn't buy the extended warranty and now they're going to get punished by their management might look up your address and slash your tires.
JB: Is purchasing online safe?
JD: I don't really have any issue with purchasing online, but be careful about which companies you do it with. Research them first via review sites, a Google (or other search engine) search, and friends (if they've used the site). Always pay with credit card NOT debit since there are federal protections on credit purchases, but not for debit.
JB: What can we do in and around our home to prevent ID theft?
JD: First, watch for RFID technology to become more commonplace. The industry is trying to get them into a variety of consumer products so they can better assess the things you buy and how you use them with casual scans of your house, your trash, or your person.
Second, don't use shopper reward cards or at least use fake data. The store will still get valuable statistics on shopping trends, but they won't be able to profile and send you junk advertisements. If you really trust the company, perhaps you can allow them to have the data and you might get ads for stuff you really want, but I think it's far more likely that they'll sell the data to someone who will use it in a less beneficial manner (less beneficial to you anyway).
Certainly shred your document (using the smallest output shredder possible) and be cautious about advertising the things you buy by leaving the product boxes at the curb. When you have company over, make sure your documents, ID, and such are not in obvious places. The vast majority of ID theft is committed by family/friends.
Article comments
1 - Mark Davis
I understand how Jeremy can offer this advice since it's the same information that 98% of the folks out there think is Identity Theft, and really it's only about 26%, and only one of five areas of Identity Theft!
According to the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) there are five areas of Identity Theft - 1) DMV Identity Theft. This is where a person gets your ID and then gets a drivers license with their picture and your info on it. This can be done for under $30.00, from several website on the internet, and these are almost undetectable even by law enforcement because they have all of the holographic symbols and electronic strips. The ID thief then gets a ticket with you info and they don't show up for court, YOU now have a bench warrant out for your arrest, and you don't even know it until you are stopped for a simple traffic ticket, and you then find yourself face down on the hood of your car being arrested. 2) Social Security Identity Theft. There are nearly 40 MILLION Illegal emigrants in the US, who want jobs, and in order to get a job, they need a social security number, and they can purchase yours for under $50.00. They get a 1099 job with you social security number, and do you think that they are going to pay taxes on their income??? The IRS then sends you a letter demanding the taxes that their records show you owe. They then levy you paychecks and seize you bank account. I have lived through this nightmare, and then you have to prove that you’re you, and that your not the person that owes this money. 3) Medical Identity Theft. This is the fastest growing area of Identity Theft; this is where someone uses your insurance information to have medical procedures done in your name. A friend of mine was affected by this in the following way. He had a person get an AIDS test done in his name, and it came back that the thief was HIV Positive, this information was then entered into my friends MIB (Medical Information Bureau) record. My friend was then in an accident and was taken to a hospital who refused to treat him because his records showed that he was HIV Positive!!! 4) Character/Criminal Identity Theft. I don't think that I need to convince you why a criminal would want to have your ID, especially if they were a pedophile. They are limited to where they can live. 5) Financial Identity Theft. This is the type that most people are aware of, this isn't were someone gets your credit card info, or your bank account info, it's where they open up new accounts that you are not aware of, and according to the FTC, if there are charges, you have 30 days to refute the charges, or you owe them!!! If you don't know about the account, how can you refute the charges???
Who are you going to call? CityBank? LifeLock? These companies don't cover all area of Identity Theft; they are only credit monitoring services. There is only ONE company out there that have licensed investigators who will COMPLETELY RESTORE your Identity, and that is Pre-Paid Legal Services, with the Identity Theft Shield!!!
I have been a victim of Identity Theft, I have tried several different programs out there, and have put Pre-Paid Legal membership to the test and have proved that they work, and all of the people that I work daily with who have also been victims.
2 - Jamison
What a great promotion for yourself (judging from your URL, you not only put pre-paid legal services to the test, but you administered the test yourself).
Borderline Spam Comment as laid out in the "Comment Policy", but in any case, thanks for the comment.
3 - Mike
That was great information by Jeremy Duffy, but he did only spell out part of the identity theft problem. Its a whole lot more than what he wrote.
And Jamison - I gained just as much insight into ID Theft in the previous comment as I did to your interview with Mr. Duffy. Thanks!
4 - Jamison
Yes, ID Theft is a much larger problem than what Mr. Duffy talked about, but he is an awareness advocate to mostly people who have no clue about this sort of stuff. His target audience would be that group of people who see an email from their "bank" that starts out with "Dear bank member" and think it really is from their bank.
People like me and him know that ID theft and other scams can run much more deeply than discusses here, but I know as well as he does (Since I work at a school and encounter many parents and teachers with the same basic questions) that there is a need out there to teach people m any of the BASICS. And his awareness advocacy program does that.
Teach the clueless the basics, then move them up.
Thanks for the comment Mike, if Mark wants to promote his services and teach the masses a greater portion of ID Theft and it's dangers, anyone of us blogcritics writers (including myself) would be happy to conduct an interview with him. He will get more promotion that way than by commenting. We welcome your solicitations for an interview Mark.
5 - Jeremy Duffy
For those who bring up the point that I'm only covering a partial aspect of ID theft, you're right. I'm a computer and technology guy and focus on what I know. If I was aware of a simple answer to some of those other kinds of problems, I would promote it as as well, but the only thing I can currently recommend is to be as private with your information as possible to limit the spread and get a credit freeze to prevent people from getting credit in your name.
From what I see, while those other options are possible, they are far less likely and far easier to prove you weren't involved with than a simple fake credit account.
Other than that, pushing your state to pass strong data protection laws or a federal law outlawing data brokering would be a GREAT start.