Identity Theft on the rise; American Malayalees also victimized.

12.6 million Americans were victimized by ID theft in 2012. This is one million higher than 2011. The criminals escaped with nearly 10 billion dollars and total fraud loss is doubling year after year. Federal Trade Commission started counting victims since 2003, and the numbers are on the rise . Banks are losing control and it is your own responsibility to protect yourself from theft.

The news comes in the midst of a cascade of hacker stories this week, giving the impression cyber criminals are gaining the upper hand on many fronts, even the highly secure Pentagon, the US military head quarters was hacked. Agents working on behalf of the Chinese army have successfully attacked dozens of U.S. companies, according to a report issued yesterday by U.S. security firm Mandiant. Large U.S. media companies like New York Times have also fought off Chinese hackers, but not successfully. Burger King and Jeep suffered embarrassing Twitter account takeovers. And both Twitter and Facebook have had to announce in recent weeks that they had also been hacked.

If your purse or wallet is lost or if you find that any new account is open in your name, there are 8 steps, suggested by the US Federal Government, you need to take immediately.

Also you are entitled for a free annual credit report from the three agencies (Experian, Equifax and Transunion) once in a year. So total 3 reports (one in 4 months from each agency) can be pulled out free of cost.

It is entirely your choice whether you order all three credit reports at the same time or order one now and others later. The advantage of ordering all three at the same time is that you can compare them. (However, you will not be eligible for another free credit report from the Central Source for 12 months.) On the other hand, the advantage of ordering one now and others later (for example, one credit report every four months) is that you can keep track of any changes or new information that may appear on your credit report. So if you order from only one company today you can still order from the other two companies at a later date.

Go to https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index

Know about these 8 steps recommended by the US Federal Government and keep one copy in your car's glove box and one easily visible in your house for immediate reference. Click on the pdf link below to print or save a copy.

Post A Comment

Name
Email
Location
Title
Comment

Security Code :

		Reload for a new code

Menu

USEFUL LINKS

CONTACT US