Protect Yourself From Identity Theft Online

							Title:
Protect Yourself From Identity Theft
 Online

Word Count:
498

Summary:
When identity theft online happens,
 it can be several months before yo
u are aware that anything has happe
ned. This makes it much more danger
ous than other types of theft. If s
omeone steals your wallet, or your
car, you notice it immediately, and
 can start to take steps to protect
 yourself. When someone plants a co
okie on your computer, you don't ev
en notice it. Each time you visit a
 site, send an email, or use your c
redit card online, all the informat
ion is delivered to the e...


Keywords:
Identity theft online, identity thef
t on the internet


Article Body:
When identity theft online happens,
 it can be several months before yo
u are aware that anything has happe
ned. This makes it much more danger
ous than other types of theft. If s
omeone steals your wallet, or your
car, you notice it immediately, and
 can start to take steps to protect
 yourself. When someone plants a co
okie on your computer, you don't ev
en notice it. Each time you visit a
 site, send an email, or use your c
redit card online, all the informat
ion is delivered to the eager hacke
r. From there, he can either use th
e information himself, or sell it o
nline to anyone with the cash and t
he desire for an alternate identity
. A recent report from a major inte
rnet security firm estimates that t
he value of all your personal ident
ity data is about $18 US, and can b
e purchased on a number of internet sites

A number of computer programs are a
vailable to help you protect yourse
lf from identity theft on the inter
net. If you are considering purchas
ing a program to make your computer
 more secure, take the time to do t
he research before investing your h
ard-earned money. You want a progra
m that is frequently updated. The i
dentity theft hackers are constantl
y working on ways to out smart thes
e types of programs, and you want o
ne that is working just as hard to
protect you. Once you decide on the
 right program, be sure that you do
n't ignore the messages to download
 the latest upgrades. If you ignore
 these messages, you are refusing t
o keep your computer secure.

It is also a good idea to frequentl
y change your passwords to any site
s that hold your personal informati
on. Use a combination of letters an
d numbers, and don't use phone numb
ers, addresses, or birthdates for y
our passwords. Also, if you share y
our computers with others, or use t
he internet at work, do not check t
he remember this password prompt. T
his is an open invitation for anyon
e else that uses the computer to ha
ve full access to all your information.

If you suspect that you have become
 a victim of online identity theft,
 there are a few steps to take imme
diately. You will need to place a f
raud alert on your credit report. T
his tells creditors to take extra s
teps before opening any new credit
accounts in your name. Next, you sh
ould close any accounts that you kn
ow were opened fraudulently, or hav
e been tampered with. Also, notify
your local police, and file a repor
t with them. They will want informa
tion about how and where you think
the identity theft took place. You
can use the History button on your
internet browser to track websites
you visited recently. This will hel
p to narrow down the suspect sites.

Identity theft online is quickly be
coming a threat to all internet use
rs. Once you become a victim, your
life, and your credit rating will n
ever be the same. Take steps today
to prevent identity theft on the in
ternet from happening to you and yo
ur family.