LISTCRIME'S INTERNET PROTECTION TIPS

Listcrime is a one-stop-shop for reliable, up-to-date information about cyber crime, we at Listcrime.com want to give home users and small businesses the advice they need to use the Internet safely. For the most part, references within this web page appear as links to the actual site that the information came from. I revert to customary referencing when citing non-WWW based sources. A bibliography of any sources not linked will appears at the end of this web page.

The speed and anonymity of cyber attacks makes distinguishing among the actions of terrorists, criminals, and nation states difficult, a task which often occurs only after the fact, if at all. When it comes to the internet and internet crimes, threats like phishing, pharming, and hacking is all a form of identity theft. Identity theft can come in a variety of ways such as when someone uses your name, Social Security number, credit card number or other personal information without your permission to commit fraud or other crimes. That’s why it’s important to protect your personal information. If your personal information is accidentally disclosed or deliberately stolen, taking certain steps quickly can minimize the potential for the theft of your identity.

America’s cyberspace links the United States to the rest of the world. A network of networks spans the planet, allowing malicious actors on one continent to act on systems thousands of miles away. Cyber attacks cross borders at light speed, and discerning the source of malicious activity is difficult. America must be capable of safeguarding and defending its critical systems and networks. Enabling our ability to do so requires a system of international cooperation to facilitate information sharing, reduce vulnerabilities, and deter malicious actors.

A: Ask your bank, doctor's office, other businesses and your employer if they protect your personal information Never carry your Social Security card, Social Security number, birth certificate or passport unless necessary. Never loan your credit cards to anyone.

B: Beware of imposters. Cons may look and sound like a company or bank you do business with, but trusted merchants will never call you to obtain personal information.

C: Check your credit report regularly. It's like going to the dentist…you don't enjoy it, but doing it keeps you healthy and prevents problems later.Check if your online purchase is processed on a secure server.

D: Do not use your mother's maiden name as a password for accounts. Use !@#$%^&* in your password. Do not put your address, telephone number or driver's license number on a credit card sales receipt.

E: Every year three months get a copy of your credit report . Monitor your credit report. Look for unidentified charges. Contact www.annualcreditreport.com , or call 1-877-322-8228 for a free copy of your credit report.

F: Frequently check monthly credit card statements for charges you did not make. If monthly statements do not arrive in the mail call the lender immediately. At merchant sites, pay by credit card only. (only because no one should carry a large amount of cash)

G: Guard your financial information closely. Never give out your bank card, credit card, social security number or financial information unless you initiated the transaction and you trust the merchant.

H: Hack up old credit cards before discarding. Carry only the credit cards you plan to use. Never leave receipts at bank machines, on counters or at unattended gasoline pumps; ensure you destroy paperwork you no longer need.

I: Identifying information should not be given over the phone or the Internet to someone you do not know or on a cellular or cordless phone. Follow the steps to resist the Internet identify theft technique "Phishing and Pharming"

J: Just in case you have credit cards you do not use, store them in a safe place. Cancel the accounts if you will not use them again.

K: Keep your financial records out of sight. Burglars are just as interested in credit cards, bank accounts and investment statements as they are in your jewelry and other valuables.

L: Lock your "valuables". Keep a fire safe for important documents such as wills, titles, financial information, passports and social security cards.

M: Memorize your passwords and PINs. Never keep them with cards, your wallet, your car or other identifying information. There is legislation limiting your liability in the event your credit card number is stolen. This legislation does not limit your liability for debit cards, bank accounts or other payment accounts and methods.

N: Need to keep a list, in a safe place, of all credit cards and bank accounts including the account numbers, phone numbers and expiration dates.

O: Opt-out, If you are not interested in pre-approved credit offers, opt-out using the telephone number in our resource section.

P: Protect your snail mail. Pick it up promptly, have it picked up when you're away, and if possible, get a secure, locked mailbox. Immediately report lost or stolen credit cards, and any discrepancies in your monthly statements, to the credit card issuing company.

Q: Only call a known company phone number and when online, never enter a web site from an email—type the known URL into your browser. Never provide personal information such as Social Security Number (Social Insurance Number in Canada), date of birth, credit card numbers or PIN over the telephone unless you initiate the call.

R: REPEAT, Social Security numbers or phone numbers should not be put on checks.

S: Shred all offers you receive by mail. Once your trash can is on the street for pickup, it is public property, so anyone can help themselves to what's inside.

T: Tear up all personal documents before placing them in the trash! Cancel credit cards you do not use.

U: Unless your mailbox is secure, mail payments at the post office and pick up new checks at your bank .Promptly remove mail from your mailbox. Do not leave mail lying around your residence or work.

V: Verify that you have shredded financial or confidential information such as credit card pre-approvals, credit card receipts, etc. Sign all credit cards when you receive them and keep your receipt until you get your bill.

W: When you have applied for a new credit card, keep your eye on the mail and the calendar. If the card does not arrive within the appropriate time, call the credit card company.

X: Use passwords to protect your computer, PDA, phone or any device that has identity information. Avoid keeping a written record of your bank PIN number(s) and computer passwords, and never keep this information in your wallet or hand bag.

Y: If your state uses your Social Security number as your driver's license number, ask for another number. Memorize your SSN. Take your SSN card out of your wallet and store it in a safe place at home.

Z: Zero use of mail or telephone solicitations, people disguised as promotions or surveys offering instant prizes or awards. Sometimes these are designed merely to obtain your personal details. Be aware that telephone caller-id information can be faked/spoofed.

*Be aware that these measures may not entirely stop new fraudulent accounts from being opened by the imposter.

Doing business with companies you know and trust. If you haven’t heard of the company, research it or ask for a paper catalog before you decide to order electronically. Check with your state consumer protection agency on whether the company is licensed or registered. Fraudulent companies can appear and disappear very quickly in cyberspace.
Checking to see if your computer connection is secure. In Internet Explorer, for example, you should see a small yellow lock in the lower right corner of the screen. In Netscape, a secure connection is shown by a small lock highlighted in yellow in the lower left corner of the screen.
Using a secure Internet browser that will encrypt or scramble purchase information. If there is no encryption software, consider calling the company’s 800 number, faxing your order, or paying with a check.
Never giving a bank account or credit card number or other personal information such as your Social Security number and date of birth to anyone you don’t know or haven’t checked out. And DON’T provide information that is unnecessary to make a purchase. Even with partial information, con artists can make unauthorized charges or take money from your account. If you have a choice between using your credit card and mailing cash, check or money order, use a credit card. You can always dispute fraudulent credit card charges, but you can’t get cash back.

It is extremely important for you to protect your Personal Identification Number (PIN). A PIN is a confidential code that is issued to the cardholder to permit access to that account. Your PIN should be memorized, secured and not given out to anyone—even family members or bank employees. The fewer people who have access to your PIN, the better.

NEVER write your PIN on ATM or long-distance calling cards.
DON’T write your PIN on a piece of paper and place it in your wallet. If your wallet and card are lost or stolen, someone will have everything they need to remove funds from your account, make unauthorized debit purchases, or run up your long-distance phone bill.
BE SURE to take your ATM receipt to record transactions and match them against monthly statements. Dishonest people can use your receipt to get your account number.
NEVER leave the ATM receipt at the site.

AVOID providing card and account information to anyone over the telephone.
Only give your credit card account number to make a purchase or reservation you have initiated. And NEVER GIVE THIS INFORMATION OVER A CELLULAR PHONE.
NEVER give your credit card to someone else to use on your behalf.
WATCH your credit card after giving it to store clerks to protect against extra imprints being made.
DESTROY any carbons. DO NOT discard into the trashcan at the purchase counter. Keep charge slips in a safe place.
SAVE all receipts, and compare them to your monthly statement. REPORT ANY DISCREPANCIES IMMEDIATELY!
KEEP a master list in a secure place at home with all account numbers and phone numbers for reporting stolen or lost cards.

Never give anyone your user ID, PIN or password, even if they appear to be a representative of a trusted firm.
Be particularly wary of emails that appear to come from banks, credit card or other trusted companies asking you to update your security information.
Always type the web address of trusted websites into the browser yourself. Don’t click on links in emails.
Don’t enter personal or financial information unless the web address starts with ‘https://’ and there is a small padlock in the frame of the web browser window (see Pharming).
Use strong passwords.

2. Avoid fraud

If an email offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is (see advance fee fraud )
Don’t give out personal information unless you initiated the contact and you are sure you know who you’re dealing with (consumer tips).
Be wary of anything that tries to alter your dial-up internet access (see botnets).

3. Buy and sell online safely

Use a trusted means of payment that will give you some recourse in the event of fraud (see Make payments online safely).

CREDIT MONITORING SERVICES

A good identity and credit monitoring service can provide you with some peace of mind so you won't have to worry about the next data break-in or news headline about the latest instance of Internet identity theft. Beware credit monitoring is okay but if your informed you can do what they do for free. (Just aggressively monitor your credit report)

Privacy Matters states that since 1998, credit reports and identity fraud reports requested through their service have been the cornerstone of effective credit, identity and family security programs for millions of members. Now, PrivacyMatters.com ranks among the Internet's top destinations for comprehensive credit and identity theft reports, fraud monitoring tools, and timely news and tips.

You protect your home, your family, even your car, but you may not protect your most valuable asset…your identity. Now there's ID Watchdog, and you can try it for FREE! Don't take the risk that you're the next victim. You need ID Watchdog, the only patent-pending service that protects you from all forms of identity theft and is backed with a 100% guarantee. Security. Peace of Mind. Guaranteed.

Software based kit usues TrustID for alerts; claims to protect against theft of health insurance records too.

According to their mission statement they protect consumers from Identity Theft by providing them with the means of determining whether their credit card or other personal information has been compromised and help global Internet merchants reduce online fraud by identifying transactions containing compromised data.

Card Cops collect compromised data from cyberspace and make it available in "real time" to consumers and merchants. CardCops searches cyberspace for compromised credit cards & personal data and has supplied information to Visa USA, the FBI, the Secret Service, various Attorneys General offices, other law enforcement agencies and now makes this data available to individual consumers and online merchants so they may better protect themselves from identity theft and fraudulent transactions.

LifeLock is a great preventive identity theft protection service at a great price. Preventive services employ tools like setting fraud alerts on your credit file with all 3 bureaus, which means that lenders must call or write you for verification before they can issue new credit. They offer $1 million towards reimbursement, lawyers' fees, and clearing your name if your identity is ever stolen.

It's the only service that offers both identity theft protection and detection. Identity theft detection services help to detect that you have become a victim of identity theft by monitoring your credit file at all 3 credit bureaus. Identity theft protection services aim to stop identity theft from happening in the first place by setting fraud alerts on your credit file at all 3 credit bureaus, meaning a lender must take the extra step of calling you to verify your identity before processing a new application from you.

TrustedID's ID Theft Insurance covers you for up to $1,000,000 in costs to recover from identity theft. TrustedID starts with setting fraud alerts at all 3 bureaus as soon as you sign up. They have developed an automated tool to set these alerts, so they happen essentially as soon as you sign up. This service monitors the internet's black market for your credit card numbers and immediately alerts you if it finds any of your numbers are being bought or sold. TrustedID's credit offer opt out and identity theft insurance starts the moment you sign up as well.

Identity Guard has probably the lowest fees. Good Start will set and automatically renew fraud alerts at each of the three credit bureaus for you which is the most important aspect of identity theft prevention services. The combination of credit monitoring and fraud alerts at such a low price makes Identity Guard Good Start both the cheapest identity theft protection service and the cheapest credit monitoring service, not to mention the cheapest service that provides both identity theft prevention (fraud alerts) and detection (credit monitoring).

Loudsiren like the others services work by setting and renewing fraud alerts on your credit files with the three bureaus, meaning that whenever you (or a potential ID thief) applies for credit, the lender must call you to verify that it is indeed you submitting the application. Other than their automated fraud alert system, LoudSiren is very comparable to LifeLock.

Equifax Credit Watch Gold 3-in-1 Designed primarily as a service to monitor your credit reports and scores it also works very well in detecting identity theft. Equifax is giving you both the report and FICO score free just for trying their monitoring service for 30 days, so if you don't like it you can cancel and have paid nothing for your FICO score and 3-Bureau report, which you would have to pay $40 for if you bought it separately. If you're looking for an identity theft detection service and also want to keep tabs on your credit reports and scores, Equifax Credit Watch Gold 3-in-1 Monitoring Plus Score Power is a great solution.

CONSUMER PROTECTION TIPS

2. Avoid fraud

3. Buy and sell online safely

CREDIT MONITORING SERVICES