Imagine my surprise when I received a letter from the State Bar of Montana in regards to my application to take the Bar Exam, and reading the letter that basically stated, “You told us you had no delinquent accounts, but your credit report shows two credit cards that have not been paid for two years with outstanding balances of several thousand dollars.” Both delinquent accounts were fraud and it took a lot of time to clean it up and prove to the State Bar that I did not lie to them and be able to sit for the exam and then admitted as a practicing attorney in Montana.
My experiences were nothing compared to what some people have gone through after a criminal has stolen important personal information. That’s why the book “Stopping Identity Theft: 10 Easy Steps to Security” by Scott Mitic, CEO, TrustedID, Inc. is so important. This book can save people time, money, and a lot of headaches.
The description of Nolo/USA Today reads as: Nolo, the leading publisher of legal information for consumers, has teamed with USA Today, the nation’s largest circulation newspaper, to produce great books that feature up-to-date legal and financial expertise, a reader-friendly style and USA Today’s famous graphics. I found this book to be exactly that.
The book is easy to read and contains a ton of examples of identity theft and practical solutions to stop it from happening to you and those you care about, and what to do if it does happen. Chapters include:
One: Identity Theft – What’s the Problem? Information on who commits identity theft, how they do it, what they like best, and a start of how to protect yourself.
Two: Know Thy Credit Report. This chapter explains what your credit report is, what it contains, and why it is important. It provides information on who can get it, why you should get it regularly and review it, how to correct errors on it, and how to put a freeze on it if something is amiss.
Three: Keep Prying Eyes Off Your Financial Accounts. Learn about credit cards, debit cards, and checks and how to keep these accounts more secure. This chapter details many ways that thieves steal this information and how you can prevent it.
Four: Secure Your Online Presence. E-mail, Web-surfing, Instant Messaging, and Social Networking all have risks and this book shows you what they are and how to better protect yourself from Virtual Identity Theft online.
Five: Spot ID Theft Scams Before They Spot You. Foreign Money Offer Scams, Fake Survey Scams, Vishing Scams, Expired Car Warranty Scams, and Tax Scams are some of the devious methods outlined in this chapter that have cost innocent and unaware victims. I’ve deleted and hung up on quite a few of these myself, it is too bad some people have fallen for them.
Six: Be a Savvy Shopper. This chapter outlines risks and solutions to them when shopping online or in stores. Protect yourself shopping by adhering to the suggestions in this book.
Seven: Take Control of Your Data. This chapter discusses organizations that sell the data they have collected from you, and how you can minimize this and opt out of certain mail and telephone call lists. You can also learn the answer to the question, “Are you giving out more data than you need to?”
Eight: Clamp Down on Thefts of Your Health Coverage. The story of the woman who still had the person who stole her medical identity’s blood type in her hospital records is enough to want to read this chapter on preventing medical identity theft. While losing money is terrible, medical identity theft can be life threatening.
Nine: Watch Your Family’s Back. This chapter provides strategies and suggestions to help keep your kids and older people in your lives from falling victim to identity theft. If you think it is not a problem, think again, identity theft of kids and older people is on the rise.
Ten: Have a Safe Trip. This chapter contains practical advice on securing your important possessions while traveling. It provides measures to secure your property and advice as what to do in case something is lost or stolen.
Eleven: React Quickly If Your Identity Is Stolen. Read this chapter and apply the knowledge immediately upon suspecting you are a victim of identity theft. It is a good resource if something ever happens.
Twelve: Stay Ahead of the Curve. This chapter provides additional resources to help the reader stay ahead of the criminals. It is a good resource to have handy.
Some of the information in this book is quite revealing. You may wonder who would fall for some of the schemes disclosed in the text. I mean come on, we have all received things in e-mail that we know are bogus. Unfortunately many people have fallen for these tricks, and many more probably will. The amount of money that has been scammed and stolen from people is shocking.
This is a very good book for illustrating the various ways criminals are scamming people, because knowledge of these scams will help you be more aware. The book also contains some great advice on how to protect yourself and loved ones, as well as what to do if you do fall victim to identity theft. In today’s world, it is up to all of us to live more safely and stop criminals by not providing them the easy opportunities. Reading “Stopping Identity Theft: 10 Easy Steps to Security” will prepare you to live more safely.
Alain Burrese, J.D. is a mediator/attorney and an author/speaker through his own company Burrese Enterprises Inc. He teaches people to live with the warrior’s edge and make things happen through his writing and speaking on a variety of topics focusing on the business areas of negotiation and success principles as well as self-defense and safety topics. He is the author of Hard-Won Wisdom From the School of Hard Knocks, several instructional DVD’s, and numerous articles. You can find out more about Alain Burrese and read many more reviews, articles and more at his website http://www.burrese.com
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