"Minimize Your Risk"
In the course of a busy day, you may write a check at the grocery store, charge tickets to a ball game, rent a car, mail your tax returns, call home on your cell phone, order new checks, or apply for a credit card. Everyday transactions that you may never give a second thought to are an identity thief's bread and butter. Each of these transactions requires the sharing of personal information: your bank and credit card account numbers; your income, Social Security number and name, address and phone numbers, to name a few. While you can't prevent identity theft, you can minimize your risk by managing your personal information wisely.
Catching Identity Theft Early
Sometimes an ID thief can strike even when you've been very careful. One of the best ways to catch identity theft is to regularly check your credit record. Order your credit report from each of the three major credit bureaus each year and make sure all the information is correct. Also, follow up with creditors if your bills do not arrive on time. A missing credit card bill could mean an identity thief has taken over your credit card account and changed your billing address to cover his tracks.
The above two paragraphs came from the U.S. government's central website for information about identity theft.
CAUTION - Identity theft can come from so many possible places, including the Internet:
We go to great lengths to keep all of your personal information private and you can rest assured that we do not sell or give out your personal information (except your email address to the shipping companies we use as you will receive an email message with shipping tracking information - you can ask us to not provide these shippers and we will follow your wishes) to anyone else.
We believe that when you provide us with your credit card information, etc. it is safer and you have less risk with us than when you give your credit card to places where your information is available to many people, such as at many gas stations, retail stores, restaurants, etc.. Our place of business is secure and totally away from non employees having the potential of seeing your personal information. We have also seen many large companies selling personal information to others and you can be sure, we do NOT do that. We never have and we never will!
Google sued over Android data location collection
Two Michigan women are suing Google over location data collected by Android devices, a week after Apple was named in a lawsuit citing privacy violations. The matter first came to light when two researchers said they had discovered that these phones collects and logs current and historical information without user permission or warning, and stores it unencrypted on the device.
Hackers claim to have stolen PSN (PlayStation Network) credit card information
Sony warned its more than 70 million customers that their personal information -including credit cards, names, addresses, email addresses, birthdays, network passwords, and user names- was obtained illegally by an "unauthorized person".
CONSUMER ALERT!:
Internet Account Updates:
If you receive an e-mail request that appears to be from your Internet Service Provider (ISP) stating that your 'account information needs to be updated' or that 'the credit card you signed up with is invalid or expired and the information needs to be reentered to keep your account active,' do not respond without checking with your ISP first. According to information received by the FTC, THIS MAY BE A SCAM."
The above is also from the U.S. government's central website for information about identity theft.
