The Canadian Guide To Protecting Yourself From Identity Theft And Other Fraud

Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in North America-it is an epidemic. They can steal your identity, your money, and your valuable assets. This book describes all of the common schemes, techniques, and technology used by criminals to commit identity theft and fraud.

In this timely offering, Lisa Wojna discusses how to 1) recognize scams 2) protect yourself from falling victim to these scams 3) how to recover from being victimized.In the first six months of 2011, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre reported 1988 complaints of identity theft and 8653 complaints of identity fraud, representing more than double the number of complaints in the respective categories for the entire 2010 calendar year. In dollars, those complaints add up to a staggering $7,108,385.30 for the first six months of 2011 alone.Sources suggest that as many as one in six Canadians will be victims of identity theft during their lifetime. In some cases the appropriation of someone’s identity might go unnoticed for years, making it almost impossible to identify the perpetrator. Some victims lose everything they have, and everyone touched by identity theft feels violated.This book examines how criminals target their victims, how they collect personal information, what they do with that information, why identity theft is so profitable and the many types of fraud related to identity theft. It also explains how individuals can safeguard their information, ways to identify if your information has been violated, and what to do if you are a victim of identity theft.

Identity theft can destroy your reputation, deplete your bank accounts, and do serious damage to your financial future. You need a complete solution to prevent it, detect it, and recover from it when it happens. James LaPiedra clearly outlines the problem and explains how to: - assess your current risk factors; - reduce your vulnerability; - proactively monitor for suspicious activity; - respond quickly to restore a compromised identity. The thieves just don't want cash: They'll take your social security number, driver's license, health plan, credit, and anything else they can get their hands on. Even worse, identity theft is easier than ever because of the proliferation of sharing personal information on the Internet. By learning how real people become victims, you'll be able to minimize your chances of becoming a victim and take the proper steps if you're targeted. Protect yourself, your family, and your future with Identity Lockdown.

Identity theft is the UK's fastest growing crime. It affects individuals, government departments and private sector organisations and is estimated already to be costing the UK economy around GBP 2 billion per annum.With just a few of your personal details, criminals can open bank accounts, claim benefits, obtain credit cards, loans and mortgages and apply for passports and driving licences - all in your name. They can also gain access to your existing accounts and if you become a victim, you may be blacklisted by financial providers until the situation is fully resolved.Reclaiming your identity and restoring your financial status can be lengthy, time consuming and emotionally draining. Your identity is an extremely valuable commodity that should be safeguarded at all times but many people are unaware about how to fully protect themselves.This book gives thorough, practical, help and advice about how to protect your identity. It contains valuable guidance on what to do if your identity is stolen, and where to get further assistance. AUTHOR BIOG: Matthew Record is an experienced media researcher and successful author. He was driven to research the subject of identity theft to protect himself and his family from what has quickly become the UK's fastest growing crime. During his research he realised that there was not a single comprehensive source to find out about what identity theft is, how to protect yourself or what to do if you become a victim. His book seeks to address the balance by providing a comprehensive and practical guide to protecting you from identity theft and its damaging consequences. CONTENTS: 1. What is identity theft? 2. Protecting yourself 3. Keeping your computer safe 4. Using the internet safely 5. Identifying if you are a victim 6. Reporting identity theft Jargon buster Useful addresses Useful indentity fraud protection websites Index.

Credit for Canadians: Fix your own credit report, Protect Yourself from Identity Theft provides step-by-step instructions to enable anyone to fix mistakes on their credit report, avoid credit repair scams, improve their credit score, handle annoying collection calls, negotiate with creditors, re-establish credit, get loans approved, and protect themselves from Identity Theft. Much of the printed and internet information about credit and credit repair currently available is not relevant to Canadians. But this book, written by Canadian credit industry insider Mike Morley, "Mike the Credit Guy" gives Canadians the facts. The author uses clear, easy-to-understand language to guide people who are looking for ways to recover from a financial setback, put their plan for financial freedom on the fast track, or simply understand how the Canadian credit industry works.

"Proactively organizes, simplifies, and demystifies the entire issue of identity theft and computer fraud into bite size chunks to make you, your family, employees and small business safe and secure. Learn the difference between scareware, ransomware and spyware. Understand what is a black hat, cracker, script-kiddie and hacktivist. Know how to protect your identity online and in the physical world." --Page [4] cover.

It could happen when you make a routine withdrawal from an ATM, respond to an e-mail asking for information about an online account, or leave a new box of checks unattended in your mailbox. Identity theft is one of the easiest crimes to commit in America—and one of the hardest to prosecute. As thieves become increasingly clever, Americans have more reasons than ever to fear this elusive, ubiquitous crime. Now there’s a book to help you beat it. In two easy-to-understand sections, Terri Cullen, The Wall Street Journal’s expert on identity theft, first walks you through the most common types of identity theft and how to arm yourself against them, and then leads victims step-by-step through the process of reclaiming a stolen identity. The average victim loses more than $6,000 and spends approximately 600 hours negotiating the complex bureaucracies and paperwork—this book will help save time and effort by laying out the process. And by following the advice in the first half, you may never need the second! You’ll learn: • how to avoid the most common scams, from “phishing” to “dumpster diving” • why children under eighteen are the fastest-growing target, and how you can protect your family • why your credit report is the single most important document for protecting your identity • how to use the sample letters, forms, and other useful tools inside for recovering from identity theft In today’s marketplace, your two most valuable assets are your credit and your identity. No one should be without this vital guide to protecting them.