Identity Theft for Dummies (ISBN - 0470565217)

291 Pages·2021·4.93 MB·English

Michael J. Arata Jr.
Security expert and Certified Fraud Examiner

Learn to:
• Recognize and avoid common scams

• Protect your personal information
offline and online

• Interpret and monitor your credit
report

• Restore your good name if you
are victimized

Identity Theft

Making Everything Easier!™

Open the book and find:

• How to understand your credit
report

• Tips on making a security plan

• How and when to complete a fraud
affidavit

• Reasons for placing fraud alerts on
your credit report

• Information you need to open or
close accounts

• Checklists and phone numbers for
reporting losses

• Sensible steps to keep you safe

• What NOT to carry

Michael J. Arata Jr. has more than 20 years of experience in security,
crisis management, business continuity, and international investigations.
He has developed and managed successful security programs for
large organizations and performed numerous credit card fraud and
embezzlement investigations.

$21.99 US / $25.99 CN / £16.99 UK

ISBN 978-0-470-56521-6

Personal Finance/General

Go to Dummies.com®

for videos, step-by-step examples,
how-to articles, or to shop!

What should I shred? How do
I read my credit report? Is it
safe to shop online? Find out!

Identity theft costs billions of dollars each year to people
just like you. This book shows you how to protect your
personal information, reveals risks you may not have
thought about, helps you learn whether you’ve already
been victimized, and explains the steps you need to take
to reclaim your good name and your good credit.

• Shred before you shed — why you should avoid placing anything
in your garbage that contains personal information

• Be vigilant — learn how to regularly monitor your bank accounts
and credit card statements

• Am I hit? — what to watch for so you can tell as soon as possible
whether your identity has been stolen

• Stick with the coffee — why a cybercafé may be a bad place to
shop online or check your bank balance

• Compare services — assess different companies that offer
identity theft protection

• Oops, they got me — know what to do first if your identity is
stolen and what information you need to have

• Cyber-wary — identify the protection you already have, whether
it’s adequate, and how to secure information on your computer

• The walls have ears — learn to stay safe in public places

Identity Theft

Arata

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Start with FREE Cheat Sheets

Cheat Sheets include

• Checklists

• Charts

• Common Instructions

• And Other Good Stuff!

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To access the Cheat Sheet created specifically for this book, go to
www.dummies.com/cheatsheet/identitytheft

by Michael J. Arata Jr.

Identity Theft

FOR
DUMmIES

‰

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Identity Theft For Dummies®

Published by
Wiley Publishing, Inc.
111 River Street
Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774

www.wiley.com

Copyright © 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form
or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as
permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior
written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to
the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, [phone], fax (978) 646-
8600. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John
Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, [phone], fax [phone], or online at
http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.

Trademarks: Wiley, the Wiley Publishing logo, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, A Reference for the
Rest of Us!, The Dummies Way, Dummies Daily, The Fun and Easy Way, Dummies.com, Making Everything
Easier, and related trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/
or its affi liates in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission.
All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc., is not associated
with any product or vendor mentioned in this book.

LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: THE PUBLISHER AND THE AUTHOR MAKE NO
REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF
THE CONTENTS OF THIS WORK AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WITH-
OUT LIMITATION WARRANTIES OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. NO WARRANTY MAY BE
CREATED OR EXTENDED BY SALES OR PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS. THE ADVICE AND STRATEGIES
CONTAINED HEREIN MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR EVERY SITUATION. THIS WORK IS SOLD WITH THE
UNDERSTANDING THAT THE PUBLISHER IS NOT ENGAGED IN RENDERING LEGAL, ACCOUNTING, OR
OTHER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES. IF PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANCE IS REQUIRED, THE SERVICES OF
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TION OR WEBSITE IS REFERRED TO IN THIS WORK AS A CITATION AND/OR A POTENTIAL SOURCE
OF FURTHER INFORMATION DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE AUTHOR OR THE PUBLISHER ENDORSES
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MAY MAKE. FURTHER, READERS SHOULD BE AWARE THAT INTERNET WEBSITES LISTED IN THIS
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WHEN IT IS READ.

For general information on our other products and services, please contact our Customer Care
Department within the U.S. at 877-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax [phone].

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2010920655

ISBN: 978-0-470-56521-6

Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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About the Author

Michael J. Arata Jr. has been in the security profession for 20 years. He has
held positions as Vice President of Corporate Security and is currently a
security consultant. He possesses the following security-related certifi cations:

Certifi ed Protection Professional (CPP)

Certifi ed Information System Security Professional (CISSP)

Certifi ed Fraud Examiner (CFE)

He holds the following degrees: a Master of Public Administration, a Bachelor
of Arts in Public Administration, and a Bachelor of Science in Fire Protection
and Safety.

Dedication

To my wife, Karla, without whose understanding and encouragement this
book would not have been written. This includes all the late nights writing
and re-writing it. Also to my son and daughter for understanding that dad
needed to spend time completing this book.

Author’s Acknowledgments

To the editors, Nicole and Jen, at Wiley Publishing. They did a great job in
making sure the book’s information was easy to understand.

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Publisher’s Acknowledgments

We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments at http://dummies.custhelp.com.
For other comments, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 877-762-2974,
outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax [phone].

Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:

Acquisitions, Editorial

Project Editor: Nicole Sholly

Executive Editor: Bob Woerner

Copy Editor: Jennifer Riggs

Technical Editors: SaberGuard Identify Theft
Solutions and IDEXPERTS

Editorial Manager: Kevin Kirschner

Editorial Assistant: Amanda Graham

Sr. Editorial Assistant: Cherie Case

Cartoons: Rich Tennant
(www.the5thwave.com)

Composition Services

Project Coordinator: Katherine Crocker

Layout and Graphics: Samantha K. Cherolis,
Christine Williams

Proofreader: Bonnie Mikkelson

Indexer: Estalita Slivoskey

Publishing and Editorial for Technology Dummies

Richard Swadley, Vice President and Executive Group Publisher

Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher

Mary Bednarek, Executive Acquisitions Director

Mary C. Corder, Editorial Director

Publishing for Consumer Dummies

Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher

Composition Services

Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services

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Contents at a Glance

Introduction ................................................................ 1

Part I: Getting the Scoop on Identity Theft .................... 7

Chapter 1: Who’s Stealing What . . . and What You Can Do about It ...........................9
Chapter 2: Mike’s Anti–Identity Theft Crash Course ...................................................27

Part II: Determining Whether You’re a Victim .............. 43

Chapter 3: Smelling a Rat: Recognizing Common Signs of Identity Theft .................45
Chapter 4: Homing In on Financial Statements ............................................................55
Chapter 5: Interpreting Your Credit Report .................................................................63

Part III: Being Smart with Your Sensitive Information .... 79

Chapter 6: Keeping Tabs on Your Personal and Business Information ....................81
Chapter 7: Watching What You Set on the Curb ..........................................................99
Chapter 8: Practicing Discretion in Public Places .....................................................107

Part IV: Arming Yourself against
Potential Identity Theft ............................................ 117

Chapter 9: Avoiding Loss of Your Identity: Online Services That Can Help ..........119
Chapter 10: Becoming Familiar with Identity Thieves’ Scams and Methods .........135

Part V: Safeguarding Electronic Information .............. 147

Chapter 11: Staying Safe from Online Threats ...........................................................149
Chapter 12: Dispensing Security with Windows XP, Vista, and 7 ............................169

Part VI: Taking Back Your Good Name ...................... 195

Chapter 13: Starting the Process of Reclaiming Your Identity.................................197
Chapter 14: Closing Compromised Accounts ............................................................211
Chapter 15: Opening New Accounts ............................................................................221

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Part VII: The Part of Tens ......................................... 229

Chapter 16: Ten (Or So) Tips to Make Reclaiming Your Identity
Go More Smoothly .......................................................................................................231
Chapter 17: Ten Handy Resources ..............................................................................239
Chapter 18: Ten Security Tools You Shouldn’t Be Without .....................................245
Chapter 19: Ten (Plus One) Common Scams and How to Avoid Them ..................253

Index ...................................................................... 261

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Table of Contents

Introduction ................................................................. 1

About Identity Theft For Dummies ..................................................................1
Foolish Assumptions .......................................................................................1
Conventions Used in This Book .....................................................................2
What You Don’t Have to Read ........................................................................2
How This Book Is Organized ..........................................................................2
Part I: Getting the Scoop on Identity Theft .........................................2
Part II: Determining Whether You’re a Victim....................................3
Part III: Being Smart with Your Sensitive Information.......................3
Part IV: Arming Yourself against Identity Theft .................................3
Part V: Safeguarding Electronic Information ......................................3
Part VI: Taking Back Your Good Name................................................4
Part VII: The Part of Tens ......................................................................4
Icons Used in This Book .................................................................................4
Where to Go from Here ...................................................................................5

Part I: Getting the Scoop on Identity Theft ..................... 7

Chapter 1: Who’s Stealing What . . . and What You Can Do about It. . . .9

Taking a Look at the Fastest Growing Crime ...............................................9
Who identity theft affects ...................................................................11
How identity theft happens ................................................................12
Knowing What Information Is Vulnerable ..................................................12
Vulnerable info comes in the mail .....................................................14
What you throw away can hurt you ..................................................16
The Role of Technology in Identity Theft ...................................................17
Encryption ............................................................................................18
Authentication ......................................................................................20
Safeguarding Your Information in Everyday Ways ...................................20
Finding Your Allies ........................................................................................22
Getting Back Your Identity and Your Good Reputation ...........................23

Chapter 2: Mike’s Anti–Identity Theft Crash Course . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

Tips for Preventing Identity Theft ...............................................................27
Buy and use a shredder ......................................................................29
Order and review your credit report ................................................30
Guard your personal information ......................................................31
Opt out of preapproved credit card offers .......................................31
Opt out of other mailing lists .............................................................32
Use your debit card carefully .............................................................33

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Identity Theft For Dummies
viii

Government Laws to Protect You ...............................................................34
Steps to Take If You’re a Victim ...................................................................36
Reporting the crime to law enforcement ..........................................37
Employing the credit freeze ...............................................................38
Other essential actions you must take ..............................................40

Part II: Determining Whether You’re a Victim ............... 43

Chapter 3: Smelling a Rat: Recognizing Common
Signs of Identity Theft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45

Suspecting a Thief at Your Mailbox ............................................................45
Recognizing When Something Is Wrong, and
What You Can Do about It ........................................................................46
Denied credit for a large purchase ....................................................48
Receiving credit card bills from cards you didn’t apply for ..........49
Receiving calls from bill collectors for stuff you didn’t buy ..........50
Receiving bills for unknown purchases ............................................51
Large unknown purchases on your credit card bills ......................52
Suddenly . . . several unknown charges on each month’s bill .......54

Chapter 4: Homing In on Financial Statements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55

Checking Your Monthly Financial Statements for Surprises ...................55
Checking Your Bank Statement Religiously ...............................................57
Identifying an Unwelcome Doppelganger ...................................................58
Withdrawals you didn’t make ............................................................59
Checks you didn’t write ......................................................................59
Finding bizarre bank account balances ............................................61
Reviewing Investment Account Statements ...............................................61
Online Banking ...............................................................................................62

Chapter 5: Interpreting Your Credit Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63

What Is a Credit Report? ...............................................................................63
Obtaining Your Credit Report ......................................................................65
Reviewing the Telltale Information on Your Credit Report .....................69
The Personal Profi le section ..............................................................69
The Account Information section ......................................................71
The Credit Summary section ..............................................................71
The Public Records section ................................................................72
The Credit Inquiries section ...............................................................73
The Account History section ..............................................................73
Your credit score .................................................................................74
Sudden unknown credit score change ..............................................75
Looking for consistency ......................................................................76
Pulling your credit report together ...................................................77
Disputing Your Credit Report ......................................................................77

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