Identity Theft Alert

January 21, 2008 · Filed Under business, general, self-help · 4 Comments 

The other day, I received an email and text from a friend of mine with the following message:

Guys, I found out that my yahoo email address was hacked and now being used by someone pretending to be me. I can’t log in anymore and that person sends emails to people in my directory telling them I badly needed money and I’m in Nigeria.

When I received her message, I was really worried. For some time now, I’ve heard stories about hacked paypal accounts, hacked ebay accounts, hacked email accounts and even hacked blogs! I was disturbed by those stories but now, I’m really afraid. It happened to a friend of mine so I feel that the reality of identity thefts are closing in.

Not to mention cyber identity thefts are not the only problem, crimes in the real world regarding these kind of thefts are also becoming rampant. Just in our company, a number of people were charged by their credit cards for using it to shop and even withdraw cash advances. Apparently, their cards were either stolen or were not even received by the rightful owners when sent by the credit card companies. There were also problems with cellphone bills, long-distance charges and just recently, I’ve heard stories about receiving loan and amortization notices by people who were not aware that such loans existed!

It is indeed clear that we have an escalating problem on identity theft so let me share with you some tips on how to avoid being a victim of one:

  • Enroll in programs from LoudSiren in partnership with Debix that offers reliable and secured identity theft solutions.
  • Bring only important I.D. cards when needed. Secure your passport, security cards, and such at home to prevent more damages to your accounts or identity if ever snatching or hold-up will occur. Read more