identity theft & privacy
The FTC estimates that as many as 9 million Americans have their identities stolen each year. In fact, you or someone you know may have experienced some form of identity theft.
Identity theft crimes can take many forms. Identity thieves may rent a condo, open a credit card account, or establish a telephone service in your name. You may not find out about the theft until you review your credit report or a credit card statement and notice charges you didn’t make—or until you’re contacted by a debt collector.
identity theft: Are you protected online?
You should know if your privacy is protected?
Privacy Policy
Before submitting any personal information on any website, review for the privacy policy of the website. The privacy policy should clearly state how the information will be used and whether or not the information will be dispersed to other organizations. Companies sometimes share information with partner vendors who offer related products. If you cannot find a privacy policy on a website, consider using another. If privacy is important to the company, their privacy policy should be easily located and clearly written. Many companies change their periodically, so be sure to review them regularly.
Encrypted Information
To protect yourself from internet hackers, any personal information submitted online should be encrypted. When encrypted, it can only be read by the recipient. Most websites use secure sockets layer (SSL), to encrypt data. Notice that if the site is secure, the web address (URL) will begin with "https:" instead of "http:". There will also be small lock icon in the bottom right corner.
Tips for protecting your privacy.
• Do business with trustworthy companies
• Do not use your primary email address in online submissions
• Avoid submitting credit card information online
• Devote one credit card to online purchases
• Avoid using debit cards for online purchases
• Take advantage of options to limit exposure of private information
• Check your bank transactions regularly
• Check your credit report regularly