Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Identity Protection Solutions You Should Know to Keep You Secure





There are plenty of individuals who are turning a blind eye to the importance of Identity theft protection because they think that it is an investment that is not worth it. Well, I can concur with the notion that identity theft insurance companies are no good because they can only help when the theft has already occurred and not prevent it from happening. They will only come to the rescue after a client has been victimized and the total money that has been stolen cannot be wholly recovered or replaced. But take note, this is only about identity theft insurance; there are actually a myriad of other ways where you can secure yourself and even your business with the right type of fraud protection service.

To help you decide whether getting identity theft insurance will be beneficial for you or not, you can check your financial status first through your credit scores. If the scores are good, then there is no need to get insurance at this point and you can opt for other forms of ID protection instead. But why go through the hassle, not to mention the extra expense of securing your identity from scammers and thieves? Statistics have shown that identity theft victims in the United States are already reaching by the millions every year. That means that these thieves are enjoying a lucrative business venture by stealing your credit card information, then using your identity to transact with merchants and poof! Your hard earned money gets lost and you will not be able to recover it even if the thieves get caught. Hence, it is highly important that you are prepared for such an unlucky situation for the simple reason that it can very happen to you anytime and anywhere.

The good news is, there are now tools and applications that you can utilize to proactively manage your online identity and save yourself the hassle of having to deal with a ruined financial reputation should your credit card details get stolen. These can help you with timely detection through identity vulnerabilities, suspicious activity, fraud and changes in risk level. For protection, the tools will guard you against hackers, spyware, malware and computer viruses, saving you fees on repair should severe damage result from these malicious programs. What’s more, the identity theft protection tools can also aid in the restoration of your information in the unfortunate event that the thieves are very smart to penetrate your system. These are the restoration of your credit right from the pre-theft status and the reimbursement of any out-of-pocket expenses incurred related to the theft.
Aside from the tools and programs, you should also do your part in making your identity safe from prying eyes by observing proper measures that do not have to cost money. These include checking credit card bills thoroughly, shredding financial documents immediately, being vigilant of sharing your information while doing online transactions and taking note of multiple swipes. Practice them diligently so that your card and your identity will be safeguarded with the best security, that of being mindful whenever you use them.

Monday, November 19, 2012

Ways to Maximize Identity Theft Protection


Since employers receive a lot of online communication from their employees, it is just a practical business practice to have their backgrounds checked. Other than that, they also have to be trained not to be lenient about their own data and accounts while at work to minimize their vulnerability towards identity theft. They may not have been aware of it, but big chances are when one of their company email accounts falls on the wrong hands, the whole company can be in peril too. In fact, even if they maintain protective measures for their various accounts to ensure the safety of both their personal and company emails, hackers can still break through their system and that of the company, as well. Hence, if you are an employer who wants to strengthen your employees’ and that of your business’ online presence, you should make the necessary steps in securing the identity theft protection of every personnel. Having a back-up plan even when the problem have not happened yet falls under risk management and must be implemented even with SMEs. Remember, prevention is so much better than cure and how much more when it comes to protecting your data and trade secrets.

As for individuals, credit card transactions whether done in behalf of the company or as a personal purchase can be easily hacked too. We all have heard the horror of others when they discovered that someone has used their credit card accounts without them knowing to the tune of thousands of dollars. So how to add more security measures to these very real online threats? What are the ways to ensure that your identity will not be stolen despite the proliferation of various technologies that hackers easily abuse? Good thing, there are now numerous types of software that aims to counter these vulnerabilities and makes identity protection stronger.
One such effective solution is a kind of software that is called IDSmarter that provide tools and applications which will proactively manage the health of your identity. The following are its main features that companies and individuals can take advantage of.

Protection
IDSmarter gives you the tools to proactively defend your identity against:
  • Computer Viruses
  • Hackers
  • Spyware
  • Malware
Detection
IDSmarter helps halt fraud before real damage is done by detecting:
  • Suspicious acitivity
  • Changes in risk level
  • Identity vulnerabilities
  • Fraud

Restoration
IDSmarter members are appointed an ICFE Certified Restoration Specialist to help:
  • Restore your credit to pre-theft status
  • Reimburse you for any out-of-pocket expenses
Another key feature of ID Smarter that helps its users maximize identity fraud protection is the Identity Risk Score. It is a score ranging from 1-999 which is generated statistically and describes your overall risk to identity theft. This identity score will optimize your identity protection by leveraging the same monitoring technology utilized by large corporations involved in financial services, telecommunications, retail and many other industries. Aside from the ID Score, a qualitative assessment such as Low, Moderate and high will also be given to you so that you will better understand the level of risk associate with your score.