How to Prevent Identity Theft

By Anne Evans

Statistics reveal that, on any given day, as many as 40,319 people will have had their identities stolen - that figure amounts to 28 people every single minute of the day! Can you imagine the anguish if the unthinkable happens to you? Yet it is a far more common occurrence than the general public gives credence to: the Federal Trade Commission has revealed that 1 in 30 Americans had their identity stolen in 2002, amounting to losses to the economy of $48 billion. In the years since then, the issue of identity theft has become a major problem for businesses and private individuals alike.

In Arizona identity theft seems to be particularly prevalent - amounting to 1 in 6 adults within the preceding five years. In order to combat this, officials in Arizona mounted a campaign to ensure all documents were systematically shredded and advice given to never give out sensitive information such as bank account details, over the phone. District of Arizona attorney, Paul K Charlton believes that 21st century crime is powered by methamphetamine which enables its users to stay awake for long periods: it was mailbox break-ins that brought the scale of the problem to the authorities' attention.

When homes of known methamphetamine users were raided stacks of stolen mail was often found including a home-grown business using acetone to wash the inks of cheques. So many individuals' mailboxes have now been broken into in the District of Arizona that the Postal Service there has now spent more than $12 million reinforcing the construction of mailboxes. Unfortunately, to victims of identity theft, it seems that whatever ammunition is thrown at the problem of identity theft, nothing is particularly effective. The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse organization follows details of identity theft. This organization revealed that, as the result of data breaches over the last year, more than 80 million Americans had their personal data put at jeopardy.

The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse also revealed how computer disks were stolen on 3rd May last year. These disks contained the names, and Social Security numbers of 26.6 million veterans belonging to the Department of Veterans Affairs. So, what is the moral of this story? Ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place before any attempt is made to share personal data and, as the Assistant Professor of Justice and Social Inquiry at Arizona State University explains:

"...Always protect yourself, go to these workshops, get a shredder".

Anne is a full-time, professional writer, educated to MA level. Her specialist field is medical and healthcare subjects, as well as a profound interest in the latest technology and scientific research.

Anne is currently re-developing her website, http://writtenbyanne.com.

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