Bankruptcy

Take Advantage of Free ID Theft Protection & Education Materials

By guest-writer

The Federal Trade Commission has announced that, in honor of National Protect Your Identity Week, it will provide consumers with a wealth of free information and materials about how to fight, avoid and protect themselves against identity theft.

Where to Learn about Identity Theft Prevention

Though federal laws exist to protect the finances of people who are victimized by identity theft, it?s still fairly common for bankruptcy filers to indicate that identity theft contributed to the financial distress that led them to file for bankruptcy. Here?s a look at what the FTC has to offer:

• Basic information: This ?one-stop national resource? provides consumers with information about what identity theft is, how to recognize it, how to prevent it and what to do if they?ve been victimized by identity theft. Additionally, the site has information for businesses and law enforcement groups to help prevent and fight identity theft cases from happening.
• Informative videos: The FTC has posted some educational videos for consumers interested in learning how to reduce their online risk of identity theft and how to protect their digital lives from exposure to identity threats.
• Online application of skills: At their game portal, the FTC offers consumers a chance to test their knowledge about the risk factors of identity thefts, basic precautions to take to avoid being victimized by identity thieves and apply identity theft prevention skills by playing online games. This site might prove especially helpful for younger computer users who might be resistant to more traditional information sources.
• Reminder of your rights: Finally, the FTC has posted a reminder about every American consumer?s right to obtain and view copies of her credit report and why staying abreast of what appears in your credit is important to financial health.

Legal Help for Identity Theft Woes

To top off its bevy of useful information about fighting and preventing identity theft, the FTC has also announced that it will offer legal guidelines for identity theft victims. This web page is designed to help victims and their advocates (whether lawyers, credit counselors or other activists) determine how to proceed to maximize the benefit of fighting identity thieves.

As many people who have unfortunately felt the sting of identity theft already know, the crime can lead to hours of headaches as consumers try to sort out their financial situation and reclaim their private information. Generally, there are a few practices can help you avoid identity theft:

• Shred all sensitive documents before disposing of them;
• Don?t click on unfamiliar links online and definitely don?t enter your personal information unless you?re sure what web site you?re on;
• Don?t share your passwords with anyone;
• Check your free credit report every year for suspicious activity; and
• Make sure your email has a good spam filter. Be wary of emails from unknown sources.

Full post as published by The Bankruptcy Blog on October 27, 2010 (boomark / email).