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Holiday Shopping Tips
Here are some good tips to help protect your identity for the holiday shopping season.
1. Before you head out to the mall take out all the unnecessary credit cards and debit cards. You should never carry your Social Security card but if it is in there take it out and save it in a safe place.
2. Watch out for crowds. Pick pockets and purse snatchers like to hide in crowds. Stolen purses and wallets are still the number one way to steal your identity.
3. Avoid debit cards and check cards. They simply don't offer the same protection from fraud that credit cards are required to have for consumers.
4. Make sure the stores aren't printing your entire account number on your receipt. I see this most often in resteraunts.
5. If you are shoppong online this year make sure the web site is secure. You can check this by making sure the address has an https:// instead of the http:// on the order pages. You should also read their privacy policy. |
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Major Shift in Privacy for Americans
Most people paid little attention to the testimony of Donald Kerr, the principal deputy director of national intelligence, before the Senate Intelligence Committee. However, the changes he proposes are monumental. He said the americans need to change their idea of privacy. He said "privacy no longer can mean anonymity."
We think this a scarry change for our government to even consider.
Read more. |
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White House Tours a Privacy Risk
A tour of the White House can put you at risk for identity theft. The problem is the protocal they use. First you email your name, address and social security number to your congressional representative who forwards the information to the White House for a security check.
The issue is that email is not a secure means of transport. The rule of thumb to follow is never send anything in an email that you wouldn't write on a postcard. The problems can be corrected with encrypted email but that is rarely used.
Read more.
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