Who has your personal information? Are you a victim of identity theft? How can you know? Email scams, fake web sites, and phone calls, are some of the ways thieves try to steal your identity and use it to damage your reputation and steal your money. You will learn what those threats are, and what you can do to to build your personal information security. It’s all broken down in simple terms you can understand. Once you have a basic understanding of identity theft protection, you can avoid becoming a victim. The book will show you how to recognize the dangers, and provide simple steps you can take for your defense.

Protect yourself from identity theft! Nearly 17 million Americans were victimized by identity theft in 2012 alone: for 13 straight years, it has been America's #1 consumer crime. No one is immune: children, the elderly and even the dead have been victimized. Identity theft can be high-tech, low-tech, or even no tech, via "dumpster diving." You're vulnerable, and you need to act. Fortunately, you can take practical steps to safeguard your identity right now. In Identity Theft Alert, award-winning author and attorney Steve Weisman shows you exactly what to do, and how to do it. Equally important, he also tells you what to stop doing: the common, inadvertent behaviors that could be setting you up as a victim. Weisman starts with a clear-eyed assessment of the problem, helping you understand just how much risk you face. Next, he helps you understand, anticipate, and prevent all these frightening forms of identity theft: Identity theft via Facebook and other social media Identity theft via your iPhone or Android smartphone Theft of your credit or debit cards, and other access to your finances Crime sprees performed in your name Medical identity theft that could lead to you getting the wrong treatment – and could even kill you The fast-growing scourge of income tax identity theft, including stolen refunds Don't be the next victim: read this book, follow its step-by-step advice, and protect yourself!

People research everything online – shopping, school, jobs, travel – and other people. Your online persona is your new front door. It is likely the first thing that new friends and colleagues learn about you. In the years since this book was first published, the Internet profile and reputation have grown more important in the vital human activities of work, school and relationships. This updated edition explores the various ways that people may use your Internet identity, including the ways bad guys can bully, stalk or steal from you aided by the information they find about you online. The authors look into the Edward Snowden revelations and the government’s voracious appetite for personal data. A new chapter on the right to be forgotten explores the origins and current effects of this new legal concept, and shows how the new right could affect us all. Timely information helping to protect your children on the Internet and guarding your business’s online reputation has also been added. The state of Internet anonymity has been exposed to scrutiny lately, and the authors explore how anonymous you can really choose to be when conducting activity on the web. The growth of social networks is also addressed as a way to project your best image and to protect yourself from embarrassing statements. Building on the first book, this new edition has everything you need to know to protect yourself, your family, and your reputation online.

PROTECTION PREVENTION REPAIR Identity theft is the fastest-growing category of crime in the United States today, and dealing with privacy and identity issues has become an essential part of life in our modern society. Each chapter in The Identity Theft Protection Guide contains a self-quiz to identify personal areas of concern, information to help you "take action," and more. This book shows you how to: * Minimize the risk of identity theft * React if your identity is stolen * Obtain and repair credit and insurance reports, and more * Deal with direct marketers, junk mailers, and telephone solicitors * Stop surveillance from GPS devices and cell-phone cameras * Keep your kids safe online * And much more! These valuable survival skills can no longer be considered optional--they are essential for life in today's society. Amanda Welsh's The Identity Theft Protection Guide is the most complete, authoritative, and easy-to-use resource on this crucial topic.

Identity fraud happens to everyone. So what do you do when it's your turn? Increasingly, identity theft is a fact of life. We might once have hoped to protect ourselves from hackers with airtight passwords and aggressive spam filters, and those are good ideas as far as they go. But with the breaches of huge organizations like Target, AshleyMadison.com, JPMorgan Chase, Sony, Anthem, and even the US Office of Personnel Management, more than a billion personal records have already been stolen, and chances are good that you're already in harm's way. This doesn't mean there's no hope. Your identity may get stolen, but it doesn't have to be a life-changing event. Adam Levin, a longtime consumer advocate and identity fraud expert, provides a method to help you keep hackers, phishers, and spammers from becoming your problem. Levin has seen every scam under the sun: fake companies selling “credit card insurance”; criminal, medical, and child identity theft; emails that promise untold riches for some personal information; catphishers, tax fraud, fake debt collectors who threaten you with legal action to confirm your account numbers; and much more. As Levin shows, these folks get a lot less scary if you see them coming. With a clearheaded, practical approach, Swiped is your guide to surviving the identity theft epidemic. Even if you've already become a victim, this strategic book will help you protect yourself, your identity, and your sanity.

It could happen when you make a routine withdrawal from an ATM, respond to an e-mail asking for information about an online account, or leave a new box of checks unattended in your mailbox. Identity theft is one of the easiest crimes to commit in America—and one of the hardest to prosecute. As thieves become increasingly clever, Americans have more reasons than ever to fear this elusive, ubiquitous crime. Now there’s a book to help you beat it. In two easy-to-understand sections, Terri Cullen, The Wall Street Journal’s expert on identity theft, first walks you through the most common types of identity theft and how to arm yourself against them, and then leads victims step-by-step through the process of reclaiming a stolen identity. The average victim loses more than $6,000 and spends approximately 600 hours negotiating the complex bureaucracies and paperwork—this book will help save time and effort by laying out the process. And by following the advice in the first half, you may never need the second! You’ll learn: • how to avoid the most common scams, from “phishing” to “dumpster diving” • why children under eighteen are the fastest-growing target, and how you can protect your family • why your credit report is the single most important document for protecting your identity • how to use the sample letters, forms, and other useful tools inside for recovering from identity theft In today’s marketplace, your two most valuable assets are your credit and your identity. No one should be without this vital guide to protecting them.