How to Protect Your Mail from ThievesWritten by Identity Theft 911
How to Protect Your Mail from Thieves U.S. Postal Inspection ServiceContemporary Every day, U.S. Postal Service safely and efficiently delivers millions of checks, money orders, credit cards and other valuable items. Unfortunately, thieves know this, and are waiting to steal your mail. Postal Inspectors across country work to protect your mail, but with deliveries to well over 100 million addresses, Postal Inspection Service can't do job alone. Make it harder for thieves to steal your mail. Follow these tips: * Never send cash or coins in mail. Use checks or money orders. * Promptly remove mail from your mailbox after delivery, especially if you're expecting checks, credit cards, food coupons or other negotiable items. If you won't be home when items are expected, ask a trusted friend or neighbor to pick up your mail. * Have your local post office hold your mail while you're on vacation, or absent from your home for a long period of time. * If you don't receive a check, food coupon or other valuable mail you're expecting, contact issuing agency immediately. * If you change your address, immediately notify your post office and anyone with whom you do business via mail.
| | Cyber Fraud & Identity Theft PreventionWritten by Guy Hartmann
There are many people out there that have DSL or cable connections that don't have proper firewalls or up to date antivirus programs in place. Too many think it just came with computer. This can create a breach and your privacy violated. The General Accounting Office now puts identity theft at 750,000 victims a year. Victims spend an average of 175 painstaking hours to undo damage. There are things you can do to protect yourself especially regarding your computer. First and foremost, don't store your personal information on your computer. Someone harvesting that kind of information can literally go through thousands of computers in hour you spend watching your favorite television program. Virus' can infect your system and relay that information in alot less time. Make sure your firewalls and anit-virus software is up to date. If you don't have them - get them. You don't have to be most tech savy person to do it either. For average user, you can find security information, news and products presented in plain language at quantum-links.com http://www.quantum-links.com to keep yourself and your computer running current and up to date. Beware people who come asking for your personal information. This is becoming commonly known as PHISH. Services you already have do not email you asking for you to resubmit your information. PayPal had some of it's customers caught in this net recently and had to issue an email telling them not to respond. Instead of replying with your information, email them back asking for a telephone number by which to contact them directly. It is doubtful that they will respond with one. If they do, you can check out number in a number of ways to make sure it's for real. One way is to use reverse listings available on many search engines. My favorite is http://www.refdesk.com>.
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