This underground market is barely a blip on the American authorities’ radar and it’s occurring from one coast to the other. There are actually two ways that illegal immigrants are getting SSN cards. Mexicans that has a legal SSN card and who have returned to Mexico for whatever reason, will lend, rent, or sell their SSN cards.

This is a win-win for both parties. The person who buys the right to use the social security number gets to work in the US with no questions asked and the person who the SSN belongs to continues to enhance the unemployment and pension benefits. Government officials know that this has become a major problem and it’s a serious crime.

Today’s illegal immigrants can have a fake social security card and green card printed at the flee market for a couple of hundred dollars. Numbers are just plucked out of thin air. The problem with this method is that it’s caught at tax time. Where as using, a stolen or borrowed SSN doesn’t cause any problems with the taxman.

But the biggest problem comes with SSN cards that are stolen from U.S. citizens. In most of these cases, the legitimate owner of the number is using it in another part of the country. Big busts can sometime break up these rings but not always. Your SSN can be stolen not only so that illegal immigrants can work, but also it’s the start of stealing ones identity.

It can be obtained by stealing a wallet or purse, or even intercepting your mail. Sometimes rummaging through the garbage is all it takes. It’s important that you don’t give out your SSN to anyone and that you destroy written material using a shredder so that it doesn’t get into the wrong hands.

If you suspect someone might be using your social security number you should contact the authorities and ask for a form SSA-7005 which you can obtain at http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/10064.html

It is true that scammers and thieves can obtain financial details by stealing or hacking electronic equipment. However, it is not true that you will have to pay the entire bill if you have been hacked or scammed. Check with your credit card provider as to what are your liabilities, in most cases it is only $50, provided you notify the lending organization in reasonable time.

Recently, credit card insurance and security has been a prolific scam, with people phoned and harassed using scare tactics. These are some of the scams that thieves are using

Pretending to be a representative of your credit card company such as VISA or MasterCard and insisting that you must have credit card protection.

Calling and insisting that they need to verify your credit card information for some reason. Usually, that they have been instructed by the Federal Trade Commission to call credit card holders to obtain their credit card numbers and expiration dates.

Another one is insisting that your credit card numbers might be wrong, or that they need to verify and you have to divulge your numbers in order to receive credit card protection.

Pretend they are calling to check the security of your credit card number for possible fraud, then insist they, or anyone else, could get your credit card number off the Internet at anytime, so you need to buy credit card insurance

Inform that you are liable for all unauthorized charges on your credit card account, that a computer bug could make it easy for thieves to place unauthorized charges on your credit card account.

Imply that they are calling from “the security department” and want to activate the protection features on your new card or check that your card is secure.

One of the most important steps consumers can take to limit the possibility of their identity being stolen is making it difficult for would-be thieves to obtain those important account access numbers. Once a thief has a social security number, a birth date and other relevant information, it’s possible to open an account online or even borrow money.

The Wall Street Journal has reported that the fear of identity theft is driving a new industry and changing consumer habits. There are now neighborhood events called Shredder Day that are held. A mobile shredding unit is parked in a central location and people can bring all the paper documents they want to have shredded.

Shredder Day events are sponsored by a number of organizations including the government, local businesses and neighborhood groups. Many times the event is turned into a charity fund raiser too.

People showing up for these shredding events bring varying amounts of documents. Some carry their paperwork in boxes while others pull children’s wagons. They bring bills, advertisements, bank statements, account statements and tons of other papers that households collect. Most houses have a stack of paper sitting somewhere that is a mishmash of personal documents and unimportant mail that will be looked at “one day”.

Identity theft is a serious affair deserving serious attention. One of the reasons people accumulate documents with sensitive information in their homes is simply because it would take too long to shred all the material using one of the small home shredders sold in local discount stores. The mobile shredding trucks carry industrial sized shredders that can quickly turn many pounds of paper into confetti. In fact the large shredding can shred 6,000 pounds of paper in one hour.

Many people have become victims of identity theft because they made it easy for thieves to obtain their information. In one case the thieves broke into a house and stole the middle set of checks from a box of checks. They didn’t take anything else in order to not arouse suspicion. The owners discovered the checks were missing when some of the them were returned for insufficient funds.

It doesn’t take much information for a thief to steal an identity. All that is needed is a victim’s name, address, and social security number.

Of course there is another reason it’s important to shred documents and it has nothing to do with identity theft. Paper that is shredded during Shredder Day using a shredding company’s unit is then recycled into other products like paper towels or napkins.

If your neighborhood does not have a Shredder Day then it’s a good idea to contact your local governmental office responsible for management of the environment and see if

The moral of this story is that you need to do everything possible to protect yourself from those determined to steal another person’s identity for the purpose of buying goods and services or to obtain credit or loans illegally.

Recently the federal government reported that 10 million people were the victims of identity theft in 2008. Too many consumers wait until they become victims to take a proactive approach to identity theft prevention. They watch for the lock icon on website screens and change their passwords periodically and still find themselves trying to undo damage to their credit as a result of identity theft.

The government wants every consumer to understand their options when it comes to preventing identity theft and online fraud. One of the many issues the government faces when trying to prosecute these kinds of cases is finding the people or organizations that committed the fraud in the first place. With all the benefits gained by having access to the internet, it is also possible for criminals around the world to get access to your account information unless you take special precautions.

Once a criminal has your account information he or she will usually try to use that information to continue fraudulent activity to buy goods or services or to borrow money in your name. There was a case of a woman who had her identity stolen and didn’t know it for months because she seldom used her charge cards.

The thief had stolen her credit information and then changed the mailing address on the account so she didn’t get a statement. By the time she realized what had happened, there were thousands of dollars of debt incurred.

That leads to the first important fact. It is up to consumers to regularly check their loan and credit card accounts for accuracy. If a thief has used an existing account, then you can certainly prevent the thief from opening up any more accounts.

It is possible to place a ‘fraud alert’ on your account so creditors know to use extra caution when approving new credit under your name. The law requires creditors to use “reasonable policies and procedures” when it comes to verifying your identity.

There are two kinds of fraud alerts. The first is a temporary 90 day alert that expires. This alert is used by people who suspect their identity has been or will be stolen or who believe they have exposed themselves to this type of fraud. If you know you have been a victim, you can add a fraud alert to your credit report that will remain for up to 7 years.

It is now also possible to put a credit freeze on your credit report. The credit freeze will stop someone from opening a new account or a line of credit. The freeze can be left in place for up to 7 years also. If you need to create a new account, it’s possible to temporarily lift the freeze so a lender can do a credit check.

Each state has different laws and fees related to these actions, but the general rules are the same across the board. If you want to place fraud alerts or credit freezes, it is recommended you contact one of the 3 major credit agencies – Equifax, Experian or TransUnion. The one you contact will inform the other 2 national credit reporting agencies.

Keeping updated on current laws concerning protecting your identity is important. One thing that is always pointed out is that you must move quickly when you suspect someone is trying to commit fraud using your personal information. The longer you delay, the more likely you will become a victim.

Think of it as putting a great big padlock on your credit information, making it far less likely that criminals will gain access and turn your life upside down by stealing your identity. It is called both a credit lock and a security freeze but the service is the same.

Just recently all three of the major credit agencies provided the ability for individuals to lock their credit reports providing limited access to the information in their credit report. This proactive measure isn’t free. But then can you put a price on your protecting your identification. Anyone that has had their stolen can tell you the cost to restore things to normal can be substantial. Services like TrustedID and Lifelock offer credit lock as part of their services.

Although a credit freeze provides superior protection, nothing is fool proof and this is no different. It cannot halt duplications of ID that’s not related to your credit. So for example, if someone fraudulently creates a drivers license or social security card it can’t do anything to protect you from those fraudulent activities.

It also doesn’t stop all companies from accessing your credit information. Credit companies and lending institutes that you have or have had business with will still have access to your credit report, however new companies won’t be able to access it.

You will continue to get those pre-approved credit card notices in the mail because the credit bureaus can legally continue to sell your name and address to credit card companies. The only way to stop this is to visit http://optoutprescreen.com.

Collection agencies that are acting on behalf of the financial institutes you have existing contracts with, child support agencies, government, or law enforcement will continue to have access to your information.

One draw back to the credit lock is the amount of time it takes to fill out the paperwork plus it requires certified letters. You also have to remove the freeze to allow access and then put it back on. It doesn’t protect your identity to just freeze a couple of reports. It’s all or nothing. So if you put the freeze on and then want to apply for a new car loan you will need to lift the freeze to the credit bureaus and then put it back on. The cost varies but it’s about $10 each time. That compared to the cost of getting your identity back is really peanuts.

You might consider one of the services like Lifelock or TrustedID, which offer it as part of their package. It can save you a bundle and you get other services to increase your protection a little more. And in today’s world of white collar, educated criminals we need all the help we can get to keep our identity safe.

There are many different fraud scams and identity theft scams, so many that they all begin to blur after awhile. It’s important that you can identify the most common online identity theft scams.

The Nigerian fraud scam is one most of use have been exposed to at one time or another. This is the one where a wealthy foreigner emails you to tell you that they need to move millions of dollars out of the country and for your help they’ll pay you a nice percentage as a reward. But before long they’ll be complications, officials to pay off, and so forth, which you will be asked to, pay all the while dangling a large carrot of a sizable fortune. Who falls for this scam are those that are greedy, naive, or suckers. Remember if it sounds too good to be true it is. An awareness of other similar type scams would be wise.

Website spoofing involves a site that has been designed to look like that of a legitimate site like credit card or bank, but really, it has been created by a scammer in an effort to collect personal information from the visitors that come to the site. Once the scammer collects the information it can be used for id theft, to create fraud using credit cards information collected. The message here is be sure that you are on the site you think you are.

Phishing is another way of collecting personal information. This is accomplished by sending out an email that requests a password or personal information, and it indicates it’s urgent. It’s similar to website spoofing but it’s a scam accomplished through email.

Today there is a lot of fraud that also occurs over the telephone requesting personal information such as Sin numbers or passwords. Other scams involve moneymaking schemes, and often the promise of big cash prizes. It will help to remember that if you need to give them money it’s not a prize.

It’s important to remember that you should keep your information secure and not share it with any source that you are unsure of. Online never provide your password or credit card information unless you are sure about the site you are on, never follow a link in an email, and remember if it sounds too good to be true it is.

On a regular basis, you either hear about or read about a woman who has become victim to a male scammer whose only real objective is to get into the woman’s bank account.

Leigh Anne McElhaney was one of those women. Like many women on the single dating scene, they’d just like to meet Mr. Right, fall in love, and start a new life. Within a month of meeting Dave Moore, he was living with her, and he certainly knew how to say just what she wanted to hear.

Then Leigh discovered her bank account short some money. Then things began to unravel and she discovered her new boyfriend hadn’t only stolen from her, but he had also stolen her neighbor’s id and obtained credit cards in her name, which he was paying for with Leigh’s bank account

Florida was seeing a rash of men playing the wealthy young bachelor. They were often pretending to be doctors and they would ask their girlfriends to open up a joint account with them. The women would think nothing of it, since these guys were wealthy, so they would open the account and deposit their money, only to walk off with their money.

Male scammers make their living by seeking out single women so that they can gain access to their finances. You might be surprised to discover just how quickly this happens, and how often it happens. Ladies you need to take some precautions. Here are some tips to keep you financially safe.

Know who it is you are seeing – don’t be satisfied with who he says he is. Find out who he really is. Authenticate him and don’t fall for any joint bank accounts or personal loans.

You also need to be checking your credit reports more often if a new man has come into your life.

Keep your investments, insurance policies, credit card numbers, bank accounts, and PIN’s to yourself.

Don’t discuss your assets – both those you have and those you expect are off limits.

Keep on top of scams going on in especially in your area. These scams tend to have patterns they follow.

Listen to your gut and what it’s telling you. If you’re getting bad vibes, find out if there’s a way you can actually have him checked out. Maybe you are lucky enough to know someone in law enforcement.

Be careful with your financial information online. You might be startled to find out it takes only seconds to create a phony identification on social network sites and someone could be after nothing more than your finances.

Just because the man you are dating is buying you pretty things and spending money on you, doesn’t mean he has any money. You could be a victim in a long list of victims. Most of the men you meet will be honest individuals but it’s that small percentage you need to be on guard to. The bad guys are great talkers and all around good con artists so be wary.

If you become a victim of this crime you will soon find out just how serious it is. Once your identity has been taken it is a long drawn out process to get it back, and this causes serious issues if you want to get financing or a loan for anything. In fact, even once your identity has been recovered you may still be feeling the effects.

Many reports have been done on this phenomenon already, and they all show one thing very clearly. Credit card protection programs don’t often hold up very well when you need them most. Most individuals who have their identity stolen still end up with 20,000 or more dollars in debt remaining after they’ve employed all the “liability protection” programs they can, fixed every issue they can fix, and even offered proof that it was not them making a legitimate use of their card when the charges in question were made. It’s not fair, but it happens every single day, and it could happen to you.

Many people don’t take the threat seriously. You might think, “who would want to be me?! I don’t even want my identity! Why would anyone else?,” but you’d be quite surprised at how desperate some criminals are. Anybody can become a target. Consider all the different ways in which you leave yourself exposed to the threat of identity theft each and every day.

Every time you pay with your card at a restaurant, what happens? The waiter or waitress comes and takes your card, vanishes into the back of the house for an indeterminate period of time, and then comes back. Everything seems okay, but what if it isn’t? They’ve just had access to the your credit card numbers, expiration date and everything. If they asked to see your ID as well, as many do, then they’ve also had access to your birth date, address, and full name. You’ve just exposed yourself.

So, what can you do? The most obvious step to protecting yourself is to not rely on your protection programs to save you. While they can cover some of the expenses you may end up facing, and it’s better to have them than not have them, you can’t count on them for everything; not by a long shot. Instead, you must become educated about the facts regarding identity theft. Learn how to think like an identity thief. Learn the techniques and tactics employed by thieves when they steal your identity and then come up with new ways to subvert those techniques. It’s a dirty game in the world of finance right now, so you have to be on the lookout for yourself. It’s sad to say, but your financial future may well depend on it!

Now that you know the dangers of identity theft, as a credit card holder you can take the crucial steps to avoid it whenever possible. Knowing how and where a thief can get to your private information is best the preventative step in avoiding identity theft.

• Open a bank account. Here’s a basic step that’s sometimes overlooked by people seeking credit. Opening checking and savings accounts is also one of the few things you can do as a minor to start building a financial history.

  A savings or checking account may not affect your credit score directly, but the account activity will demonstrate your stability and ability to handle money responsibly. However, you need to remember that writing bad checks or overdrawing from your bank account are negative indicators to lenders and damage your credibility.

• Apply for a low credit limit or student credit card. Plan to pay your balance off each month and follow a budget. If you must carry a balance, never pay late and don’t exceed 30% of your available credit line. Make sure to include your student status on your application; full-time students often are given a lower initial credit limit to help build a healthy credit history.
• If you don’t qualify for a regular credit card, apply for a secured card that requires a deposit of money with a lender. Your credit limit is usually equal to the amount on deposit. But be careful of high rates and punitive fees that may be part of the terms with some of these offers.
• Get a store credit card. Department store and gasoline credit cards are generally easier to obtain than major credit cards such as a MasterCard®, Visa®, or Discover®. These cards don’t do as much for your credit score as a bank card (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, etc.), but they’re usually easier to get.
• Apply for a small loan and repay it promptly and on time. To increase your chances of being approved, plan to apply a large down payment on the loan. If your application is denied, consider getting someone with an established credit history to co-sign on your behalf.

If you make all payments on time and never go over the credit limit, over a period of years your credit history will be in good shape. Even better, the longer you keep it up, the better your credit score will be (up to roughly seven years).

Financial institutions must make credit equally available to all creditworthy applicants. Under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, you have certain rights that protect you against unfair credit discrimination. Under this Act, you cannot be denied credit because of your age, sex, marital status, race, religion, national origin, income from public assistance, intent to have children or birth control practices.

If you suspect discrimination by a bank, savings and loan or credit union, ask for the name and address of the federal agency that enforces the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (depending on the institution, this will be either the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Office of Thrift Supervision or the National Credit Union Administration). The Equal Credit Opportunity Act mandates that the creditor must give you this information.

For additional articles and resources on everything you need to know to apply for a credit card, please visit WowCreditCards.com and check out the many instant credit card applications.

Today, not blogging or networking is the exception.

Just how broad an internet presence do you need? And if you’re in the slow lane, how can you catch up without compromising your privacy or safety? We’ll explore what having and maintaining an online identity means…and what can actually happen if you don’t keep up with web networking.

Getting to Know You…Even if You Are You

It may surprise you to know that whether or not you blog, belong to a network site like Facebook or Twitter, or even regularly send emails to family and friends, your name may already be on the world wide web.

The company you work for may list you as Employee of the Month, for example, or a distant associate may recall an anecdote that involved you in some way, and have blogged about it.

A quick test is to Google your own name. If you have a common first and last name, include your middle initial, or one other piece of information, such as your company or home town. Whether or not you choose to network, connections are being made all around you daily…and will eventually include you.

How Not Networking Can Backfire

Unfortunately, leaving your online identity wide open is as good as an invitation for online thieves to snatch it up.

There are a variety of reasons con artists may pose as other people online. Simply creating a false identity from scratch doesn’t have as much validity as a name that can be verified in other places on the web. And a thief who has found you knows he can “prove” himself by handing over links that really do include you as proof that he or she is a “real person”.

Eventually, it’s all bound to break down, leaving your name out there for all time as a person with a bad reputation…even though you didn’t do a thing wrong.

Can Presence and Privacy Coexist?

I it all seems a little unfair, remember that progress always comes with a price. What about privacy? you may be wondering (and rightly so).

Actually, even those who do regularly communicate along a network value their privacy. Though most of us, as human beings, like to make connections with others, we naturally want control over what—and how much—we share.

If you choose to join a networking site, choose one with plenty of privacy options. You can often “hide” information if you wish, or share it only with people on your Friends list. Be careful with photos, or don’t post any at all; the choice is up to you. Hide your last name and/or town as well.

At the same time, make sure your real identity is an internet presence in some form. For example, Linkedin.com is an excellent choice for creating an online identity as only your professional information is asked for. Your wife’s and children’s names, your town, and what you ate for breakfast aren’t expected from you–just the (probably already searchable) facts.

You may also wish to periodically look up your name via the search engine of your choice (or choose more than one, though generally, results overlap). If anything fishy comes up, you can attempt to correct the situation before it gets out of hand.

Above all, be responsible about what information you share. Compromising nostalgia pictures of your high school senior class trip may wind up in your children’s (or employer’s, your minister’s or a current beau’s) hands eventually. Even if you later delete information or an entire account, if it has existed in the past, the information may have already been gathered and saved for a variety of reasons by people you don’t even know.

As with anything else on the internet, watch what you post and what other people post about you—and you’ll find your experience not only more satisfying, but more safe.