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10 Signs That You are About to Become aVictim of ID Theft

Do You Have Multiple Personalities? 10 Signs You are About to Become a Victim of IDTheft

Can your name ever be used to do bad things? Apparently, if your identity ever gets stolen, yes.For example, your name can be used to buy products that never get paid for or participate inscams that steal money from people using your bank account. You’re not on ‘Scare Tactics’, thisis real life or at least the danger you’ll be facing online if you’re not careful. Watch out for these10 signs to avoid becoming a victim of ID theft:

1. Your monthly bills and statements are missing from your mailbox.

Probably one of the earliest signs that you are about to become avictim of identity theft is that those bills, bank and credit card statements either arrive late or never get sent to your mailbox atall. It could be that the person who wants to steal your identity has changed your date of billing.It could also be that your billing statements have been re-routed to a new address to make it lessobvious that your ID has been stolen.

Important Message!The CyberHood Watch Live Radio Show.

Join Dave Ballard & Bill Wardell on Saturday February 2nd at 11:00 am MST…. Where YouWant To Be A Part Of The Hood! and Neighbors, Friends and Family Are The Best Part!

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invite you to become a part their friends and family in thisonline CyberHood every Tuesday morning at 11:00 am MST… Join Dave & Bill as they discussthe internet security issues of the day, relating to your family, homes, PC’s and mobilecommunication in this new Technology CyberHood we all find ourselves a part of, in the 21century.

The CyberHood Watch Live Radio Show!2. You receive credit card statements showing multiple purchases you never made.

Another sign that you might be a victim of ID theft is that your credit card statementsarrive withlists of transactions you don’t know about. They could reflect items you never bought at shopsyou never went to.

3. Your credit card transaction was denied even if you’ve just paid your recent billingstatement.

When paying for your purchases at the counter, your credit card gets denied. Strange, becauseyou’ve just paid for your bill in full the week before. It could be that the thief who has stolenyour identity has maxed out your credit card and has left you to deal with the problem on your own.

4. Your debit card statements show withdrawals on days when you didn’t make any.

You will find transactions reflecting several withdrawals from your debit card even if you didn’tuse it. Your money’s gone and you’ll probably find it impossible to retrieve it.

5. The trash bags containing some of your personal documents that you didn’t shred havebeen stolen.

You’re wondering, ‘Why would anybody want to steal trash bags?’ Trash bags can mean a lot of opportunity for identity thieves because there is a wealth of information about you in them. If

you’re not careful, your name, address, credit card billings, bank account numbers, even SocialSecurity information may be exposed unnecessarily if you don’t dispose of them properly.

6. You receive billing statements from companies you don’t transact with.

One day, out of the blue, you receive a statement from a company showing that you owe themmoney. Unfortunately, you do not remember ever doing business with them, ever. When youcheck with the company, they confirm that yes, indeed you obtained something from themthrough credit and no, it wasn’t an error on their part.

7. You receive a billing statement from a new credit card you never applied for.

A new credit card is usually a good thing if you really wanted one but a billing statement from acard you never used? That’s a clear sign that you have become a victim of ID theft. Better callthe credit card company to inform them that someone else is posing as you.

8. Your loan has been denied even if you have excellent credit.

Another troublesome indication that an identity thief is going to include you in his/her list of victims is that your loan application has been turned down. This, in spite of the fact that your credit is spotless as far as you know.

9. You get calls from loan agencies you’ve never applied a loan from.

When this happens, expect trouble. Loan companies call you up asking why you have defaultedon your payments. When you ask how it happened, they’ll tell you that someone pretending to beyou has successfully applied for a loan and has reneged on the loan agreement.

10. You seem to have written bad checks and authorities want to talk to you.

Another sign that you have become a victim of ID theft is the strange transaction you seem tohave done with a bank, such as open an account and write some bad checks. If you don’t correctthis immediately, you could find yourself in a lot of legal trouble.

10 Ways To Know If Your PC Has Virus

Intruders in Your PC: How to Spot ThemPerhaps you’re getting confused as to why your PC suddenly starts to slow down, especiallywhen you’re basically starting it up. Then you have noticed numerous ads popping in your screenwhen you still haven’t surfed the Web. Worse, there are files that have been corrupted or damaged.What you may not know, however, is the fact that maybe your PC is infected with a virus. Thereare many types of viruses and malware, and their effect can range from minor to severe. Nevertheless, they are still considered threat to your system. How do you keep track of them?Here are 10 ways:

Run your antivirus andanti-spyware software. There are many software that can help you scan your system to check if there are hidden viruses or adware. They can identify what kinds of viruses are inflicting your PC. You can also have the choice of deleting them into your computer or putting them in quarantine. Nevertheless, you should make sure that the software you areusing are safe. You basically don’t like to worsen the condition with a defective or a scamsoftware.

Use online security. It’s not only offline that your system can get affected. One of the maincauses, the Internet, can also cause harm into your PC. To know how not secure you are whenyou are surfing the Web, there are different analysis software that you can use. On of these isShields Up. You can check Internet ports to check if you are in stealth mode, which is consideredto be the safest mode for your PC. It will also provide recommendation how to shut down thesystem when you are becoming vulnerable to hacks.

Check your wireless network. It’s only when your system is connected to network cables thatyour system is very prone to hacking. It may even happen when you are making use of a wirelessnetwork. You can check your MAC address, making sure that they are filtered, or monitor therouting setting. You may also employ the use of a free program that can do the monitoring of wireless networks for you.

Run your Firewall. It may not really detect the presence of viruses in your PC, but

it willprevent your computer from being more vulnerable to spyware and other programs

that are being planted by hackers into your system. You may also have to enable your Auto Update as itwill automatically update your firewall. Keeping it up to date will make it more capable of fighting unscrupulous scammers and hackers from attacking your PC.

Tweak your settings. To make sure that there are no more viruses that can cause damage intoyour files, you must be able to allow your PC to accept auto updates. But since there is a defaultschedule for it, if your computer is off or you’re not connected to your PC by that time, you maynot be able to receive one. So it may be ideal to modify the settings of your Auto Update so itwill match the schedule of your home or office PC use. You may also opt to be notified when theupdate is ready for you.

Your PC uploads unauthorized files. There are certain types of viruses that will cause your PCto upload files without your permission. This is also the case with spyware and adware, whichwill send all of your confidential information to hackers and other individuals who will be usingthem for malicious intent or to sell you some products and services.

Monitor your PC’s system configuration utility.

MSConfig can give you an idea of whetheryour PC is infected with a virus or not.

You can click on Start, then Run, and then type inMSConfig. Press the tab for Startup. Then look for those program names that may appear likethose of eye charts. This is because viruses and other malicious software are usually renamedusing random characters.

Your PC

shuts down automatically

. It is a classic way of hinting if there are viruses andadware infecting your computer. It will automatically shut down even if you haven’t started it up properly.

You have distorted dialog boxes. There are a number of worms and virusesthat love to makethemselves known. That’s why images in your desktop, especially the format of your menu aswell as dialog boxes appear to be very distorted.

10.

Your PC receives error messages that are unusual. It may be that there are error messages thatkeep on popping, and yet they look as if something you’re not familiar with. It’s time to scanyour computer as there could be viruses that are causing such occurrences.

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