Robert Siciliano is a NextAdvisor.com Expert Guest Blogger
I am a part of my life talking about identity theft. Certainly, I take the crime. I do not steal the identities of course, but I'm paid because others steal. I'm not the FBI, CIA, Secret Service or a cop. But you would not denigrate any of these entities to do their job to protect you against the bad guys.
I'm talking about this issue all day, every day to anyone who will listen. I'm obsessed with this and all issues related to personal security. It's what I do, and it seems to be "my goal." I can sometimes go too far in my opinion on these issues and what people should do to protect themselves, but sometimes that's what it takes for people who think they can 't get to get off their duff and be proactive.
That said, it bothers the heck out of me when someone looks me in the eye and said that identity theft is not serious, I should recover. This is exactly Julia Angwin done in this Wall Street Journal article. And uses a professional as the anchor of his article, to confirm his beliefs and trivialize this important industry heinous crime.
The fact is, crime happens all day, every day. Some crimes are more or less frequent. Some are more or less invasive. All crimes have victims and all victims suffer the consequences of other actions. To trivialize the victims and make some of their burden is an act totally incomprehensible.
I responded to this article with the following comment:.
"The author is hiding under the cover of the decoder and will not give his name in this article Another article she is Julia Angwin to julia.angwin@wsj.com. Why not sign your name here ?? [Angwin’s name now appears under the article.]
a person is more likely to be the victim of some form of theft identity of being injured in an accident of motor vehicle. But I bet she wears a seatbelt and not commonplace. a person is more likely to be the victim of identity theft that are broken or their home in stolen car. But I bet it stops. A person is more likely to be the victim of identity theft than to be sexually assaulted. But she dare not trivialize this. A person is more likely to be a victim of identity theft that are their abducted child. But I bet she watches her children near the park. Sister, just because you do not understand something does not give you the right to do little. Identity theft victims suffer the consequences of fraud every day. Some more than others. For victims, identity theft is a living hell. I would not want any of the above throughout the world and the hope of identity theft never happens to you. If it does you sing a different tune and appropriately empathetic to the victims of this heinous crime.
Bruce And, really, the thing against the current is very obvious. To say that you're not worried and do nothing is a slap in the face for all those who suffered and everyone who cares to prevent it. Your credibility has slipped a notch in the opinion of this fan. "
And because I care and because I am paid and because I believe in what follows, I will make some suggestions to you as to how you must protect yourself. but really, identity theft is not a big deal.
Get a credit freeze. Go to consumersunion.org and follow the steps for the state you live in. This is an absolutely necessary tool for secure your credit. in most cases, it prevents new accounts from being opened in your name. This makes your social security number useless to a thief. and invest in identity theft protection. Although all forms of identity theft can be avoided, these services provide several additional layers of defense.
Robert Siciliano, identity theft speaker, discusses identity theft on Fox News.
Robert Siciliano is CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com, an expert on identity theft, professional speaker, security analyst, published author and television news correspondent. Siciliano works with Fortune 1000 and start-up companies as a consultant on product launches, branding, messaging, representation, SEO and media. the thoughts and advice of Siciliano on all these issues often appear in both television and print media news, including CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, FOX, Forbes and USA Today. He has 25 years of safety training as a member of the American Society for Industrial Security. He is the author of two books, including The Safety Minute: Living on high alert; How to take control of your personal safety and to prevent fraud . He also established a partnership with Uni-Ball to help raise awareness of the growing threat of identity theft and provide tips on how you can protect yourself.