You should always know who you are buying from and if it is a store that you have not shopped at before make sure that you take some time to research the store to see what other customers have to say about their experience shopping at this store.  You can even call the number for customer service and ask about their guarantees and policies.  If you cannot find a phone number send them an email and ask them these questions and any others you might have before you buy anything from them.

Make sure that the store’s website is encrypted so any personal and financial information is secure before it is sent over the internet.  One way to make sure that the site is encrypted is to make sure that the website address begins with “https” and not “http” before you hit the send button.  The “S” on the end of “http” means that the site is secure and it is safe to send your personal and financial information.
You should also review the store’s policies about returning things purchased from the store and make sure that the store’s commitment to customer service is what you would expect if you shopped at a brick and mortar store.  You also need to make sure that your computer security is current and not out of date.  You should be using a comprehensive anti virus software to make sure that it will help to prevent fraud, identity theft, and viruses.  You should also check for any updates on a regular basis and if possible enroll with a identity theft protection companies such as Lifelock.

If you have any doubts about the store, their security, their policies, and their guarantees, do not order from the and check out another store.  A good warning sign that this site may not be legitimate is the lack of contact information.  Also deals that sound too good to be true may also be a sign that the company might not be on the up and up.  In this situation it might be better to find another store.

You should also make sure that you review your credit card statement each month when it comes in to see if there are any discrepancies.

Make sure that you get your credit card back quickly from the sales clerk or the waiter.  At some bars if you are running a tab the bartender will want you to give them your credit card to keep at the register so you will not stiff the establishment of money.  Do not do this because if the credit card sits at the register or bar it not only get lost or if you have a little too much to drink you may forget to pick it up.  In addition, it might get skimmed or an employee or someone else sitting at the bar that can see the card might take a picture of it with a cell phone camera.

You should also be looking for security cameras because PCI data security standards has a requirement that makes sure merchants who process credit cards in person have to have security cameras trained on the areas of credit card processing but unfortunately many of them do not.  Another area that you should be concerned about is tip fraud which means that whenever you add a service tip onto your card you are risking a tip fraud.

Tip fraud is a scam in which a service employee alters the tip amount when they enter the final bill at the cash register. Even if you are one of those people who go over their statements are not going to notice an extra dollar tip so to avoid this scam leave the tip in cash.

Do watch out for skimming on PIN and ATM entry terminals because they are just as vulnerable as the registers in the stores.  This is especially true of ATM entry terminals that are not monitored by merchants. Identity theft protection is what everybody needs in safeguarding their identities and credit.

How a person finds out their identity has been stolen

• A collection agency calls you about any over due debts that you never made.
• You apply for any type of loan or mortgage and get turned down because there is a problem with your credit history.
• You receive some type of information in the mail regarding a house you never bought, a job you never had, an apartment you never rented, or a car you never leased.

Your identity has been stolen so what should you do

• Contact your bank or credit card Company regarding any disputed charges or unauthorized charges.
• Check your credit reports.
• File a police report.
• Make sure that you change any of your passwords
• Contact your credit card company and bank to have all your cards deactivated and order new ones.

Filing a police report

• The police report will provide specific details of the identity theft.  This report is called an Identity Theft Report.  This report will entitle you to certain legal rights when you show it to the three major credit reporting agencies and companies where the identity thief used your information illegally.
• You may not need this report if the identity thief makes fraudulent charges on an account that already exists and have been able to work with the company to solve the problem.
• The police report is needed to get any copies of an identity thief’s application or transaction information from the companies that dealt with the identity theft.

If you are a victim of identity theft, it might be advisable to file a police report even if you do not need it for the investigation but you will have it if you do need it.

You also have a right to get an identity theft report that is like a police report but does into more detail.  It should contain enough information that the businesses and credit reporting companies can verify that you are a victim.  It will also let them know just what information or accounts have been affected.

When you start to deal with the various credit reporting companies you have the right to put a ninety day initial fraud alert on your credit files.  You should do this if you think you are a victim or may become a victim of identity theft.  This alert just tells the users of your credit report that they must take steps to verify who is trying to get credit in your name.  To do this, all you have to do is contact just one of the credit reporting bureaus and they will contact the other two bureaus.

Make sure that you place a seven year extended fraud alert on your credit files if you know that you are a victim of identity theft.  When you place a ninety day initial fraud alert you will get one free copy of your credit report plus a summary of your rights from each bureau.

You also have the right to ask the credit reporting companies to block any fraudulent information from being on your credit report but before you can do this you must provide them with a valid identity theft report.  You also have the right to dispute any inaccurate or fraudulent information that you find on your credit report.  When you do the credit reporting company must investigate the dispute and fix your credit report when they find any fraudulent information.

In many states you have the right to use a credit freeze and restrict access to your credit report.  This will make it difficult for an identity theft to open any new accounts under your name.

You need to make sure your bank and credit card company have been contacted.  You should also contact at least one of the credit reporting agencies to report the fraud.  By law, they are required to notify the other two agencies.  They will also send you a free credit report.  Make sure that they put a fraud alert on your report.  You may also want to ask them if they can freeze any applications for credit until you tell them to remove it. In addition, make sure that you change your passwords and PIN number on all your accounts.
Identity theft is a federal crime so make sure that call your local police department to report the fraud.  Make sure that you ask to file a report listing all the accounts that were affected and all the illegitimate charges.  This report is very important in case creditor want to contest charges at a later date.

Once you get your credit report, make sure that you call all the banks and creditors that affected and have them close all the phony accounts immediately and have them make a notation that the account was fraudulent.  Also have them include in the notation that you were a victim of fraud.  Ask the banks to stop payments on any fraudulent checks plus notify the check verification companies.

If it is necessary, hire a lawyer to help you out.  Remember that you are a victim of identity theft and that you deserve the respect and support of the creditors.