Originally published August 6 2005
Identity theft is easily preventable
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
By following certain steps, you can easily protect yourself from identity theft.
You hand the waiter your credit or debit card, and back he comes in a few minutes with two copies of the bill - one for you to sign, the other to keep as your receipt.
You put your card safely back into your wallet or purse, and off you go.
Meanwhile, the signed copy of the bill - with your 16-digit credit card number and your name - sits on the table for all to see, including light-fingered Looie at the next table, or anyone else who has theft up their sleeve.
Remember, a stolen credit-card number is just as valuable to the criminal as the card itself, especially if he also has access to the expiration date and billing address.
ID theft is skyrocketing, aided by the fact that nearly 80 million American households have at least one credit card on which they charge a total of more than $1 trillion a year.
Little wonder that newspapers have been filled lately with stories about millions of credit files being stolen or abused, with one in 10 being victimized by credit-card fraud.
Unfortunately, when the victim runs to law enforcement agencies for assistance, any help they get will be very slow in coming.
For example, a new California law forces businesses to record only the last few digits of a card number when it posts a transaction.
And by last year in that state, all merchants were supposed to get rid of all electronic terminals and registers that captured the customer's full account number.
To protect yourself, follow these tips: n When you pay by credit card, cross out all but the last four numbers on the receipts.
Cancel any unused cards and - in writing - instruct the major credit bureaus that you don't want your credit records sold to "information brokers."
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