Javelin Strategy & Research
Javelin Strategy & Research
Al Pascual, Senior Vice President
According to Javelin Strategy & Research, an estimated 16.7 million consumers were hit with some kind of identity theft last year, up from 15.4 million the year before. With these numbers on the rise, it is imperative that people learn to protect themselves, and there are a number of simple, straightforward things we can all do to guard our ID.
Be cautious when sharing your private information. Do not reveal personal information over the phone or internet, unless you initiate the contact or verify the source. In fact, avoid giving out your Social Security number altogether; ask if you can use another type of identification.
Keep important documents safe. Store financial records, birth certificates, social security cards and other important documents in a secure location. Take mail out of your mailbox as soon as you can and ask the post office to put it on hold when you are away from home for several days. You can even take this a step further and remove yourself from promotional lists. Visit www.optoutprescreen.com or call 1-888-567-8688 to opt out of receiving junk mail and pre-approved credit card offers. This is a free service.
Pay attention to your billing cycles. If bills or financial statements are late, contact the sender. Review your account statements and watch for unauthorized transactions.
Stamp personal documents. If a document needs to be discarded, make sure you use a Guard Your ID Stamp to cover any personal information. Shredding is also an option, however shredded paper is difficult to recycle and should be kept to a minimum.
Choose strong passwords. Never pick obvious passwords like “password, '123456’ or even your date of birth. The strongest passwords contain letters, numbers and symbols, and if possible, avoid writing them down. It is a good idea to use a different password for every account you access online. This way, if your password for one account is compromised, it won’t put your others at risk.
Make sure online purchases are secure. Before entering payment details online, make sure that there is padlock symbol on your internet browser. The web address should also being with 'https://'. The 's' stands for 'secure'. When making a purchase in a store, always shield the keypad when you are typing in your pin.
Be wary on social networking sites. Use privacy settings to keep strangers from seeing your personal information, and limit who you let into your network. Do not post any vacation plans or family photos while you are away.
Monitor your credit. Cancel any credit cards that you aren’t using and take advantage of free credit reports several times throughout the year. Periodically request a credit report for your child. If your child is under 18, they typically should not have a credit file; if they do, it may be because someone used their identity to open accounts.
If you believe you are a victim of identity theft, visit identitytheft.gov to create a personalized recovery plan. The key to protecting your identity is to be attentive, not afraid; and these simple actions can go a long way toward keeping you, and those you love, safe.
AUTHOR ROBERT SICILIANO / SECURITY EXPERT AND AUTHOR OF THE BOOK "IDENTITY THEFT PRIVACY"
In 2005, over 8.3 million Americans were victims of identity theft, and the world was scrambling to keep up. To combat the increasing risk to credit cards, bank accounts and social security numbers the government was writing new security legislation, advanced technology was being developed and Guard Your ID was born.
At this time, junk mail and credit card offers were quickly becoming the most prevalent targets of identity theft, and the usual way to deal with these was to shred. Unfortunately, shredded paper is difficult to recycle, and PLUS, a large stationery manufacturer headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, introduced the concept of a security stamp as an alternative solution. In addition to preserving the paper fiber length necessary for the recycling process, a stamp would also provide a quieter, cleaner and easier method to protect private information.
PLUS released their first ID protection stamp prototype in July 2006, however it was quickly determined that the stamp pattern, consisting of + and - , was unsuccessful at covering text. Back to the drawing board they went, and over 100 stamp patterns were tried. PLUS tested x’s, circles, stars, checkerboards, and even numbers, until it was finally determined that the best way to hide letters was, well, to use letters. Characters with a lot of white space were immediately excluded (ie. O or C), and after months of grueling research it was narrowed down to ten (A, B, E, G, H, K, M, V, W, X). These letters were turned sideways, placed at an angle and positioned just right until PLUS felt that the pattern could successfully cover any string of characters, in any font.
The specially formulated, oil based ink was produced next. Challenging requirements were given to the developers, but the end result was a water resistant, light resistant, chemical resistant, dark, clear, and quick drying ink. While the stamp was originally released in only 2 colors (red and blue), it quickly evolved. Bright colors were developed (ie. hot pink and lime green), new sizes were released, and eventually the Guard Your ID pattern was placed on a roller.
The number of identity theft victims continues to grow each year, and reached an all-time high of 15.4 million Americans in 2016. Accordingly, PLUS continues to grow the Guard Your ID line in the hopes of providing a simple solution to a serious problem. Protecting your private information has never been more important, and I for one find it comforting to know that Guard Your ID products are out there, working hard to protect the identities of everyday people…one stamp at a time.