Information about protecting yourself from identity theft.

Online Versus Offline Identity Theft

According to a recent report released by the Better Business Bureau, online identity theft is less severe and not as costly as offline identity theft.

Although identity theft is an ongoing problem offline and online, contrary to popular belief, identity theft crimes are committed most often offline than through internet activity.

According to a recent report released by the Better Business Bureau, online identity theft is less severe and not as costly as offline identity theft. Offline identity theft often takes longer to be detected, and on most occasions the amount of financial damage to the victim of offline identity theft is greater.

The report also stated that a victim of online identity theft, who accesses online accounts frequently, can detect identity theft quicker than a victim of offline identity theft, who relies on paper bills and statements to come in the postal mail. A billing or service period is usually a standard 30 days, meaning an offline victim of identity theft would not notice any fraudulent spending on their accounts for an entire month. Someone who checks their accounts frequently via the internet would see the fraudulent activity a lot sooner, thus causing the online identity theft victim less financial damage. Another advantage to checking your accounts and statements via the internet is eliminating the paper bills. Identity thieves often steal garbage in hopes of finding paper bills and financial statements to provide them with the information they need to steal an identity.

Following some helpful safety precautions and making some changes will decrease the case of falling victim to online identity theft or offline identity theft. No one should assume they are immune to becoming an online identity theft victim or an offline identity theft victim. In many cases, the identity theft victims actually know the person who stole their identity.

Online identity theft can also be prevented by taking some appropriate precautions and following some appropriate tips. It may not occur as often, but online identity theft does happen frequently. Taking online safety measures will reduce the chances of becoming a victim of online identity theft.

Always keep passwords hidden and change them frequently to help prevent online identity theft. Do not ever give out your password, even to someone you think is a friend. A large percent of online identity theft victims end up finding out they knew the thief.

To help prevent online identity theft, never throw out an old computer without first deleting all sensitive data and personal information. An identity thief will not hesitate to steal a computer from the dumpster and retrieve the information on it.

Finally, in order to prevent online identity theft, run updated virus scans regularly and use an updated firewall. This will prevent viruses that enable an identity thief to steal vital information about the potential victim.

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