When I embarked on my academic journey in Information Technology and Information Systems, I knew very little about data processing. Instantly, I imagined myself as one of those high-tech heroes from the movies who have all these high-level hacking skills and other brilliant computer science skills. After a couple of years of college, I began to realize that this new wave of workforce was emerging in the field of information technology (emphasis on the term: information). Although the study and practice of information technology is not computer science in terms of what NASA and Cal Tech do, it is the science of data processing in a business context or setting. What this means is that information is an asset and in today’s times it is the most valuable asset an organization can have.

Many CEOs would probably agree that information is a volume asset, meaning that every company that intends to stay in business needs a data processing system to manage these assets known as information. Due to this business need, other technologies were born in parallel to extract more value from the data processing system: electronic commerce (which, of course, is a child of the Internet). This gave consumers the convenience of transacting from the comfort of their home or office through electronic transactions at the store. On the other side of the web (the business), this new style of commerce sped up the data mining process and garnered instant customer lists, research and marketing data. These digital relationships between consumers and online retailers caused the growth of a company’s information assets to grow exponentially.

Using this e-commerce, tangible elements of identification (address, social security number, credit card and account number) have become increasingly powerful and sought after by the digital criminal. This information has become the “fingerprint” or Internet identity of the consumer. Like any other valuable possession, these identity items are no exception when it comes to theft of valuable assets. This criminal trend grew along with the popularity of the Internet and electronic commerce. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the Federal Trade Commission reported that the number of identity theft complaints increased from 230,628 in 2000 to 1,330,426 in 2009 (as reported in the 2009 Sentinel Annual Report). .

There are several steps one can take to protect themselves from identity theft:

  • Your social security card or number, which is the “holy grail” of all identity components, must be hidden in deep, locked vaults. If you don’t have the financial resources to go that far, the alternative is to simply store this document at home in a fireproof safe with other important documents. One of the few times you need to carry your social security card is to prove the validity of your citizenship in order to work in the United States. This is accomplished when the employee shows their social security card along with a valid secondary source of identification on the Federal I9 form. The alternative on the Federal I9 only requires one document to prove the same fact: a passport. Many Americans aware of identity theft have decided to obtain a passport and use it as their primary source of identification instead of a driver’s license or social security card. The reason is that a passport establishes citizenship because you must have a valid government-issued photo ID and a valid birth certificate or certificate of naturalization to obtain it. It also requires a photo which makes a passport your “catch-all” when it comes to proving your identity and citizenship.
  • Keep your Social Security number confidential by using it only on forms when necessary, and avoid using it to prove your identity to creditors when conducting business over the phone. Creditors will allow you to set a password to prove your identity, or alternatively, they will give you your current address or some other proprietary information that establishes your identity (ie a purchase you have made on the account in the last 3 months). As a last resort, you can use only the last 4 of your social security number to identify yourself if the creditor allows it.
  • Shred documents you no longer need that contain your social security number or any important account numbers. Shred any documents that have run out before throwing them away. One of the most common low-tech arenas of identity theft is going through victims’ trash or what some call dumpster diving.

Electronic commerce transactions (ie purchases over the Internet) are apparently the most likely transactions to expose your identity and financial instruments, such as your credit card or checking account. What some experts suggest is setting up a low balance account strictly for online purchases. With this in place, the only number you’re putting into the trade stream is an account with a balance you’re willing to lose. The not-so-smart alternative is to use an online credit card that has a high credit limit or a debit card that’s tied to your core finances that you depend on for bills and groceries.

The most popular solution that has emerged in recent years is identity protection products. These products offer guaranteed dollar limits for reimbursement of the costs associated with restoring your identity should it ever be stolen and used. Some of these services will even take steps to assign a resource to assist you in the process of restoring your identity, which may include hiring an attorney to represent you and handle the process for you. They also check your identity through all credit bureaus and other national databases in case some unknown event involving your identity shows up on global radar. The costs of these services are also reasonable.

Based on my own experience with Internet and online safety associated with protecting your identity, there really is no solution to this rapidly emerging area of ​​crime and victimization. Best practices would be to implement a combination of several or all of these tactics to ensure your identity is well protected.

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