| An everyday scenario: A man on a business | | | | "Identity Theft Risk Scorecard." This is a |
| trip stops at an Airport ATM and takes out | | | | simple risk assessment exercise. Individuals |
| $100.00 before catching his connecting | | | | can do a comprehensive inventory of their |
| flight. When he arrives at his hotel to check | | | | vulnerabilities. Know how many credit cards |
| in not just one but all of his credit cards | | | | you have and what the limits are on them. |
| are declined. He has just become one of | | | | Check bank statements regularly, not just at |
| millions of victims of Identity Theft. One of | | | | the end of the month but also online for |
| the problems in combating this increasingly | | | | unidentified charges. Protect passwords and |
| common crime is that there is a very good | | | | change them regularly. Keep unused cards in a |
| chance that this theft will never be | | | | safe location. Treat ATM cards the same way |
| reported. The business man will call the the | | | | as credit cards. An individual should also |
| credit card company who will realize that he | | | | regularly check on his/her credit rating with |
| and they have been a victim of "skimming" | | | | Equifax or a similar service. Look for |
| which is where thieves insert a device into | | | | unusual activity and address it immediately. |
| an ATM designed to steal personal | | | | Keep Social Security Numbers, Driver's |
| information. They will cancel the man's | | | | License numbers, Passport numbers and other |
| credit cards, courier replacement cards to | | | | major identifiers secure and limit |
| him and write off the losses as the cost of | | | | dissemination to only necessary parties. Be |
| doing business. They will want to keep the | | | | certain to obtain copies of credit card |
| matter as confidential as possible both to | | | | receipts from restaurants, hotels, gas |
| protect the man's interest and to protect | | | | stations and other retailers and shred any |
| their own reputation. Everyone knows the | | | | that have a full credit card number on them. |
| importance of doing the basic things to | | | | By following these and other basic protective |
| protect against Identity Theft. Cover your | | | | practices the individual is actually |
| hands when entering PIN numbers. Change your | | | | developing a personal Identity Theft Metrics, |
| passwords frequently and don't use obvious | | | | a comprehensive accounting of how and where |
| ones. Don't write your passwords down where | | | | one's Identity information is disseminated. |
| they can be discovered. Use different | | | | As with corporations this Metrics will have |
| passwords for different applications etc. But | | | | built in KPIs (Key Performance Indicators). |
| further steps can be taken too. Devising a | | | | Individuals, like corporations, have the |
| comprehensive empirically accurate means of | | | | ability to monitor, protect against and put |
| measuring the extent of Identity Theft so | | | | in place proactive countermeasures against |
| that countermeasures can be developed is as | | | | Identity Theft. |
| important for individuals as it is for | | | | |
| corporations. In order to do that, it is | | | | If you are interested in identity theft |
| necessary to measure the extent of Identity | | | | metrics, check this web-site to learn more |
| Theft Risks. Every individual can develop and | | | | about measuring identity theft risks. |