Customer Reviews

Stolen Lives: Identity Theft Prevention Made Simple

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As a victim of identity theft in the past, I wish I had had this book! There are great tips in here, with specific actions you can take to protect yourself. Don't be like me, and lose $4000 to credit card number thieves! You may think this is hype, but it's true that identity theft is a huge problem right now - help yourself out and buy this book.

"Stolen Lives, Identity Theft Prevention Made Simple" is a 'must-have' for those of us who aren't into computers, and a vital book for we who are. The information in this wonderful book is of critical importance to us all, and it provides us with a means of protecting ourselves from intrusion, and worse, into each of our lives.
Review from San Francisco, CA

Stolen Lives: Identity Theft Prevention Made Simple is the informed and informative guide to the innovative avoidance of the modern threat of identity theft knowledgeably written by John D. Sileo. Having been victimized by an identity theft, John D. Sileo lived the horrors and pains of defending his innocence for the embezzlement of $300,000 for the span of two years, during which he became highly educated on the whole construct of modern identity theft and with Stolen Lives is doing his best to prevent others from having the same thing happen burden their lives. Written in an easy-to-use format, Stolen Lives is the ultimate informational reference for situational threats such as who to watch out for, how likely certain people may commit such acts, proper mentality for banking, and many more educational information. Stolen Lives is strongly recommended reading for all readers, but most particularly newcomers to cities who are setting up a new life and in fear of identity theft.

I liked this book so much, I bought more 4 copies to give to people I care about. John Sileo provides a practical plan for protecting yourself.

I have had my identity stolen several times, and my wife has had it stolen once. We have read everything there is to read on identity theft and Stolen Lives is by far the most logically organized. Mr. Sileo gives a calendar of tasks to follow that walks you through every single step, one by one. You would have to be a complete idiot to not get this one. And you really only have to spend a couple of minutes on each step, so you don't get bogged down in a useless checklist. I recommend this to everyone I know. I also liked Johnny May's book.

I have also had the opportunity to see Mr. Sileo speak at an association meeting that I attended. He was a phenomenal speaker - I highly recommend trying to see him if you can.

I heard the author interviewed on the radio and was looking forward to reading this book. When I finally got it I was disappointed. There wasn't a lot of what I would consider "new" useful information. Mostly a rehash of common sense suggestions most people probably already know. Glad I got it used and didn't pay full price.

As an author and speaker on the subject of Information Security - The House & the Cloud: Building a Compelling Value Proposition using Risk Awareness to Sell Technology, I read John's book with a great deal of background and experience in the trends and methods of information theft. John does a great job of explaining to the average person what assets are critical, where the relevant threats exist, and how to detect and respond to misuse or out-right theft of your personal identity. Stolen Lives is a "must read" for everyone!

Who does identify theft happens to? To everyone because the thieves are more diligent about stealing our identify than we are at protecting it.

The book's stories really brought the reality home. For example...

A thief observed Michelle opening her health club locker. She knew Michelle's workout habits and timeline. While she exercised, the thief stole her wallet, and while in her purse, noted her cell phone number. Once Michelle returned to her locker, she noticed her wallet was missing--but nothing else. So she rushed to her car, thinking she left it there. Her cell phone rang. It was the bank stating someone was using her information--and she should verify information so they could verify her identity. In her panic and stress, she CONFIRMED to "the bank" her PIN and Social Security number, mother's maiden name--giving them everything the thief needed need to start using her identity immediately.

Sound farfetched?

Read and act on information in this book so you don't join Michelle and others. Need I say more? If you haven't noticed the increase in "experts" talking about this subject, you have your head in the sand.

Stolen Lives: Identify Theft Prevention Made Simple will (or better) scare every ounce of complacency out of you. It did me!

We're just too darn nice, helpful, trusting, careless with how we discard or store vital information--and we don't believe that we could become a victim. My favorite thought: "Know when to say NO."

In 2004 alone, it is estimated that 9.3 million people have become victims of identify thief. The author tells us to "think like a spy," being aware of your surroundings. Our "spy" radar must be up and alert every second.

The information in these hot topics are worth the read and tell everyone about!

-- 6 spy-style interrogation techniques to protect yourself.
-- 5 things you should NEVER CARRY in your wallet or purchase.
-- 8 places your ID protection may be leaking, and how to stop the flow.
-- 8 tip offs an ID thief may be trying to con you into releasing information.
-- 10 "weapons" you can use to keep personal info from being collected online.

Author and identify theft victim John Sileo is Harvard educated--but even his ID was stolen--twice.

Unfortunately, as an editor and one who writes a lot of book reviews, I wish the author had not made it so hard to read and find the information. I persevered because I really wanted to learn what he had to teach, but it was a challenge. Be patient and the "meat of information" will be worth it. His ideas have brought up much discussion (and action) in our home.

Armchair Interviews says: This book will help you see you should lock up every vital document as if they were cash-because to identity thieves, they are CASH. We no longer can afford to be so trusting.