Customer Reviews

Stopping Identity Theft: 10 Easy Steps to Security

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Stopping Identity Theft: 10 Easy Steps to Security is a very well organized primer on all things related to identity theft and security of your personal financial information. The scope of possible ways that people can obtain and misuse your financial information is so vast that even those who consider themselves to be well-versed in this area will find something to learn here.

Pages 12 and 13 outline the "10 Easy Steps" referred to by the subtitle, though they are interspersed throughout the book. The steps cover everything from knowing your credit and avoiding scams, all the way through stopping identity theft once it has occurred. Along the way, background and supporting information is provided in the form of "USA-Today" style information boxes that provide snapshots of relevant points. The clean structure and good content of the book makes it very easy to quickly read and learn from.

A big part of detecting and responding to identity theft is maintaining your credit, which requires constant vigilance. Even some of the basic things aren't being done as much as they should be, such as regularly reviewing and correcting your credit report. Ironically, every area where one should focus on is also a potential area for new identity theft risks. The author covers, early on, how some websites advertising free credit reports are in fact themselves vehicles for identity theft. Thus, using trusted resources for identifying the legitimate firms and government agencies one needs to contact is half the battle.

The author covers all the areas that people can lower their risk of identity theft, such as avoiding common scams and limiting the exposure of their personal financial information. But he also is quick to point out that there are some areas that are out of our control, such as the security of our data maintained but other companies, institutions and government agencies. Those things are definitely a wake-up call and they make the monitoring and detection of possible identity theft even more important. The author goes to great lengths to make clear that a quick response is critical if one is to minimize the damage.

RESOURCES

The author book is peppered with resources and references that are worth the time and aggravation saved from not having to navigate the land-mines that are often found in phony search results and disreputable firms.

At the very end of the book there is a "resources" section on pages 223 and 224. What is most interesting about this section is that while it includes the most likely sought after resources, it does not have all the various links that are peppered throughout the book. It would have definitely been nice if they would have collected all those links along with the contact information in that resources section. However, a link is provided to the companion website that is apparently updated to include more links and ensure the information is kept up to date.

CONCLUSION

The amount of information covered in this book is vast. Yet the way that it is structured makes it very readable and usable. This will definitely be a book that you will want to use as a resource after reading. The growing number of potential risks out there is definitely a cause for concern. This is definitely recommended for anybody interested in maintaining their credit and avoiding abuse of their identity.

Enjoy.

Trusted ID dot com is an on-line company that sells identity theft protection for 20 bucks a month, so I was a little apprehensive about the book. I figured Scott Mitic would be selling his on-line services in the book, but not so!

This is a very detailed book, which it needs to be since identity theft can happen in many different situations in your life. Scott Mitic breaks it down into 10 steps (12 chapters in the book). It is easy reading and each chapter can be read separately. There are special areas within each chapter that are highlighted in blue boxes and through graphic illustrations (USA today "Snap Shots").

There is an introduction in Chapter 1 called "Identity Theft--What's the Problem?" which gives you an overview of identity theft and lists the 10 steps generally encompassing:
1. Credit Reporting
2. Safe Methods of Payment
3. Online purchases
4. Identify Scams
5. Shopping
6. Shared Personal Information
7. Medical Identity Theft
8. Family Identity Theft
9. Travel
10. How to stop ID theft if it happens to you.

The closing Chapter 12 called "Stay Ahead of the Curve" includes a test to see if you're identity theft savvy. Also included is keeping up with the latest trends, and especially helpful "How paranoid should you be?

This is great reference book to have on hand and highly recommended for everyone!!! Well worth the 20 bucks retail price, or 14 bucks on Amazon!!!

I don't bank online and I don't use ATM machines and after reading this, I won't be starting. Who knew thieves had card readers that could steal your card number and pin info from an ATM right after you'd used it. Who knew online banking wasn't as safe as the banks say (well I suspected, that's why I bank in person and why I know my teller's names).

Also I don't use my credit card when I buy stuff at the supermarket or hardly anyplace else and this book has certainly reinforced my will to not take the easy way. Yes, it's harder paying cash and yes you have to budget your money and yes sometimes you can't buy something you see in the store because you don't have enough money in your purse, but guess what, bad guys can't steal money from your bank account if they get that twenty you just spent out of the register. They can't hack cash, so that's they way I'm going to continue to pay.

If you use a credit card or bank on line you should read this book.

This primer is a great narrative on what ID theft is and what to be aware of in all aspects of life not just in the internet. I really like that the guide is readable and the information is hefty enough for even the neurotic paranoid. I really especially liked that the author covered the topic of social networking. I was glad to see it being discussed because I've seen the phishing scams and inquiries in those sites and there are so many random people sending friend invites. [..] is an example since it steals your address book.

This primer has joined my book shelf as one of my permanent reference books.

As someone who has had personal experience with identity theft, I was interested to see what this book had to say about the subject. This book covered areas I had never even considered and is a good introduction to subject. Like most NOLO/USA Today books the author offers a great overview of the many aspects of identity theft and further resources if you want more information on a particular topic.

As I personally learned identity theft has become a lucrative industry. There is so much information about people out there and so few real controls. The moment you give your credit card or its number to anyone, whether giving your card to a waiter or gas station attendant or paying for something over the phone, you run the risk of that number being used illegally. The moment you write your social security number on an information form given to you by a doctor or a credit card company or your bank you run the risk of someone copying that information and using it illegally. It seems like every few months the news has a story of some hacker getting into some supposedly secure financial institution's or retailer's computer system and accessing credit card information or social security numbers.

This book looks at the problem as a whole and them looks at specific areas where people are vulnerable. It talks about protecting financial accounts, dealing with online risk, how to protect yourself while shopping online or at stores, thefts related to health coverage and dangers while on vacation. It also looks at specific areas like being aware of your credit report and changes made to it, how companies collect data and whether you are giving out more information than you need. It also talks about what to do if you are the victim of identity theft.

As with all NOLO/USA Today books there is a great list of identity theft resources at the end of the book and there are great resources listed throughout the chapters. This is important because everyone is at risk and no one is completely safe.

This book will give you ideas on how to protect yourself from identity theft and will also give you an idea of what to do if you are a victim. Sadly, it is a must have book in this day and age.

There are numerous ways that your finances, your identity and your medical benefits/treatment can become affected. You need to read this book. Every aspect of protecting your vital information, namely your Social Security Number, and your credit record are discussed. From receiving your credit report to interpretation of each area, to correcting disputes on your report are outlined. Computer security with online shopping, online banking, emails, phishing, scams and fake websites are covered. How to protect your computer by dealing with adware/spyware, trojans and viruses are an important element in protecting yourself.

Is shopping at a Brick and Mortar store safer? Is shopping online safe? How do you protect yourself from identity theft? What about surveys over the telephone? How safe is your checkbook, your receipts and your mail?

The book is well organized, clearly written and boxes highlight important points. There are relevant websites, phone numbers and organizations that can help you protect yourself and your loved ones.

This book has so much important information that it would be a crime for you not to read this book.

I highly recommend it.

Like most of us, I've been bombarded with offers from credit card companies and others offering identity theft protection. I didn't think I needed it, but really wasn't sure.

Well, I'm still not sure, but I feel a lot more informed after reading this and I now see that there are simple things we can do (some we were already doing) to protect ourselves.

Like another reviewer, I could have done without the dumb USA Today charts, but I did learn a lot here. For example, I'd never thought about identity theft for medical insurance purposes and the problems that can bring.

I recommend this as a handy overview and refernce.

I have been a techy for all of my life and consider myself very well versed on security and protecting myself online/offline. However, I always keep an open mind when it comes to info in hopes to learn something new... I got this book for that very reason. When it comes to identity theft I don't like to assume I know everything on the topic. As other users have mentioned things change every day with identity theft and the techniques keep getting more and more complex.

I was surprised when I started reading the book that the biggest group of victims, of identity theft, are not the group I thought they would be. With buzzwords like "cyber-crime" floating in our vernacular, in previous years, it was easy to assume most ID theft was online. Evidence shows internet is responsible for only 4% of all the identity theft that goes on.

The other obvious portion of ID theft is credit card statements, snail mail, receipts. I always knew these were important to watch after as well. However, I was surprised to find out these are the bigger culprits of how people steal your info.

However, the reason I like this book is the author outlines things you likely never knew about the crime and various ways to protect yourself (beyond the obvious). (For example the section covering health care)

This book was a grimly eye opening read that we all hope never happens to us. Protecting yourself from ID theft is something everyone living in the modern world needs to do as a matter of responsibility to yourself. We would never leave our home unlocked or keys in the car. The same needs to be true of our information. I feel this book gives a good start on empowering yourself to do that.

I enjoyed this book a lot because it was a concise listing of ways to protect yourself. You can make the case a lot of this common sense, but cyber crime is getting more sophisticated as we speak.

It's a handy reference for you to revisit again and again.

Compared to the other identity theft book I purchased I just didn't find this as helpful in recovering from theft. some good info.