Welcome to your Identity Theft Center

Welcome To The Identity Theft Council Education Center We know how worrisome identity theft and cybercrime can be. That's why we brought in some of the top security experts whose expert advice is available to you around the clock.

On this exciting new site you'll find all the answers you need to protect yourself from identity theft and online scams

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Stay Safe Online Did you know that there are now more than 1.5 million different types of computer virus, spyware, Trojans and other malware circulating around the internet? Or than an estimated 8.5 billion phishing emails are sent out worldwide every month? The best way to avoid them is to know where they hide.

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Protect Your Small Business If you own or work for a small business, then you probably understand the challenges of protecting your workplace and your customers from the constant threat of identity theft.

Our Small Business Security Center has the answers and tools you need to make that job easier.

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Member Question: "I'm confused about the difference between a credit freeze and a fraud alert. Someone told me that they do essentially the same thing - is that correct?"

Answer: "It's a very common question and often a subject of confusion. A fraud alert and a credit freeze are two very different tools...." Read the full answer from our expert.

There are many threats that can trap the unwary surfer How much do you know about threats like: computer_small

- Phishing
- Bots and botnets
- Trojans and Keyloggers
- Spam
- Spyware

Learn how to protect your computer.

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Security Blog

Follow our expert as he blogs about the latest security exploits, stories, and successes he comes across every week. [readon1 url="http://www.idguardian.com/"]Check it out[/readon1]

Protect Your Business

Your business is important to us. Our in-house security expert can help you protect your business, your data, and your customers from identity thieves.[readon1 url="index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=94:protect-your-small-business&catid=38:rokstories-frontpage&Itemid=112"]Learn More[/readon1]

Top Security Tips

Our expert offers the following tips to help you avoid identity theft:

1. Stay personally involved in protecting your identity and don‚Äôt leave it to others.

2. Education is key, so stay informed of the latest threats.

3. Monitor your credit regularly ‚Äì either by checking your credit reports or by using a good credit monitoring service.

4. Layer your computer with good virus and spyware protection, a secure firewall, and data encryption.

5. Constantly update your anti-virus and anti-spyware software and patch your computer.

6. Scan your computer regularly, especially for password-stealing Trojans. See all security tips.

Get Your Identity Theft Score

Think you know as much about identity theft as you should? Take our simple ID IQ test and see how much you really know. Get your score now.

Identity Theft Videos

There are a number of great videos available online that will help you learn mroe about identity theft and how to avoid it.

We recommend "Detect. Deter. Defend." from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and "Don't Be An Online Victim" from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

Helpful Resources

There are many great and free resources available to help you learn more about how to avoid identity theft and cyber threats.

If you didn't find the answer you were looking for on this site, try these great sites:

News and Alerts

The 2010 Identity Fraud Survey Report – released in February by Javelin Strategy & Research – found that the number of identity fraud victims in the United States increased 12 percent to 11.1 million adults in 2009, while the total annual fraud amount increased by 12.5 percent to $54 billion.

- 75 percent of existing card fraud incidents came from credit cards, an increase of 12 percent over 2008.

- Millennials (consumers aged 18 to 24 years old) take nearly twice as many days to detect fraud, compared to other age groups, and thus are fraud victims for longer periods of time. Learn more.