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Privacy & ID Theft
 Identity Theft
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Identity Theft

Detecting An Email Breach (Consumer-SOS)
Get alerts when your email may have been comprised.

Identity Theft Resource Center
Speak to a live person for free help or look at their brochures and tips on numerous aspects of ID theft for how to protect yourself. Includes how to organize your case and firewall your computer.

Set up alerts for new credit activity. Save yourself money and use a free credit-monitoring service, like Credit Karma or Credit Sesame. You can also set up a fraud alert or credit freeze if you'd like. Credit scores are really free at Credit Karma, but keep in mind that they use their own scoring which is similar but not identical to the standard FICA score.
Finding The Owner Of A Lost Cell Phone/What to Do If Yours Is Missing (Consumer-SOS)

Victim Help With Filing an Identity Theft Report & A Police Report
File Both!  You get special legal protection when you file an ID Theft Report with the Federal Trade Commission.
Click Here for how to file with the FTC.

Internet Scams That Trick You To Reveal Your Passwords & Personal Data
So, You got a message that your email account/credit card will be canceled unless you click on the link below.  Well it could be a trap!!!!!  And you could be duped into giving information to a bogus look alike website which has nothing to do with your provider/credit card, etc.

ID Theft: Protecting Yourself After The Fact
Extensive checklist with links to important help agencies.

Coping with Identity Theft: What To Do When An Imposter Strikes
Are you a victim of ID theft? Scroll down for how to prevent it, who to contact and how to protect yourself after the fact.

Clean Your Computer Tracks-Privacy Tools
Freeware that deletes Internet cache, spyware, etc. and erases your deleted files for good.

Identity Theft, Step By Step What To Do  
Also Has Great Links For More Help

Identity Theft Laws In Every State  
Laws and/or Links For all 50 States

Your Wallet: A Loser's Manual

Classic Cons... And How to Counter Them  (Includes ID Theft)

Limits On Your Liability For Check Forgeries and Lost Credit,  Debit & ATM Cards

When Someone Else Uses Your Social Security Number

Student Records-Your Right To Keep Them Private (ACLU)
Also learn what you can see and what's off limits to you. 

How To Obtain A Copy Of Your Birth Certificate (General)
After ID theft, this may be needed to prove you're you.

Privacy.net (Great Links And Brochures)

National Help Orgs For A Variety Of Consumer Problems
The Elderly, Environment, Families, Fraud, Health & Safety, Insurance The Handicapped, Medical Problems, Telemarketing and more.
 

Related Topics
 People Search
Public Records

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Privacy
Changing Your Name & Social Security #
Recording Conversations
Blocking Unwanted Mail, Phone Calls & Email
Records Kept On You


Changing Your Name & Social Security #

Frequently Asked Questions About Social Security And Social Security#s
Use their search engine to find out how to change your Social Security# and much much more.

Name Change Law In Every State & DC

Changing Your Name On A Passport

Marriage & Name Changes (Not State Specific)
What to do when you want to hyphenate or keep your maiden name.

Privacy.net (Great Links And Brochures)

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Recording Conversations

Secretly Recording A Call Between Two States Where It's Legal In One State But Illegal In the Other State
Here a Georgia company was found liable in California for secretly recording conversations with California residents, even though this was legal in Georgia.  The California Supreme court found the act illegal in California and that the case could be heard in a California court, applying California law. Who called who was irrelevant in the court's analysis. See also the precautions you should take if you plan on recording phone calls and conversations. See also Other Cases on Recording Interstate Phone Calls.

Taping Telephone Conversations (The Laws in all 50 States & DC)

Recording Telephone Conversations (FCC)

Privacy Resources On The Internet (Links & Descriptions)

Privacy Links (From The Privacy Rights Clearing House)

Related Topics
Internet
Phone Matters
Public Records

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Blocking Unwanted Mail, Phone Calls & Email

Disposable Emails So No One Can Spam You (Consumer-SOS)
Want to sign up for a website without them knowing your real email account?

The National Do Not Call Registry
Most telemarketers cannot call your telephone number if it is in the National Do Not Call Registry. You can register your home and mobile phone numbers for free. Your registration will be effective for five years.

Free Browser Add-Ons That Increase Privacy Without Interrupting Your Work Flow
Ghostery and Do Not Track Plus  prevent Web sites from relaying information about you and your visit to tracking companies. These add-ons also name the companies that were blocked from receiving your data.

Avoiding Spam-How To Bypass Compulsory Web Registration (Bugmenot.com)
Get the news articles you want, without the Spam. Bypass the login of web sites that require compulsory registration and/or the collection of personal/demographic information (such as the New York Times). Gives you a list of passwords and login ID's to use so you don't have to register.

Disposable G-Mail Inbox (10 Minute Email)
The generated Gmail address is applicable for websites that need email verification, account information, and link to other online sites. Gmailnator covered a variety of Gmail addresses available to produce within a matter of seconds!. See How To Create.

TOR
Individuals use Tor to keep websites from tracking them and their family members, or to connect to news sites, instant messaging services, or the like when these are blocked by their local Internet providers. Tor's hidden services let users publish web sites and other services without needing to reveal the location of the site. Individuals also use Tor for socially sensitive communication: chat rooms and web forums for rape and abuse survivors, or people with illnesses.

Privacy Clearing House Fact Sheets (Emphasis on California Law but good for everybody)
Learn what to do to stop junk mail, harassing phone calls and Identity Theft. Has numerous articles and tips.

Clean Your Computer Tracks-Privacy Tools
Freeware that deletes Internet cache, spyware, etc. and erases your deleted files for good.

André Bacard's Privacy Page
Scroll down for privacy websites, advice on surfing anonymously and getting rid of cookies.

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Disposable Emails

10 Minute Disposable Email
Want to sign up for information without giving them your true email address?
Give them a disposable one instead!

https://simplelogin.io/
Receive and send emails anonymously. With email aliases, you can be anonymous online and protect your inbox against spams and phishing.

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Related Topics
Internet
Mail Matters
Phone Matters
Public Records

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Records Kept On You

My Ex Is Tracking My Location: How Can I Prevent This? (Consumer-SOS)
Checklist on what to do to keep your location a secret.

Who Can View Your Credit Report?
Lists the legal and illegal reasons people can access your credit report under the Graham, Leach, Bliley Act.
See also This Google Search.

Keeping Your Medical Records Private
Know what protections and rights you have and what you can do if you believe they have been violated.

Obtain Your Own FBI File

Finding The Owner Of A Lost Cell Phone/What to Do If Yours Is Missing (Consumer-SOS)

Federal Privacy Act (Your Right To See Records Kept On You)
Scroll down to the Unites states. (Lists many countries)

Clean Your Computer Tracks-Privacy Tools
Freeware that deletes Internet cache, spyware, etc. and erases your deleted files for good.

State Health Privacy Laws In All 50 States & DC!
The Health Privacy Project has prepared a summary of state health privacy statutes.  You can use this summary to: 
Learn generally about the kinds of protections afforded to you in your own state.

For More See
People Search and
Public Records  

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My Ex Is Tracking My Location: How Can I Prevent This?
It all depends on how he knows where you are. If he's simply tailing you, there's nothing to do but get a restraining order. However, he may be subject to criminal and civil liability if there's illegal surveillance involved.  For example: there are laws that prohibit tapping phones, installing GPS trackers on cars, or the unauthorized use of surveillance cameras.  It's also against state and federal law to hack into someone's smart phone or their email accounts.

Privacy Checklist to Conceal Your Location

1. Check Your Car For an Illegal GPS Tracking Device
Look for small tracking devices placed on the underside of your vehicle or in the trunk. To see what these may look like, click Here.

2. Change Passwords on Your Email Accounts and Social Media Sites.
Be sure to enable privacy restrictions on Facebook and other social media.

3. Deactivate Google Hangouts and other Social Media that may be broadcasting to "friends" your current location.
Sometimes the location tracking feature is something you get by default, even when you signed up for other benefits and knew nothing about it.  As for Google Hangouts, a friend of mine says it automatically tracks his locaton. As he stops at various places, it asks him if he wants to "check in."  Even if he decides not to do so, it still notes for example, that he's currently at the Mexican restaurant. Checking in simply logs that he stayed there. See Google Hangouts and How To Hide Your Location Online.
 
4. Secure Your Smart Phone From Spyware and Viruses See


Getting Rid of Spyware or Location Tracking On A Smart Phone (Android)
From the two links above the best ways to eliminate spying (in order of ease) are as follows:

1. Use an antispyware app like Avast
 
2. Disable the location services which triangulate location based on GPS, Cell Towers, Bluetooth signals and WIFI
(On an Android device, launch the Settings app, tap "Location Services" and clear the boxes for both "Location Services" and "GPS Satellites.")

3. Manually Hunt for spyware yourself (Settings > Apps and try to find anything that looks suspicious)

4. Wipe your phone clean by returning it to factory settings (before you do so back up the important things you added yourself so you can reinstall)

5. Rooting Your Phone (changing permissions, which also voids all warranties)

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Finding The Owner Of A Lost Cell Phone/What To Do If Yours Is Missing Returning a Lost Cell Phone my cell phone is missing lost stolen

  1. Use the Cell Phone to Call Yourself. See what name and # appears on your caller ID. If only their number appears, get their name by plugging the number into a cell phone reverse lookup. See steps 7-9 if the cell phone doesn't work (dead battery, locked keypad, etc.). For Your own phone, see What To Do if It's Your Phone That Is Lost or Stolen;
     
  2. If the Owner's Name Appears, call one or two of the local contacts listed in the cell phone address book. Then arrange for pickup;
     
  3. If Caller ID Won't Display a Name or #, search the address book for a home number or for obvious family members i.e. HOME, MOM. UNCLE, BROTHER, etc. No obvious relatives? Then call other local contacts and ask if they know who's phone it is. Start with people who last called the phone. They might immediately recognize the #, but if not, have them search their own address book for who it belongs to;

  4. Still no luck? Then Plug the # into Google. Normally Google won't list cell phone numbers, but the owner's name and # may turn up on a posting of some sort. The posting may provide other contact info such as the person's land line or company phone #, etc. For best results, Google the # twice, both with and without parentheses, i.e. (404) 867-5309 and 404-867-5309;
     
  5. Got the name? See steps one and two;
     
  6. Leave the Phone On, and see who calls! Return recent callbacks and ask who they just dialed. Then arrange for pickup;
     
  7. Put Their SIM Card Into Your Phone to get the #. (This may not work if they have an Android and you have an iPhone). Or, if the keypad is locked, you may be able to unlock it and follow the steps above. Or, if the keypad is locked, you may be able to unlock it and follow the steps above. Go to the manufacturer's homepage and find the online user manual. Somewhere in "security" or "privacy" the manufacturer will list the default lock code. If the person hasn't changed it, this will work. In some cases, the default code is either "0000" or the last four digits of the phone number;
     
  8. Call the Service Provider. You can give the SIM chip number or the IMEI (unique handset identifier) usually located in the battery casing and the service provider can find the account belonging to the handset. Depending on the service provider's internal policies, they will either take your contact information or pass it along to the lost cell phone's owner, or provide you with the owner's landline phone number but no name. Or you could take the phone to a local cell store to get them to contact the owner (assuming you know if it's Sprint, Nextel, T Mobile, etc.);

  9. When all else fails, go to the nearest lost and found where the owner would be expected to look for it. The latter works best when the phone was found near or inside a church, mall, school, or business, etc.). Note: Be mindful of where you return a cell phone. In the wrong hands, the owner of such could become another victim of identity theft.


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Phone & Utilities

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 Privacy and ID Theft