Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft
Part 6
by Michelle Black

I want to begin today by thanking our readers for their great positive feedback on our current blog series: Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft.  I especially want to give an extra big “thank you” to those readers who have taken the time to share these great tips with their friends and family members via email, Facebook and Twitter.  The best way to arm yourself and others against identity theft is by increasing awareness.  We at HOPE appreciate you sharing these articles with others and helping us to expose these scam artists before they have a chance to strike!

Continuing on the theme of identity theft, today I’m going to talk about a new, all too common scam that thieves are using online to take advantage of unsuspecting victims:

#6: Don’t Fall for Phishing Scams.
Wikipedia defines phishing as “a way of attempting to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords and credit card details by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication.” In other words, identity thieves employ phishing techniques by trying to get you to reveal your personal information online – via email, chat, or social networking sites (Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, etc.).  The would be thieves will often pose as your bank, credit card company, PayPal, a charity or even a sweepstakes give-away and will try to get you to respond with personal information or click on a link.  Don’t do it! I repeat – do not reply or even click on a link included in the email or instant message.  In fact, you can even go one step further (I know I do) and refuse to open any emails unless they come from someone (or some business) that you know.  In other words, if the subject line of your email reads “Congratulations! You’ve Won a Free Vacation!” you want to go ahead and click the delete button – fast!

Be sure to check back with us soon for tip #7 on avoiding identity fraud.  Remember, if you enjoyed today’s tip, please feel free to share it (using our easy “share” buttons below) with your friends and family.  Thanks again for helping HOPE to spread awareness about the tactics of identity thieves!

If you or a loved one has been a victim of identity fraud the credit experts at HOPE would love to assist you in regaining your good name.  Please give us a call at 704-499-9696 and we will be happy to answer any questions you may have plus give you more information about the services offered by HOPE.

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Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft
Part 5
by Michelle Black

There are few things I hate more than identity fraud.  I have seen identity thieves wreak tremendous havoc on the lives of good, innocent people.  Thankfully, during my years working at HOPE, I have also seen our team of credit experts help many, many people overcome identity fraud and take back their good names.  Unfortunately, even with professional assistance, it takes time to undo the damage that an identity thief causes to a credit report.  That is why I am continuing this week to share even more ways that you can protect yourself and hopefully keep from ever becoming a victim of identity theft in the first place!  On that note, here is my next tip:

#5:  Never Leave Personal Information in Your Car.

“Car prowling” is another common way identity thieves target their victims.  You should never leave your checkbook, wallet, purse, credit cards, credit card purchase receipts, social security card, credit card statements, or any other personal information in your vehicle.  If an identity thief gets their hands on any of these items you could be in serious trouble.  So, don’t make it any easier for the dishonest to abuse you!  Lock up these personal items in your home or keep them on your person at all times.

There are still more tips to come so check back with us again this week! By the end of this blog series you too can be an expert at preventing identity fraud.  Plus, you can help to increase awareness regarding one of the fastest growing crimes in the United States by “tweeting,” emailing, or sharing a link to this article with your online friends.  Our easy to use “share” buttons below make this easier than ever.

Have feedback regarding our blog series? We would love for you to drop us a quick comment on Facebook or Twitter!

Congratulations to the Alexander family on their recent home purchase!  Prior to joining HOPE this family was broken hearted to learn that their credit scores were not high enough to qualify for a home loan.  However, instead of quitting and giving up this couple decided to work towards achieving their dream – homeownership and clean credit.

It didn’t happen overnight – things worth working for seldom do – but it didn’t take that long either.  After just 6 months of membership in the HOPE Program, working hand in hand with HOPE Credit Experts to improve their credit scores, the Alexanders were approved for a home loan! Not only were they approved, but over $8,137 in negative, delinquent accounts were removed or negotiated from their credit reports and the Alexanders credit scores rose from the low 500s all the way up to the mid 600s!

After their home closing Mrs. Alexander wrote to tell us:
“Hello, I hope you all are doing well. Just wanted to say thank you for all your help and support. Because of you all our credit is great and we purchased our dream home! Not just a home but our dream home. Thank you so much.”

We are so very excited for the Alexanders and so very proud of this family and our caring staff for all of their hard work!  Remember, the Alexander’s story is not an anomaly.  It can happen for you too.  Bad credit, collections, judgments, low credit scores, foreclosure, and even bankruptcy does not have to be the end of your story because you can turn your credit situation around.  There is no magic wand and it may not happen overnight, but many HOPE members are able to turn their credit situations around and have scores healthy enough to qualify for a home loan in 6 months or less! In fact, over 85 HOPE graduates have been able to qualify for a home loan in the past 4 and 1/2 months alone!

If you would like more information on the services provided by the HOPE Program please email us or give us a call at 704-499-9696.  We would love to answer your questions and show you how HOPE can help you to achieve the healthy credit you dream of having!  There is no such thing as a HOPEless situation!

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Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft
Part 4
by Michelle Black

According to Wikipedia, “Identity theft is a form of fraud or cheating of another person’s identity in which someone pretends to be someone else by assuming that person’s identity, typically in order to access resources or obtain credit and other benefits in that person’s name.”  As you know, identity theft can utterly destroy a person’s credit scores.  That’s why it is so important to protect yourself from this new and constantly growing form of fraud.  Today’s tip for protecting yourself from becoming a victim of identity theft is:

#4: Don’t Give Personal Information on the Phone Unless YOU Initiated the Call!
Scam artists and identity thieves would love to steal your credit card numbers, passwords, mother’s maiden names, and social security numbers.  Thieves often pretend to be bank representatives, collection agents, government officials, and even police officers in order to steal from the unsuspecting.  To give you an example, a HOPE member recently had a member of a collection agency call her and pose as a detective. The collection agent tried to get the member’s credit card number over the phone in order to “verify” her identity. Luckily the HOPE member stopped right there and hung up and called one of our HOPE Credit Experts. We were able to help her report the attempted fraud and avoid being subjected to unauthorized charges.

Feel free to stop back by our website all this week for more tips and hints on how you can protect yourself from identity fraud.  Educating yourself to the danger of identity fraud is the first step.  Don’t forget to share these articles with your online friends and family too by using our easy “share” buttons below.  Knowledge is power! We would love for you to help empower someone else today.

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Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft
Part 3
by Michelle Black

Chances are that you either know someone who has been a victim of identity fraud or you have been a victim of identity fraud yourself.  Either way, I’m sure that the following statement will come as no surprise to you: Identity fraud sucks!  It is something that you want to protect yourself against and avoid at all costs.  Since identity fraud is about as much fun as a root canal I’ll jump right into another tip on how you can help to avoid this ever growing problem.

#3:  Shred, Burn, or Otherwise Destroy “Thief Prone” Documents!

What is a thief prone document?  A thief prone document is something that a “dumpster diver” – that’s a thief who actually steals sensitive documents right out of your trash – could take from you in order to commit identity theft.  Examples of thief prone documents include credit card statements, bank account statements, and any other paper which lists your social security number, date of birth, or other personal information.

Make it a habit to shred, burn, or otherwise destroy these personal documents instead of just tossing them into the trash can.  Remember, if a thief cannot make out your credit card number then he or she cannot steal it!  This little change will go a long way towards protecting your identity, your credit, and your good name from people who would love nothing more than to take advantage of you.

Check back with us next week for more great tips and tools to keep would-be identity thieves at bay.  Following the preventative steps outlined in this series will drastically reduce your chances of being victimized.

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