Can someone steal your identity from these sites?

Well, we live in a new era where some folks can anonymously steal your entire life-it’s not fun or fair (or legal), I know what it’s like. It is possible for your identity to be stolen, even if you don’t use the internet–it’s more uncommon if you don’t have any personal information saved on the internet but hackers and thieves are getting more creative in their ways of stealing information. Check your credit report from all 3 of the credit reporting agencies. If you’ve found information–immediately call your bank or credit company and put a hold on all of your financial information. You may also contact the police and inform them of the situation–agencies are able to investigate and prosecute such illegal activity a little better now, compared to 5 or 10 years ago. I had financial information stolen, and I was lucky enough to resolve the problem in a year or less–others are not. Monitor your credit reports as often as possible–that’s your first chance at finding suspicious activity. Do NOT give ANY PERSONAL INFORMATION via the internet at all and do not store the information on a computer or handheld/portable device. No date of birth, social security number, or credit card information. If you do have to release this information (for example, an online retailer) make sure they are legitimate reputable companies–do your research, if you transmit financial data, make sure the website is protected–a starting point is looking at the HTTP address, if it’s secure it will be HTTPS, the S is important to remember–you won’t need it for basic internet surfing. Be VERY cautious of e-mails you get, if you get an e-mail from your bank, call your bank personally (do not use any phone numbers listed in the e-mail) or visit the bank in person. It’s always better to err on the safe side. Best of luck to you and keep an eye on those credit reports! :-) -S