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As we continue our email series discussing the eight Identity KAOS principles which are the building blocks of the Identity Diet program for creating customized identity protection plans, we are now ready to discuss the fifth and sixth principles for organizing and monitoring the exploitable personal information we have gathered and assessed up to this point. In previous issues, we spoke about the first four identity protection principles which had to do with identifying, locating, documenting, and assessing our personal and exploitable information. The fifth principle for organizing personal information suggests that we categorize our information for security and identity theft recovery purposes. Not all exploitable information is used the same way nor do they require the same level of protection. Therefore, we must organize and protect our information with respect to our assessment of the risks. The next and sixth identity protection principle suggests observing or monitoring certain components of our identities for timely fraud identification. Such identity components which are widely monitored through third party services include components related to our credit or medical information such as credit cards, credit reports, and drivers’ license to name a few. Although, an automated identity monitoring through a third party is highly recommended, it is not a comprehensive solution for identity theft as you can see from the eight Identity KAOS principles, and, individuals can use various other techniques to monitor their own information by reviewing account statements and placing account alerts where available. For example, Bank of America provides an account feature to alert its customers whenever a predefined transaction such as a debit or credit hits the account. This feature allows customers to detect unauthorized transactions immediately. For your convenience, I have reviewed a few identity monitoring services which you can read if you are interested to automate some of your efforts. However, I do not recommend entirely depending on automated identity monitoring services for protecting yourself against identity theft. The Identity Diet book provides further details regarding the eight identity protection principles and many practical solutions which can benefit you. Also, the online Identity Diet program provides a comprehensive risk analysis of your profile in order to develop a personalized identity protection plan. You can also take a short test on IdentityDiet.com to learn about some of your risks and see how the customized plan can help you with a comprehensive assessment, education and support. I will be talking about the last two Identity KAOS principles in the next issue. Until then, please feel free to read some of recently posted articles listed below: Identity Protection Articles Consumer Articles TrustedID Review - TrustedID is an identity monitoring service which I have reviewed and documented to provide consumers with an overview of the TrustedID service, its benefits and automated process. Credit Card Offers - We often receive too many credit card offers which we must carefully assess in order to choose and own limited credit cards which satisfy our credit needs and reduce the risk of identity theft. Paper Trash - Paper trash also known as junk mail can be a huge threat to the protection of our identities and privacy if they are not handled properly. Business Articles Identity Theft Program - Identity Diet is an identity theft program and published identity theft protection book which educates and empowers consumers to protect their identities against theft and fraud. This program is used by individuals as well as company employees for identity theft protection awareness and education purposes. Announcements Identity Diet is now online with comprehensive identity theft self assessment, education, and support services which will help interested individuals identify and understand their identity theft risks, learn about best identity protection practices which they can apply daily, and create an Identity Diet plan to protect their identities with their own actions as well as some automated services. Visit Identity Diet.com Resources If you help customers protect their identities against theft and fraud, visit the Identity Management Institute and learn about the Certified Identity Protection Advisor (CIPA) designation.
Until next time, be identity safe, |