United Methodist Homes | Majority of Consumers Fear Identity Theft

Nationwide Events Offer Consumers ID Theft Protection Resources

A recent online poll conducted through www.ProtectYourIDNow.org revealed that the majority of consumers, 64 percent, believe they are at risk of identity theft.

?A healthy fear of ID theft is a good thing,? said Gail Cunningham, spokesperson for the National Foundation for Credit Counseling. ?People often become complacent, particularly with their mobile devices.? When people see their wallet, credit cards or checkbook, they think of money. However, they don?t connect the dots that critical financial information may be stored on their smartphone, thus putting them at significant risk if lost or stolen.?

Consider the following:

• The sales of smartphones outpaced the sales of personal computers last year;
• Growth of smartphone sales is expected to continue for the next four years, and
• Sixty-two percent of smartphone owners do not utilize passwords to protect their phones.

To increase awareness of identity theft, the crime that won?t go away, and provide ID theft protection resources, the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC), the National Sheriffs Association (NSA) and the National Association of Triads, Inc. (NATI) are proud to join forces to host the fifth annual Protect Your Identity Week (PYIW) October 20-27 during National Crime Prevention Month.? The campaign will offer broad-based ID theft protection education in addition to focusing on the threats related to smartphones with the 2012 theme of ?ID Theft Protection on the Go.? ??

There will be close to 100 Protect Your Identity Week events across America from October 20-27, many offering free shredding of personal documents, responsible cell phone recycling, workshops, speakers, ID theft protection handouts, and credit report reviews.

Cintas, a North American AAA NAID and PCI-DSS Compliant document management provider, is the 2012 National Shredding Sponsor of PYIW.?? When consumers take advantage of free shredding at participating events by bring their personal documents for shredding, they can rest assured that they have been properly and permanently destroyed.?

AllClear ID, PYIW Platinum Sponsor, has once again joined the campaign, bringing their significant identity theft protection expertise to consumers, including information specific to safeguarding mobile devices.

To keep from becoming the next victim of identity theft, and to find the PYIW event closest to you, visit www.ProtectYourIDNow.org.? The site offers educational resources, steps for victims, and a quiz to assess your risk of identity theft.

?The National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC), founded in 1951, is the nation?s largest and longest serving national nonprofit credit counseling organization. The NFCC?s mission is to promote the national agenda for financially responsible behavior, and build capacity for its members to deliver the highest-quality financial education and counseling services. NFCC Members annually help more than three million consumers through close to 750 community-based offices nationwide. For free and affordable confidential advice through a reputable NFCC Member, call (800) 388-2227, (en Espa?ol (800) 682-9832) or visit www.nfcc.org.? Visit us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/NFCCDebtAdvice, on Twitter: twitter.com/NFCCDebtAdvice, on YouTube: www.YouTube.com/NFCC09 and our blog: http://financialeducation.nfcc.org/.

Source: http://blog.umh-nj.org/2012/10/majority-of-consumers-fear-identity-theft/

forgetting sarah marshall taraji p. henson irs shuttle discovery biggest loser bonnie raitt internal revenue service