Most people do not have a clue how to protect themselves.

For a moment, let’s just examine what could happen in your life if you are targeted for this crime:

· Victims now spend an average of 600 hours recovering from identity theft over a period of years. This equals nearly $16,000 in lost potential or realized income. Typical out-of-pocket expenses are $1,500 on average.

· Even after a thief is stopped from using your information, sometimes up to as much as 10 years, victims still struggle with the impact of identity theft. That includes increased insurance or credit card fees, inability to find a job, higher interest rates, as well as continuing to battle collection agencies that refuse to clear records despite substantiating evidence of the crime. How stressful do you think this situation would be?

· The emotional impact on victims is likened to a violation similar to what victims of violent crime describe including rape, violent assault and battering. People feel dirty, ashamed, embarrassed and often are afraid to ask for help. Many have reported a split with a spouse of significant other as well as being unsupported by family members.

Most victims report a lack of responsiveness from those entities they turned to for help including police, collection agencies, credit issuers, utility companies and financial institutions. The average arrest rate for identity theft based on reported cases is 5%. The message here is crystal clear - we have to fight identity theft ourselves!

Exactly what are the different types of identity theft and how do identity thieves get access to your personal information?

Financial Identity Theft

This is the kind of identity theft most people think of first. Thieves hack into your computer at home or at the office and steal personal information. It accounts for about 28% of all identity theft happening today.

For example, thieves will:
· use your line of credit to make purchases
· use your credit cards to make purchase
· open up a mortgage using your name and social security number
· create a loan using your name and social security number
· file bankruptcy under your name
· open phone or utility accounts under your name
· attempt checking and/or savings fraud (accessing your accounts)
· attempt to use existing accounts to make purchases

Under the Fair Credit Billing Act, your liability in the case of unauthorized credit use is limited to $50 per card. However, in order to take advantage of this protection, you must file a dispute letter within 60 days after the first bill containing the error was mailed to you. So what happens if the thief changes your address and you don’t receive your bill? Guess what, you are held financially liable. In addition, the Electronic Fund Transfer Act has the same 60 day notification provision or your liability is unlimited. Not fair, but it’s the reality.

Some credit card companies promote zero liability for these kinds of fraudulent transactions. However the reality is that there are exclusions including cards used by business purposes, ATM transactions, and certain PIN-based transitions, all transactions processed outside the card issuer’s network, and cases where the card holder gave permission for someone else to use their card. You have to read your cardholder agreement carefully to find out the exact details.

Financial Identity Theft has significant impact on a person’s life including: financial losses, inaccurate credit reports that can mean being denied a job, difficulty getting new lines of credit, trouble opening new accounts as well as higher costs for loans and insurance. The toll of this kind of financial loss can be significant as can be witnessed in a recent lawsuit filed by a plaintiff against Home Depot, Case #02CC13327 in Orange County Superior Court, where a judge awarded the plaintiff $1 million in damages for identity theft.

Criminal Identity Theft

This is the second most common type of identity theft and most people aren’t even aware of it.

In this case, a criminal uses your information during encounters with the police. For example, a thief who has your identifying information gets arrested for a crime and gives them your name and social security number. One day you are driving along and get stopped for a traffic infraction. The cop runs your name through their database and finds out you just committed a bank robbery in another state. Suddenly you are being hauled off to jail for something you didn’t even do!

Never mind how stressful and embarrassing this mistake could be, it can also lead to an erroneous criminal record, outstanding arrest warrants, and possible consequences such as being fired from your job for not disclosing a conviction and even get you thrown in jail. What if this happens on a Friday night and they toss you the local jail overnight? Do you have someone you can call that could bail you out? Can you afford this kind of mistake happen in your life?

The results of this kind of criminal identity theft could include a negative impact on future employment, loss of security clearance, lost jobs and higher insurance premiums. It is the most difficult type of ID theft to clear up and in some cases, almost impossible. Some victims have been reduced to carrying court documentation with them at all times to prove who they really are and not the actual criminal.

Social Security Identity Theft

If someone uses your social security number to get a job and they have a continuous work record, guess who gets to pay the tax bill? The answer is you. There are cases where someone’s social security number was used a total of 37 times by different people. In the employment screening business, we see this happen every day.

Medical Identity Theft

This kind of ID theft involves someone using your health insurance for medical and/or hospital care. The result is a mixed up medical record that could result in potentially deadly consequences. For example, what would happen if someone used your identification and health insurance number and got an HIV test that proved positive? Now all of a sudden, that record is attached to your medical records and every time you see a healthcare person, they think you have aids. In addition, this can seriously impact your ability to get insurance and it can result in significantly higher insurance premiums.

A recent article in the November 2006 issues of Reader’s Digest reported that “fraud is estimated to account for as much as ten percent of all health care costs … including medical identity theft.” “An insurance card is like a Visa card with a $1 million spending limit,” says Byron Hollis, national anti-fraud director of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. The most frightening part of this article is the fact that organized crime rings are realizing how lucrative identity theft is and are adding a new dimension to the problem.

Driver’s License Identity Theft

Our driver’s license is the standard and most often used form of identification in United States. ID thieves are professionals at creating fake driver’s licenses that are virtually impossible to detect. Having this form of picture ID opens the door to numerous other types of ID theft.

On October 28, 2006 in California, a worker at the Santa Ana DMV was arrested for her alleged role in an ID theft scheme that used applicant information to create fraudulent licenses. The indictment alleged that she used her position to sell fraudulent drivers licenses to co-schemers who paid between $1,500 to $5,000 for each fraudulent license. She allegedly obtained the identifications of victims from the DMV database and changed their address and identifiers to match the fraudulent purchaser who then had a new DMV photo taken.

In a need to find a quick cash loan, people may choose easy cash advances as the solution. Easy cash advance is basically designed for people with bad credit to get quick cash loan, unsecured and with the amount not more than $ 1,500. People usually get a cash advance loan when they are in an emergency to get quick cash because they get unexpected bills of unforeseen expenses. They can not delay to pay all those bills and expenses, so the need to get the fastest loan. In this case, case advance loan is the solution.

Once we decide to get a cash advance loan, then you need to be sure that you can pay the loan on time. If you are late to repay the loan, then you have to pay the additional fee. The amount of the additional fees are varies, but it is very expensive. Once we can not repay the loan, then we may need to find another cash advance loan to repay the loan. It is a wrong decision. You can repay the loan with a type of loan that has lower interest rates than cash advance loan’s such as credit card or bank loan.

In finding the cheapest easy cash advance loan on the internet is not difficult at all. You only need to compare quotes from some different cash advance lenders. After you can collect quotes from at least 3 different cash advance lenders, you can compare their terms and rates. Then you can get the cheapest one and the best one for you. Getting it with this way may take time. Now there is an easier way to get the best and cheapest cash advance loan for just just in 5 minutes. You can find a third party of cash advance loan.

Easyonlinepaydayloan.com is an example of the third party. A main job of a third party is finding the most suitable cash advance lenders for you based on some information that you gave to the third party. The third party usually works together or cooperate with some cash advance lenders in every states of United States. You just need to fill an online form that are on the web site of the third party, then the system will find some results of cash advance lenders that most suitable for you. This [process only need few minutes and it is much easier for you to get the cheapest cash advance loan.

If you are looking for quick American payday loans, then I can suggest you to visit easyonlinepaydayloan.com. Easy online payday loan is an American payday loan company. They can help people with bad financial situation to find the best payday loan in America based on the location of the applicants. Easy online payday loan works together with some good payday loan lenders. The think that you need to do to find the best online payday loan lender surround you is just by submitting your personal information such as your name, address, date of birth and location. The the system of easy online payday loan give you the payday loan lenders that may suitable with your personal information that you submitted.

After they give you list of payday loan lenders then you can pick the one that you thing the best for you. Then if you have decided it then you can call the lender and discuss about the loan terms. Basically, you as the borrower may want to discuss and negotiate for the loan due date and the interest rates. This topics of discussion is common between the lenders and borrowers. Then after you get the final word and the lender accept your loan application, the lender will automatically transfer the loan to your bank account on the next business day.

You may already know that in a secured loan, the lender will ask for a collateral in order to process your loan application. Without giving any collateral, your loan application will not be processed by the secured loan lender. Unlike secured loan, unsecured loan does not ask the loan applicants to give any collateral. Usually if you apply for a loan in a bank, then it can be categorized as a secured loan. Because the bank will ask for a collateral to process your loan application. Approval process of applying for a secured loan will take time, and usually it takes at least a week.

Quick payday advances loan is an example of unsecured loan. As I said above, to apply an unsecured loan, we do not need to give any collateral. Also to apply for quick payday advance loan, we do not need any collateral like house or car in order to apply for the loan. But behind that, actually payday advance loan lender still needs a prove that the applicants have a job and have income at least $ 1,000. This prove is like a collateral from secured loan. This prove is used by the lender to give the loan, this prove also make the lender sure that the applicants can pay the loan.

Getting into debt is real easy for the financially undisciplined. It normally does not happen in a day, at least for the majority of people, but rather you tend to slide into debt slowly. Before, you realize it you find yourself stuck with a huge credit card debt or other form of debt. It may be that you are living large and beyond your means spending money you don’t have. Other people find that they are overindulging in some hobby or favorite expensive past time such as gambling. It may that that you have taken out a second mortgage on your home or fallen for those ‘incredible’ credit card deals.

The immediate reaction of debtors when they realize they are in debt is varied. Some will immediately seek positive remedial action; others will go into denial and try to sweep the issue under the carpet. Still others will take on more debt to clear old debt and keep ‘recycling’ debt in this manner.

So what is the best action to take when you realize that you are in debt? The time tested and proven solution is to immediately seek the services of an accredited financial counselor. A financial counselor will help you assess your finances objectively and bring in a professional perspective. The counselor will be able to help you formulate a roadmap for recovery. Hidden meanings in credit card agreements and other loan agreements will be laid bare. If you happen to a busy individual, a counselor can assist with repetitive tasks.

There are also excellent tools that can help you repair your credit and get on the path to financial recovery. One of these tools is the Credit Repair Magic an affordable software program that helps you analyze your credit and help you repair it. Since you most likely did not get into debt in a day, you most probably will not get out in a day. You will need to exercise patience and financial discipline.

Payday loan may be the only solution for your financial problem. When your paycheck is fail to cover your entire expenses. Avoiding your credit payment will only give you new problem in your credit score. You need cash money to cover your entire expenses. The only solution is by taking payday loan.

Even though you can find payday loan store in your town, but you might want to avoid this visit. If your friends see your entering this payday loan store, your credibility is in the edge. Easyonlinepaydayloan.com offers online application for your personal cash advances. It helps you to avoid your visit to the payday loan store. You only need to log on to this website and fill in the application form. If other payday loan sites will ask you to fax some recommendation papers, this website only ask you to fill in the online form. Once your application is approved, you will get a phone call from this company. Then, the next day, you will get your cash money on your bank account.

This simple procedure helps you to save your credit record. You can pay all your credit bills right on time. It will keep your credit score clean and nobody will find out that you take this payday loan.

When talking about “investments,” most people automatically think of mutual funds, stock, bonds, retirement, etc. Since most of the investment strategies are in the stock market, I will compare real estate investments to stock investments.

Most people know the winning approach for the stock market - “buy low, sell high.” Simple, right? Then why are so many people losing in the game?

The answer is they have no control over the stock market

In real estate, you have control. And this is the reason why there are more successful real estate investors than there are stock investors.

Here are the 5 questions that one of Robert Kiyosaki’s advisors had taught me:

1. Suppose you have $5000 to invest. How much stock can you buy and how much real estate can you buy?
* With stock, $5000 commonly can buy you $5000 worth of stock.
* However, with real estate, $5000 could buy a property that worth $50,000 ($5000 being the down payment
2. At the moment of your purchase, how much does your investment worth?
* With stock, right at the moment you purchased, it would worth $5000.
* A property can easily be worth much more or much less at the moment of purchase. For example, you could have just brought a home for $50,000 that worth $100,000 because the people selling the house did not use an appraiser or have to move that night. Or, you could have just been cheated because you did not do your part of the homework and brought a $50,000 home that worth only $25,000.
3. What happen to your investment when the market is up and when it is down?
* With stock, if the market went up 10%, your stock portfolio would be $5500. If the market went down 10%, your stock portfolio would be $4500.
* With real estate, if the market went up 10%, your property would worth $55,000. And if it went down 10%, it would be worth $45,000. However, it really doesn’t matter much if the market is up or down. Even in the down market, you will still continue to get your monthly rental income. If when the market is up and rental decrease, you can use one of the other techniques to make money such as lease options or selling the property.
4. What can you personally do to increase the value of your investment?
* With stock, there is not much you can do. You have no control. You are relying on the CEO of the company to make the right decision with the company’s money. So, the CEO can use the money to put back into the company to make better products/services or the CEO can buy a private jet and give everyone one month paid vacation - you have absolutely no say in it whatsoever.
* The only limitation to increasing your property value is your imagination. You can paint, put in a deck, build a new bathroom, install new windows, etc.
5. What can you do to reap the profit of your investment?
* With stock, you have to sell either part of it or all of it. But by selling your stock, your portfolio goes down - and that is not your goal.
* With real estate, you can always pull out the equity and buy another property - which will increase your portfolio. If the market is right, you can also increase the rent as well.

Every loan will charge some interest rates. Some of those interest rates can be very high and burdensome for your monthly budget. Actually you can search on the internet the loans that have the lowest interest rate. If you really try it, your search engine will always be directed to Mortgagefindersnetwork.com.

This website is the most popular website that can find you lenders that require lowest interest rates on their loans. This website works based on your loan application. If you try to get home mortgage loans, you have to give some information about yourself and your job. You will also be asked about the number of your bank accounts. If you have done with these steps, you can sit back and relax. The website will continue the process by doing some screening on the prospective lenders that match with your loan application. If they have found the lender, they will contact you and the money will be in your bank account the next day.

It only needs several steps in getting the mortgage loan for your purposes. You just open their website and apply for it. The website will not ask you to provide complicated documents, just your identity and your bank account. These steps are very easy and simple.

Some things you can do to protect yourself against this kind of identity theft are:

Minimize the amount of information a thief can steal. Do not carry extra credit cards, debit cards, your Social Security card, birth certificate or passport in your wallet or purse, except when needed.

Always take credit card receipts with you. Never toss them in a public trash container.

Keep a list of all your credit cards, debit cards,bank accounts, and investments - the account numbers, expiration dates and telephone numbers of the customer service and fraud departments - in a secure place (not your wallet or purse) so you can quickly contact these companies in case your credit cards have been stolen or accounts are being used fraudulently.

When creating passwords and PINs (personal identification numbers), do not use the last four digits of your Social Security number, your birthdate, consecutive numbers or anything else that could easily be discovered by thieves.

Shield your hand when typing in your pin at a bank ATM machine or when making long distance phone calls with your phone card.

Install a firewall on your home computer to prevent hackers from obtaining personal identifying and financial data from your hard drive.

Password-protect files that contain sensitive personal data, such as financial account information.

When shopping online, do business with companies that provide transaction security protection and that have strong privacy and security policies.