Neighbourhood Watch: STN 1 South YarraRegion 1 Division 2 Stonnington, Victoria, Australia.
You are here: Home>Newsletters>March 2004
Neighbourhood Watch: STN 1 South Yarra
Region 1 Division 2
Stonnington, Victoria, Australia.
You are here: Home>Newsletters>March 2004
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March, 2004 How to stop your ‘identity' from being stolen THE emergence of "identity theft" makes the protection of personal information extremely important. So here are a few steps that you can take to protect your identity from theft. If you throw away credit card receipts and bills, make sure that you rip them up, or shred them if possible, so prying eyes can't read them. Identity theft is a growing problem, but these simple steps can reduce your risk. Thieves can use even the most mundane of personal details to help them "verify" that they are someone they aren't, and one of the most common ways of obtaining personal details is from your garbage bin. This is a surprisingly common and growing problem. An exercise carried out with the support of Nottinghamshire Police in England analysed the contents of hundreds of household garbage bins to see what people were throwing away. It found that 86% of domestic rubbish contained information helpful to fraudsters. Three quarters of the bins that were checked contained the full name and address of at least one person from the household, while 20% of bins contained a bank account number and sort code that could be linked to the name and address of a person from the house. So don't keep all of your bills, receipts and other personal documents in an obvious place. If you can lock them away. Identity thieves will also try to dupe you into giving personal information either in person, over the phone or by using official sounding e-mails. And of course, personal computers can hold plenty of information useful to fraudsters. Be suspicious of anyone seeking too much personal information, and don't be afraid to challenge them by asking "why do you need those details?" - a legitimate enquirer won't mind you asking. Make sure you store all important documents and details, such as your birth certificate, insurance papers, receipts and bank statements, in a safe place. Anything containing personal information that you intend to throw out should be destroyed before it is put in the garbage bin. Using a household paper shredder is not taking things too far. Keep personal information in "encrypted" folders on your computer. Encryption scrambles the contents of your chosen folder so it cannot be read by anyone else. You can "unscramble" the contents using a password. Many well-known software companies offer free downloads to help you with encryption, or encryption can be an option under your standard operating system. Consider installing "personal firewall" software on your computer to stop online intruders or "hackers" accessing information on your PC. If you think you have become the victim of an identity thief, report it to the police, and relevant Government departments or companies immediately. Parents online safety advice IF you're a seasoned internet surfer you'll know that the cyberworld can have its downfalls. That doesn't mean you should stop your children enjoying the internet, but you can take precautions. Parents should become familiar with some of the internet jargon. There are many web sites which can help you know your "IRC" from your "ISP" and your "chatroom" from your "cybercafe" - all terms your child might speak like a second language. Tell your children they should never reveal information such as their name, address, mobile phone number, email address, school, or any other clue to their identity. Discourage children from entering private or one-to-one conversations in chat rooms, they should stick to the public areas where they'll be much safer. Tell your children not to meet up with someone they've chatted to online, unless they take you or another trusted adult along with them. Encourage your children to be open about bad experiences they've had online. If they have had a bad experience, reassure them by telling them it's not their fault, and don't react by instantly banning them from going online. Ask your Internet Service Provider (ISP) about its safety features. Find out how to alter the "content" settings on your browser (use "help" on your browser). Special filtering software allows you to steer your children away from certain web sites or chat rooms, but be aware that no filtering tools are 100% foolproof - your child may well know how to get round them. Create a "favourites" folder of mutually agreed sites that your children can visit. Get in touch with the police straightaway if you think your children may have been approached by a paedophile. Most of all, try to help them enjoy what the world wide web has to offer. Positioning your computer in a family room is another way of discouraging misuse of the Internet. Some parents actually "spy" on their children to see what they have been up to online, and you can even buy software to help you do this. However, although this is useful in extreme situations, think carefully about how spying could affect your relationship in terms of trust, and again be aware that children can be surprisingly good at getting round such measures. From the Chief Commissioner WHILE residential burglaries decreased by 14.5 per cent during the last financial year we must continue to be alert. Victoria Police has recently launched specialist police teams known as ACROBAT (Aggravated Commercial Residential Other Burglary Act Team) task forces that work with uniform patrol members and detectives to reduce burglaries. The teams collate a range of evidence at crime scenes, helping us to identify serial offenders who may be responsible for more than one burglary. Christine Nixon APM The Digital Divide IF we could shrink the earth's population to a village of precisely 100 people, with all the existing human ratios remaining the same it would look something like this: 52 would be female 48 would be male 70 would be non-Christian 30 would be Christian 80 would live in substandard housing 70 would be unable to read 50 would suffer from malnutrition 1 would be near death 1 would be near birth 1 would have a university education 1 would own a computer There are more internet users in New York City than on the entire African continent. Such is the Digital Divide. Tip from a Taxi Driver MANY times I have noticed the name and address tag clearly visible on peoples baggage when going away. And if I can notice then so can someone with evil intent. It would be so easy for a criminal to watch at an airport or railway station and obtain addresses where there is a good possibility for the "pickings". In one funny incident, I was waiting for a green light at a city intersection and a bloke with a back-pack was leaning against a tram safety rail. I called out, "G'day John Smith." He wheeled around quickly, looked at me and in a strong English accent said, "Where do we know each other from?" "Don't you remember the pub in Upper Where Ever, just round the corner from Oak Lane, where we had too many beers." Astounded he replied, "I live in Oak Lane, but I don't remember you." I then told him I read all the information on his luggage tag dangling less than a foot away from my eyes. He laughed, and I suggested that he should hide the tag. Next Meeting Disclaimer:
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Last modified 22 March 2004.