Identity theft is one of the things people are warned about every day by television commercials, ads on Google and computer technicians. On Monday, April 21, 2008 the Chicago Tribune reported that a bowling alley run by Brunswick Bowling in Naperville, Illinois recently had a piece of its security technology stolen. The stolen technology was a scanner that scans the magnetic strip on the back of a license to determine whether or not the license has been tampered with. Upon the scan the patrons Name, Address, date of birth and the License Number is recorded. Although this form of identity theft is difficult to prevent, it is also not that common. The most common form of identity theft is performed through the use of spyware and an internet connection.

Although it is impossible to make a computer 100% secure against identity theft, there are ways to decrease the chance of becoming an identity theft victim. There are three main phases to a household computer lockdown. Continue reading →