Identity theft is a modern day crime that is spreading like wildfire. To understand why, let’s look at the brief but volatile history of identity theft.

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, identity theft is the fastest growing crime in the US alone. The fact that more and more people are reporting cases of identity theft and how they have become victims can attest to conclusion made by that department.

In the year 2002, 10 million people became victims of this crime. And an estimated 27.3 million Americans have been reported to be victims of the different forms of identity theft during the past 5 years.

These numbers are enough to make you consider identity theft as a serious crime that is getting more and more rampant everyday. Ever since this kind of crime had been noted in the early 1970s, counteractions are being done. But however extreme are measure are, there is really no getting through the minds of these thieves.

There are basically two forms of identity theft.

The first and most common is when someone uses your credit card information. Your information has been gotten if it was lost or stolen. It can also be because of careless handling by an employee of a company where you used the credit card to make a purchase.

The second and more dangerous form of identity theft is when someone steals your identity, and opens up credit card accounts, or cell phone accounts in your name. They can also use your social security number when getting a job or your drivers license to get a duplicate copy.

The advancing technology of today does not help any. Communications tools over the Internet are allowing criminals to think up new schemes and strategies. Besides that, identity theft can be planned and executed more easily online.

All these thieves have to do is pay a fee to an information broker to get an individual’s Social Security number. Online databases also have in them address information, while an individual’s mother’s maiden name can be found in obituaries or other public documents. Obviously, bills are sent to a different address so they will not get to you and you will start panicking.

Understanding and having enough knowledge about identity theft can be your prevention measure. Be alert and aware so you will not be among those who have suffered the consequences of this crime.

John Fitzgerald is a staff writer for http://www.preventingidentitytheftresource.com. For additional information on identity theft visit http://www.preventingidentitytheftresource.com/Articles/identity_theft.php

Many people have tried free people search sites on the Internet to find lost friends or family. Most of these people walk away from the experience with a bad taste in their mouth.

They find that most of the free people search services that they find do not live up to what the site advertised. Many of these services will allow you to conduct your search but then want payment to provide you with the data on your subject.

There are ways to conduct a free people search on the net. That do not involve spending a dime or a lot of time searching through phone books. The Internet gives us all the tools that we need to find anyone at anytime.

Using Google search is an obvious choice in our investigations. Many first time investigator do no utilize Google search to it’s fullest potential. Just typing in a subject’s name is not enough and will probably give you thousands of pages that you would have to search through. Mix up your searches. Include your subject’s last known address and place of employment. Search for high schools and colleges that the person attended and even clubs that they were members at. By searching for more than the name you may pull up some obscure results that will aid you in your investigations.

Social networking sites are also great for our investigations. This would include sites such as My space and Face book. These sites are hugely popular with people from all over the world. These sites are useful because they give their members the ability to create personal profiles. These profiles contain tons of personal information ready for us to use. A lot of these services also allow you to conduct searches on the profiles.

Free people search sites just don’t really exist. The closest you can get to a free service whitepages.com or something similar. There are paid services that will provide you with public data. A paid people search site will provide you with not only your basic data but civil, criminal, marriage and traffic records. This data is taken from public databases from all over the country. These services are useful but can cost you between $20 – $50.

Find an honest review of people search sites at http://www.pro-peoplesearch.com

Steve is a private detective and the owner of free people search

Article Source: Free people search tips from a private eye

If you have ever spent any time meeting and greeting on the web, you know that most people are not exactly what they make themselves out to be. Some of them have gone so far as to create an entire alternate identity.

Despite the dangers, the rewards of meeting online can be great. You have the opportunity to get to know others from all over the world. You make new and interesting friends from places you may never have visited. It provides an excellent opportunity for us to share our cultures and open our minds to new possibilities.

Who is really behind that screen name?

When you make new friends online, how do you know if they are trustworthy? Can you really afford to get close to them, or are Internet friendships best kept very casual?

As with any new relationship, go slowly and proceed with caution. Keep the topics of conversation neutral and safe – never discuss anything personal with someone you do not know. Be instantly suspicious if your new friend begins questioning you about your finances.

If you have been conversing with someone for a while and feel a connection, you may decide you want to take the friendship a step further. You may begin to share more personal details of your life, or you may begin making plans to meet each other in person.

Take smart measures to protect yourself

Before taking this step towards increased intimacy, be sure to reasonably protect yourself. First of all, try to validate your new friend's identity and ensure they really are who they say they are. Search records from the Department of Motor Vehicles in your friend's area and see if you can locate a license or identification card that matches the name, date of birth, physical description, and address of your new friend. If you cannot find a matching motor vehicle record, try voter registration records.

One of the best ways to protect yourself is to conduct an online background check of your friend. Any court documents from judgments, divorces, or lawsuits should contain some sort of identifying information you can verify. Criminal history checks will normally provide you with a date of birth and physical description, including any major scars or tattoos.

There are also specialized background check companies, such as Net Detective, who for a small fee, give you the ability to search all of the above records and more. You must do a little sleuth work of your own, though, and find out some important key identifiers from your new friend so you will know when you have found him or her.

Meeting on the Internet can be exciting. You must just ensure you go about it prudently, and protect yourself until you have solid facts reinforcing your ability to put your trust into your new friend.

They usually have a favorite hangout, where they spend most of their free time. Many times it is the home of one of the friends in the group – someone who either has lenient parents or a full fridge.

It is common to get to know each individual in your child's social circle. As parents, we want to know how they behave, if they have manners – and make a determination as to whether the child will be a good influence or a bad influence on our own child. We may be very familiar with half a dozen children, know their likes and dislikes, and be well-versed in the trials and tribulations of their young lives.

The children are safe influences, but what about their parents?

How much time is spent getting to know the parents of each of these children, though? There may be parents here and there who naturally hit it off and forge a bond of their own. These lucky parents have the opportunity to share their child's companionship and an adult friendship all at the same time. However, more often than not, our own lives are too busy to pay much attention to other adults.

Do you know what each of your child's friend's parents does for a living? How many are working moms, and how many stay home? What social circles do they belong to? What do they do in their free time? Is there one mom in the group baking cookies for the kids, while another is lost in a cloud of smoke and a bottle of tequila? Would the other parents share liquor and cigarettes with your child, or would they discourage trying such things altogether? Are the parents married? How does the father behave towards the children?

Keep your children safe by arming yourself with knowledge

Looking into the backgrounds of your children's friend's parents can be quite eye-opening. You may find just from searching through basic records who is behind on child support payments, who was busted for possessing drugs or contributing to the delinquency of a minor, or whose home is being foreclosed. Search the neighborhood for any sexual predators residing in the area. You may rethink your child's walk home from school.

Having this basic information helps you make educated decisions about where to allow your child to spend his or her spare time. It will help you determine whether you are comfortable with everyone hanging out at Chuck's house, or if you would prefer they not spend time at John's house unless his mother is home.

If you find that one of the PTA moms has multiple drunk driving arrests, you may not want her to drive on the next field trip.

Simple background checks can reveal important details about people's lives, and these minor details could translate into a major impact on your child's life. For a simple, yet thorough, way to check your child's schoolmates, try a specialized investigation service such as Net Detective. It is an inexpensive online database that makes it easy for you to perform a background check on anyone – and keeps your children safe.

We head off to work, leaving our little ones with someone who is not a part of the family, and we wonder if they are capable of having our children's very best interests at heart. Often, this caretaker will spend more hours out of the waking day with our children than we will.

For this reason, we must be positive the caretaker will put our children's wants, needs, and overall welfare first. We must ensure this person will not only be devoted to our child, but will also look out for our child's safety. We must know the caretaker or babysitter is not only mentally capable of making the right decisions, but also has the necessary moral values as well.

Is your child in good hands?

The question we must ask ourselves is – how do we know who is really taking care of our child? How do we know what kind of past history they have? When we hired this person, were there references for us to call, and did we call them? It's amazing to find out how many people do not bother to check their care provider's references.

When we take such painstaking precautions to provide for the health and safety of our children, why do we not take more care looking into those who help us care for them?

Easily find peace of mind through online background checks

A simple background check can be done that will tell you everything you need to know about your child's caretaker. Online searches will reveal whether your babysitter has a criminal record, including registered sex offenders who have had inappropriate contact with children. You will learn if there are any restraining orders against your day care provider, or any criminal investigations involving them.

If your tot attends a structured childcare center, you can research the business and find out if any negative claims have been made against it.

You can take the time to access each one of these databases yourself, or you can utilize an online business specializing in background checks, such as Net Detective. Using a business designed for the sole purpose of background searches may cost a small fee, but the time and money you save not having to run all over town finding the records yourself will be well worth it.

Once you have been able to examine your childcare provider's records, you will be able to relax. You will have the information you need to put your faith and trust into your babysitter or nanny. Or you will know if you need to find someone new.

How many times have you heard about someone who was having their home remodeled, only to have the contractor disappear with the money and a half-finished house? Or perhaps the job was finished, but the work so shoddy that someone else had to be hired to fix it.

Maybe you wanted to open a retirement account and sought out a company that would help you invest your money, providing you with a healthy retirement down the road. Later on, you found out the firm had gone bankrupt, and the proprietor had absconded with your nest egg.

Buying an existing business can pose potential problems and opportunities for fraud as well. The seller may show you a profit-and-loss statement, but how do you know they have not doctored the books to make the business appear more profitable than it really is? How do you find out if it will earn enough to support your family?

Arm yourself with the power of knowledge

Your ability to make sound financial and business decisions relies solely on the quality and accuracy of information you obtain. You may find something that looks great on the surface, but what happens when you dig deeper? Are you just as enthusiastic as when you first started out, or have you been provided with information that now makes you skeptical?

The success of your financial future depends largely upon making informed decisions, especially when you are parting with large sums of your money. In order to ensure you have the best information available, you need become proactive and take matters into your own hands.

Invest in online resources to protect your financial health

There are many ways to investigate a business to uncover its business practices and level of profitability. The Internet offers access to an array of various public records to help you achieve that goal.

Instead of spending countless hours searching through millions of websites trying to find information that is pertinent to you, invest in a records check or background check service such as Net Detective. You will be able to search specific businesses or people to find out precisely the information you need, without wasting your time sorting through useless data.

Whether you want to investigate the past practices of your investment counselor, find out if he has ever been investigated for fraud, or ensure that a business you are planning to purchase lives up to its claims, an online background search can provide you with the tools you need to make an informed decision.

These services work by providing you easy access via your home computer to millions of public records. Rather than trying to track each of these records manually – such as tax returns or criminal histories – save yourself time and hassle by completing your search through powerful investigative databases, such as Net Detective.

Many parents feel they should stay out of their child’s business. However, they struggle with the worry that comes with being a parent. It is difficult to weigh the safety of your child (when you’re not really sure if they’re in danger) against their privacy. There is no one authority when it comes to a situation like this, but if the feeling you have is so strong that you are truly worried about your child, you do have options.

Perhaps talking to your child would provide you with the information you need to feel better or to stop worrying. Often, children will share their feelings with their parents, but sometimes they won’t. Sometimes a parent feels forced to find things out by themselves. With recent advances in search technology, you can utilize the name of that person you feel strange about to find out tons of information. How, you ask? Sites like www.CivilRecords.com allow you to type in just a name, alone or with other information you have, in order to receive information about the background of that person.

You can find out if that person has ever been convicted of a crime. It is very difficult to imagine your child spending time with a criminal, but it happens all the time. If it is the case, chances are your child doesn’t even know. You can find out other information as well, such as whether or not that person has ever been convicted in a civil case. The feeling might just have something to do with a dishonest person or someone who may be trying to take advantage of your child. The greatest advantage is that your child or the other person will never know you searched for a thing. It’s completely confidential, and no one will ever know that you looked up this information.

Simply by typing in this person’s name, you can even find out if they are married, if they have ever filed bankruptcy, and much more. Sometimes, as a parent you have to tell yourself to let your child live his or her life. Sometimes, as a parent you take action and can end up saving your child’s life. If you need to do some detective work, you can check out www.CivilRecords.com and get the information you need in a matter of seconds. You may be surprised at what you find out. You may be relieved, but most of all you will be ensuring the safety of your child, and after all, that’s a parent’s job, right?

The last thing you want is to pay someone for less-than-perfect service simply because you were told that they were licensed. Many people fall for this all the time. Unfortunately, many victims don’t know how to check to see if a contractor is licensed. Then, the contractors come into the home and make the problems worse than they were to begin with, or leave without completing the job. This can be extremely frustrating! Although you’re getting a discount, you’re still paying for the service, and when it comes up incomplete or botched, it can be very disappointing.

So, is it worth it to get a discounted price from a friend? It could be. There are genuine and good contractors out there who are very willing to offer a discount for a friend of a friend. You just need to be able to make sure they are licensed and that you aren’t going to end up getting the short end of the stick. With websites like www.ReverseMobile.com, you can enter the contractor’s cell phone number and find out several things.

You can find out the address, name, age, and address history. However, the real gem is finding out whether or not they are licensed. This way, you can save that work for someone who is qualified to do it rather than someone who is not. You don’t want to end up paying more when you think you’re getting a great discount, so simply check to see if the friend’s friend is all he is cracked up to be.

It’s extremely easy. By simply entering the cell phone number and then waiting a few seconds, you will be provided with all of the information you need to make an educated decision as to whether or not you should really hire this person. Your goal is to make your home look great and keep your wallet fat. Take serious preventative steps to make sure you’re not going to come out with more to pay and more damage to fix.

Your best friend calls you, distraught, and tells you she thinks her husband is having an affair. She desperately wants to know the truth, but is afraid of a confrontation with him. Another friend was involved in a traffic accident, and the other driver fled the scene. She has his license plate number, but is incredibly frustrated because the police do not seem interested in her case.

If you have ever found yourself in one of these situations, and had an overwhelming urge to find out the answers, you may make a terrific online investigator.

Discover the Truth Through Legal Investigations Online

Imagine being able to search local police records for your neighbor's address, only to find he has been arrested four times for narcotics violations. Or, you can search the motor vehicles database and local police reports to locate the name and address of your friend's hit-and-run driver. You can also find out where your friend's husband has been going after work, and now you must decide whether or not to tell her the truth.

Having the ability to investigate these relatively simple situations online is easy. Many reputable databases can provide you with unlimited access to millions of public records from all across the country. You have nationwide access to documents that might otherwise never be seen.

Search court documents to find out if your next door neighbor is really a deadbeat parent, or perhaps a convicted child molester. Or search pending foreclosures to get that once-in-a-lifetime deal on a bigger home.

All of this can be done by searching public records… legally.

Conveniently Protect your Family and Friends with the Power of Knowledge

You could go to the courthouse or to the recorder's office, and search all of these records by hand. Or you could use an affordable online service, such as Net Detective, that will immediately transform you from a neighborhood busy body to seasoned investigator. You can have the inside scoop, allowing you to protect yourself, your family, and your friends.

You can have "insider" information on your neighbor's private lives, or you can check out a new neighbor to make sure they are not a threat to your children. You can find out about your friends' and lovers' past histories, and learn how to prevent others from finding out your secrets. Run your own credit check to protect yourself against theft or fraud, especially in this day and age of forgery and identity theft.

Whatever your motivations are, you can become your neighborhood's online sleuth. Within a matter of minutes, you can discover the truth behind your investigations – protecting you and your loved ones with insider knowledge.