Watch for identity thieves

IDENTITY theft and fraud is costing Australians up to $3.5 billion a year and consumers are being urged to take further steps to protect themselves.

Unsuspecting victims are being targeted by criminal activity ranging from sifting through private rubbish to find personal details, to highly technical online schemes to obtain banking passwords.

"Stolen credit cards, credit card numbers and bank account numbers are some of the types of information criminals can use to perpetrate identity fraud," says eBay's Australian e-Commerce Safety Guide 2005. "Such information allows a criminal to access existing credit cards and bank accounts and may assist them in opening new accounts that will be charged to the victim."

EBay urges consumers to review bank statements thoroughly, only carry credit cards that are needed regularly, keep a low credit limit on cards, close accounts that are not in use, ensure online payment systems are secure, destroy unwanted personal records rather than discarding them, lock mailboxes, never give out personal financial information and ensure computer protection software is up-to-date.

A New South Wales parliamentary briefing paper warned identity fraud and identity theft was a "significant growing problem".

It estimated the cost of such activity at $2 billion a year in Australia, but noted the NSW Crime Commission had estimated the cost at closer to $3.5 billion a year.

The briefing paper noted that a contributing factor to the rising incidence of identity fraud was "technological advances".

National online security company McAfee said Australian banks were losing about $25 million a year to online fraud.

"And of course that $25 million per year ultimately ends up in the pockets of the hackers and funds them to keep writing new viruses and new threats all designed to steal even more money," the company's marketing director for the Asia Pacific, Allan Bell, said.

He said where identity fraud was previously localised - such as stealing cheques from people's mailboxes - it had become globalised via the internet. "The people most at risk are typically consumers and small businesses," Mr Bell said.

"The reason is because they're the people who either don't have the skills or the time and knowledge of how to secure their systems."

But Commonwealth Bank's general manager of eCommerce Marcus Judge said millions of people used online banking and "only a very small number" were affected by online identity fraud.

ACMC patients can pay online

ASHTABULA - - Paying your hospital bill is now as easy as a click of a mouse. The reason: Ashtabula County Medical Center is now accepting online bill payments for patients and employees.

Your bills can be paid via ACMC's website, www. acmchealth.org. Simply click on the Bill Payment link on the lower left hand side of the main page, and follow the prompts.

The information required to make an online payment can be found on your ACMC statement. Payments will be posted to your account within three business days.

Financial Services.

Patients can also make payments by phone at 1-866-234-4703.

For more information, please call ACMC's customer service representatives (440 997-6670).

Best Forms of Online Payments

Paypal have quickly and easily go one of the most common used word forms of online payments on the cyberspace today. Paypal is a website that lets consumers, businesses, and Sellers to unify and do it an easier method of payment for an assortment of services, products, and memberships. Paypal have over 100 million business relationships with their service and there must be a ground why.

Paypal do everything just a small easier when it come ups to merchandising your merchandises or services online. For example, many online gambling portals such as as POGO or Spogg have got opted to include paypal as a word form of payment for their gambling communities. Paypal conveniently and safely supplies all this information, which intends your clients will only have got to take the Paypal option, log in and O.K. the amount you are charging.

Other advantages for Sellers is the fact they have got free tools for usage with eBay, accepting credit cards, merchandiser solutions and gateways, simplified transportation and tracking, Sellers protection, and low and low-cost fees. For your customers, Paypal lets them to direct money from 55 states throughout the human race in many different types of currencies. Speaking of currencies Paypal lets those buying points from another state to convert their currency into that of the sellers, making things much easier on both ends.