The terrible truth of this day and age is long since detached from the image of a hungry cartoon bear rummaging through metal trash cans for sustenance. If there is commotion happening in your residential alleyway or the sound of a heavy plastic wheelie bin lid slamming shut wakes you at an ungodly hour then the motive for the midnight visit is far removed from the perpetrator seeking a 'Pickanic basket'.

Identity theft is one of the fastest growing forms of organised crime and can lead to heartbreak, financial consequences and legal problems. One of the most common forms is that of assuming the identity of an individual, ordering credit cards in their name and running up the bills which puts the victim in credit default. This can take months and great expense to rectify and this article teaches the tricks of the trade to [prevent this happening.

If only the words '100% authentic' were always used honestly. Unfortunately, there are heaps of fakes on eBay and unfortunately they are VERY hard to spot without experience and specialised knowledge - especially before you pay your good money and get the item home!

I've been buying and selling on eBay for a while and I'll admit that I have sold fakes - at least I'm confident that they were even though my supplier told me that they were authentic.

Have you thought of turning on your television these days without someone trying to sell you the perfect business idea that is going to make you more cash than you know what to do with, all without you lifting a finger. These infomercials generally feature people with flashing cars, big houses or getting off private jets saying that they were just like you not so long ago, but then they took a chance on a business opportunity, and now they are living the swimming pools and movie stars dream life.

Are you looking to start buying on eBay? If you have never used eBay before, you may not necessarily know that it is relatively easy to fall victim to an eBay scam. While eBay is considered a safe place to shop online, there are a number of eBay scams that you should be on the lookout for. Knowing what these scams are, before you start shopping on eBay, will help to reduce or completely eliminate your chances of becoming a victim.

Are you an eBay user? Whether you are currently using eBay to do your online shopping, or if you use it to generate extra income for yourself, as a seller, there is something that you need to be aware of. As a user, whether you are a seller or a buyer, you need to be on the lookout for phishing scams. Phishing scams are rapidly increasing in popularity and many are using eBay as a front.

eBay is a relatively safe marketplace. Unfortunately, like most online marketplaces, it is vulnerable to scams. eBay tries to keep instances of scams occurring, but with more than 100 million members, and approximately $40 million moving through the site on a daily basis, this can be a little difficult. Sometimes, scams occur.

If you have been scammed, there are certain steps you need to follow to report the incident, and to try to come to a resolution.

Everyone has heard about identity theft because it has been in the news very often. Most people think it can't happen to them but this is far from the truth. Identity thieves don't care whether you are rich or poor and they don't care whether you have good or poor credit. The good news is you can do some things for identity theft protection.

There are a variety of simple things that we don't think about that can do for identity theft protection.

Annually, approximately ten million people have something very important stolen from them. It is not their car, it is not their child, and it is not their money: it's their identity. Identity theft is a crime that is on the rise and costing billions of hard earned dollars a year.

While there is no way to ensure 100% identify theft protection, there are several tips to follow that can reduce your chances of becoming a victim.

You notice a missed call on your phone from an unfamiliar number and decide to find out who it was. What you don't realise is that your return call is being diverted to a premium service for which you'll be charged.

This is just one of many phone scams catching consumers out, and just one of thousands of scams costing Australians millions of dollars each year.