Thursday, April 10, 2008

Stolen laptop! How do I protect my identity?

The most common computer crime isn't virus attacks or hackers breaking into your network. It's laptop theft. And as Arash notes, it offers one-stop shopping for anyone who can smash a window and grab a computer.

I won't rehash advice here on protecting your laptop from theft and the importance of encrypting data. This post assumes it's too late, and the laptop is gone. Preventive measures are a topic for another day.

Acting quickly is key when it comes to preventing identity theft. You're right to have taken the first step already, which is to change every password you can think of. If you have a copy of your bookmarks file (it's a good idea to make a backup), go through and systematically change every login password on the list. It's not just banks and email accounts that will need updates, but also shopping sites (like eBay and Amazon) and social networking sites, too. Remember that a crook won't need your actual password to get into any of these places if you've used "remember me" on the site or have set browser or toolbar auto-fill features to automatically enter passwords for you. One click could be all it takes to order thousands of dollars worth of merchandise on your behalf. It's also a good idea to go through your old credit card statements to make sure you've gotten every website you've done business with in the last six to 12 months.

Your next step should be to cancel and replace your credit cards-at least any you've ever used online. Even if you think you've changed all your passwords, chances are that you've missed one. Getting a new credit card takes minutes and provides pretty much foolproof protection.

After you line up your new cards, add a fraud alert message to your credit report. It can help to protect you if someone tries to open a new account under your name. A fraud alert still lets you open new accounts, but it requires that creditors take extra steps to verify that you are who you say you are. An initial security alert stays on your account for 90 days. You can file an extended alert (for seven years) later if you are victimized. Phone numbers for each credit agency are at the bottom of this post. Note that you may need a current copy of your credit report in order to file the alert.

Now that things have settled down, file a police report and get a copy of it-this is critical if you're filing an insurance claim. Since your laptop was stolen during a break-in, your local police department is the place to call. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) handles many computer crimes but probably won't get involved unless you're actually a victim of identity theft. (If you are, visit this site.) Hopefully, if you've followed these instructions, that won't be the case!

Finally, keep an eye on Craigslist and eBay for your laptop. You'd be shocked by how many stolen laptops are unloaded on these sites, often very quickly. If you see a listing that matches your machine (especially if you can verify that it really is yours), alert the authorities and see if they can help you recover it. Good luck.

Credit agency phone numbers:
Experian: 800-493-1058
Equifax: 866-640-2273
TransUnion: 800-916-8800

Friday, April 4, 2008

Eating eggs can reduce breast cancer risk

Washington, Apr 4 (ANI): Eating more eggs can help prevent breast cancer, for a study has suggested that an essential nutrient, choline, found in foods such as eggs, can reduce the risk of breast cancer by about 24 percent.

This new case-control study, led by Steven H. Zeisel, MD, PhD, University of North Carolina, added another piece of evidence to indicate the link between egg consumption and decreased risk of breast cancer.

The study was conducted on more than 3,000 adult women, and it was observed that the risk of developing breast cancer was 24 percent lower among women with the highest intake of choline as against women with the lowest intake.

Those women, who had the highest intake of choline, consumed a daily average of 455 mg of choline or more, getting most of it from coffee, eggs and skim milk. Women with the lowest intake consumed a daily average of 196 milligrams or less.

"Choline is needed for the normal functioning of cells, no matter your age or gender. Increasing evidence shows that it may be particularly important for women, particularly those of child-bearing age," said Zeisel.

One egg contains 125.5 milligrams of choline, or roughly a quarter the recommended daily supply, making eggs an excellent source of this essential nutrient. Choline is found exclusively in the egg's yolk. Other top food sources of choline include liver, wheat germ and cauliflower.

"While choline is an essential nutrient to the human diet, most people haven't even heard of it. Given that in the U.S. there is a real need to understand how much choline we require in our diet, we hope that research, education and awareness about choline will increase as a result of this study published in The FASEB Journal," said Gerald Weissmann, MD, Editor in Chief of The FASEB Journal and research professor of medicine and director of the Biotechnology Study Center at the New York University School of Medicine.

In fact, two of the earlier studies have also shown that women who eat eggs have a lower risk of developing breast cancer.

Choline, not only plays a vital role in the normal functioning of all cells, including brain and nerve function, liver metabolism and the transportation of nutrients throughout the body, it also has other benefits.

Apart from preventing birth defects, choline improves memory and reduces heart disease risk.

The study will be published in The FASEB Journal's print issue in June. (ANI)