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Moments after stepping out of the taxi, Rachel plunged through the entranceway of the hotel lobby eager to put behind what had been a terribly exhausting day. Flight delays due to weather had caused her LAX-MDW-BWI trip to take nearly eleven hours to complete. All she could think of was taking off her shoes to relieve her aching feet and dipping them into soothing, warm bath water.

The line at the front desk was mercifully short. One clerk caught Rachel's attention and signaled her forward she gave him her reservation information and then dug out her American Express card for payment. As he stepped away to verify its authenticity Rachel's eyes surveyed the lobby. "They've updated everything since I was last here", she thought. Her concentration, clouded by fatigue, was now on the mission style tables, chairs, and light fixtures, which had replaced the heavy, wooden furniture previously occupying the lobby. "Here is your card and room key, ma'am," the clerk interrupted minutes later. Quickly, Rachel stuffed her card back into her wallet, gathered her bags and whisked away to her room.

Rachel was a victim of identity theft that night, but did not know it at the time. Had she kept a watchful eye on what her clerk was doing instead of studying the lobby, she might have noticed him switching cards on her. At the very least, she would have seen that the card handed to her beneath her room key was not her own.

Identity theft is an exploding problem that has increased exponentially in this technological age. Particularly since the early 1990s thieves have been taking advantage of what we would consider every day transactions: writing a check at the grocery store, ordering merchandise via the internet, applying for a credit card, using your cell phone, and more. Each transaction requires you to share personal information: your bank and credit card account numbers; your income, your Social security Number (SSN); and your name, address, and phone numbers.

An identity thief will lift some piece of your personal information and appropriate it without your knowledge to commit fraud or theft. One of the most common methods is when the identity thief uses your personal information to open a credit card account in your name.

The Federal Trade Commission is the arm of the federal government tasked with overseeing the problem of identity theft. A special hotline number (1-877-IDTHEFT) was created for consumers to call to place your information in a database which is accessible with other law enforcement agencies and private entities, including any companies about which you may complain. Additionally, an ID Theft Affidavit a form you can use to alert companies where a new account was opened in your name can be filled out and given to the company. This affidavit is available online to consumers.

Identity thieves can get your personal information in a number of ways:

* They steal wallets and purse containing your i.d. and credit and bank cards.

* They steal your mail, including your bank and credit card statements, pre-approved credit offers, telephone calling cards and tax information.

* They complete a "change of address form" to divert your mail to another location.

* They rummage through your trash, or the trash of businesses, for personal data in a practice known as "dumpster diving."

* They fraudulently obtain your credit report by posing as a landlord, employer or someone else who may have a legitimate need for and a legal right to the information.

* They get your business or personnel records at work.

* They find personal information in your home.

* They use personal information you share on the internet.

* They buy your personal information from "inside" sources. For example, an identity thief may pay a store employee for information about you that appears on an application for goods, services or credit.

Identity thieves will then take the personal information they have obtained about you and use it in a number of different ways:

* They will call your credit card issuer and, pretending to be you, ask to change the mailing address on your credit card account. The imposter then runs up charges on your account. Because your bills are being sent to the new address, it may take some time before you realize that there is a problem.

* They open a new credit card account, using your name, date of birth and SSN. When they sue the credit card and don't pay the bills, the delinquent account is reported on your credit report.

* They establish phone or wireless service in your name.

* They open a bank account in your name and write bad checks on that account.

* They file for bankruptcy under your name to avoid paying debts they have incurred under your name, or to avoid eviction.

* They counterfeit checks or debits cards, and drain your bank account.

* They buy cars by taking out auto loans in your name.

Fortunately for Rachel, American Express covered her losses. Although she didn't find out about the theft until she reached her home in California, American Express suspended her account when a number of suspicious charges appeared and she couldnt be reached by them to verify the charges. Their fraud department left a message on her phone answering machine instructing her to call them and, when she did, Rachel was notified that someone else was using her card. When she explained that she had the card in her possession, she checked her purse and found a card for someone else instead.

Visa, MasterCard and American Express absorb the cost of fraud as long as they are notified by the consumer [certain restrictions may apply check with your card issuer for specific details]. Had Rachel used a debit card, the story might have been much different. Unlike a credit card, the debit card takes a direct hit on your bank account, meaning that you will have to absorb the loss.

So, all is well with Rachel, right? Sure, American Express overnighted a new card with a new account number for Rachel to use on her next trip, but the problem could very well have continued and deepened had she not taken three more steps recommended by the Federal Trade Commission:

First, contact the fraud departments of each of the three major credit bureaus. Tell them that you are a victim of identity theft. Request that a "fraud alert" be placed in your file, as well as a victim's statement asking that creditors call you before opening any new accounts or changing your existing accounts. This can help prevent an identity thief from opening additional accounts in your name.

At the same time, order copies of your credit reports from the credit bureaus. Credit bureaus must give you a free copy of your report if your report is inaccurate because of fraud, and you make that request in writing. review your reports carefully to make sure no additional fraudulent accounts have been opened in your name or unauthorized changes made to your existing accounts.

Second, contact the creditors for any accounts that have been tampered with or opened fraudulently. Creditors can include credit card companies, phone companies and other utilities, and banks and other lenders.

Third, if possible, file a report with your local police or the police in the community where the identity theft took place. Get a copy of the police report in case the bank, credit card company or others need proof of the crime. Even if the police are unable to catch the thief, the report can be helpful when dealing with creditors.

In summation, identity theft is a problem that is causing businesses and consumers billions of dollars per year. As a result, higher interest rates and an increase in the cost of goods and services is passed on to consumers. So, do not be a victim protect yourself from identity theft by remaining alert especially when a third party is handling your personal information.

Matthew Keegan is the owner of a successful web design and marketing company based in North carolina, USA. He manages several sites including the Corporate Flight Attendant community at http://www.corporateflyer.net and the Aviation Employment Board at http://www.aviationemploymentboard.net This article originally appeared in the Summer 2002 issue of the Flight Attendant news.

Have you ever questioned yourself or worried if you were a person that was about to accomplish something really big? Are you having doubts about your abilities on a regular basis? Are you comparing yourself a lot to people you admire? Thoughts like that are a sure sign that you are playing small!

Thoughts like that have the tendency to diminish your own inner power. The way you think about yourself is reflected in your everyday life. All depends on your attitude. Each one of us has these feelings about being worthless from time to time, and some of us have them their whole lives and they aren't even aware of them.

Self-worth is a big topic in personal development issues. Someone with poor self-worth does not allow himself to see that he can achieve anything worthwhile.He will always find a reason to not follow the path of success just because he has to prove to himself that he is worthless.

This might sound kind of harsh but it is the truth and as long as this belief sits fast glued to his personality, a person will have difficulties to change her life. When you decide to start to work from home and create your own business you better be aware of your attitude. It is critical to watch what is going on in one's mind and how you are dealing with challenges within your work from home business.

Are you setting goals, are you giving your full effort to them? How do you react in times of little or no success? Are you trying to better yourself every day in order to improve your abilities and chances for success without paying much attention to activities that didn't work out so well? How badly do you want this success? Are you ready to do what it takes to obtain it?

A work from home business that is going to be successful requires some important character traits that you either already have or can obtain. It all starts with yourself. So you might want to take a deep and long lasting look at your "self", and maybe you notice a few glimpses of what I have been talking here.

people with poor self-worth fail to see the incredible positive impact they could have on the world around them. They doubt their abilities, dismiss their talents and neglect opportunities to grow. In this way, they not only deprive themselves of valuable experiences, they deprive the world of the joy and abundance they could share.

Everybody in this universe is unique. Nobody is thought to be a copy of somebody else. Everybody deserves success and happiness in his life. The sooner you find out about your original self the faster you can get rid off the false attitudes that keep you on a low level of energy.

Do you resonate with some of these thoughts? Most of us do and it is nothing to be ashamed of. We are the only living beings on this planet who have such an incredible ability to learn and grow. Why do other "average" people succeed to work from home and make a decent income? Maybe they started out like you but then realized their utter potential and they got to work and started learning everything they needed to be successful in their work from home business.

If you think you are not good at something or dont have the talent, sit down and learn it and prove to yourself that you can do anything you want. just because you believe you dont have any great talents right now, doesnt mean you couldnt develop some later.

Make a commitment right now to search and discover your natural abilities and share them with others. Let your dreams come true, dont postpone any longer. Give yourself a chance and let your uniqueness shine. The world will thank you in a thousand ways.

I wish you all the success in the world for your work from home business.

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Ingrid Nirupama Grzeskowiak contributes regularly with her thoughts and insights about various issues of human life. She has helped people solve their personal problems as a teacher and personal development coach in Europe; she has 20 years experience in meditation technics and yoga which helped her to regain and maintain her inner balance. just recently Ingrid discovered her passion for home business on the internet. You can "meet" her at her homepage at http://Go4yourMoney.com or read her blog at http://Go4yourMoney.com/blog

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