March 20, 2013 - At ACCESS, identity theft is a big deal. We write about it and its causes regularly. We talk about scams, data breaches and other events that lead to identity theft nearly every week. But we've never put together a test for our readers to find out about what they really know. Now someone else has and it's interesting, fun and worth your time to take it.  

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Before you read on, I need to say that this is not an endorsement. The Identity Management Institute administers a test for Certified Identity Protection Advisers. I know a lot of people involved in consumer advocacy that who focus on ID theft. Based on a quick look at some of their websites, I'm not seeing CIPA certifications listed. That's not saying that the certification isn't valuable. I honestly don't know.

As with all certificatins, there is a CIPA test. Now there is now a site that is offering an abrieviated CIPA practice exam for free. Anyone who follows this topic on a daily basis will breeze through the practice exam. But most people aren't thinking about ID theft every day and may have limited knowledge on the topic. If you fall into that category, then you should definitely take the test.

The practice exam is not what I would call comprehensive. It is only ten questions. It simply provides a glimpse into the knowledge that everyone should really have to protect themselves. It should probably be used more as a barometer of your overall knowledge on the subject. If you do well, that's great! If not, you might want to spend a little more time on the topic. The beauty of it is that ten questions only take a few minutes of your time. And as previously mentioned, it is free.

The practice exam is being offered by a website named Identity Theft Awareness. I will warn you that if you want your results from the test, you will have to leave a legitimate email address with the site. You can however read through the test without registering if you are inclined to do so.

I personally registered and my results were sent to me within minutes. Additionally, they provide detailed information on each of the answers. While this may not be for everyone, I really liked the idea of an interactive test and think it is worth the time to look at. You can find the test at http://www.identity-theft-awareness.com/CIPA_practice_exam.html. 

byJim Malmberg

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