Anyone
can be the victim of Identity theft. Identity
thieves can use your personal
information, such as your name, birth
date, social security number, credit
card or bank account numbers to commit
other crimes. Some of the methods thieves
use to obtain identifying information
are:
Mail theft, email fraud, website
spoofing, telemarketing fraud, burglary.
Identity theft is a very serious crime
in that a determined criminal can not only
profit
from your legitimate accounts, but can also
cause you many financial difficulties, not
the least of which is ruining your credit.
If your identity is stolen, you can spend
months or years cleaning up the mess thieves
have made of their good name and credit record.
In the meantime, you may lose job opportunities,
be refused loans, education, housing or cars,
or you may even be arrested for crimes you
did not commit.
Some of the ways you can prevent
identity theft are:
- Keep your social security
card locked in a safe place. Do not
carry it in your wallet
or purse.
- Install a firewall system on your
computer.
- Do
not give personal information over
the phone or via email to anyone you
do not
know.
- Beware of anyone standing too close
behind you when you are using your credit
card
or writing a check.
- Check your credit report on a regular
basis. Or, consider signing up for
a credit alert
service.
If you think you are the victim
of identity theft:
- Contact the fraud departments of
any one of the three major credit bureaus
to place
a fraud alert on your credit file.
The fraud alert requests creditors to
contact you before
opening any new accounts or making
any changes to your existing accounts.
- Close the accounts that you know or
believe have been tampered with or opened
fraudulently.
Use an ID Theft Affidavit when disputing
new, unauthorized accounts.
- File a police
report. Get a copy of the report to
submit to your creditors and others
that may require proof of the crime.
- File your complaint with the Federal
Trade Commission. The FTC maintains a
database
of identity theft cases used by law
enforcement agencies for investigations.
For more information,
go to the FTC’s
website at: http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft/ |
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