Identity Theft Crisis

Identity theft and identity fraud are the fastest growing crime in the world. Identity theft and identity fraud are terms used to refer to all types of crime in which someone wrongfully obtains and uses another person’s personal data in some way that involves fraud or deception, typically for economic gain. Unlike your fingerprints, which are unique to you and cannot be given to someone else for their use, your personal data

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Identity theft crimes are not new, but they have become more persuasive in the past decade. In mid-2005, San Francisco Chronicle discovered that holders of more than 40 million credit cards were vulnerable to financial fraud because identity thieves had compromised their credit card information. Earlier that year, information and data broker, Reed Elsevier Group PLC, revealed that several hundred thousand people might have had their profiles stolen from one of its U.S. databases. One quickly learns to secure their computer networks so that these kinds of attacks, or leaks are non-existant.

Information compromised included names, age, physical descriptions, mailing addresses, Social Security, and driver license numbers. This is virtually everything an impersonator needs to set up a clone of the identity theft victim, enabling him to make a number of financial and personal transactions in the victim’s name. Usually an identity theft victim is usually under age forty, while about 11 percent of victims are age sixty or older. According to Federal Trade Commission (FTC), one in six identity theft victims said that thieves used their personal information to open at least one new account, such as credit card accounts or loan accounts, to rack up debts on existing accounts. The most recent data indicates that 9.3 million Americans (or 4.25% of all adults) are victims of ID theft on an annual basis. This is an alarming rate and should show you that you NEED to take preventative steps toward protecting your identity.

An identity theft victim risks the destruction of his/her good credit history, and may spend years, and large sums of money restoring the credit history and goodwill. There are instances of an identity theft victim been denied work or insurance or been detained for crimes he did not commit! Some victims of ID theft found that their names have been misused after police stopped them for a traffic violation and discovered that there is a warrant for their arrest. There are also times when an innocent person receives a summons to appear in court to answer for a criminal act. FTC’s latest survey shows ID theft losses to businesses and financial institutions total $52.6 billion annually. Recently, Federal Trade Commission launched a website annualcreditreport where all consumers are eligible for a free copy of their credit reports. Take the time to go to that site and get your free credit report. This can be a step to alerting you to suspicious activity.

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Identity theft is a crime used to refer to fraud that involves someone pretending to be someone else in order to steal money or get other benefits. With the digital age, identity theft is a major problem world-wide involving BILLIONS of dollars in theft. The term is relatively new and is actually a misnomer, since it is not inherently possible to steal an identity, only to use it. But, that’s not the direction I want to go.

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When it comes down to your financial future, there is nothing more important then protecting yourself from identity fraud. This is because is it your job and your job only to prevent identity theft in order to make sure that everything goes smoothly for you in the future.

Identity fraud is nothing to take lightly as it can turn a persons world completely upside down in a matter of moments. There have been cases where credit cards, car loans, and even mortgage loans have been taken out in a persons name through identity fraud.

Sometimes the people doing the identity fraud can be caught and other times they are not. But the faster you notice something is wrong and take action, the better the chances will be that the thief gets caught.

There is never a reason that you should not take action, even if you know the person who is using your credit. Never let the wrong doings of someone else cause you financial trouble. Your future is completely in your hands and that is why it is so important that you take identity fraud seriously.

Steps You Should Take:

While it may seem like common sense, you should never release your social security number to anyone over the phone. Not only could the person on the other end be taking that information to use it for identity fraud, but also if you are on a cellular phone or a cordless, there could be hundreds of people listening to your social security number.

Never keep your social security card in your wallet either as that is just the thing someone who is into identity fraud would love to see. Try to remember to watch your surroundings as well and never leave your wallet or purse out of sight so that it is not stolen from you.

Keep an eye out on your credit report so that you can quickly identify any changes on your report that you had nothing to do with. Identity fraud will first show signs on your credit report and it is these agencies that basically control your future and whether or not you will ever get credit or another job again.

And that is another thing to consider, identity fraud cannot only affect your credit rating but it can control whether or not you get a job. This is because a lot of companies are now doing credit report searches on potential employees before hiring them.

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Identity Theft

Identity theft is the wrongful use of YOUR personal information – such as your name, social security number, or credit card number – without your permission by another person to commit fraudulent or criminal acts. ID thieves take out phony loans or ring up bogus charges in your name.Identity theft is often a question of too little privacy or too much identification. How can so much information get out if you personally keep it private? Identity Theft is when someone uses someone else’s personal identifying information for illegal purposes. The illegal purpose often involves acquiring goods and services and/or obtaining credit in the victim/s name.

Identity Theft is less risky, incredibly easy, and highly profitable as compared to most other crimes. A thief who robs you at gunpoint and is caught is likely to be sentenced to 5 to 10 years in prison.

Consumers

Consumers are also wary of where their information – address and credit card numbers – goes after they have filled out the online purchase forms. Even more surprising, 34% said they are not confident in credit card companies or online retailers ability to keep personal information private. Consumers are still shopping at TJ Maxx and Marshalls because they aren’t personally feeling the pain of that mammoth data breach. Consumers battling a weight problem often fail to get proper medical treatment, instead falling for infomercial-driven scams and no-sweat schemes. New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, taking a short break from putting insurance executives in prison, suggests beefy consumers expend some energy checking whether their health plan will cover medical treatment and professional nutrition counseling for their obesity.

ID Theft Prevention

Review all medical records, claims and reports for unusual entries Look for services never rendered to you or your dependents, inaccurate diagnoses, address changes, collections, and disclosures made to other agencies or health providers. Dispute any misinformation with your insurance provider, health provider or credit bureaus for investigation and/or removal Make all disputes in writing and provide copies of any claims that include misinformation. Review your monthly statement for unfamiliar charges, and shred all papers that contain personal information. Order a free copy of your credit report from each of the three bureaus at www.annualcreditreport.com , and stagger your requests so you can review a report every four months.

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If you have ever received a call from a collection agent claiming you owe money for a loan you don’t recall applying for, you very well could be a victim of identity fraud. All someone needs is your name, social security number, date of birth and account numbers to ruin you financially.

This information is easier to obtain that you think, and before you realize it, you are a victim of identity fraud.

There are several common ways identity fraud is carried out. Online identity theft, considered to be the most popular form of identify fraud, is only one. Another method has been nicknamed “dumpster diving,” which involves stealing mail by rummaging through someone’s garbage for identifying documents.

These often include discarded receipts and paid bills, which all have identifying information on them that thieves find useful. One method used to fight identity theft is quite simple and effective: Consumers can reduce the risk of becoming the victims of identity fraud by buying and using a paper shredder. That way, no information of potential importance leaves the house intact.

Have you ever received an email from some stranger overseas claiming that you have inherited millions of dollars but have to send them your account number so they can wire it to you? Have you ever gotten a message from your bank asking for information about you, but you know they already have all that information?

If you can answer yes to either of these questions, you may have been singled out as a potential victim of online identity theft. This identity fraud tactic is known as “phishing.” There is no trick to fighting identity fraud like this, save using common sense. If you aren’t expecting an email from a trusted source or if you don’t know the sender, it is safer to just delete the email.

Of course, the biggest way identity theft gets perpetrated is the most recognizable. Hackers take a more direct approach to fraud. They break into computers and steal the information they need. Again, there’s a good way to fight identity theft of this type: Purchase good virus protection and firewall software to block unwanted intruders from your computer.

A series of three-year surveys that ended in 2006 show that, while there has been a decrease in the number of victims of identity fraud, the cost rose to $56 billion dollars last year. More statistics show that:

The average time a victim takes to fight identity theft is 600 hours. 3/4 of victims who responded to the survey said that the crime involved someone getting their hands on a credit card. The impact of online identity theft and identity fraud is similar to that of violent crimes for the victims.

The problem of identity fraud isn’t just in the United States. In Europe, the British have crunched some numbers, reporting that identity fraud has cost their economy a shocking 1.7 billion pounds.

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