ID Theft - Are You the Next Victim?
Identity theft is on the rise. One in ten of us have , or will
be the victim of this crime. It is estimated that 500,000 to
700,000 Amercians become victims to indentity theft each year.
You don't have to be wealthy to be a target. Identity theft is a
equal opportunity crime, and can strike regardless of your age,
race or gender.
Everday, without giving much thought; we write checks at the
grocery store, buy merchandise online, make calls on a cell
phone, pay bills, order new checks or apply for a loan or new
credit card. Most of us don't give these daily rituals a second
thought. Beware, lurking in the shadows, someone else may be
after the information we so readily give out.
Getting your life back on track after cleaning up the mess these
thieves can cause is both time consuming and costly. Taking days
or weeks off work to make the necessary phone calls, write
letters and have affidavits notarized, also on average $1,500
out-of-pocket expenses trying to resolve the problem caused by
these thieves is typical.
Here is a list of the most frequently ways identity theft
happens. There are many more schemes than these and new ones are
concocted everyday.
Phone solicitation: Never give to a charity over the phone
always have them send you something in the mail. Check them out.
Mail theft: Never put your mail out in the evening before going
to bed. If possible drop it off at the post office or in a
public mail box.
Dumpster diving: Invest in a paper shredder. Shred all personal
information before putting it in the garbage.
Account takeover: This occurs when someone acquires your account
information. They can contact your credit company and change
your address and order new credit cards. Goes back to shredding
this type of information.
Shoulder surfing: Always make sure your conversation cannot be
overheard when conducting personal business. Keep your pin
blocked from view when making an ATM transaction.
People we know: More than half of all identity theft is
committed by criminals that have a relationship with their
victims, such as family members, roommates, neighbors, or
co-workers. Keep your guard up don't take anyone lightly.
High-tech thievery: There is a vast virtual black market on the
Web, where individuals buy and sell stolen credit cards and
Social Security numbers. Only put your personal information on
sites that use encryption technology.
To prevent identity theft we must become our own advocates and
watch dogs. The majority of identity fraud crimes are
self-detected. This means our best safe guard against identity
theft is our own vigilance.