The following article discusses identity theft generally.
Please call me if you have been a victim of identity theft to
discuss your particular situation.
Identity Theft - How to Avoid It and What to Do
if You Become a Victim.
You have a good
income, you always pay your bills on time and you don’t maintain
any credit card debt. Therefore it comes as quite a shock when
your bank turns you down for home refinancing due to numerous
delinquent credit card and loan accounts in your name. What could
have happened? Quite simply, you’ve had your identity stolen.
Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in the
United States. According to the FBI, it claims more than 10
million victims each year. So what can you do to prevent yourself
from becoming the next victim? At a minimum:
Order and review your credit report
on a regular basis, at least once per year. It’s inexpensive and
easy to do on the Internet. If you notice any unknown accounts
or incorrect information, contact the creditor immediately. If
it’s clear that your identity has been stolen, you’ll also need
to take the more serious steps outlined below.
Buy a shredder for your home and
shred all bank statements, bills and credit card statements
instead of just ripping them up and putting them in the garbage.
Believe it or not, there are "dumpster divers" who steal your
information from your garbage.
Make sure your computer has all the
latest security features. At a minimum, it should have a
firewall and up-to-date anti-virus software (and I mean
up-to-date, what’s the point in paying for the software and then
not renewing the update subscription?). Additionally, if you
have a wireless home network, make sure that it’s encrypted –
you would be amazed at how many wireless home and business
computer networks are not encrypted and can therefore be
accessed by anyone with a wireless enabled computer.
Don’t provide personal information
on a website unless the information is being encrypted (i.e.,
it’s a "secure" site).
Close all unused credit card and
bank accounts. Your credit report may well show credit card
accounts that you thought were closed, but which are in fact
open.
Keep your social security number
safe. Don’t carry your social security card in your wallet or
purse. Don’t write your social security number on your checks.
If your health insurer uses your social security number as your
identifier on your insurance card, ask them to issue a new one
with an arbitrary identification number.
Ignore e-mails that appear to be
from your bank and which ask you to go to a website and re-input
your personal information. These e-mails and corresponding
websites look very convincing with the bank’s logo. However, one
giveaway is the poor English often used by the foreign crime
gangs. This technique of illegally obtaining your information is
known as "phishing". It’s very popular with organized crime and
is easily avoided.
On the other hand, if your identity has been stolen, then you
need to do the following:
Contact the credit agencies and
place a "fraud alert" on your credit file.
Contact unknown creditors and close
the accounts that were illegally opened in your name. The
creditors will probably ask for proof of your identity and an
identity theft affidavit, the form of which is obtainable from
the Federal Trade Commission.
File a report with the FBI and your
local police department.
File a complaint with the Federal
Trade Commission.
This age of technology has provided us with so many
conveniences that we could only have dreamed of a few years ago.
However, with the new conveniences have come hidden dangers.
Protect your personal information using the techniques outlined
above, and you’ll go along way to preventing yourself from
becoming the next identity theft victim.
