Identity Theft

So, you decided to take steps to defend yourself against criminals. Perhaps you enrolled in a kickboxing class or Karate. You’ve installed three deadbolts on your door as well as a state of the art security system. You carry a canister of mace on your person and keep one by your bedside for good measure. These steps may help you if you need to defend yourself against a person who invades your home. Unfortunately a gallon of mace and armed security guards can not protect you from identity theft.

This problem has become so pervasive that literally tens of millions of people have been affected. The most recent statistic is 27 million cases and chances are that you could be next. These criminals are some of the worst kind and unfortunately, they use the same technology that provides you with convenience to victimize you. Because much of this crime is committed over the Internet, there’s no physical description that you can give to the police. No lineups or mug shots like you see in TV crime shows. It’s like they don’t exist, because they cloak themselves in the anonymity of the World Wide Web.

The best thing you can do for yourself is to take steps to prevent this from happening to you.

* You have the right to receive a copy of your credit report from the credit reporting agencies. Take advantage of that right, so you can see what’s going on with your accounts or if any new ones have been opened without our knowledge

* Be wary of who you give your personal information to, such as your social security number. Be cautious even with people that you know. Many people are victimized by those that they thought of as friends. Even if you give it to a trusted friend, they may lose it and a thief may find it.

* Never keep your PIN number in your wallet and never give it out to anyone. If there is an emergency and you have to give it to someone, make sure you change it immediately after they have used it.

* Invest in a good shredder and use it to destroy your credit card and bank statements. Thieves will dig through your garbage to find out information about you. Put your garbage out the morning that the company comes to take it. Don’t leave it outside overnight, where anyone can get access to it under the cover of darkness.

* If you don’t receive your statements in the mail, call the bank or credit company and find out why. Go over the details of every statement that you do receive to make sure all of the charges on them are yours.