The Identity Theft Guardian

Identity theft has recently become a widely recognized problem, although it only started being mentioned in literature in the 1990’s. It is one of the fastest growing crimes in the world and therefore one which we do all need to be aware of and take precautions against. In this article we will look more specifically at what identity theft is in order to give you more background in order to fight identity theft and credit card identity theft.

Identity theft consists of any crime where a criminal uses a person’s personal information such as name, social security number or other personal identification facts in any illegal manner. This may include credit card identity theft where the criminal uses the person’s name and details to either open up a new credit card in the other person’s name in order not to pay and so works up debt in the other person’s name; or taking details of that persons credit card and creating a fake copy which they then use. It may also consist of medical identity theft where a criminal uses someone’s personal details and medical information illegally. For mopre info see http://www.preventidentitythefthelp.com/Identity_Theft_Statistics/ on Identity Theft Statistics.

Credit card identity theft may occur in a number of different ways. Firstly, someone could scan the information off your credit card while you are not watching and use it to create a duplicate card; they could actually steal your card and use it for their own purposes; or they may open a credit card in your name, using your details but a false address and never pay the bill.

Identity theft occurs when people get hold of your personal details either through credit card skimming, stealing mail out of your mailbox or trash or perhaps breaking into hospital records or other places where your personal details are kept.

In order to best protect yourself against identity theft you should ensure that any paper that you put into the trash is properly shredded beforehand, that you request not to be on any mailing lists for credit offers and opt out of other mailing lists where people send you information in the mail. You should also ensure that your credit card never leaves your sight in stores or restaurants and if you are unsure of the place rather try to pay by cash. Learn as much as you can about identity theft in order to get more information on how to protect yourself.

In this article we have tried to briefly summarize identity theft and credit card identity theft. It is a fast growing crime and one for which we all need to protect ourselves. Personal information may be stolen and used in a number of different ways and you should be aware of these ways and how you can best fight identity theft.



By: Wade Robins

About the Author:

Identity theft is one of those crimes that most people have heard of, but not everyone understands how it occurs. The act of committing this malicious crime may be simple or complex, and can bring great financial pain to its victim. Don’t let that victim be you.

Identity theft occurs when a person uses another person’s identity as well as personal financial information as their own. Purchases are typically made using the identity of the victim, with the intent to leave the victim responsible for the bill. This crime is done without the knowledge of the victim. When the victim finally becomes aware of the crime, the criminal has disappeared into oblivion, leaving behind a victim with ruined credit, a mountain of debt, and a tainted reputation. Not a pretty situation to be in.

In extreme cases, the implications of identity theft can result in the wrongful arrest of the victim. On the face of the evidence, it is easy for the police investigator to assume that the victim made multiple expensive purchases having absolutely no intention of ever paying. Criminals who engage in identity theft are clever and know the credit card system intimately. They know ways of charging far more than a credit limit on a single card. Without actual proof that identity theft has occurred, it can be assumed that the victim is guilty of the crimes committed under his name. Identity theft is a serious crime, and victims can suffer the implications and consequences of the crime for years to come.

Identity theft takes many different forms. Some cases involve a thief repeatedly withdrawing large sums of cash from another person’s bank account, until the account balance is nil. Other cases may involve the thief assuming another person’s name and using their personal information to obtain a loan.

Armed with the victim’s personal data, an identity thief can obtain a driver’s license, open new lines of credit and bank accounts, and even buy a car and get a mortgage. All paperwork, bills and financial statements from these transactions are sent to the thief’s temporary address, so the victim initially does not know that a crime has been committed in his name. Once the plan has been activated, the thief uses the victim’s credit line for all it is worth in the form of cash advances, loans and credit card debt without the intent to pay. All of these crimes occur with the thief hidden in a shroud of anonymity. Who is the criminal? All merchants assume he who he represents himself to be, but he is representing himself to be the victim. The actual identity of the criminal isn’t revealed. When the debts come to light, the victim is left holding the bag of bills and the thief has long since disappeared into complete anonymity. It can take years to recover, both financially and emotionally, from identity theft.

Here are some warning signs that you may have fallen victim to identity theft:

You are billed for a credit card that you did not open, although wiser criminals will not have the bill sent to you. There are unauthorized notice charges on your credit card statement. Bills or credit statements fail to arrive when you expect them. This can indicate that the address has been changed without your knowledge. The criminal does not want you to be aware while he is in the process of using your accounts, so he has the statements sent somewhere else, by going through the proper change of address procedures. Unauthorized transfers or withdrawals show on your bank statements. This is a huge red flag and should be investigated immediately. Collection agencies call about accounts you never opened. Again, this does not usually happen until after the criminal has disappeared and/or moved on to victimize another person. You receive calls or notices about merchandise you did not buy. Debts appear on your credit reports that you did not file. This is significant. Even though the criminal might have your statements mailed to a different location, you know your personal information and can check your credit report at any time. The criminal has no way to stop you from doing this.

AS you might imagine, identity theft is a nightmare come to life for the millions of people who have fallen victim to this horrendous crime. Sadly, despite stricter financial transaction processes, higher public awareness of the crime, and the imposition of state and federal laws, the number of identity theft victims continues to rise each year.

In the United States and Canada, many people have reported unauthorized persons withdrawing funds from their personal bank or financial accounts. More serious cases have seen victims reporting a thief who has totally taken over their identities. In these cases, thieves have run up huge debts and committed crimes, all under the name of the victim.

The United States Congress created a new federal law against identity theft in 1998. In spite of the tough laws now on the books, identity theft is more prevalent than ever. Once you have fallen victim, it is obviously too late to prevent the crime from being committed against you. In this instance, grandma was right: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. And that is an understatement.

Here are some steps to help you avoid being a victim of identity theft.

1. Shred any documents with personal information on them. Thieves are known to dig through household trash to find this information. Shred it to foil their attempts.

2. Be vary careful about giving out your social security number. Guard it like you would guard your life, because in a sense, you are guarding your financial life. Only give it out when absolutely necessary, and only to parties that are entirely trustworthy.

3. Be careful about storing personal financial data on your computer and sending it over the internet. Use passwords that do not make any sense. Most people use their birthdays, names of children, or other easy-to-guess types of passwords. Don’t make it easy for a criminal to get into your account info electronically.

4. Never place your tax return in your mailbox, stamped, with the flag up to let the postman know to pick up mail! Criminals are known to drive around neighborhoods during tax season looking for flags. Your tax return contains vital financial information. Always bring it to the post office to mail it.

5. Check your credit report regularly. Sign up for a plan if necessary. However, make sure that your inquiries will not be counted against your credit score. Too many inquiries in a short period will negatively affect your score, so make certain that your own inquiries to verify the safety of your file will not be counted against you.

Our personal records are stored in many different places in today’s world. Banks, hospitals, employers, government agencies, brokerage accounts, etc. all have our vital financial information within their records. Put into practice these five steps above, and only give your information to companies that you fully trust. By doing so, you’ll greatly decrease the odds that you’ll fall victim to identity theft.



By: Greg Roy

About the Author:

Identity theft crimes are not new, but they have become more pervasive in the past decade. One of the most insidious forms of white-collar crime, identity theft is a federal offense under the Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act. It occurs when someone deliberately assumes your personal identity to impersonate you in a legal sense. There are people out there who are malicious and want to mess your life simply because they can. Businesses and financial institutions that lose $52.6 billion each year are under tremendous pressure from consumers to tackle this problem.

Last year, identity fraud crimes topped the list of complaints reported to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the leading governmental agency offering identity theft help, for the fourth consecutive year. The FTC collects complaints about identity theft from consumers who have been victimized. Although the FTC does not have the authority to bring criminal cases, it can offer identity theft help by providing information to assist the victims in resolving the financial and other problems that can result from this crime. As additional identity theft help, the FTC also refers victims complaints to other appropriate government agencies and private organizations for further action. The support of these knowledgeable resources expedites recovery, while enhancing your peace-of-mind.

Accurate and up-to-date information is the most critical element to minimize risk. For this reason, Federal Trade Commission recently launched an identity theft help web site called annualcreditreport where all consumers are eligible for a free copy of their credit reports. In order to effectively respond to suspected ID fraud you should place an identity theft alert in one of the three consumer reporting agencies and that agency will notify the other remaining two. These agencies are: Equifax at 1-800-525-6285, TransUnion at 1-800-397-3742 and Experian at 1-800-680-7289. These credit reporting agencies can also be found online.

The ID Theft Clearinghouse managed by the FTC is a tool designed to coordinate law enforcement efforts in the United States. But, in the end, local law enforcement agencies like the police and district attorney end up dealing with most identity fraud cases. If you have been a victim of identity fraud, it’s these local agencies that will mostly likely offer identity theft help.

It would also be a good idea to study some of the different methods of identity theft so that you can effectively combat them. Do things like shredding your important documents with any account information or identifying information.



By: Keith Londrie

About the Author:

Identity theft is a serious crime that we all need to be aware of. In this article we look at a number of statistics representing this crime in order to give you a better idea of this crime and how important it is to protect yourself against it.

Identity theft was first mentioned in literature in the 1990’s, studies showed that between 2001 and 2002 there was an 11-20% increase in this crime, while between 2002 and 2003 this figure had increased to 80%.

The Javelin/Better Business Bureau survey from January 2006 showed that there was a decrease in identity theft between 2003 and 2006 though. In 2003 the adult victims of identity theft living in the United States was 10.1 million in 2003, 9.3 million in 2005 and 8.9 million in 2006.

Identity theft statistics from the Javelin report however do show an increase in the fraud amount. In 2003 the one year fraud amount was $53.2 billion, $54.4 billion in 2005 and $56.6 billion in 2006.

Identity theft statistics show that in Waco, Texas, alone there was a 700% increase in identity theft cases between 2004 and 2005.

The Bureau of Justice Statistics estimated that in a six month period in 2004, a total of 3.6 million households were affected by identity theft.

Identity theft can also have severe consequences for businesses. Identity theft statistics show that it may cost a company up to $90,000 or more when just one laptop is stolen. These fees include fines, credit monitoring, public relations damage control and class action litigation.

45% of all identity theft cases are caused by stolen laptops. The second most frequent problem was data leaks from records lost by third part business partners or outsourcing companies. This second component makes up about 29% of all the cases.

The Identity Theft Resource Center says that, “Studies on the total cost of identity theft vary. One study said that identity theft cost U.S. Businesses and consumers $56.6 billion in 2005.”

A survey done by the Identity Theft Resource centre in the spring of 2006 showed some frightening results with regards to phishing. Out of 309 people surveyed, 165 people said they did not know what phishing was, while only 77 people answered correctly. For more info see http://www.preventidentitythefthelp.com/Identity_Theft_Protection on identity theft protection.

The Javelin report from 2005 however indicated that offline/traditional methods of identity theft were still more popular than online methods. The identity theft statistics they gave were 68.2% offline and 11.6 online.

In conclusion, although the number of adult victims of identity theft has decreased since 2003, the amounts involved have increased, and identity theft remains a very serious crime. Most criminals involved in identity theft are still using offline methods but we should also be cautious of online methods such as phishing. The statistics themselves may vary depending on different reports but the fact remains the same, these identity theft statistics are a reason to inform yourself about identity theft and take better precautions to protect yourself.



By: Wade Robins

About the Author:

Many people do not realize that there are different types of identity theft. There are indeed several ways in which the identity thief can take advantage of your personal information, while leaving you to deal with the repercussions. Here’s what you need to know about the 5 types of identity theft.

The type of identity theft you are probably most familiar with is Financial Identity Theft. It is when the thief uses your information to set up financial accounts in your name without your permission or knowledge. The thief may obtain credit cards, loans, merchandise, homes, vehicles, vacations and more, all in your name. Financial identity theft can definitely cost you thousands of dollars in debt, not to mention the painstaking process of clearing your name and credit.

Another type of identity theft is Medical Identity Theft wherein the thief uses your information to obtain health and other medical benefits and services. Being a victim of medical identity theft can result to fraudulent billing and having erroneous medical files. Your ability to get a health and life insurance may also be affected. Imagine the nightmare of having an actual medical emergency and having your insurance company refusing to cover the bills as records show you’ve already had the procedure done or you’ve depleted your insurance coverage.

An identity thief can not only leave you with tons of debt, but leave you with a criminal record as well. With Criminal Identity Theft, the thieves use your information to obtain employment, to commit or distance themselves from crimes, or provide your information when questioned by law enforcement. Repercussions can range from undeserved tickets to outstanding arrest warrants and even temporary imprisonment. Victims can also be fired from their jobs due to an “undisclosed conviction”.

An identity thief can also use your identity to begin a “new life”. Basically, the thief openly lives and works as you. This type of identity theft is called Character Identity Theft or Identity Cloning. Using your name, the thief can collect tax refunds and receive your benefits, obtain professional licenses, be married, have children or file for bankruptcy. The thieves are usually criminals, fugitives, illegal aliens, or people with poor work or financial history.

These identity thieves are out there to victimized innocent people particularly seniors. They feel that seniors are easy targets because of their financial status and their lack of awareness of the matter.

Identity theft can not only be devastating to individuals but to businesses as well especially in cases wherein the business’ credit and the owner’s credit are one in the same. With Commercial Identity Theft wherein criminals get credit by charging it to another business’ name, business operations may be severely affected due to a loan being denied or called early or if interest rates on key credit accounts are increased due to a universal default cause.

Truly, an awareness of these different types of identity theft is helpful in protecting ourselves from becoming a victim of the crime. Given that identity theft has now become more common, it’s definitely wise to know what we are up against in order to take the appropriate preventive measures.



By: Bernard Pragides

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