The Identity Theft Guardian

The crime of identity theft is steadily rising, and the reason for this is that most people do not realize exactly how easy the crime is to commit by those who are intent on doing so. Carelessly throwing those credit card offers you get in the mail all the time without ripping them up beyond recognition or shredding them as almost as good as wearing a sign around your neck that says “I want to be a victim of identity theft”.

Briefly, identity theft is when someone opens credit card accounts, department store accounts, or even bank loans in your name, using your information and your social security number. This obviously happens without your knowledge. While there are certain safeguards in place, banks and department stores are more than anxious to get your business, and are often a bit too quick on the trigger to approve a new application without thorough investigation. The first you have heard about it is when you get a phone call from the bank or department store asking why your account is past due, and you do not even have an account with them.

Another way this happens, and senior citizens are often the target of this approach, is when someone gets an email from what appears to be their bank, complete with their bank logo and what appears to be the bank’s return email address. Yes, this type of email is very official-looking, and in some cases is even better than what the bank would send out themselves. The email asks the recipient to go to this site or click this link because there was a problem with the account and they need to verify your identity so that their system can “correct an error”. This is known as “phishing” and an incredible number of people fall for this scam very year. Your bank will NEVER ask you to verify personal information online, so NEVER respond to such an email, or if you are concerned that it may be real, CALL your bank first to ask if the email is real.

If you find that you have become of victim of identity theft, you need to report it immediately. Doing so will help the situation, and will avoid more damage being done, particularly financial damage to you that you may be responsible for, or have a very difficult time getting away from.

First, report it to the police. They need to know that this has happened. While it is unlikely that they can catch the thief, there is always that chance if this is reported as quickly as possible, and your insurance company is going to give you a very hard time if they find that you have NOT reported the theft to the police.

Next, contact the creditors of the accounts that were opened by the thief and let them know that you are a victim of identity theft. They need to be made aware that they approved credit without thorough investigation and they can put a stop on any and all future possible charge transactions on that account. While this step is necessary, it is almost pointless because by the time you find out you are a victim of identity theft, chances are better than excellent that the thief has already charged that account to the hilt.

Also, notify the three major credit bureaus – Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Since the thief has your personal information, they may try to open additional accounts at other places. Once you have notified the credit bureaus of this, they will flag your credit report as being a possible identity theft victim, and it will be very difficult for anyone (unfortunately, including you) to open any new accounts for awhile.

Taking all these steps as quickly as possible is going to be your best insurance to minimize damages done. Discovering that you are a victim of identity theft is not a pleasant experience, and you can look forward to weeks and months of frustrations in getting it all straightened out, but to protect yourself and your credit rating, it is absolutely something you need to do quickly.

You may also want to visit our web site to find out how to protect yourself from identity theft in the first place, so you don’t have to worry about it.



By: Jon Arnold

About the Author:

Being mistaken for someone else can be very hazardous. It can actually get you punished for something you never did. A couple of situations have already cropped up when someone else in a course of a criminal act uses another persons identity.

Many criminals have had the ability to get crucial and vital information, such as social security number, addresses, credit card numbers, bank accounts, birth certificates and etcetera to commit crimes.

The imposter uses someone else’s identification. Not only that, most of the imposter uses fraudulent information or in this case, true personal information but not their own. The fake identification can lead the crime to someone else. As a result, the innocent person will suffer from all of the consequences of the crime commited.

In a traffic scenario, criminal identity theft can also happen. Traffic imposter that violates the traffic rules can use a fraudulent driver’s license with another persons name. By doing this, they can escape the traffic fine or escape from appearing in court as the law requires. The fine goes to another persons record.

The judge will surely issue a warrant of arrest for traffic violation. Unfortunately, the license card is in the name of the victim. Because of this, the imposter will never appear in any court hearing. The worst thing is that, the victim is normally arrested upon a routine traffic stop.

Criminal identity theft is more complicated compared to financial identity theft. Fortunately, unlike other theft cases, criminal identity theft is very rare. In this case the imposter has a rigid form of identify complex. Especially if the suspect uses a different fraud identity, the police department will surely have a hard time looking for the perpetrator.

At the present situation, police are very much more cautious when it comes to criminal identity theft. This offense is considered to be an extreme personal crime. Moreover, records are not easily cleared which could cause several problems with transactions a person may undertake. For example, a criminal record, albeit false, can mar a clean record causing a person some problems with say his credit or a job opportunity.

Not only that, criminal identity imposter can also tamper with some bank account charges of the victim. It can also make some bank account withdrawals and social security tampering. Unrelated crimes can also be committed by the imposter for whom the victim may be held responsible.

Criminal identity theft can also affect the victim in obtaining a job. The imposter can simply use the other personal documents in some events. An impostor can steal from a company and the assumed identity may get the bum wrap for the act done.

The real trouble in identity theft is that the burden of proof relies on the victim’s evidences. The victim must have enough information and data in order to clear up the issues. Not only that, if the imposter had committed a serious offense, the trial can take years. It can even cost the victim thousands of dollars to clear his or her name. These are more conveniences on the part of the victim.

In most cases, the victim is required to have a set of circumstances. The victim must render enough time and evidences to clear the issue on his or her criminal records. A good lawyer should also be retained, the sooner you clear your name and your records the better it will be for you.

If you ever found out that someone is using your identity, don’t wait for the authorities to pick you up, do actions already to minimize the potential damage it may cause.

What are things that an individual should do when criminal identity theft happened?

• The very first thing that he must do is to report the incident. The local law enforcement agency must know the misidentification issue.

• Proper impersonation report must be filled officially. The victim must not take all things for granted. He must act as soon as possible to prevent serious troubles.

• Having enough information about the particular laws of the state is important. The victim must know the proper proceedings when it comes to identity theft. Here is where a good and knowledgeably lawyer will be very handy.

This kind of criminal offense happens more often than what everybody thinks. It has already destroyed countless lives of innocent people. Do not let somebody damage your reputation. Take the essential precautions to protect yourself from criminal identification theft.



By: Gord Shin

About the Author:

Identity theft is a very serious crime; if you’re a victim of this crime it may have serious consequences. It could mean difficulty in clearing your credit records, getting into debt, losing a lot of money and even getting in trouble with the law. You will also have difficulty obtaining new jobs or apartments. This is because employers and landlords usually check the credit records of their applicants.

This crime occurs when a thief gets information about your credit card numbers, name, address, social security number, and other personal information that should be kept confidential.

After they obtain your personal information, they will usually make purchases, open bank accounts, apply for loans, apply for new credit cards, get government benefits, and forge checks in your name.

If you’re a victim, there are ways to solve this problem;

You can report the crime to concerned authorities and you can apply for identity theft insurance.

Many companies are offering insurance for people to protect their personal information. You can apply for this insurance as an option for homeowner’s insurance policy. However, having identity theft insurance does not prevent identity theft; it will only help you recover if in any case you have been a victim of this crime.

People who become victims of identity theft or identity fraud usually do not figure out how their personal information was acquired by the thief. So, it is wise that you should be careful about your personal information.

The best way to prevent this crime is to be careful with your personal information. You first have to know how criminals obtain your personal information.

Thieves obtain personal information in many simple ways. Here are some examples:

• By stealing your wallet containing credit cards, and other personal information.

• By going through your garbage for items containing personal information.

• By providing personal information online through email or registration based websites.

• By pretending to be a new creditor to obtain your credit report.

• By eavesdropping on your phone calls or looking over your shoulder as you use your personal information.

• By promising prizes or awards by contacting you by email that would require you to provide personal and financial information.

Here are some transactions that also create risk:

• Online banking

• Online purchases

• Storing personal information in your computer

• Using your social security information for identification purposes.

However, this does not necessarily mean that you should avoid these transactions. It means that you should be careful when giving away your personal and financial information.

Being conscious on how you use your personal and financial information can prevent completion of identity theft.

Here are some tips for safeguarding your personal and financial information:

• Memorize your social security number

• Memorize your PIN numbers

• Don’t use easy to guess passwords, like your birthday or your mother’s maiden name

• Secure your computer by using firewall software and always update your computer security to safeguard your computer from spywares.

• Confirm if the website URL that is requesting your personal information is authentic or legitimate.

• Beware of emails, especially with attachments, belonging to someone you don’t know. Emails like these contain viruses or spywares that can easily be installed in your computer and can send your personal information stored in your computer to thieves.

• Websites that ask for personal information should be secure. A secured website usually has URL that starts with “https://” with the “s” meaning secured.

• Beware of telephone inquiries asking you to give your personal information, unless you contacted them.

• If you have lost your credit card, report it immediately to concerned authorities. It could have been stolen by identity thieves.

• Get your mails as soon as it is delivered.

• Do not discard bank, credit card or any other transaction receipts in public areas. Someone might obtain these information by dumpster diving.

These are some of the ways to safeguard your personal information. It is important that you should be aware of what you do to items containing your personal and financial information. Practicing these methods will surely minimize the risk of becoming a victim of identity theft.

Perforate or shred important documents containing personal information such as old credit cards, used checks and identity cards. You’ll never know when they would fall into wrong hands.

If you suspect that something is wrong, report it immediately to the authorities. Be sure that you have proof that you have reported such incident by keeping it in black and white. (Hard Copy)

For more information on Identity Theft Click Here



By: Lucas Heijn

About the Author:

Protect your kids from the risks associated with identity theft. Children often fall prey to identity fraud, and the numbers of young victims grows every year, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). There are several simple tips you can use to protect kids from identity theft.

Why Kids Are Targeted by Identity Thieves

Kids are easy targets for identity thieves. By law, children can’t apply for credit cards, loans or other lines of credit until they are 18. That gives identity thieves many opportunities to steal a child’s identity and use it freely to open lines of credit. In addition to random strangers stealing a child’s identity, unfortunately, unscrupulous family members also often target them.

Children Feel Effects of Identity Theft When They Venture Out in the World

Children who are identity theft victims feel the pain inflicted by the crime when they try to establish a credit history. Applying for a loan or a credit card, children and their families are often shocked to learn that their child has a poor credit history, even though they’ve never had a line of credit. A poor credit score can prevent kids from getting the jobs they want, obtaining credit cards, loans and more. Although justice is on their side, it can take years to clean up a lifetime of identity theft.

Protect Your Kids from Becoming a Victim of Identity Theft

Adults can protect kids from identity theft by taking a few safety precautions. Shredding paperwork from doctors and other entities that list a child’s Social Security number or date of birth can help protect children from identity fraud. Credit card and loan offers that arrive in the mail addressed to children should be addressed with the company sending the offer, so they know that they are sending items to minor children. Social Security cards and other personal information about children should be safely stored to avoid the risk of identity fraud.

Children Identity Fraud Repair: What to Do if the Worst Should Happen

If a child becomes a victim of identity fraud, there are a few things you can do to help them repair their credit history and regain their identity. Their Social Security number should be changed and a police report should be filed immediately. Credit card companies, lenders and collections agencies associated with the phony identity should be notified immediately about the identity theft.

Reduce the risk of identity theft with credit monitoring . Credit monitoring provides an added layer of protection against identity fraud with up to date information about credit scores and details of unusual activities on a credit report.



By: Lisa Nichols

About the Author:

Identity theft is a federal crime under the Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act. It occurs when a con artist uses your personal information, such as name, mailing address, Social Security number, credit card number, birth date to set up a clone identity, which then buys merchandise, takes loans and makes other financial transactions. The impersonator keeps the loot, while you get stuck with the bad credit. Identity theft scams have received their fair share of media attention in recent years.

The crime of identity theft has reached epidemic proportions, with identity theft scams making headlines more and more every day. One of the high-profile identity theft scams involving a New York’s restaurant busboy, Abraham Abdallah, is the largest identity theft in the history of the Internet. Abdallah, a 32-year-old high school dropout, breached the private finances of 217 of the Forbes 400 wealthiest people in America. Using a few web-enabled cell phones, virtual voicemail and a public library computer, the so-called “busboy” is said to have guessed the passwords of his favorite tycoons, input personal information so conveniently available in Forbes magazine, swiped Social Security numbers, and accessed brokerage accounts.

Soon Abdallah forged bank’s stationeries deployed multiple couriers to escape detection, and had credit cards in Steven Spielberg, Martha Stewart, Oprah Winfrey and Ted Turner’s names! Law enforcement officers called it one of the most ambitious identity theft scams they had ever seen, a hi-tech scheme of Hollywood proportions. Even though the police arrested Abdallah five years ago, they are still trying to trace the complex electronic trail to figure out exactly how much money was siphoned.

Of the recent high-profile identity theft scams, the MphasiS BFL - Citibank case is particularly noteworthy, because of the ease with which five young employees from MsourcE, an Indian call center allegedly pulled off a financial fraud worth nearly half-a-million dollars. The accused were no geeks, and did not break through firewalls or decoded encrypted software. Instead, they devised a simple modus operandi. Being the authorized e-banking service providers to Citibank, these MsourcE employees were privy to confidential details of various account holders. The only pieces missing were the passwords, which these employees apparently got by “sweet-talking” the account holders.

Identity theft does not have to be big and news worthy to ruin peoples lives. The small time con artist can assume several different identities and ruin the financial lives of dozens of people, semingly overnight!



By: Keith Londrie

About the Author:

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: