It is amazing to me to hear the stories of people that were victims of identity theft and the ongoing troubles it brings. I recently read the story of one man who was a police officer for twenty years and was an FBI National Academy graduate and still became the victim of identity theft —- three times!
Thankfully, this man caught all of these charges in time and was able to work it out with the credit card companies before the problem became too severe. The fact that it happened to this man three times combined with the fact that he is actually an identity theft expert that leads seminars on how to avoid being taken advantage of in this fashion is nothing short of ironic.
Since identity theft can happen to even the best of us, it is important that you be vigilant about monitoring your cards and any activity that takes place on them. According to the Better Business Bureau and Javelin Research, identity theft costs its victims approximately $56.6 billion in 2006 alone. Nationwide, the Federal Trade Commission (also known as the FTC) reports having received 246,035 cases of identity theft last year as well. According to most experts, however, there are millions of cases that go unreported each year.
Although identity theft can hit anyone and can be done in many ways, college students are increasingly being targeted by identity thefts. With this scam, the thieves take out student loans after stealing the student’s identity. Many are also starting to take advantage of other people’s health insurance accounts as well in order to get free medical services.
Social Security numbers also remain a hot commodity. Last year alone, authorities found 1,300 illegal aliens in six states that were registered to work with the help of these stolen numbers.
To prevent this from happening to you, try using these simple tips:
- When mailing out sensitive information, take it directly to the post office rather than putting it in your mailbox. Many thieves look for the raised flags to help them find mailboxes with account information to steal.
- Be careful when giving out money following natural disasters. According to authorities, over have of the web sites that were set up following the Katrina disaster that were soliciting donations were bogus.
- Don’t click on the links inside of emails claiming to be from retailers, banks, or government agencies unless you are absolutely certain they are legitimate. If the email tells you to click on the link in order to resolve a problem, contact the agency directly without going through the link. Just clicking on the link can provide the thief with access to your computer.
- Don’t give out personal information over the phone when contacted by a solicitor. Some thieves have even claimed to be government officials and have threatened individuals with fines if they did not provide them with sensitive information.
- Shred everything containing sensitive information, including pre-approved credit card offers.
- Order your credit report every year and check for any suspicious activity.
- Put a hold on your newspaper and mail when you leave town.
- Keep your firewall and virus blocker on your computer current.
- Monitor your credit card statements to make sure no bogus charges are made. Having your statements delivered electronically rather than through the mail will make it more difficult for thieves to access your information.
If you do notice any suspicious activity, be certain to notify the credit card company immediately and then cancel the card. Then, make a report to the police and notify the three credit reporting agencies. The agencies will then put a fraud alert on your credit report, which will cause them to notify you if someone tries to open a new account in your name.
Related Posts:
- Identity Theft and Credit Card Fraud are on the Rise - According to the Bureau of Justice, credit card theft is increasing at an ever faster pace. In 2005, just 6.4 million people...
- Are You Really At Risk of Identity Theft? - We constantly hear about all of the things that we need to do to protect ourselves from identity theft. Are these warnings...
- Medical Identity Theft Growing Rapidly - When you think about identity theft, you probably mostly think about your finances. After all, we’ve all heard the horror stories about...
- Credit Card Fraud And Identity Theft In Ohama - An identity theft case involving hackers who stole credit card personal information from more than 50 victims was investigated by Sarpy County...