Did you think Identity Theft Protection is unnecessary?
Well you might want to think again. Dallas based actress
Liz Mikel just found out the hard way that someone had
stolen her identity and been having a field day. She stars
in the NBC show "Friday Night Lights", found out that
identity thieves had went on-line and opened accounts in
her name.
Mikel said that she went to the mail and to her surprise
there was a notice from Capital One that there was a
problem with an account she did not have. After a phone
call to the company she had learned that someone had been
opening accounts in her name since early March.
What you need to know
Identity theft affects 9 million people every year, and is
currently growing in epidemic proportions according to the
FTC. Identity theft starts with the theft of your social
security number, your credit cards, and financial
information. For Identity thieves this information is like
gold.
Here is a variety of methods identity thieves may get a
hold of your personal information:
1. Pretexting- The use of false pretenses to obtain your
personal information from financial institutions, telephone
companies, and other resources with your information.
2. Phising ' They pretend to be financial institutions by
send you e-mail or pop ups hoping you will reveal your
personal information.
3. Old-Fashion Stealing- They steal wallets, credit cards,
mail credit card offers, purses, financial statements, and
new checks that come in the mail. They steal personal
records and bribe employees who have access to your records.
4. Changing your address ' They divert your mail by putting
a change of address request in to the post office.
5. Skimming ' They steal credit card and debit numbers by
using a special storage device when swiping your cards.
6. Dumpster Diving ' They go through dumpsters looking for
mail that was not shredded with your personal information.
Examples of what identity thieves do once they have your
information.
Bank / Finance Fraud
- They create counterfeit checks using your name and
account number
- Open bank accounts in your name and write bad check
- They may clone your credit or ATM card and electronically
drain all your accounts.
Credit Card Fraud
- They may open credit cards in your name. When they will
charge these cards up, and not pay the bill. As a result it
appears on your credit report.
- They may change the address on your credit cards so that
you no longer receive the bill, and run up charges on your
credit cards. It may be sometime before you realize there
is a problem.
Government Document Fraud
- They may file fraudulent tax returns in you name
- They may use your name and social security number to get
government benefits
- They may get a drivers license or id picture with your
name but with their picture.
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About the Author: Mike Clover is the owner of
http://www.creditscorequick.com/ . CreditScoreQuick.com is
the one of the most unique on-line resources for free
credit score report, fico score, Internet identity theft
software, secure credit cards, and a BlOG with a wealth of
personal credit information. The information within this
website is written by professionals that know about credit,
and what determines ones credit worthiness.
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