It is important to recognize that there is no way to entirely protect yourself from identity theft. That is because as you move through your daily life, you almost certainly carry personal information with you and leave bits and pieces of your personal information behind - in credit applications, insurance records, doctors' offices, etc. So, someone who is bound and determined to single you out to steal your identity can probably do so.
According to the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) recent national survey on identity theft, more than three million Americans had their personal information stolen and used to open fraudulent bank, credit card or utility accounts, or used to commit other types of financial crimes.
Most victims of identity theft normally do not know they have been victimized until:
- They are contacted by a collection agency over past due accounts they never knew they had;
- They receive credit cards for which they did not apply;
- Significant charges show up on a credit card bill for purchases they never made;
- They notice unexplained charges or withdrawals on their bank accounts;
- They are denied credit for no apparent reason;
- They fail to receive bills or other mail, which may signal an address change by the identity thief;
- A lender tries to repossess a car they did not know they owned;
- They are contacted by the police after a crime is committed in their name.
The BBB and the FTC advise that although any of these indicators could be a result of a simple error, you should not assume that there has been a mistake and do nothing. Always follow up with the business or institution to find out how the error occurred.
If you become a victim, it is extremely important that you act immediately to stop the thief’s further use of your identity. Report the crime to the police. Call your bank and credit card issuers. Contact the fraud unit of the three credit reporting companies. Request that a “fraud alert” be placed in your file, as well as a victim’s statement asking that creditors call you before opening any new accounts or changing your existing accounts.
For additional information on identity theft, go to http://www.bbbonline.org/idtheft/index.asp.
