Identity Theft Plus » Identity Fraud

ID Theft – Straightening Out Your Credit In The Aftermath

Sharon Collier — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:58:19 +0000

FBI statistical data exhibit that identity theft is one of the fastest-growing crimes in the United States, with about 1 in 5 families in the U.S. Being a victim of I. D. theft. Identity theft is getting another person's personal info (e.g, name, SSID number, Visa card number, passport) without that person’s data and using that information crookedly. For someone that uncovers they seem to be a victim of ID theft, it's important to act fast. These are some fast steps to follow so as to stop further misuse and to restore your good credit:

1. Contact the fraud departments of any one of the 3 credit reporting corporations to put a crime alert on your credit report. When a fraud alert is placed on your credit reports, creditors will reach you before opening any new accounts or making any changes to your existing accounts. You only need to contact one of the three companies to place an alert, and they are required to contact the other two, which may place a warning on their versions of your report, too. When you place the fraud alert in your file, you are entitled to order free copies of your credit reports. When you receive them, check them over fastidiously for any new accounts that may have been opened without your permission. Also be aware of any new inquiries by banks, lenders and credit card corporations that you weren't familiar with.

2. Report the crime to your local police or sheriff’s department and make a request for a police report.

3. Contact your creditors, banks, telephone companies, and utility companies and have them freeze your accounts. Banks, card corporations and other creditors may require a copy of your police report. You may be liable for a little sum of the fraudulent charges; check with each of your card issuers for their policies. Most creditors promptly issue replacement cards with new account numbers.

4. Make a complaint with the FTC.

5. Monitor all bank and credit card statements and other bills rigorously to ensure there aren't any fraudulent charges. If you find fraudulent checks or withdrawals on your bank account, advise the crime dept of your bank in writing instantly.

Stop payment on any missing checks and/or close your present account. You may advise the check verification firms not to accept further checks under the account number that was thieved. To discover if the identity thief has been passing bad checks in your name, contact SCAN 1800-262-7771.

If unapproved Mastercard charges appear, notify your credit card company in writing without delay.

6. If you think the burglary concerned your social security number, contact the Social Security Administration. They may re-issue a mislaid social security card or may, under some scenarios, give you a new Social Security ID.

As you know, your credit history is all important. Each precaution must be taken to guard your credit history. When you have your identity straightened out, you could consider joining up with Equifax Credit Watch. Equifax Credit Watch makes monitoring your report simple by instantly cautioning you within 24 hours of key changes in your Equifax Credit History – like when anyone attempts to get credit in your name or there are sudden changes in your ATM card balances. – so you can act before significant damage is done.

Looking for information about credit repair? Stop by our site to learn more.

You will also find information about the top credit repair companies as well as our LifeLock review.

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Identity Theft: Things You Need to Know

Sherman Wills — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 18:24:45 +0000

Now that we are past the holidays, many of us are expecting to “return to Earth” for the next 11 months or so. However, many of us will receive a small reminder of the fun we just had via our credit card bills. Right now we’re all thinking that we didn’t go overboard or spend excessively, so any charges should be manageable. Imagine your surprise when you get the bill and discover a balance that is far beyond anything you ever spent. After inspecting for a few minutes, you realize that there are a lot of big-ticket items that you never purchased. Like a bolt out of the blue it hits you: someone stole your identity!

Identity theft occurs when someone uses the personal identifying information of another person in order to commit a crime – usually a fraud of some sort. It has been hailed in the media as the fastest-growing crime in the country, with an estimated 60,000 people becoming victims every month. Small wonder, then, that scenarios like that above will probably become truth in fact for many people over the next month.

The holiday season is a particularly active time for identity thieves. Not only is the average consumer flashing their charge card, credit card and checkbook more often, they are also distracted by the hustle and bustle of holiday shopping, deals, etc., going on around them. The long and short of it is that criminals may not have to work as hard to get your information. And once they have it, you are seriously up the creek.

For criminals, the first page of the identity theft handbook is often to open up a line of credit in the victim’s name. This is one of the simplest ways for them to get the identity theft ball rolling, and might explain why credit card fraud is the most pervasive form of identity theft. Moreover, most victims will not discover the crime immediately. In essence, the criminal uses a line of credit that the victim is completely oblivious to and probably won’t discover until well after the crime is committed.

Simply put, identity theft is a wide-reaching and fast-spreading crime. Moreover, the nature of the crime itself often makes it difficult to discover. That being the case, most of us would be best served by taking proactive measures (such as monitoring your credit) before becoming victims rather than trying to recover after it happens.

Learn more about identity theft defense by visiting Sherman Wills’s site where you can find out all about protecting yourself from identity theft.

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The Threat Is Real, Don’t Ignore Protection Against Identity Theft

Douglas Oakes — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 21:41:19 +0000

Over the years, protection against identity theft has changed with the times since the moment two human beings first made eye contact. In the distant past, identity theft amounted to dressing in disguise. These days, criminals have become smarter and have begun to use technology to their advantage to secure the life savings of hard working citizens.

The Internet has changed the face of crime, and it’s now altered identity theft as well. The result is pretty much the same as before, for all of today’s technological advances: finances, credit cards, banking accounts and loans are open season. If you don’t take matters into your own hands, you could end up with a boat load of debt, and possibly even worse if you don’t catch it early enough.

A Huge Waste Of Time

That being said, even if you do catch identity theft at the earliest possible stage, you’re still not going to get off free. By freezing your bank account you can block money from being taken out and at least you won’t lose anything, but there’s still some bad news.

If you’ve frozen your account, the bank will be unable to allow you access to your money for several days. You’ll also have to change your account numbers to prevent others from using that information against you. And even though you’ve only lost time, there is a massive amount of stress and frustration that comes from identity theft that can cause sleepless nights and depression.

Small Charges Made To Your Accounts

When protection against identity theft fails, most people experience this category of offense. Their bank accounts and credit cards are compromised, and a selection of seemingly random transactions appear on their statements. The bank will probably be able to determine which are authentic and which aren’t, but you’ll still have to go through the trouble of having to change your numbers. Even then, you’re probably going to be getting letters that your accounts are experiencing suspicious activity.

This causes millions of victims to hurt every year, and hundreds of thousands of dollars to be lost in the process.

Major Financial Disaster And Lending

The last few categories might have seemed frustrating and worrisome, but they are nothing when compared to this or the next stage. Criminals can look up all your bank numbers and use them before you even know what hit you. It’s not unheard of for criminals to take out a loan. This disappointing result causes permanent trouble that can damage your credit score.

Even if it wasn’t really you doing the loaning, you’ll still be held accountable and once your credit score is damaged, it stays damaged because your account is still unreliable.

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