What is Identity Theft?

Identity theft is when your personal identifying information is used by others, like your name, credit card number, or Social Security number, without your permission, to commit fraud, crimes, etc. According to the FTC approximately 9 million Americans have their identities stolen each year. Most people know someone who have experienced some form of identity theft. The crime varies. Identity thieves may rent an home, obtain credit, establish a telephone service (like Mobile phone account) in your name. Most people do not find out about the theft until they review their credit report or a credit card statement and notice improper charges —or until a debt collector contacts you. Identity theft is serious situation. Some identity theft victims can resolve their problems quickly, others spend hundreds of dollars and many days repairing damage to their good name and credit record. Some consumers victimized by identity theft may lose out on job opportunities, or be denied loans for education, housing or cars because of negative information on their credit reports. In rare cases, they may even be arrested for crimes they did not commit. More than 27,000 people per day fall victim to identity theft in the United States, according to Gartner Research and Harris Interactive's national studies. You are three times more likely to have your identity stolen than having your car or home broken into.

Report Identity Theft - Steps for Identity Theft Victims

1. The first step identity theft victims should do is put a freeze on your credit by contacting: TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289; www.transunion.com; Fraud Victim Assistance Division, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834-6790 Equifax: 1-800-525-6285; www.equifax.com; P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241 Experian: 1-888-EXPERIAN (397-3742); www.experian.com; P.O. Box 9532, Allen, TX 75013 2.Close suspected accounts which you feel are fraudulent or have been tampered with. 3. Identity theft victims should file a police report with the local police. 4. Identity theft victims should also file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. Using FCC Online Complaint Form or call the FTC's Identity Theft Hotline, toll-free: 1-877-ID-THEFT (438-4338); TTY: 1-866-653-4261; or write Identity Theft Clearinghouse, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20580. Be sure to call the Hotline to update your complaint if you have any additional information or problems. An Identity Theft Report is a police report with more than the usual amount of detail. The Identity Theft Report includes enough detail about the crime for the credit reporting companies and the businesses involved to verify that you are a victim

Steps to take to prevent Identity theft

Get off prescreened credit card offers by calling 888-5-OPTOUT, or go to their website www.optoutprescreen.com. Thieves get your applications and fill them out as if they are you. Don't use unfamiliar ATM machines, fake ones have been set up to capture your bank account information, and then they drain your account of all the funds. Don't put a check into an unlocked mail box, use a post office box instead. Limit the information you store on your computer. Higher a company like Lifelock to monitor your credit accounts for fraudulent activity. LifeLock is the only Identity Theft Prevention Solution backed by a one-million dollar guarantee!Click here to get a 10% discount.