Victims Of Identity Theft - How to Avoid Becoming a Victim of Identity Theft?
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| Victims Of Identity Theft |
Victims Of Identity Theft. Identity theft simply putting it is a
case of someone else assuming another person’s identity with the intention of
committing fraud which usually results to trails of ruined credit, debts and
collectors. And in most cases identity theft can lead to wrongful arrest.
The worst thing about identity theft is that most victim will only
know that their identity have been robbed after everything that they have
worked hard for is taken from them and the sad part is that most of the
offenders usually gets away with it.
Victims Of Identity Theft. The case of identity theft is
increasing in an alarming rate every year and to the great number of people who
have become a victim of this crime the experience is comparable to a terrifying
nightmare that has made them to live a life of fear and uncertainty. In what manner can your identity be robbed?
There are actually so many ways on how an identity thief can acquire
information about you like from your driver’s license, bank accounts, credit
card accounts and others.
Victims Of Identity Theft. After the thief gathered all your
information he or she will then direct all the bills and statements of his or
her transactions to a temporary address. This is now where he or she waste all
of your credit line for all its worth in cash advances, loans and credit card
debt without the least intention of paying. After you are financially drained
that is the only time that the thief will stop using your identity.
However, there are also some cases wherein an identity thief
assumes somebody else’s identity not with the purpose of financially robbing
the person but just to destroy the reputation of the person. This is usually
where wrongful arrest occurs.
High Technology Provides a Great Venue for Identity Thieves
With today’s advanced technology it is no longer surprising that
even identity thieves have also utilized the up-to-date resources especially in
terms of the internet. Most of the identity thieves make use of the information
provided by customers during online transactions. So if you are one of those
avid consumers of online products and services you are a potential victim of
identity theft.
The Federal Trade Commission suggests ways on how you can avoid
becoming a victim of identity theft and here are some of them:
·
Never
give more than the information that is required of you especially in shopping
online or in joining online services. Likewise, refrain from answering
unsolicited emails since most thieves’ poses as representatives of legitimate
businesses and often times would require for you to supply some additional
personal information about yourself.
·
In
cases such as this it would be wise if you would contact the company and ask
them about the email and why they are asking for some very personal
information. If the company denied the email then you better report the person
that has sent you the email to FTC (Federal Trade Commission) or you can send a
fraud alert to consumer reporting companies so that they can keep track of the
thief.
·
For
your additional protection try also to place passwords on your bank accounts,
credit card accounts as well as your other lines of credit. Make use of other
numbers other than your social security number to guard against identity theft.
·
Always
keep your social security card in a safe place. If you want you can place it on
a safety box or if you have a home safe you can also place your social security
card there together with some of your other important documents. And for those
who are fond of putting their social security number on their wallet just be
careful not to lose your wallet or else you might just wake one day with
somebody else walking around town posing as you.
·
As
much as possible keep refrain from giving out your social security number
unless of course you are to obtain a credit report, loan or some other
legitimate transactions. If ever you are to conduct other transactions that are
entirely different from the above stated and is required to give your social
security number be sure to ask why your social security number is needed and
always try to find out the legitimacy of your transaction before giving away
such important information.
·
If
you are an avid web user make sure to refrain from giving any personal
information to web sites that are not employing Secure Sockets Layer especially
in transferring information. Look for web sites that make use of https and
encrypt all information between your computer and the site. Likewise, always
read the privacy policy of the web site in order to gain insight on how they
process and secure information their gathered information.
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