on Jun 16th, 2010Identity theft in america
Identity theft in america
Identity theft is a criminal activity whereby an individual knowingly uses or transfers another person’s personal identification information without lawful authority, for the purposes of committing or abetting a crime. ID theft is the fastest rising crime in America. About 10 million Americans were victims of ID theft last year. They roughly lost $5 billion due to this crime. It is difficult to pin out the exact number of ID theft cases that occur since police departments usually classify them as different crimes, like mail theft, credit card fraud, internet fraud and other crimes. Some of the tips that you should follow in order to minimize the risk of your identity being stolen include promptly collecting your mail in the mail box. Do not leave it overnight or during the weekends. Take a review of your consumer reports from time to time to ensure that they reflect your purchases during a period. Any unwanted documents that contain personal information should be shred and destroyed. Be cautious when giving out your personal information. Do not give out your personal details over the phone or the internet unless you are the one who started the conversation or the website uses SSL. Also, avoid carrying your birth certificate or social security number. Have them placed at a secure location. Other things you can do to minimize identity theft include memorizing your passwords. Do not write them on papers or on other materials that you carry along. Also, it is good not to have common facts about you like your birth date, middle name, etc as your password as one can easily find these out. Another caution is to ensure that you do not leave your receipts at the gas station or shopping mall after paying for the services. Make sure you immediately report any lost or stolen credit card If you have fallen victim to a mail theft, report this immediately to the US Postal Inspection office in your area. If you are a victim of credit card fraud, call your credit card fraud office and request an “alert” to be placed on your credit card. Ask for copies of your credit card statements to check whether any purchases or accounts have been fraudulently opened in your name without your knowledge. Contact your creditors and bank in writing and by phone and report the fraud. Have a “flag” placed on your account by your bank and ask them to alert you in case there is any unusual activity going on.
