Identity Theft: Even Your Child Is Not Safe Any More
Posted by admin on Feb 9, 2009
Surprisingly, identity theft has begun to take a whole new turn with identity thieves not even sparing children. The new method being employed by identity thieves is to impersonate a child in order to gain financial rewards. Often, the perpetrator is a member of the family; or, it could be a complete stranger, egged on no doubt by the fact that it will take considerable time before such form of identity theft will be discovered. In fact, according to the Federal Trade Commission the cases of identity theft have tripled in the previous three years – jumping from eight thousand five hundred in 2003 to twenty-six thousand in the year 2006.
Easy Pickings
The fact of the matter is that child identity theft is easy pickings for identity thieves because children will not easily find out that their identities have been stolen and often only find out once they have applied for admission to a college, asked for credit or sought employment. Furthermore, child identity theft often also occurs when a family splits up (such as through divorce) when one parent may stoop as low as to steal the identity of his or her child.
Child identity theft is also often discovered when the parent is opening a savings account in the name of their child; or when many pre-approved credit offers begin to come pouring in through the mail with the child’s name on them; or, it could even be discovered when checks, credit cards, bank statements or invoices come to your home with your child’s name on them.
It is also possible to discover identity theft when the child gets their application for a driving license turned down because of the fact that somebody else already has a driving license bearing the social security number of the child.
However, certain instances may look like they are child identity theft cases; but, are not. Sometimes, companies might innocently send out pre-approved credit card offers and these are not to be mistaken for child identity theft. You can check with major credit bureaus such as Equifax, Trans Union or Experian; in case they advise that no credit report exists in your child’s name; it would then mean that your child’s identity has not been compromised.
It also pays to learn more about identity theft protection – especially, because each year as many as ten million Americans have reported having had their identity stolen from them. In case you are sure that your child has become a victim of identity theft it is best if you immediately make contact with the police and get the law enforcements started on the heels of the perpetrators. A police complaint is the necessary first step leading to investigation and correction of all manner of identity theft – including that of your child.
Identity Theft Protection is a Must to Protect Your Good Name
Posted by admin on Jan 9, 2009
Identity theft is one the the most rapidly growing criminal activity in The United States, with over 79 million identities stolen in the last 12 months. It is a extremely serious misdeed that can have debilitating ramifications for those that fall victim to it. Therefore, it is a excellent idea to use some sort of identity theft protection, which will help you to protect your identity.
Generally, this crime happens by a thief exploits another person’s personal data to perpetrate some sort of criminal act involving money. This crime is so widespread today, nobody is save from it and all of us should be aware of its potential dangers.
With the rise of the use of technology, ID theft is becoming more of an issue. This is because thieves are making use of the Internet and email to fool people into giving out personal data without them every knowing they are doing so. It is the up and coming crime of the information age, and it is not going anywhere.
Victims of this criminal act have complete chaos brought into their lives as they start to clean up the mayhem that their finances have become. There is a sad truth to ID theft, and that is it is often committed by a member of your family, so it is often you own blood that brings such pain into your lives.
Because information is so easily available because of the use of the Internet, it is easier than ever for criminals to have access to, and use personal and financial information that belongs to others. We often hear of well know, and large, companies loosing valuable personal data belonging to their customers.
You definitely don’t want to become a victim of ID theft. As an individual, there are some steps that you can take to ensure that you never become its victim. These include subscribing to an identity theft protection service, which helps to protect your credit history.
ID theft is a crime that is extensive and far-reaching, and can involve people in multiple countries. Often it is organized crime groups in foreign countries that are carrying out this crime, which makes it very hard to take legal against those that commit this crime.
The crime of identity theft is increasing which each passing day. Falling victim to it causes your credit history to be wrecked, makes you sort out debts that you didn’t open, and you will have never-ending steps to try and clear your name and prove who you really are. You are better off to not become a victim of identity theft in the first place, so take steps to protect against identity theft.
