Financial Truth  

Identity Theft is when someone steals your name, contact information, & other personal information to commit fraud or other crimes.

Identity theft is claims over 9 million victims a year for the past 2 years, and the number of cases have increased by 22% from 2007 to 2008. It is the leading complaint for 5 years in a row reported to the FTC.

No one is safe from identity theft. It is important to know that identity theft does not just affect your financial transactions but the 5 major types of identity theft is 

1. Driver's License
2. Social Security Numbers
3. Medical Information
4. Charcter/Criminal Actions
5. Financial Transactions

37% of victims experienced problems beyond the time they spend recovering their out of pocket expenses. The problems include being harassed by debt collectors, unable to use existing credit cards, subjected to criminal investigations or civil suits, being arrested, or having difficulty accessing bank accounts. 

Almost  a quarter of victims do not know their information has been taken until almost 6 months later.

Identity theft is no longer an action from someone stealing your wallet or pulling your information from the trash can, but obtaining your information from the internet. Beware of phising sites, intranets that are left unattended at employers, ATM machines, and usage of phones outside of landlines.

The  best way to protect yourself from identity theft is to obtain a service that will monitor your credit report, that will provide you with copies of your credit report, and will work on your behalf with restoring your identity if it was every compromised. I found a company that will do just that go to www.prepaidlegal.com/ericaharper where you can find out more about identity theft and their services. You may also email me at ericaharper@prepaidlegal.com or call me at (804) 868-8134.