Identity Safety : Identity Theft

Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in the United States today. People whose identities have been stolen can spend months or years – and their hard-earned money – cleaning up the mess thieves have made of their good name and credit record. In the meantime, victims may lose job opportunities, be refused loans, education, housing or cars, or even get arrested for crimes they didn’t commit.

By law, it’s illegal for anyone to:

• Use false, fictitious or fraudulent statements or documents to get customer information from a financial institution or directly from a customer of a financial institution.
• Use forged, counterfeit, lost, or stolen documents to get customer information from a financial institution or directly from a customer of a financial institution.
• Ask another person to get someone else’s customer information using false, fictitious or fraudulent statements or using false, fictitious or fraudulent documents or forged, counterfeit, lost, or stolen documents.

How can I tell if I am a victim of identity theft?

Monitor the balances of your financial accounts. Look for unexplained charges or withdrawals. Other indications of identity theft can be:

• Failing to receive bills or other mail, which may signal an address change by the identity thief.
• Receiving credit cards for which you did not apply.
• Being denied credit for no apparent reason.
• Receiving calls or letters from debt collectors or businesses about merchandise or services you did not buy.

Are there any other steps I can take to make sure I’m not an identity theft victim?

If an identity thief is opening new credit accounts in your name, these accounts are likely to show up on your credit report. You can find out by ordering a copy of your credit report from any of three major credit bureaus. Check your report carefully to make sure it is accurate. What should I look for on a credit report to indicate identity theft? If you do find any inaccurate information, you should check your reports from the other two credit bureaus. Note: If your personal information has been lost or stolen, you should check all of your reports more frequently for the first year.

Tagged as: Identity Safety, Identity Theft