Identity Theft can go undetected for months or even years before a victim becomes aware of the damage done to their credentials. The reason for this is that most people don’t take the time to review new charges that have been added to their accounts. Most of us pay our bills online or have auto pay arrangements through credit cards or checking accounts and neglect to review monthly statements. As far as we know all our monthly payments were made on time because we received an e-mail from our lender stating payment had been made. Most of us just don’t think about it.
Cyber criminals are very aware of this and have become more interested in this type of crime. There is an ever demanding market for personal information which can be used to create false identity. An example of this is your driver license number. Your driver license is the most common form of identity used. However, if someone has had their driver license suspended for drunk driving (and we know that hundreds if not thousands of drivers have their license revoked every day), all the thief needs is a valid driver license number to use on a false document. And how many times do we check to see if someone else is using our driver license number? Just to make a point, how could you find out if someone is using your driver license number today?
Another valuable piece of Identity is your Social Security number. With the growing number of illegal aliens entering the United States and needing a social security number to obtain a job, this increases the odds of your social security number being used by others. This is another situation where those numbers are seldom checked for fraud. By the time you receive a letter from the IRS informing you that you owe back taxes on income you failed to report, it is already too late. Now you are left with the IRS to explain and correct the paperwork needed to prove you did not earn this income.
With just two pieces of personal information any one can access your medical insurance information and get medical treatment coverage. And when you need to go for emergency medical treatment you could receive some kind of medication that might be harmful to you because of the information left in your medical records from the thief who stole your identity. The same situation can occur when you are pulled over for a minor traffic violation only to discover there is a warrant for your arrest for failing to appear in court.
These are some of the dangers of not having Identity Theft protection. Imagine the results of someone having access to your credit card number?
The safest precaution you can take is to check your credit report to make sure that no one has opened credit card or bank accounts under your name.
For more FREE information on what you can do to protect your identity, please go to Protecting Your Identity.
I retired from United Brotherhood of Carpenters in 2004. I am a father to one son and one daughter and grandfather to three grandsons and one granddaughter. My education includes two years of training in Civil Engineering at Northwest Technical College. I am CEO of Costilla & Associates. I speak, read and write Spanish. I am a red blooded American Christian.
I am passionate about our legal system and am knowledgeable about issues such as Identity Theft, as well as working with the consumer looking for a fair and inexpensive way to navigate their way through the complex legal system. Avatar 2 Move For more information about how I can help you, go to Protect Your Identity As an entrepreneur, I enjoy helping others grow home businesses that provide solutions to legal issues. For more information please go to Protect Your Identity. Avatar Hd
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