Identity Theft
Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in the United States, with a new victim every 79 seconds on average. Last year alone, there were over 10,000 victims of this crime in the U.S. It has never been more important to protect your personal information.
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What criminals are doing these days is getting a hold of personal information, such as social security number, address and date of birth. Thieves can get this information in a number of ways:
* In mailbox
* In the trash
* By hacking your computer
* By stealing your purse or wallet
* Over the internet through "phishing" sites
Even scarier, some criminals can get this information from the employees at banks, hospitals and other institutions. Employees at these facilities may try to steal your identity themselves or sell your information to other criminals.
Once criminals have gotten someone's info, what they do is use it to open accounts in that person's name. They'll start up credit cards, loans and other lines of credit and use those accounts to rack up debt in their name. They change the address on these accounts to avoid getting caught. Because these accounts are entirely new, identity theft is something that's not going to show up on your statements or bills. In some cases, someone may not know that they're a victim for several years.
Enrolling in an identity theft protection program is the best way to protect yourself from becoming a victim. There are many benefits available with these services, including the following:
* Credit Report - Any reliable ID theft program is going to provide you with an initial credit report upon enrollment. It's important to look over your credit report very carefully to make sure of it's accuracy. Look for any mistakes such as a loan, credit card or even something as simple as a change of address that you don't recognize. ANYTHING on your credit report that you didn't authorize yourself is an indicator that someone has obtained your personal information and is using it to open new accounts in your name. That initial credit report is important, so you can make sure you're not already a victim.
* Daily Monitoring - You will want to look for a program that monitors your credit file every single day, so that if anyone tries to use your information to open a new account, you'll be notified immediately and have the help you need to correct those problems.
* Identity Theft Insurance - Another feature to watch for is some type of identity theft insurance. This should be available to you so that if you were to become a victim of ID theft, you won't have to come up with the money or dip into your savings to pay for lawyer fees or any other costs incurred. It will all be covered for you.
Don't fall prey to identity theft!
Compare credit monitoring and identity theft prevention services from leading providers:
Identity Guard
TrustedID
LifeLock
IdentityTruth
ID Watchdog
Experian
Equifax
TransUnion
Stop Identity theft before it begins. Order identity theft protection service today.
