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*Victims estimate that they have spent an average of 175 hours and $808.00 in addition to out of pocket expenses to fix the problems stemming from identity theft. Some victims have been dealing with the problems for as much as 4 years. Some have spent from $30.00 to $2000.00. *On average thieves open six fraudulent accounts to as much as 30 with charges ranging from $250.00 To $200,000. The average is $6000.00. *In 17 % of the cases, someone who knew the victim stole their identity, and don't think that a relative is above suspicion. I have had many cases where the identity thief was a son, daughter, sister, brother or cousin. These thieves who are well informed in this art will, rent apartments, establish phone services, obtain employment, and subscriptions to various services. Some of them are arrested using your personal information when they get booked. You could even be arrested for something they did using your identity. There might even be a warrant for your arrest in your state or another. The
3 Credit Bureaus: Take
these important steps: Guard your mail, have a locked mailbox or a slot in your locked door so it's not easily accessible. Purchase a shredder and shred everything you throw away with important financial information on it. Credit Card receipts, bank statements etc. Bad guys go through your garbage. Stop your credit card company from sending you checks, these are stolen in the mail and cashed. When
you receive credit card solicitations in the mail, shred the application.
Never fill out credit applications on the street. Keep financial information locked away in your home Beware
of hired strangers in your home. Never give information away to a telephone solicitor. Read all your financial statements thoroughly. Carry and limit yourself to one credit card and never carry checks. Request from the major credit bureaus that any inquiries on your credit rating be reported to you directly before the information is released. If you consistently receive mail everyday and then you go several days with no mail. Check with the post office anyone can go in and complete a "change of address form" and divert your mail to another location. When filling out applications for non-financial purposes do not include your date of birth or social security number. I had a case last year where a nationwide Video Rental chain employee was selling the application information to identity thieves. I could sit here and list a thousand steps to take and even I could be a victim of identity theft. Just remember whenever filling anything out requesting information. Stop and think and ask yourself. Do they really need this information? Great
sites: http://www.oag.state.ny.us/consumer/tips/id_theft_victim.html. * ABOVE
statistics from CALPRIG California Public Interest Research Group |
