| "I got bad credit, I'm not worried""It happened to a | | | | now"Once your identity is stolen there is only one |
| friend of a friend""I've got other priorities now""All it | | | | priority: Getting it back. On average it can take 175 |
| takes is guarding your Social Security number""I can | | | | hours and out of pocket expenses totaling 15,000 |
| trust the people around me"These quotes are all too | | | | dollars according to the FTC."All it takes is guarding |
| common regarding identity theft. The problem is the | | | | your Social Security number"In February of this year |
| Federal Trade Commission, various law enforcement | | | | Bank of America announced that 1.2 million federal |
| agencies and identity theft experts have stated there | | | | employee credit card accounts may have been |
| are no 100% guarantees and the numbers for identity | | | | exposed to identity theft. Last year, Visa and |
| theft keep getting worse"I got bad credit so I'm not | | | | MasterCard announced that 40 million cardholders |
| worried"Just recently KFLY TV in Lafayette Louisiana | | | | maybe at risk when the database of their third party |
| reported that 2 men were arrested for stealing the | | | | processor was broken into. Many of these people no |
| identity of 2500 people. Identity thieves don't run credit | | | | doubt guarded their Social Security number faithfully |
| checks before they steal your identity.All they need to | | | | but thru no fault of their own they're at risk."I can trust |
| do damage is a little bit of your personal information."It | | | | the people around me"This one hits home and may |
| happened to a friend of a friend"This one should really | | | | hurts the worst. 50% of all identity thieves are known |
| alert people. The reason ? Everybody now knows | | | | by the victim. Family members, friends and neighbors |
| somebody that's been victimized. That alone tells you | | | | do more damage than total strangers.There are other |
| what an epidemic identity theft has become. Last year | | | | reasons people give. Yes it may never happen to you |
| 10 million people had their identities stolen. Many | | | | but identity theft is now a full blown epidemic that |
| experts think that number will double this year. They | | | | affects everyone.Daryl Campbell is a home business |
| also fear the 10 million figure is too low. Why? Many | | | | owner. He writes extensively about identity theft. The |
| victims don't report the crime."I've got other priorities | | | | best way to fight id theft and fraud? Free information. |