| Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in America. | | | | keep your identity safe. The best security policy is to |
| According to the Federal Trade Commission, the | | | | be aware of fraud and cautious about where you |
| number of identity theft incidents reached 9.9 million in | | | | share personal information. Check your account |
| 2003. These crimes are estimated to have taken the | | | | statements carefully each month and keep an eye out |
| average victim $500 and 30 hours to resolve. | | | | for suspicious activity on your credit report. A paper |
| From stolen credit cards to total identity kidnapping, | | | | shredder can also be a powerful tool for making sure |
| these ugly and prevalent crimes are hard to prevent | | | | personal information and pre-approved credit offers |
| and often difficult to correct. Although it is hard to truly | | | | don't end up in the wrong hands. |
| avoid becoming a victim of identity theft, there are a | | | | 3. If your identity is stolen |
| few ways you can guard against this damaging crime. | | | | If you suspect that your identity has been stolen, the |
| 1. Types of identity theft | | | | first step is to get all the facts about the damage. |
| Identity theft crimes range from purse snatchings to | | | | Become your own detective-search your credit report |
| kingpin-style fraud rings. The definition of identity theft is | | | | and bank accounts for clues. Ask your creditors to |
| a crime in which an imposter obtains key pieces of | | | | immediately cancel any fraudulent charges and |
| personal information, such as a Social Security number, | | | | consider putting a security alert on your credit report. If |
| in order to impersonate someone else. Identity theft | | | | the theft is serious, file a police report. If fraudulent |
| can occur when someone takes your mail, steals your | | | | records start to show up on your credit report, send |
| wallet or swipes your records from an institution. Most | | | | letters of dispute to the reporting agencies with copies |
| cases can be resolved fairly easily if they are caught | | | | of documentation supporting your claim. Signing up with |
| early. Creditors and banks usually hold you responsible | | | | a credit monitoring service will inform you of changes |
| for only the first $50 of fraudulent charges. The most | | | | to your credit. It may take a while to fully recover the |
| serious cases of fraud can take several years and | | | | security of your accounts, but it's crucial that you don't |
| many resources to resolve. | | | | let the fraud escalate. |
| 2. Preventative measures | | | | Get your credit report and score NOW! |
| In this world of smiling strangers, it can be tough to | | | | |