Identity Theft – How To Protect Your Identity
There are plenty of things that you could own. Some may have been bought, others given to you, and still other passed along from generation to generation.
In addition, those possessions can have monetary or sentimental value. Some of those items that have sentimental value can include photographs or heirlooms that have been passed down within the family.
The down side of owning things of value is that they may be susceptible to theft. Sometimes theft can be broadly defined as items lost to a fire, flood, earthquake, etc. In addition, there is an element in society made up of individuals who steal from others and can rob law abiding individuals of their prized possessions.
One of the most personal things that can be stolen from you is your identity. Identity theft is becoming more and more of a problem, and the first step in preventing it is to understand what it is.
Definition Of Identity Theft
Identity theft is when one person pretends to be someone else, most often for the purpose of committing some type of fraud. This could mean accessing your banks accounts or even committing crimes in your name.
One of the most common impacts of identity theft is financial loss of some sort. Identity theft can affect your finances and credit rating when the thieves are able to access your bank accounts, credit cards and other private information.
In addition, if not addressed quickly, an identity theft victim will have to deal with damage perpetuated on their good name. Often this damage is reflected in credit ratings, possible criminal activity, employment interviews, etc. Although the victim is innocent, often it takes months or even years for the devastating effects of the identity theft to be cleared.
How Identity Theft Occurs
Identity theft often occurs when critical, personal pieces of information are somehow obtained by an identity thief.
This can include identification numbers, such as your social insurance number and driver’s license number – things that only their owner should know. Other potentially dangerous pieces of information are your passwords, account PINs, date of birth or even your mother’s maiden name.
If an identity thief gets hold of this information, they can impersonate you to banks, credit card companies and other services. Don’t ever give this information out to anyone who shouldn’t have it.
Often a company is very clear that they will never ask for these sensitive numbers unless the customer has initiated the call. In addition, often a company will only ask for the last four numbers of a person’s 9 digit social security number.
Also, identity thieves may look through trash or steal a person’s purse or wallet. It is therefore very important to shred all unwanted mail that contains sensitive information as well as never carrying your social security card with you.
