Big Rob asked:


I’m going to do a speech informing about identity theft but I also want to tell them things they probably didn’t know about before.

Tamara

Steven Jones asked:


Most people think that it won’t happen to them. When it does, they are shocked. They feel violated, and worse, they are often well on the road to financial ruin before they even know that a crime has been committed against them. You guessed it. We are talking about Identity Theft, and if this has happened to you, you may actually need an identity theft attorney.

As much as we hear about identity theft today, few people know what steps to take when they first realize that their identities have been stolen. Most people mistakenly think that they can handle things on their own, and don’t seek ‘outside help.’ This is the worst mistake that you can make, and the chances for recovering from the identity theft just became slimmer.

It is true that there are steps that you need to take. Obviously, you need to notify your bank and cancel your bank cards. You need to call the driver’s license office in your state and the social security administration. You definitely need a copy of your credit report, and you may even need to contact the State Department to ensure that nobody is using your identity to obtain a passport. There is much to do, and it takes time.

Even if you start taking all of these steps, you still most likely need an identity theft attorney. Here is what will happen without one. You get your credit report, and discover that someone is using your good name – and your good credit – to obtain expensive items. If you’re lucky, they haven’t used your credit card, but there is a good chance that even if they didn’t use your existing credit cards, they have obtained other credit cards, as well as lines of credit, in your name.

You see this, and you start contacting these companies, and even banks, to let them know that the person who opened the line of credit in your name is not you. You expect the company to take immediate action to get this off of your credit report, but that is not going to happen. In fact, they are most likely going to treat you like a criminal. They will essentially tell you that you are responsible for thousands of dollars and that if you don’t pay; they are going to take legal action against you. You see, most businesses are not set up to deal with the effects of identity theft. They just want the money that is owed to them, whether you are the one that owes that money or not. Their records say that you owe it.

This is why you need an identity theft attorney from the get-go. The identity theft attorney will work with you to contact creditors and credit bureaus. The attorney will then work with you to get the documentation that the companies and credit bureaus require, so that the negative report can be removed from the company files, as well as your credit file. The identity theft attorney will follow up to ensure that everything was done correctly, and will work to make sure that your good name is actually protected, despite what someone else may be doing with your information. If for some reason a company or credit bureau is grossly uninformed, your identity theft attorney will take legal action against them, so that a judge can give them the schooling that they need – usually at their expense.

Identity theft is a serious problem today, and you can be affected by it before you know it. If it happens to you, the best thing that you can do for your peace of mind, and your good credit, is to get in touch with an identity theft attorney right away. The worst thing that you can do is to try to fix things on your own. In fact, you will find that trying to correct the problems caused by identity theft without legal guidance is more costly than paying an identity theft attorney in the long run.



Catherine

pinkreb004 asked:


because a growing number of illegal immigrants steal them to make themselves appear more legitimate. the government is doing a crappy job keeping up with internet crime and identity theft and it can take an individual literally years to erase the damage cause, maybe never. what should the punishment be?
that’s so true, how about compensation?
absolutely, we have to be proactive. but i think that thumb swiping and retina scanning is 1984-ish. it’s taking away our rights as a people to be secure in our person.

Micheal

Ann Marier asked:


Identity theft is one of the most troubling problems of the modern world. Although it is hard to come by good identity theft statistics, one thing is clear. Credit card theft and other forms of theft of identity are on the rise. If this was not troubling enough, consider the fact that you never know when your identity is being stolen. You will only find out days, weeks, or even months later. It is almost impossible to prevent identity theft. At best, all you can do is take steps to make it easier to recover your identity.

Identity theft stats do make one thing clear: people who take steps to protect their identities are much less vulnerable. Identity theft statistics tell us that people who keep good financial records, make sure that their Internet accounts are well protected, frequently change passwords, and regularly check their credit, are less likely to be victimized. When they are the victim of identity theft, these people can resolve the issue much more quickly. It is easier for them to prove that their identity has been stolen and that they are not responsible for any purchases that have been made in their name.

Statistics on identity theft, however, tell us nothing about which steps are the most important, and which ones can be ignored. Because identity theft is such a new problem, identity theft statistics are not all that sophisticated yet. The only solution is to take all the steps that you can to protect your identity. This can prove costly, but it is worth it! For example, according to recent identity theft statistics, if your computer is well secured you are several times less likely to have your identity stolen.

According to identity theft statistics, it is as important to take precautions when you go on vacation as when you are at home. When you are traveling, particularly if you’re going for an extended stay, you are vulnerable. You will not see the mail coming into your house, and will be unaware of unusual charges on your bank account until it is too late. Fortunately, identity theft protection works whether or not you are at home. Identity theft statistics, in fact, do not indicate a significant difference in security between people who are home, and people who are traveling abroad. As long as you protect your identity, you are at a much lower risk of having it stolen. The most important thing is not to delay. Every day without theft protection is another day when you could be victimized.



Arnold

Amanda Fain asked:


What exactly is credit card identity theft, how is it used and how can you prevent it? In this article we will look at ten facts you need to know about credit card identity theft in order to better protect yourself and prevent the loss of substantial amounts of money.

The first fact that we want to look at is that for credit card identity theft to occur someone does not necessarily need to steal your credit card. Credit card identity theft occurs in one of three ways – they can steal your card, copy the details off your credit card or steal your PIN. In the last two cases you may not even realize that something is wrong until it is too late, you still have your credit card and so don’t realize that important information has actually already been extracted. The thief may have copied down your credit card information while you weren’t looking, or they may have just noticed you entering your PIN when you drew money from an ATM and made a note of it without you realizing it.

Secondly, credit card identity theft can occur through someone signing up for a credit card in your name. They will have obtained your details obviously through some method (maybe some mail stolen out of your postbox) and all they do is give a change of address, sign up for a new card and start spending on it. When they don’t pay it is you the credit card issuer will be contacting and you will suddenly find yourself faced with masses of debt that someone else has accumulated on their spending sprees.

No one is ever 100% secure from credit card identity theft. Unfortunately there will always be credit card identity theft and people who do this are very sneaky and know what they are doing. Also, the fact that identity theft may occur through simply through stealing mail you never know when this may happen. The best you can do is to put systems in place to help protect yourself and be ready to take action if anything should occur. For more info see http://www.preventidentitythefthelp.com/Identity_Theft_Shield/

Another interesting fact is that currently most credit card identity theft is happening in stores and not over the internet. Many people feel that giving out your credit card details over the internet is insecure, but what they may not realize is that you are actually more likely to have your credit card details stolen in stores than over the internet. This does not mean that you should be careless with your details on the internet, but simply that you should be just as careful at stores.

Lastly, identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in the world. One of the categories of identity theft is credit card identity theft and as such it is important that you learn as much as you can about this subject and what you can do to protect yourself.

In conclusion, identity theft and credit card identity theft as a part of that, is one of the fastest growing crimes in the world. Credit card identity theft can occur in a number of ways and no one is ever 100% secure from being a victim of credit card identity theft. As such it is important that everyone learn as much as possible about this subject in order to be able to protect themselves.



Cheryl

Wade Robins asked:


Identity theft has recently become a widely recognized problem, although it only started being mentioned in literature in the 1990’s. It is one of the fastest growing crimes in the world and therefore one which we do all need to be aware of and take precautions against. In this article we will look more specifically at what identity theft is in order to give you more background in order to fight identity theft and credit card identity theft.

Identity theft consists of any crime where a criminal uses a person’s personal information such as name, social security number or other personal identification facts in any illegal manner. This may include credit card identity theft where the criminal uses the person’s name and details to either open up a new credit card in the other person’s name in order not to pay and so works up debt in the other person’s name; or taking details of that persons credit card and creating a fake copy which they then use. It may also consist of medical identity theft where a criminal uses someone’s personal details and medical information illegally. For mopre info see http://www.preventidentitythefthelp.com/Identity_Theft_Statistics/ on Identity Theft Statistics.

Credit card identity theft may occur in a number of different ways. Firstly, someone could scan the information off your credit card while you are not watching and use it to create a duplicate card; they could actually steal your card and use it for their own purposes; or they may open a credit card in your name, using your details but a false address and never pay the bill.

Identity theft occurs when people get hold of your personal details either through credit card skimming, stealing mail out of your mailbox or trash or perhaps breaking into hospital records or other places where your personal details are kept.

In order to best protect yourself against identity theft you should ensure that any paper that you put into the trash is properly shredded beforehand, that you request not to be on any mailing lists for credit offers and opt out of other mailing lists where people send you information in the mail. You should also ensure that your credit card never leaves your sight in stores or restaurants and if you are unsure of the place rather try to pay by cash. Learn as much as you can about identity theft in order to get more information on how to protect yourself.

In this article we have tried to briefly summarize identity theft and credit card identity theft. It is a fast growing crime and one for which we all need to protect ourselves. Personal information may be stolen and used in a number of different ways and you should be aware of these ways and how you can best fight identity theft.



April

Big Rob asked:


I’m going to do a speech informing about identity theft but I also want to tell them things they probably didn’t know about before.

Clinton

TOM asked:


I want to dump bout 10 boxes of old docs, –like bank stuff etc etc.. and i cant be bothered to shred it or pay to get it shred.

People talk about identify theft from dumpsters but what about from the garbage dump? Also

1. How often does identity theft via “dumpster divers” actually really happen???
2. Is garbage “safe” if you dump it directly at the garbage transfer station?

Marilyn

WM asked:


I do part time marketing for businesses. I have a client who wants me to market his free seminar on identity theft. Brunch is included on a Sunday. I advertise on about 10 free sites in the Cleveland Ohio area, but I do not think that will bring 50 people. He mailed out 16,000 flyers in the past and only had a few people. Any ideas how to advertise this event?

Neil