IDENTITY THEFT
Somebody’s Watching YOU
by Vicki Lauray
IDENTITY THEFT is the new White Collar Crime. It is the crime of the century, and it is an equal opportunity crime which has no regards to age, race, gender or geographical location. In today’s society, the thieves don’t need a crowbar or a skeleton key to be able to steal from you. Criminals today are more savvy when it comes to methods of stealing. A thieve can steal mail directly out of your mailbox, like that offer you got for a credit card; they can put in a change of address and apply for that credit card. Then there is the dumpster diver who sorts through trash for any pertinent information they can use to steal your personal information.
It’s a dangerous world we live in and IDENTITY THEFT is at a point where it’s out of control. IDENTITY THEFT consistently topped the list of consumer complaints received by the FTC, and reported incidents have doubled each year since 1998. It is estimated that 1 in 700 cases are ever prosecuted, and the victim is likely to find themselves carrying the burden of restoring their identity.
There are 5 areas of IDENTITY THEFT:
1) Financial ID Theft;
2) Medical ID Theft
3) Social Security ID Theft;
4) Character ID Theft; and
5) Driver’s License ID Theft.
If a thieve gets hold of any of these areas of your ID, it can be devastating. Let’s take a look at how it can be devastating:
Financial ID Theft: Oblivious to most consumers, financial liability for certain types of fraudulent transactions are limited. In most cases liability protection is not unconditional, and the individual may still face full liability for fraudulent charges involving their name. Nearly 10 million new ID theft and fraud victims each year face the task of clearing up the devastation
Medical ID Theft: In addition to the obvious fraudulent billing obtained in the victim’s name, there is an even more disturbing and potentially life-threatening danger…… erroneous medical files. Thieves can misuse the victim’s information to obtain healthcare services resulting in the victim’s medical files entered into the medical database becoming contaminated with incorrect information, such as incorrect medical history, incorrect documentation of allergies to certain medicines, inaccurate documented health conditions or diagnosis, and other dangerous errors that could put the victim’s health in jeopardy.
Social Security ID Theft: The social security number is directly linked to the victim’s credit file. In non-financial account cases involving misuse of the victim’s social security number, the thief may use the victim’s social security number to obtain employment, avoid filing or paying taxes, or to obtain benefits in the victim’s name. The social security number may be used to receive social security benefits, medicare benefits, unemployment benefits, or other government benefits, thus depleting the victim’s own benefits and creating potential garnishments or charges of benefit fraud.
Character ID Theft: You’re in your home having dinner with your family, when a knock on the door comes. It’s the police, and he is placing you under arrest, in front of your family, for running a pornography ring. You deny the charges, stating that you are a pastor at a church. The police officer asks you if your name is Joe Blow, you answer “yes”. He asks is your birthday January 1, 1945, you answer “yes”. He asks is your social security number 123-45-6789, you answer “yes”……..you are going to jail. Someone has stolen your information; has committed a crime, and now YOU are being arrested. It could happen. In today’s society anymore, you are Guilty until proven Innocent.
Driver’s License ID Theft: Thieves can use the victim’s personal information to obtain documents such as birth certificates in order to obtain a driver’s license. Victims of driver’s license identity theft may suddenly discover that a thief’s actions have resulted in charges of DUI / DWI or a number of other driving offenses, suspended/revoked driving privileges, or may face sudden arrest for outstanding warrants. This can also cause cancellation of auto insurance, inability to get auto insurance, or increases in auto insurance.
You may know someone, or be a victim yourself. Those who have not experienced it firsthand may not think about identity theft except when it pops back up in the news. Unfortunately this complacency can lead to an under estimation of the risk.
Unfortunately, we’re all at risk
ATTENTION TO ALL BUSINESSES’
YOU are extremely vulnerable to the
new FTC legislation which includes
HEFTY fines for non-compliance
and JAIL TIME
Would you know what to do if it happened to you? What’s your plan?
For more information on how you can protect yourself:
Call: (317) 308-6530
Website: www.prepaidlegal.com/idt/vlauray
