What is identity theft?
Identity theft occurs when someone uses your personally identifying information, like your name, Social Security number, or credit card number, without your permission, to commit fraud or other crimes.
The FTC estimates that as many as 9 million Americans have their identities stolen each year. In fact, you or someone you know may have experienced some form of identity theft. The crime takes many forms. Identity thieves may rent an apartment, obtain a credit card, or establish a telephone account in your name. You may not find out about the theft until you review your credit report or a credit card statement and notice charges you didn’t make—or until you’re contacted by a debt collector.
Identity theft is serious. While some identity theft victims can resolve their problems quickly, others spend hundreds of dollars and many days repairing damage to their good name and credit record. Some consumers victimized by identity theft may lose out on job opportunities, or be denied loans for education, housing or cars because of negative information on their credit reports. In rare cases, they may even be arrested for crimes they did not commit.
How do thieves steal an identity?
Identity theft starts with the misuse of your personally identifying information such as your name and Social Security number, credit card numbers, or other financial account information. For identity thieves, this information is as good as gold. Skilled identity thieves may use a variety of methods to get hold of your information, including:
- Dumpster Diving. They rummage through trash looking for bills or other paper with your personal information on it.
- Skimming. They steal credit/debit card numbers by using a special storage device when processing your card.
- Phishing. They pretend to be financial institutions or companies and send spam or pop-up messages to get you to reveal your personal information.
- Changing Your Address. They divert your billing statements to another location by completing a change of address form.
- Old-Fashioned Stealing. They steal wallets and purses; mail, including bank and credit card statements; pre-approved credit offers; and new checks or tax information. They steal personnel records, or bribe employees who have access.
- Pretexting. They use false pretenses to obtain your personal information from financial institutions, telephone companies, and other sources. For more information about pretexting, click here. (Source – http://www.ftc.gov)
Identity theft is a serious matter and too many people become victims every day. You must protect yourself. Start today by enrolling in an identity theft protection program. One such program is IdentaShield. For only $15.99/mth you can protect your assets and preserve your peace of mind. See below for what IdentaShield offers:
Protect yourself with the best insurance and legal plans possible, to aid in the redemption of your identity if you become a victim of identity fraud. If your identity is stolen, you may be responsible for the thousands of dollars it takes to restore your credit. Let Identashield and FHTM help arm you with the right tools to restore your identity.
Identity Monitoring
We monitor over 1000+ public and private databases and over 650 billion data points, using advanced algorithms and scouring for suspicious changes to a customer’s personal information profile.
Identity Score
Like a credit score, the identity score quantifies a customer’s current identity theft risk with an absolute and relative value.
Identity Report
Details the positive and negative drivers of the identity score and all activity associated with user’s identity.
Identity Restoration Services
When the worst happens, trained agents support customers in restoring their identity. Our recovery experts have assisted thousands of victims of identity crime and have a proud record of 100% success in restoring identities of those individuals that have been compromised.
Identity Theft Insurance
Insures against lost wages and the other costs associated with recovering from identity theft.
Anti-Virus Software
Provides instant protection against and detection of computer-based threats such as keystroke loggers, Trojans, worms and adware.
Click NOW to get IdentaShield on your side.
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