identity theft victim

Did you know that the Federal Trade Commission estimates that well over 8.5 million people have been the victims of identity theft in the US? Being an identity theft victim is easier and easier these days. It seems as if the more a person tries preventing identity theft, the more likely it is that their information is compromised in some way. Most people will have to deal with identity theft at some point in their lives. It can be a hard road to recover from once your identity has been stolen, yet you can get some help with identity theft insurance.

Do you even know what identity theft insurance is and what it can do for you? Did you know that many automobile and home owner insurance policies now cover identity theft. They do not refund you the money that was stolen but they do provide you with a trained fraud specialist who can instruct you on the proper procedures for disputing any charges and freezing your accounts from further theft.

One of the great aspects of this form of insurance is that it will often cover any expenses that have been wracked up due to the identity theft. There are a lot of expenses when trying to get your identity back and making sure that all fraudulent charges are taken care of. You will miss time at work and may even have attorney fees to deal with. Losing your identity is very hard and it can be difficult to prove some identity theft cases. You will have to deal with harassing phone calls from bill collectors and even may find yourself speaking with the law if there has been a crime committed in your name.

As far as identity theft solutions go, there are many things you can do to prevent your personal information from being taken. But once it has, you need to have identity theft insurance on your side. If you are unsure if you have this type of coverage included in with automobile or home policies, then you need to talk to your insurance agent. He or she can go over your insurance plan in detail. If this type of insurance is not covered, then you may want to consider shopping around to find an insurance agency that does provide this form of peace of mind. You are much better off with it than without it.

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One of the most common ways people become victims of identity theft is through mail fraud. Every day, people receive junk mail that they carelessly toss in the trash. If someone gets a hold of your junk mail, with some of your personal information, they can easily steal your identity. Therefore, it is important to shred any unwanted mail you may receive. It is worth investing in a cross shredder, so that your information does not fall into the wrong hands. These are readily available at just about any office supply store, or even a national chain such as Best Buy or Circuit City, and they are relatively inexpensive.

You can also become an identity theft victim if your wallet is either lost or stolen. Chances are, you carry credit cards, your driver’s license and other valuable, personal information in your wallet. Therefore, if it falls into the wrong hands, your identity can easily be taken over.

If you have fall victim to identity theft, there are a variety of different steps you will want and need to take. One of the first steps is to contact the three major credit bureaus and place a fraud alert on your credit. This can help in preventing the thief from continuing to use your identity and your credit.

Next, you will want to close any and all accounts that could have been affected by the thief. You will want to speak with a fraud worker for each company, so they have a full understanding of what is going on. When it is time to open new accounts, do not use the same PIN or Personal Identification Number you had used before. Likewise, you will want to avoid using numbers such a portion of your social security number, part of your phone number or birth date. As well, you will want to avoid using consecutive numbers.

You will also want to contact the Federal Trade Commission and file a complaint with them. You can either file the complaint online or by contacting them personally. The information that you provide the Federal Trade Commission will then be used to help track down the person who stole your identity. As well, you will want to file a report with your local police department. By filing a report with the Federal Trade Commission and your local police department, you are then entitled to certain types of protection. The reports will help block any fraudulent information from showing up on your credit report. Likewise, you will not be held responsible for any debt the thief racked up.

One of the most important things you can do is keep accurate records. Keep a notebook with the date and time and name of the person that you talked with at your bank, at your credit card companies, and even at the police department. Keep a copy of the fax or email you sent to report the crime. This is for your own benefit, since there are some credit card companies who may not believe that your identity was stolen, that all these new charges are really yours, and this documentation can help them understand this is real for you.

Anyone can become an identity theft victim. However, there are a variety of different steps you can take to both prevent the theft from occurring, as well as steps you can take to recover from the incident. With the rise in number of identity theft cases, it is very important to remain on the defense and take as many precautions as possible.

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The first thing you can do to protect yourself against holiday identity theft traps is to be aware of high risk areas and to be extra cautious in these areas. High risk areas include states and cities where there is a high incidence of identity theft (e.g. Arizona), as well as in high risk areas within a specific city (e.g. busy malls).

The second step in protecting yourself from holiday identity theft traps is to be extra careful with your receipts and other paperwork which may be used in identity theft cases. Shred all unneeded receipts, bills and other paperwork before putting it into the trash. Unfortunately trash is one of the methods that identity thieves can get hold of your information and so you should ensure that all paperwork is thoroughly shredded before placing in the trash.

The holiday season is also a perfect time for identity theft using the phone. In order to protect yourself from these types of holiday identity theft traps, you should try to never give out personal information over the telephone, especially not to people who contact you first. If you have contacted someone first and feel confident in the company and that it is not a fraud then possibly give out your details if necessary but try to find an alternative.

One area where even many cautious credit card users may get caught is through what is called skimming. Someone you trust (like a waiter, store clerk, etc) takes your credit card for a minute, scans your credit card details with a special skimmer and brings you back your card. You don’t realize that your details have been stolen but they put them on a fraudulent card and you start seeing illegal purchases on your credit report. One way to protect yourself against holiday identity theft traps of this nature is to consider, as far as possible, always paying by cash if you are in an area you are not familiar with or where there is a chance that your card may be taken out of your sight. If you do use your credit card ensure that you can always see the card and the clerk who is using it.

Phishing is becoming a very popular method of online fraud. Emails are sent out requesting personal information from you and supposedly from someone that you trust, such as your bank. Never give personal information away from a request in an email. Banks know about phishing and would never ask you to do so. Also be very careful when opening files and try not to open files if you don’t know who sent them or what the file contains.

Holiday identity theft traps are numerous and unfortunately many people get caught by these traps each year. Take extra special care during the holiday season but be on alert all year round. Shred all trash, never give out personal details over the phone, keep your credit card within sight and be very careful with emails.

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