Identity (ID) theft is a crime where a thief steals your personal information, such as your full name or Social Security number, to commit fraud. The identity thief can use your information to fraudulently apply for credit, file taxes, or get medical services. These acts can damage your credit status, and cost you time and money to restore your good name. You may not know that you are the victim of ID theft until you experience a financial consequence (mystery bills, credit collections, denied loans) down the road from actions that the thief has taken with your stolen identity.
For several years, identity theft is number one reason for consumer complaint in the United States, outscoring bank complaints, debt collection and car related complaints. Identity theft is often followed with credit card fraud, where criminals try to gain access to the victims’ bank accounts. That is why there’s not a single European country among countries with the highest rates of identity theft, because they use system called EMV (Europay, Visa, Masters) which adds additional security layer in a form of a
PIN number. Although the system has been formally introduced in the United States in 2013, it will take some time for banks to update all of their ATMs so that they can accept new cards. Until then, credit cards fraud will remain one of the most serious effects of identity theft.
There are several common types of identity theft that can affect you:
Child ID theft - Children’s IDs are vulnerable because the theft may go undetected for many years. By the time they are adults, the damage has already been done to their identities.
Tax ID theft - A thief uses your Social Security number to falsely file tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service or state government.
Medical ID theft - This form of ID theft happens when someone steals your personal information, such as your Medicare ID or health insurance member number to get medical services, or to issue fraudulent billing to your health insurance provider.
Social ID theft - A thief uses your name, photos, and other personal information to create a phony account on a social media platform.
How do you Prevent Identity Theft?
- Secure your Social Security number (SSN): Don’t carry your Social Security card in your wallet or write your number on your checks. Only give out your SSN when absolutely necessary.Don’t respond to unsolicited requests for personal information (your name, birthdate, Social Security number, or bank account number) by phone, mail, or online.
- Pay attention to your billing cycles: If bills or financial statements are late, contact the sender.
- Enable the security features on mobile devices, especially if you have contacts, banking websites and applications saved.Update sharing and firewall settings when you're on a public wi-fi network.
4)Review your credit card and bank account statements: Promptly compare receipts with account statements, Watch for unauthorized transactions, Shred receipts, credit offers, account statements, and expired credit cards, to prevent “dumpster divers” from getting your personal information. - Create complex passwords that identity thieves cannot guess easily. Change your passwords if a company that you do business with has a breach of its databases.
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