What you need to know about: IDENTITY THEFT PREVENTION AND RECOVERY

INTRODUCTION
 
 OVERVIEW

“Identity theft has been referred to by some as the crime of the new millennium. It can be accomplished anonymously, easily, with a variety of means, and the impact upon the victim can be devastating. Identity theft is simply the theft of identity information such as a name, date of birth, Social Security number (SSN), or a credit card number. The mundane activities of a typical consumer during the course of a regular day may provide tremendous opportunities for an identity thief: purchasing gasoline, meals, clothes, or tickets to an athletic event; renting a car, a video, or home-improvement tools; purchasing gifts or trading stock on-line; receiving mail; or taking out the garbage or recycling. Any activity in which identity information is shared or made available to others creates an opportunity for identity theft.”

                  Sean Hoar, United States Attorney General’s Office
                  Identity Theft:  The Crime of the New Millennium

“The crime of identity theft undermines the basic trust on which our economy depends. When a person takes out an insurance policy, or makes an online purchase, or opens a savings account, he or she must have confidence that personal financial information will be protected and treated with care. Identity theft harms not only its direct victims, but also many businesses and customers whose confidence is shaken. Like other forms of stealing, identity theft leaves the victim poor and feeling terribly violated” 

                  President George W. Bush
                  Remarks at the Signing on the Identity Theft Penalty 

                  Enhancement Act

We expose ourselves to the risk of identity theft almost every single day.  We write checks at the store, charge purchases by phone, and throw away our old bills and records in dumpsters.  Almost all of us share too much personal information regularly.

We don’t really think about it too often.  Who’s really listening when we call to upgrade our satellite television service or cellular telephone?  Who’s going to dig through our trash in order to find a credit card statement?  The odds of something like that happening are so incredibly slim, we mistakenly believe, that even if we are aware of our habits we don’t bother to change them.  

Unfortunately, there are people working at customer service desks who are willing to keep a copy of your Visa number and all of that personal information you just gave to make a hotel reservation. There may be someone in your neighborhood who is willing to risk dirtying his or her shirt in your dumpster to grab your financial data. 

As much as we hate to think about it, there are unscrupulous people in our midst who are more than prepared to steal portions of your personal and financial identity in order to profit.

The impact of these transgressions is quite severe.  Identity theft is a serious matter.  Those who have suffered from the crime often find themselves spending thousands of dollars and a great deal of time trying to repair problems related to identity theft.  

Those consequences only represent the tip of the proverbial iceberg.  Before one can even deal with the myriad of problems that pop up in the wake of identity theft, the victim must suffer immediate damages.  Job applications can be denied, as can loan and financing applications.  Some have even been wrongly arrested for crimes about which they knew nothing!

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