Identity theft is a serious issue, and smart consumers today are doing everything possible to protect themselves and their families. Since identity theft can destroy a family’s credit and tarnish their credit score for a lifetime, it is essential to do everything possible to prevent it from happening.

One basic way that individuals or families can protect themselves is by purchasing Identity Theft Insurance plans. These are easy to obtain, and are usually fairly inexpensive comparatively. These plans include a variety of features, including an insurance policy to help you deal with the expense involved in repairing the damage that will occur if your identity is stolen, credit reports from each of the three major credit reporting agencies, daily monitoring of your records with all three bureaus, a quarterly analysis of the items reported to your credit, and access to experts who can help walk you through the steps needed to recover if your identity is stolen. Plans like this are basically a beefed-up insurance policy that will help you recover if the worst should happen, but will do little to prevent it.

The more expensive option (and the more effective) is to purchase an Identity Theft Protection plan from a company like LifeLock. These services work more aggressively on your behalf, and will work directly with the credit bureaus to monitor for fraud, remove you from mailing lists that send you pre-approved credit applications (a major inroad identity thieves use to get your info), actively searches for your personal information online in an effort to determine if some of it has gotten out there, helps you if any of your information is lost (if you lose your wallet with credit cards in it) to make sure that information doesn’t get into the wrong hands, and will often cover you up to one million dollars to recover if somehow an identity thief gets your information despite their efforts.

These monetary guarantees are critical – especially if you are going to invest the money in a protection plan like this, it is best if they back up their services with a meaningful guarantee. You can be the target of identity theft at any time. Thankfully, it is really easy and often very inexpensive to protect yourself from those thieves.

One of the fastest growing crimes in the world is identity theft. Thieves have become more and more innovative over the years, but some of the easiest crimes to commit are identity theft crimes. Even with guidelines becoming more stringent for acquiring state issued identity cards and driver’s licenses, thieves are still able to get their hands on enough personal information to steal a person’s identity.

Victims often don’t think twice about throwing away things like unsolicited credit card offers, bank statements, etc. Before they know it, their bank accounts are drained, or they apply for an auto loan and are suddenly turned down. Identity theft can have terrible, long-lasting effects on a person’s life. It can leave permanent scars on credit, destroy families and friendships, and even leave a person with a criminal background which cannot be eliminated.

Because identity theft is hard to prosecute, it is attractive to criminals. Once they are able to obtain enough information about a victim to assume their identities, they can open up multiple lines of credit. They can purchase homes, cars, clothing, you name it, under somebody else’s identity. And then once the bills start to arrive, the thief will then drop the identity, leaving the real person responsible for thousands of dollars worth of debt.

Sometimes people use false identities when they are involved with other criminal activity. A victim can end up with a false criminal record because somebody else has assumed their identity. A criminal background can have permanent effects on a victim’s life. It can prevent a victim from obtaining a job, an apartment, or even lines of credit. Even if the victim is able to prove he is not a criminal, an arrest record is permanent in many cases. A basic criminal background check in most states will pull an arrest record, and it can become difficult to explain to potential employers that it was a case of identity theft.

Identity theft also leaves long-lasting scars on a person’s credit report. Clearing up identity theft from a person’s credit report is a long, difficult, tedious task. Identity theft associated with a social security number is even more difficult. A person is only allowed one social security number in his lifetime. Even if a person’s identity is stolen, he cannot be issued another social security number. It is difficult to prove to the credit bureaus that identity theft has occurred, and therefore, a person’s credit can reflect fraudulent charges and accounts for years. It can prevent a person from obtaining a home, a car, or even a job. Identity theft is a horrible crime.

Unfortunately, it is one of the fastest growing crimes in today’s society. With careful protection of personal information, we can help lower the cases of identity theft. We can be sure to shred personal and important documents, and be sure to regularly change passwords and clear private data from wireless networks. Hopefully in the future there will be easier ways to identify those who are responsible for identity theft. Until then, we all need to be more careful with our own personal information.

Detecting identity theft can be as simple as checking your credit report once a year. Look for odd accounts or information that is incorrect. If you find that a credit reporting agency has you listed as having lived or living at an address you have never heard of, it’s a good bet that you have been a victim of identity theft.

It can be as simple as someone applying for a credit card or cell phone in your name, using your social security number and their address. This usually occurs when someone has stolen the identity of more than one person and is mixing the two peoples information in an attempt to cover their tracks. Often the address is correct while they are using the fraudulently obtained card or phone and when the accounts become maxed out or the retailer no longer gives them credit, they dump the card or phone and move.

Credit reports are a wealth of information. They also provide a list of names, partial and in whole, that have been used to obtain credit using your information. If your name is Marilyn Smith but you see the name Mary Smith as a name used on your credit report, it is suggested that you dispute the information and request any information pertaining to the use of the name. This may be helpful in catching the identity thief. Another detection of identity theft can be in checking your statements on a monthly basis.

Look for odd charges or charges to retail locations you do not normally shop. If it’s possible you made the charge, look for receipts to back up your suspicions. If no receipts can be found, and you don’t recall making a purchase for the amount and on the date in question, then contact your financial institution and inquire as to the item purchased, actual date of purchase (not the date posted) and the location of the store. It could be easily detected if you only shop at the Main St location but the charge was made at the Stuart St location. Then you have confirmed that it indeed is a fraudulent charge.

In today’s modern world, there are a variety of new threats to your personal privacy and security. Computers and the use of the internet to transact business have opened up a whole new world of ways that thieves or companies can get a hold of your identity and use it to their advantage.

Many people are aware of the now somewhat old-fashioned ways to protect your identity, such as cutting up unused credit cards, writing void on old checks, and shredding bank statements before putting them in the trash. These are excellent ways to protect your identity and are still important to continue to follow, but nowadays it is also important to apply these same principles to computer transactions and electronic documents. The main goal of protecting your identity is privacy. It is obvious, but often overlooked, that no personal information should be volunteered to unknown entities. You are your first line of defense and should maintain a healthy skepticism about why any company or person would need your personal information.

Secondly, it is very important that you verify the identity of the people or company you are transacting business with. The internet offers a range of ways to do this, the most popular being using electronic security certificates to verify websites as authentic. The same advice is also pertinent to email. Never reply to an email requesting personal information unless you are absolutely certain of the identity of the sender and have confirmed this. Many spam emails look authentic, but most authentic companies would never ask for personal information by email.
Finally, the best way to protect your identity is to not leave personal details “lying around.” This is the same as the old-fashioned advice to shred sensitive documents, although it is important to remember to apply this advice to your electronic sources of information as well. By not storing sensitive documents on your computer, you protect that information from anyone who attempts to access it through the internet. Sensitive electronic documents could include statements, as well as email, or transaction receipts. These simple steps can help keep your identity from being stolen.