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Identity theft is something that happens to other people, not to you, right? Nothing could be further from the truth, especially if you are not being more careful than ever with your personal information. Your identity can be compromised before you are even aware of it, and if you do not keep close tabs on your finances, your reputation and credit score can be ruined before you are even aware of it. One of the problems with this is that most people do not watch their finances that closely. Sure, you balance their checkbooks with religious precision, but honestly, when is the last time you got copies of your credit report and looked them over with a fine tooth comb? Don't be embarrassed about your answer to that question, since more than 97% of consumers need to answer that question with "more than 2 years ago". With today's technology, your credit could have been destroyed by an identity theft crime that was committed against you 2 years ago and there is virtually no chance of catching the thief based on that timeframe. To give you a classic example, some friends of mine were vacationing in South America. At some point, in a crowded marketplace, the woman's wallet was stolen. It was at the bottom of a huge purse which was zippered shut. These thieves are good! They discovered the theft within 30 minutes and starting making phone calls to the credit card companies. In that 30 minute span, FIVE fraudulent transactions had already been attempted! Typically what happens is that you discover that you have been the victim of identity theft when you get a call from a collection agency wanting to know when you are going to make a payment on your outstanding balance, and you do not even have an account with them. This is a very rude way to find out that you have been a victim but more often than not, this is how people find out their identity and good credit have been compromised. The first thing you need to do is not panic. The good news is that your liability for most credit cards is limited to $50 for fraudulent charges. But the bad news is that your personal time and energy to get this identity theft problem resolved is going to be significant. It will probably take at least 6 months and in many cases up to several years to get the identity mess straightened out, not to mention the potential legal fees and administrative costs. You need to report the problem to the local police and also to each of your credit card companies. Also report it to the credit bureaus so that they can put a possible fraud alert on your credit profile. Document everything – the name of the company you called, who you talked to, what was said, date and time. You may need this later to verify that this step has been done. You may want to think about an identity theft protection program, which will save you many of these steps as well as the associated costs. When you look at the amount of personal time that you will have to invest to get this straightened out, the cost of a good identity theft protection plan is peanuts in comparison. Anyone who has ever been a victim of identity theft would agree that a good protection program is worth its weight in gold. You may want to think about not waiting until you have been a victim to understand what they are talking about. For more insights and additional information about Identity Theft Protection as well as finding resources and getting started with the leading program specializing in Identity Theft Protection, please visit our web site at http://www.idtheftprotectiontips.com
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identity theft protection, identity theft prevention, stop identity theft, identity theft tips,
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