The crime of Identity Theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in the United States today.

Although the problem is nationwide, states with the highest incidence of identity theft are California, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida, Georgia, Texas, Illinois, and Washington.

In the course of a normal busy day, you may write a check at the grocery store, charge tickets to a ball game, rent a car, mail your monthly bills, call home on your cell phone, order new checks etc. Chances are you don’t even give these everyday transactions a second thought, but someone else may.

Each transaction requires you to share some type of personal information: your bank account number, your credit card number, your Social Security Number (SSN); and/or your name, address and telephone number.

The 1990s spawned a new variety of criminals called identity thieves. These criminals are out there both in the physical and virtual worlds, looking for a valuable piece of personal information that belongs to someone else.

Their stock in trade are your everyday transactions.

For the identify thief, a little bit of information goes a long way and with that minimal amount of valid information, a skilled thief can quickly destroy your good name.

An identity thief will utilize some piece of your personal information and appropriates it without your knowledge to commit fraud or theft. An all too common example is when an identity theft uses your personal information to open a credit card account in your name.

An identity thief can quickly assume an individual’s identity to conduct numerous crimes including, but certainly not limited to, opening new bank and/or credit accounts, obtaining loans, getting cash advances and obtaining employment.

The thief may even rent an apartment or purchase a new vehicle in your name.

In most cases involving identity theft, it takes months before the victim is aware of any wrongdoing. The victim typically learns of the crime after he or she receives a collection agency letter, or is turned down for a loan because of a negative credit rating.

When it gets to this stage, the victim faces numerous obstacles and must spend hours sorting through the nightmare of reclaiming his or her identity. Statistics report that a victim spends many hours and averages $1,000 in out-of-pocket expenses over a long period of time actively trying to straighten out financial matters to get their life back together.

Recent statistics show that about 500,000 individuals per year fall victim to this crime. Almost 25% of identity theft or credit fraud complaints involve seniors -- but the average age is 41.

MINIMIZE YOUR RISK:

Can you completely prevent identity theft from occurring? Probably not, especially if someone is determined to commit the crime. You can minimize your risk by managing your personal information wisely, cautiously and with heightened sensitivity.

Keep items with personal information in a safe place. Before you reveal any personally identifying information, find out how it will be used and if it will be shared with anyone else. Ask if you have a choice about the use of your information: Can you choose to have it kept confidential?

Do not give out personal information on the phone, through the mail or over the Internet unless you initiated the contact or you know positively the identity of anyone you are dealing with.

Identity thieves pose as representatives of banks, Internet service providers and even government agencies to get you to reveal your Social Security number, mother’s maiden name, financial account or other personal identification information.

Be cautious about where you leave personal information in your home, especially if you have roommates, employ outside help or are having service work done in your home.

Protect your mail
To thwart an identity thief who may pick through the trash or recycling bins to capture personal information. Tear or shred charge receipts, copies of credit applications, insurance forms, bank statements, expired charge cards, and pre-approved credit offers.

Deposit outgoing mail in post office collection boxes or at your local post office. Promptly remove mail from your mailbox after it's delivered.

If you plan to go away, call the U.S. Postal Service at 800/275-8777 and request a vacation hold. The Postal Service will hold your mail at your local post office until you can pick it up.

Guard your credit cards
Minimize the information and the number of cards you carry with you to what you actually use and need.  If you lose a card, contact the fraud division of the credit card company. If you apply for a new credit card and it doesn't arrive in a reasonable period, contact the issuer.

Watch cashiers when you give them your card for a purchase. Also, when you receive a new card, sign it in permanent ink and activate it immediately.

Never put passwords on your credit card, bank and phone accounts.

Avoid using easily available personal information like your date of birth, the last four digits of your Social Security number, your phone number, or a series of consecutive or duplicate numbers, such as 2,3,4,5 or 3333.

Pay attention to your billing cycles. Follow up with creditors if your bills don’t arrive on time. A missing credit card bill could mean an identity thief has taken over you credit card account and changed your billing address to cover his tracks.

Check your credit report regularly
Checking your credit report can help you catch mistakes and fraud before they wreak havoc on your personal finances. Make sure your report is accurate and includes only those activities you've authorized. Your credit report contains information where you work and live, the credit accounts that have been opened in your name, and how you pay your bills. It's also a good idea to review your credit report from each of the three major credit reporting agencies every year -- it's possible that information is reported to one but not the others.

Choosing to share your personal information.

What happens to personal information you provide to companies, marketers and government agencies?

They may use your information just to process your order. They may use it to create a profile about you and let you know about products services or promotions. They may share your information with others.

More organizations are offering consumers choices about how their personal information is used. For example, many let you “opt out” of having your information shared with others or used for promotional purposes.

To opt out of receiving these offers call: 1-888-5-OPTOUT (1-888-567-8688). The three major credit bureaus use the same toll-free number to let consumers choose not to receive pre-screened credit offers.

The Direct Marketing Association’s (DMA) mail, E-mail and telephone preference services allow consumers to pot out of direct mail marketing, e-mail marketing and/or telemarketing solicitations from many national companies. Because your name will not be on their lists, it also means that these companies can’t rent or sell your name to other companies. To remove your name from many national direct mail lists, write:

DMA Mail Preference Service
Preference Service Manager
1120 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10036-6700

To remove your e-mail address from many national direct e-mail lists, visit http://www.e-mps.org. To avoid unwanted phone calls from many national marketers, send your name, address, and telephone number to:
DMA Telephone Preference Service
Preference Service Manager
1120 Avenue of the Americas
New York NY 10036-6700

For more information, visit the Direct Marketing Association web site at: http://www.the-dma.org.

IF YOU ARE A VICTIM: Sometimes an identity thief can strike even if you have been very careful about keeping your personal information to yourself. If you suspect that your personal information has been stolen and misappropriated to commit fraud or theft, take action immediately, and keep a record of your conversations and correspondence. The following basic actions are appropriate in almost every case of Identity Theft.

1. Contact the Three Credit Reporting Agencies. Have them put a fraud alert on your file, which will aid in preventing new credit accounts from being opened without your express permission. Below is contact information for each credit reporting agency's fraud division:

Equifax: P. O. Box 740241 Atlanta, Georgia 30374
Order a credit report: 1-800-685-1111.
Opt out of pre-approved credit offers:1-888-5-OPT OUT (1-888-567-8688.)

To Report fraud: Equifax Fraud Division 1-800-525-6285
P.O. Box 740250 Atlanta, GA 30374
Send correspondence registered mail.                                            


Experian: P.O. Box 1017, Allen, Texas 75013
Order a credit report: 1-800-397-3742
Opt out of pre-approved credit offers: 1-888-5-OPT OUT (1-888-567-8688.)

To Report fraud: Experian fraud division 1-888-397-3742 and write to the above address. Send all correspondence registered mail.              

Trans Union: P.O. Box 390, Springfield, Pennsylvania 19064
Order a credit report: 1-888-680-7293
Opt out of pre-approved credit offers: 1-888-5-OPT OUT (1-888-567-8688)

To Report fraud: Call 1-800-680-7289. Consumer Relations: 1-800-916-8800, and write to Fraud Victim Assistance Division, P. O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834-6790.
Send all correspondence registered mail.

Please note: If you have been the victim of credit fraud or are denied credit, you are entitled to a free credit report.

2. Freeze fraudulent accounts. Contact the appropriate creditors, banks, phone companies, and utility companies and have them freeze the accounts. You'll probably be liable for only $50 of the fraudulent charges, but different issuers have different policies. Most creditors promptly issue replacement cards with new account numbers.

3. Law Enforcement. Report the crime to the law enforcement agency where you reside. Give them as much documented evidence as possible. Get a copy of your police report. Keep the report number handy and give it to creditors and others who required verification of your case.

4. Stolen checks. If you have had checks stolen or bank accounts set up fraudulently, report it to the check verification companies. Put stop payments on any outstanding checks that you are unsure of. Cancel your checking and savings accounts and obtain new account numbers. Give the bank a secret password for your account, not your mother’s maiden name, that can be accessible.

5. ATM Cards. If your ATM card has been stolen or is compromised, get a new card, account number and password. Do not use your old password.

You may also need to contact one or more of the following government bodies, each of which will inform you of the necessary procedures.

Fraud involving your driver's license number
If your driver's license number has been used to open accounts or verify checks, contact your state's Department of Motor Vehicles.

Fraud using your Social Security number
If your Social Security number has been used to commit identity theft, call the Social Security Administration at 800/772-1213. You can order a copy of your earnings and benefits statement to check whether someone has used your Social Security number to get a job or to avoid paying taxes.

Social Security Administration's Fraud Hotline 800/269-0271

Fraud involving your passport
Notify the U.S. State Department's Passport Services Department of the identity theft so that it can intercept anyone ordering a new passport in your name.

Mail fraud
If you suspect that someone has changed your address with the post office or used the mail to commit identity theft, notify the US Postal Inspector.

Fraud involving a business scam
If the fraud was perpetrated as part of a business scam, contact the National Fraud Information Center at 800/876-7060.

Federal Laws:

· Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act Public Laws 105.318, 112: Stat. 3007 (October 30, 1998) http://www.ftc.gov/os/statutes/itada/itadact.htm

· Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA): 15 U.S.C. 1681 et. Seq. http://www.ftc.gov/os/statutes/fcra.htm

Other Useful Resources:

The Congress of the United States has asked the Federal Trade Commission to provide information to consumers about identity theft and to take complaints from those whose identities have been stolen.

If you’ve been a victim of identity theft, you can call the Federal Trade Commission’s Identity Theft Hotline toll free at 1-877-IDTHEFT (1-877-438-4338). The FTC puts your information into a secure consumer fraud database and may in appropriate cases share it with law enforcement agencies. In addition, the FTC has developed an identity theft affidavit. This is a form you can use to alert companies were a new account was opened in your name.

Federal Trade Commission consumers web page www.consumer.gov/idtheft

Federal Trade Commission 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357). For help in any type of consumer complaint.

Department of Justice (Identity Theft Search) http://www.usdoj.gov/

To Read More

If you want to know more about identity theft and credit fraud, the following nonprofit Web sites are excellent sources of information and additional contact information.

US Government's Web site for identity theft
http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft/

US Government: Know Fraud Program
http://www.consumer.gov/knowfraud/index.html

US Government: Identity theft clearinghouse
http://www.consumer.gov/sentinel/idtchart.htm

FTC consumer complaint form
https://rn.ftc.gov/dod/widtpubl$.startup?Z_ORG_CODE=PU03

US Department of Justice:
http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/fraud/idtheft.html

Social Security Administration/Office of the Inspector General fraud Web site
http://www.oig.hotline@ssa.gov

US Secret Service: What to do if you're a victim of identity theft
http://www.treas.gov/usss/index.htm?faq.htm&1