The prospect of a stolen identity is a daunting one. There are many shocking statistics out there and just as many real-life stories of people who have fallen victim to identity theft. For those of us who have been lucky enough not to have the experience, it might not be a bad idea to make sure we’re really in the clear. The reason for this is that many people may go several years without ever knowing that their credit records and reputations are being slowly destroyed by an unknown imposter.
There are several warning signs which should raise your suspicions on the subject. If you start receiving less mail, less regularly or strange mail addressed to you that you did not ask for (i.e. credit cards etc.) you should worry. Re-directing mail to an old address in order to make use of mail-order services or simply keep your bank statements away from you is a classic trick used by identity thieves. Similarly, if you stop receiving certain bills and statements completely it may be time to launch an investigation. Many people make use of credit monitoring services. These nifty companies provide a service that notifies you whenever there is activity on any of your accounts or changes of personal information. Remember that if criminals engaged in identity theft intend to make long term use of your name, they will need to lay certain groundwork. For example, they will need to change your official address to theirs. They are generally not stupid enough to make it a home address where they can be physically traced but they will almost certainly make use of a rented post box in order to receive ordered goods. Another thing to remember is that the criminal will need to obtain additional information about you in order to continue impersonating you successfully. If you get strange phone calls from people claiming to be from one of your banks and asking to “confirm personal information” DO NOT SUPPLY IT. Banks will never expect you to supply information randomly on the phone.
Even though the prospect of being an identity theft victim leaves one feeling helpless and out of control, there are many ways to regain that control. The criminal is in a constant state of stress and fear as he/she risks discovery every time they use your information. You on the other hand can spend time getting to know the exact bank charges and systems that will aid you in minimising the chance of long term victimization and immediately recognising questionable situations. A quick and easy way to get an overview of how much information you have lying around may be to Google your own name. It is absolutely surprising how many people have highly sensitive information posted on social networking or blogging websites.
The credit bureau also has a handy service known as “fraud alert”. If you suspect that your identity or finances have been tampered with, a fraud alert basically means that you will be contacted personally whenever a new account or credit request is made in your name.
