Identity Theft Awareness

Can you be arrested for stealing your own identity?  That's what happened to  Stephen Tendell  of Denver, CO.  He reported his identity as stolen, his mother found the culprit, and police arrested the thief.  But they booked him under Stephen's name.  When the thief didn't show up for the trial -- duh -- the police arrested Stephen!  What a nightmare, according to Stephen's mother, that is still going on. A little advertisement is in order here: if Stephen had owned a LegalShield combo ID Theft and Legal Plan , our investigators would have cleared up the on-going ID theft record snafus, and the Colorado provider law firm would have helped him get the criminal charges rectified.  For a mere $26.95/mo, his nightmare could have been avoided or at least minimized. Click HERE for the article, along with another example of mistaken identity in Denver.

This is an article by Justine Rivero, Credit Advisor at CreditKarma.com. It appeared in a January 4, 2012, issue of Business Insider . -David ========================= It’s a $37 billion crime that affects 1 in 25 Americans. Consumers are more susceptible to identity theft and fraud than they realize, and the stakes are sky-high if you don't secure your personal information and financial accounts. Identity theft and fraud costs the average consumer $631 in out-of-pocket expenses as well as an average 33 hours spent to resolve the issue, reports Javelin Strategy & Research. Before thieves sink your bank and credit accounts, take these steps to protect your identity that take just a few minutes to implement yet can ultimately save you significant time and financial loss. [Go to this link for the full article with the tips. -David]

As I have spoken to folks about identity theft, I've discovered there is a lot of confusion about what exactly is identity theft.  So in this blog posting, rather than referencing numerous web articles, I want to introduce you to the various types of identity theft.  In the next series of posts, I will discuss each type in more detail, to give you a better perspective on this tsunami called "identity theft" and what you can do to protect yourself.  Financial ID Theft       Ask most people to define identity theft, and they will answer "credit card theft" or believe it has something to do with their financial identity.  And certainly financial identity theft is a major and growing type of identity theft.  Thieves find it less risky and more lucrative than other crimes; it has now surpassed drug trafficking as a crime of choice.  But it is only one type of ID theft, and it is perhaps the easiest to detect and correct of all the types.  There are laws, for example,...