Preventing Credit Identity Theft Tips

Credit identity theft is a growing concern. It causes a good deal of unnecessary frustration and aggravation but here are a few basic steps that you can take to avoid it. People who are targeted are often the ones who are in a hurry whilst at the grocery store, post office or bank.Sometimes they have a number of packages in hand and are trying to do everything on the run. This puts then in danger of not paying enough attention to the most important things. They don't look after their wallet, credit card or the form where they wrote down all their details. From these, credit identity theft can be committed with ease.

Another popular place for credit identity theft is the Internet where hackers break into your account and are able to find all your personal details such as name, address, social security number and bank account. The internet is a place where anyone can be targeted irrespective of age or global location.

Prevent Credit Identity Theft

The only way to prevent credit identity theft is to be vigilant and know where your credit cards are at all times. Get into the habit of replacing them in your wallet or purse immediately you have completed a transaction. Don't place wallets or purses on the counter when you pay if you can possibly avoid it.

Keep photocopies of your credit cards, driver’s license and any other documents that you carry in your wallet or purse and store them in a safe place in your home, preferablty under lock and key. On your computer you make sure you have appropriate security installed which will create a firewall against phishing and hacking your personal data. This is even more important if you banking on line.

Report Credit Identity Theft Immediately

If you lose a credit card or notice items on your statement that you cannot account for you should immediately report it. Your bank will most probably cancel your card right away and you will no longer be liable for pruchases made against your account. Keep handy your bank phone numbers so you can call them from wherever you are. The numbers to call are usually on the back of the credit card.

Is Criminal Identity Theft Different From Identity Theft?

When you think of identity theft your mind conjures up a picture where somebody else is using your name doing something that will affect you eventually. It could be using your credit card details, withdrawing money from your bank account or sending an email from your email address, and so on. Identity theft is when something is done behind the scenes, in someone else’s name. This changes over to criminal identity theft when a person says they are someone else when arrested or accosted by a police officer. In other words, the moment the person in question gives another identity, other than his or her own, to a law officer then that person commits criminal identity theft.

If a criminal identity thieft has your identifying documents such as driver’s license, credit cards, social security card, etc, on their person then they might well be recognized as you. Often such a dual life can go on for a very long time, without you ever discovering that there is someone else, somewhere in world, using your name and identity to live.

Often such a situation becomes known only when the person does something drastic that involves the law, that is, you only learn about it when criminal identity theft has been commited and you are asked to explain. In the worse cases this could lead to arrest. By then, it would be extremely traumatic and difficult to defend yourself.

Other times when you could find out that you are a victim of criminal identity theft is when your bank loan is rejected because of bad credit or you fail to get a job on account of your police record, or you discover you have outstanding warrants in your name etc.

Unfortunately, the onus of proving that criminal identity theft has taken place lies with the victim. This can take a huge effort, taking years to set right. Not to mention the money spent and emotional trauma that such an experience causes.

If you suspect you are a victim of criminal identity theft, you should immediately take precautions, inform the local law enforcement authorities about your doubts, and submit whatever proof you have to support it. File an impersonation report at the earliest possible moment. The longer it goes on the longer it will take to restore your identity.