Identity-Theft-150x150By Katie Burgoyne

Many people associate “Identity Theft” with a major security breach on their credit or debit card which results in the loss of thousands of dollars. Dramatics aside, identity theft is a very serious crime that happens more often than you would like to believe. Besides banking fraud, your identity can be compromised in a slew of other ways.

The first step towards protecting yourself is identifying where you are at risk.  An article by HowLifeWorks.com refers to some common channels through which fraud can occur:

  • Insurance – Someone uses your Social Security number to obtain the insurance they need, such as home, automotive, etc.
  • Medical – Someone uses your health insurance to get treatment, costing you money while placing incorrect and potentially harmful information in your medical records.
  • Criminal – A person gets arrested and is able to believably claim that they’re you. Then they jump bail, and the cops are hunting for you.
  • Driver’s License – Someone steals your license and makes a duplicate with their image.
  • Social Security – This gives thieves open control of your life, including buying houses in your name and then defaulting on the loans.
  • Synthetic – A person uses information from numerous victims, creating a new bogus identity; this makes it extremely difficult to figure out what’s going on and how many victims are involved.
  • Child – Most children have Social Security numbers, but we seldom check to see if they have a credit file. That means criminals can use their identity for years and never be caught.

To read the full article, visit http://www.howlifeworks.com/finance/7_Ways_to_Have_Your_Identity_Stolen_379.

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