Kids can be a real danger when it comes to identity theft. From one angle, they can be more exposed to identity theft issues, because they rely on you to protect their information. From the other perspective, though, kids can easily put you at risk of identity theft.
Children can be the targets of social security identity theft when family members decide to use their information for themselves. In some cases it may seem like a good idea, a classic example commonly seen is a single parent recently out of a relationship – often the parent has damaged credit, and that can get in the way of getting utilities turned on. Obviously, the parent has to take care of the kids, and a clean social security number is right there at his or her fingertips. The intentions are in the right place, so it can be hard to find fault with the minor infraction… in fact, most judges would probably dismiss the case if it came before them.
When you hear the term ‘Identity Theft’ you usually think about someone stealing your identity online. But the truth is that the majority of identity theft—nearly 75 percent—happens in the real world. Real world situations where you identity might be stolen including shopping, taking your trash out, and having your purse or wallet stolen.
Any time you’re in a situation where there are a lot of people, you run the risk of having your purse or wallet stolen. It’s a simple theft, really. Someone bumps into you and the next time you reach for your wallet, it’s gone. Or you set you purse down on the shelf for just a second to look at something and when you reach for it, it’s gone. Observant and opportunistic thieves will take whatever chance they see to gain some extra cash.
That’s one of the biggest problems about having your purse or wallet stolen. Often, the initia
Most of the time, asking the right questions can be the best defense you have to protect your personal information. Business owners generally want to give their clients and customers what they are asking for, to make sure they keep coming back. So if they start hearing customers asking about how their personal information is being protected, they tend to be responsive to that. (It does occasionally happen that you will run across a business owner who will act like you are interfering with his/her company, but knowing what your rights as a consumer are will go a long way toward changing that attitude… if you stand up for them. Your Guide’s personal philosophy is, if you can’t or won’t protect your rights, you don’t really have any.) My recent trip to a local pawn shop is a perfect example.
My girlfriend’s DVD player broke, so we went to the local pawn shop to replace it. I figured w
It happens every day. You take your wallet out to at the local coffee shop and a zombie steals it while you aren’t looking. Now your driver’s license, credit cards, ATM card, Social Security card, library card, and all the pictures of your kids are in his hands. And with a stolen wallet or purse, you’re worried about identity theft. That’s easy to understand.
Contact your bank immediately. An ATM or debit card often has a VISA/MC logo, so it can be processed like a credit card, but zombies know the money comes out of your checking account. Of course, you can dispute bank account fraud, but clever zombies have been known to take jobs as bankers, so straightening out the problem can take a while.
If you had a check or deposit slip in your wallet/purse, open a new account and move your money. If a bank manager looks human, they can help a lot.
Between the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the Medical Information Bureau (MIB), your medical information is pretty much available to anyone on their system. So if you’re a victim of medical identity theft, the information can spread quickly – meaning you might have your hands full trying to get it all corrected. And fixing medical identity theft is both difficult, and extremely important, since you don’t want your doctor deciding what you need based on someone else’s health information that just happens to be in your health file. The World Health Organization has a valuable series of FAQ’s to help with understanding and fixing medical identity theft, but here’s the Cliff’s Notes.
An Explanation of Benefits (EOB) will give you an idea if you have an issue or not. Get this from your insurance company.
In December of 2008, the unemployment rate rose to 7.2 percent—The highest rate it’s been at in a number of years. The economy is down, people are losing jobs, and identity thieves are praying on those who are in the bleakest spots. Yep, identity thieves. The only thing that an increased unemployment rate and decreased economy mean to them is additional targets for their scams.
Employment and unemployment identity theft scams aren’t new. They’ve been around as long as identity theft has, but they’re becoming more common as the economy flounders. These scams target two groups of people: those looking for jobs, and those who are employed.
Those who are employed can fall victim to identity theft when a person from their employer takes advantage of access to personal information. It happens more often than most people realize. Your empl