Identity Theft Is Much More Than Financial

When most people hear about identity theft, they assume it's always financial, such as someone stealing your credit card numbers and trying to use them to buy something online. Another common misconception is if you have little money or bad credit, there is no need to worry about identity theft. Even people with less than perfect credit and little money are at risk of identity theft. Identity theft affects people of all walks of life. It does not discriminate based on age, race, sex, or wealth. Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in America today that affected 10 million people last year. Someone becomes a victim of identity theft every 4 seconds and thieves are after much more than just your credit and finances.

Criminal Activities

Identity thieves today are interested in much more than stealing your identity to open up credit cards or take out loans. They may use your identity to commit criminal activities. When they are caught they use your information which ends up coming back to haunt you. A warrant is issued in your name and you must prove you are innocent of a crime you did not commit. Not to mention you could end up with a criminal record and even be refused a job opportunity because of it.

Medical Treatment

Identity thieves may use your identity to obtain medical treatment. When the bill comes due you are held responsible. Medical bills are one of the highest reasons for bankruptcy in this country. Considering the high number of individuals without healthcare coverage, this is becoming more and more common today. Even worse, they use your identity to obtain medical treatment and the wrong information is recorded on your medical records. If you are in the emergency room one day and all they have to go off of are your medical records, they could ultimately give you the wrong treatment and hurt you rather than help you. Your medical records may have the wrong blood type or a medical history that is totally different than yours.

Taxes

Another form of identity theft pertains to your taxes. Someone may use your identity to obtain employment. When tax time comes around, the IRS is expecting you to pay taxes on income you never received. They may use your identity to obtain employment because they are in the country illegally, they have a criminal record, or simply to avoid having to pay taxes.

Becoming a Victim

Unless you have been a victim of identity theft or know someone who has, you may be completely unaware of the severity of the crime. Everyday identity thieves are discovering new ways to use your identity to commit fraud for their benefit. Becoming a victim of identity theft can be a nightmare that can potentially be devastating to your future. The time and money spent restoring your good name and credit can be a huge burden on your life.

Identity Theft Task Force

With the increased problems of identity theft, the President has created an Identity Theft Task Force. Many laws have been put into place to try and fight back against identity theft. There are many things you can do to help prevent identity theft from occurring, however, all in all, it is unpreventable at the end of the day. You protect your homes, automobiles, and health; why not protect your most valuable asset, your identity?

Our Recommendations

Currently we recommend following Identity Theft solutions available online:

• Identity Guard Total Protection
• LifeLock Proactive ID Theft Prevention
• See more products at Identity Protection Services