Protect your Identity from Being Stolen
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by
Kelly Kennedy
from
singlemotherresources.com
The
fall season is fast approaching and soon that will mean holiday shopping.
Imagine standing in the line that seems never ending in a department store and
hear the cashier say to the person in front of you, “Thanks for shopping with us
Mrs. Smith.” It catches your attention because it’s your last name as well, but
then you shrug it off because there are
millions of people
with the same name. But then when you go to hand your credit
card to the
cashier, and it’s rejected because it’s now maxed out, your heart stops. The
first thoughts running through your head are, “How could this be?” Shortly
after you find out that your identity has been stolen, but the theft who stole
your identity is already long gone leaving little traces or where and whom she
is going to target next. Unfortunately people’s identities get stolen all the
time even when people think their personal information is safe and secure.
InCharge Debt
Solutions found that a recent study done by a leading research group showed that
1 in 5 Americans, totaling 44 million people, have become victims of identify
theft. However there are precautions to take to secure that your funds are
unreachable by these criminals.
1)
Contact the fraud departments of one of the three major credit
bureaus, which are Equifax, Experian and TransUnion and place a fraud alert on
your credit file immediately. From then on you are protected under fraud alert
where each creditor will have to contact you before opening any new accounts or
making changes to any existing accounts. After you contact one of the three
credit bureaus, the other two will be notified as well to place fraud alerts.
After the alert has been placed, you may order a copy for free of your credit
report from all three credit bureaus.
2)
Close whatever accounts you know or believe might have been
tampered with or opened fraudulently. Use the ID Theft Affidavit when disputing
new unauthorized accounts. The affidavit has two parts. Part one consists of
the ID Theft Affidavit itself, which is where you report general information
about yourself and the theft. The second part is the Fraudulent Account
Statement, which is where you would describe the fraudulent account(s) opened in
your name. Use a separate statement for each company you need to write to.
3)
Next, file a police report. Be sure to get a copy of the report and
submit it to your creditors and any others that might need proof of the crime.
4)
Lastly, file your complaint with the Federal Trade Commission
(FTC). The FTC is responsible for maintaining a database of all identity theft
cases used by law enforcement agencies for investigations. By filing a complaint
with them, it will also help them learn more about identity theft and the
problems victims are facing so these problems can be prevented in the future.
5)
One additional step is to talk with your creditors. One company
that does a good job of making sure its clients aren’t affected is InCharge Debt
Solutions. What they do and other companies might do as well is contact their
customers occasionally to discuss their financial matters. At InCharge each
client is assigned to a personal care counselor whom they will talk their
matters over with as long as they are at InCharge for. These certified
counselors are responsible for making sure the clients get educated and any
necessary information regarding their road to financial success. All
information is kept confidential so privacy should not be an issue. If you feel
that you may be a victim of identity theft and are an InCharge client feel free
to call the telephone number listed on your statement and a personal care
counselor would be happy to assist you.
About
Author: from
www.singlemotherresources.com
Kelly Kennedy
is the Communications Specialist for MindComet
Corporation, a full service marketing agency for Fortune 500 companies
and international conglomerates. Kelly specializes in public relations
strategies focused on single mother's financial guidance. Kelly has been
author to hundreds of articles focusing on single mother financial
concerns. She also acts as a contributing author for a wide variety of
websites and newsletters. Kelly holds a Bachelors degree in Marketing
from the University of Central Florida.
