So, you're sitting around the house on a lazy Saturday. The phone rings. It's some guy from the Breakauleg Collection Agency. What about that $10,000 credit card bill, he asks. And you reply, Huh?
Looks like you're a victim of identity theft. Somebody got a credit card in your name. And the credit card company wants you to pay up. Of course, you don't owe the money. Someday you'll get it all straightened out.
In the meantime, welcome to hell. Expect your good name to be muddied. Kiss your credit rating goodbye. Any kind of transaction that involves trust will require an explanation from you. From now on, you're Joe Deadbeat.
If a criminal uses your name, you could even be arrested. Ever done jail time?
Unfortunately, crooks have a number of ways to become you. For instance, many rely on dumpster diving. Documents with your information are thrown away by a business. Or, you toss old tax returns away. Even unopened mail can include personal information.
But there are lots of other ways. Insiders often sell names and numbers from corporate databases. Criminals could trick you with phishing e-mail schemes. Or, they could find your Social Security number in government documents. Courts and county recorders often have them in their records.
Maybe crooks will steal your children's Social Security numbers. Those are always desirable; not many babies have bad credit! These cases can go undetected for years. Who knew? Well, the colleges. And you'll find out when your young genius can't get in to Harvard.
Sigh. The bad guys are way ahead of us.
Identity theft has been around for years. But it took the Web to make it a mass industry. Today, your chances of being victimized are pretty good. However, you can raise the bar. Here are some things to consider:
