Identity Theft Statistics
According to a recent video by Debt Management Credit Counseling Corp., over 27 million Americans have been victimized in the past 5 years and over 9 million Americans have been affected within the last year alone!
Businesses have incurred losses of $48 billion due to ID Theft while consumer out-of-pocket expenses due to ID theft have reached approximately $5 billion!
Some of the most common forms of identity fraud include:
- using or opening a credit account fraudulently
- opening a cell phone or utility accounts fraudulently
- passing bad checks or fraudulently opening a new bank account or getting a loan in another person's name
Identity thieves seek the following information from you in order to commit their crimes...
- your social security number
- your driver's license information
- your accounts information
They can gather this information by stealing your purse, wallet, material left in your vehicle, from your mailbox, stuff in your trash, or personal information stored in your computer.
In addition to opening credit accounts and taking out loans in your name, if they get the right information, they can even change the address on your accounts, or give your name if they are arrested for a crime!
The first time you find out that you are a victim of identity theft may be when a collection agency contacts you about an account over due or when charges begin to show in your credit card statement that you don't recognize. In some cases you may be contacted by the police for a crime you did not commit!
For more information you can view the video at:
Identity Theft Video
Businesses have incurred losses of $48 billion due to ID Theft while consumer out-of-pocket expenses due to ID theft have reached approximately $5 billion!
Some of the most common forms of identity fraud include:
- using or opening a credit account fraudulently
- opening a cell phone or utility accounts fraudulently
- passing bad checks or fraudulently opening a new bank account or getting a loan in another person's name
Identity thieves seek the following information from you in order to commit their crimes...
- your social security number
- your driver's license information
- your accounts information
They can gather this information by stealing your purse, wallet, material left in your vehicle, from your mailbox, stuff in your trash, or personal information stored in your computer.
In addition to opening credit accounts and taking out loans in your name, if they get the right information, they can even change the address on your accounts, or give your name if they are arrested for a crime!
The first time you find out that you are a victim of identity theft may be when a collection agency contacts you about an account over due or when charges begin to show in your credit card statement that you don't recognize. In some cases you may be contacted by the police for a crime you did not commit!
For more information you can view the video at:
Identity Theft Video
posted by Admin at 11:37 PM
0 comments
