Identity Theft Is The World's Fastest Growing Crime.

What Is Identity Theft?

Identity theft is the act of retrieving your personal information by anyone who has the intent of fraudulently using it. Personal information is obtained by criminals in many ways and they are continually devising new methods that are less detectable or more deceiving.

Some of the most common ways for thieves to steal your identity are retrieving trashed items, stealing your mail, hacking into your computer files, using phishing emails, pop-ups, and attachments, using credit card and ATM card skimmers, and placing hidden cameras on or near ATMs.

Most people have that “it won’t happen to me” attitude. However, according to a Javelin Strategy and Research survey, roughly 12.6 million American victims were hit by identity theft in 2012 alone. Once your identity has been stolen and used either by the thief or those to whom they sell it, considerable damage can be caused to your credit rating and it can take a great deal of effort to get things set straight. 

Ways to Protect Your Identity

Due to the extreme damage and hassle that can result from identity theft, it is beneficial to take precautionary steps to protect from ID theft rather than to have to deal with the aftermath, especially when traveling on vacations when thieves are more actively seeking victims. Here are some ways to keep from being an ID theft victim and preventing your happy vacation from becoming a horrible nightmare. 

• Secure Your Mail. When creating your to-do list for vacation travel, be sure to add a bullet point for the Post Office to hold your mail. This is easily done by filling out a short slip at the Post Office that instructs them to hold your mail until your return, or you can specify a date of delivery reactivation. You should not depend on a door mail slot or neighbors to gather your mail as criminals who know you are gone will wait for opportunities to grab important documents containing your information. 

• Avoid Using Credit Cards. Credit cards are quite convenient and are used extensively on vacations. However, thieves know this and go to great lengths to steal your credit card information. Credit crooks can use skimmers in place of real credit card machines that capture credit card numbers and PINs and they can even hack into hotels, restaurants, or other business databases and steal personal information in bulk. The best way to avoid having your credit card information stolen while on vacation is to avoid using them. Instead, use cash or, better still, traveler’s checks. 

• Be Cautious Online. Although online identity theft dangers exist anywhere, they are particularly prevalent while on vacation. The reason is that people mostly use laptops, mobile devices, and even Internet Cafés and hotel computer rooms to conduct online business. Such devices and locations are easily manipulated by hackers and ID thieves to obtain personal information. Therefore, avoid sending sensitive information over such devices while on vacation and, if you require doing so such as to pay bills, be sure to use sites that have current SSL certificates and secured connections. 

• Scrutinize ATMs. Acquiring cash during vacation is a common practice and ATMs are the go-to sources because of their convenience. However, criminals can install card skimmers and place cameras in or near such machines that capture numbers and PINs. To avoid being victimized, only use ATMs in well-populated areas and look machines over before using and avoid any ATMs that appear to have been tampered with (i.e. scratches, bulky out-of-place adaptations, and other signs on or around readers, viewers, entry points, etc). 

• Hire a Professional Watchdog. You might also hire a company to monitor your credit activity while you are on vacation. Such companies closely monitor all activities and make you aware of any suspicious entries which can be challenged and stopped immediately, thus preventing long-term harm.

Identity Theft Facts

Identity theft is the fastest growing and most commonly reported white-collar crime in the United States. You may be wondering how common is identity theft? According to the Federal Trade Commission, nearly ten million people have a crime involving identity theft committed against them each year. Of this number, more than half are unaware that their personal information was ever in jeopardy.

An alarming identity theft fact is that 85 percent of identity theft victims remain unaware of the problem for months or even years. Often, they only discover that they have had a crime committed against them until they are denied financing. IdentityEdge is an identity theft resource that offers help with identity theft by providing education and services designed for the prevention and detection of identity theft and fraud and restoration services.

On this site, you will learn how to protect yourself from identity theft with comprehensive information on identity theft and identity theft tips. You will learn the cause of identity theft and the various types of theft, as well as how thieves access your information, so you can take a more active role in managing your sensitive financial information.

Identification theft prevention programs are designed to monitor your credit report, social security number activity and will even alert you if someone attempts to change your address to prevent and identify issues involving identity theft early. When learning how to protect against identity theft, early identification of potential breaches of security and discovering theft quickly is the best way to ensure your sensitive information is protected.

In addition, we offer advice to help restore your identity if you are the victim of identity theft. Restoration services are designed to help you resolve issues related to fraud, so you can regain control of your finances and protect your credit rating. Browse our website to learn more about the plans and sign up today.