The state of Florida is ranked as the nations 6th leadingstate in identity theft victimizations. Miami is the state’s top city for identity theft. In 2007, there were 2,238 victims of identity theft in the city of Miami. There are millions of Americans who have their identity stolen every year. Perhaps you know one of these people or have had your identity stolen. When someone uses your information as their own identity, whether it be a Social Security number, your name or a credit card that has not obtained your permission they have committed a crime.
Our nation’s current financial and economic state does not help in the fight against identity theft, as fraud is a major cause of the recession. Fraud is a growing concern in our nation today as families find their lives immobilized as their bank accounts are frozen or depleted from identity thieves. Small credit card purchases can be easy to resolve quickly but there are some victims that are not so fortunate. It may take months to repair credit reports and bank accounts while costing you hundreds of dollars.
It is important for you to be aware of some of the few methods that thieves use to obtain your important information and assume your identity. By knowing these methods you are minimizing the potential that you will become a victim. A very common way for thieves to assume your identity is by rummaging through trash for bills and papers with personal information. A common security measure is to purchase a good shredder to shred all documents with identifying information prior to throwing them away. In addition, you may want to install a monitored home security system. In the case of a home invasion, if a thief steals your personal information, losses and expenses may be exponentially multiplied. Call an ADT specialist today to ensure your home from a break-in.
Identity thieves may also attempt to get you to give them your personal information through phone calls, emails, or online pop-up messages. They may pretend to be calling from a company, claiming they have not received your payment, and ask for your check number, checking account, or credit card number to verify. It seems obvious, but many have fallen prey to these schemes. They can also contact companies acting as if they were you with the intention of obtaining information or purchasing goods on your credit.
You must be on the alert for the latest devices, which affect the security of our identity. For example, there are storage devices, which look similar to a credit card processing device in which you slide your card. They are often stacked on top of standard card swipes so that they appear to be commonplace. This is also known as skimming. The thieves steal your credit card information directly from your card. Luckily there is a line of defense that can minimize the potential for identity theft. Several security and credit report companies are providing identity theft protection to consumers. Through such programs, consumers can receive benefits such as identity theft insurance and alerts when there is unusual activity on their credit reports.
Protect your family, their future, your home and your future by taking these steps to minimize the chances of become another South Florida victim.
