The realization that identity theft was a real problem was brought to my attention when the son of a close friend went to purchase a car. When he applied for the car loan he was told that he had a credit problem and his loan request was denied. This was a complete surprise to him. As far as he knew his credit record was outstanding. He discovered he was a victim of identity theft!

Identity Theft TV Commercial

lmost everyone has seen at least one of the Citibank identity theft TV commercials played regularly on television. In one, Jake B, a burly, unshaven man clad in a lumberjack shirt and too tight track pants sits sipping a beer. In a valley-girl voice over, he gleefully lists the damage an identity thief has inflicted upon him. From emptying his chequing account to purchasing designer clothing, Jake is able to subliminally give victims of identity theft a voice - even if it's not his own.

Unfortunately, identity theft is no joke. Victims of these unscrupulous thieves can spend months and even years trying to clean up the mess they leave behind. Perhaps you giggled when you saw these commercials, but remember if you are not doing everything to protect your own identity, the last laugh may be on you.

Credit card companies are finally tuning in to the widespread havoc created when one of their clients falls victim to identity theft. In order to try and intercept severe damage, Citibank, along with most major credit card companies, has instituted fraud alert programs on its credit cards, which monitors the regular buying habits of their customers. If any unusual activity is detected, the credit card company will immediately contact the cardholder to get verification of the charges. By taking this pro-active approach to protecting their clients identity and security, credit card companies are saving a great deal of time and money that otherwise would be wasted on trying to repair the collateral damage after the fact.

As an added security feature, Citibank and others are attempting to by-pass the opportunity for identity theft by offering their customers the option of receiving their monthly statement on-line, instead of via the postal system - at no additional charge to the customer.

Identity theft has become such an ongoing threat that Citibank is diligently working to make their customers' identity their number one security issue. By registering with their online service, their customer can receive the added bonus of their built-in security feature - virtual account numbers. This means that whenever you use their card to make on online purchase over the Internet, you do not have to provide your real card number. Every time you use the virtual account number, Citibank's system will generate a new number to substitute for your real credit card number. This added feature goes a long way in giving their customers peace of mind when they conduct business over the Internet.

Most credit card companies, including Citibank, now provide fraudulent purchase protection on their credit cards. This means if any unauthorized charge is credited to your Citibank card, you will not be held responsible. And, in an effort to thwart "dumpster divers" and mail thieves, Citibank has joined the practice of many of the other major credit card providers by blocking all newly issued cards until they receive verification from you via the home phone number you provided with your application.

All major credit card companies, including Citibank, subscribe to SSL (secure sockets layer) technology in order to protect their clients. SSL is a security method designed to apply encryption between two communicating applications. In layman's terms, this simply means that your credit card number will be scrambled and unable to be read by any lurking hackers when you conduct financial transactions over the Internet. Most Internet browsers support the 128-bit encryption required to effectively operate this security feature. In order to protect yourself from Internet identity theft, you should always ensure any web browser you use for credit card purchases is equipped with this high-security level of protection. In addition, Citibank has instituted numerous firewalls on their servers, which are continually monitored in order to intercept and control breaches in security.

Citibank employs a team of identity theft specialists who work diligently to protect their cardholders from identity theft. They are available to provide authentication of websites, investigate phishing attempts, identify any new Internet scams and provide their customers with the latest technological information in order to alleviate the threat of Internet identity theft.

Apart from receiving kudos for the creativeness of their identity theft TV commercials, Citibank is recognized as being on the cutting edge when providing identity theft protection to their clients. The security features listed above, as well as the option of obtaining a credit card with your picture and signature on the front for free are just a few of the many innovative approaches Citibank is taking to protect the security and identity of their customers, both on the Internet and in the real world.

My friend, who unfortunately discovered that he was a victim of identity theft, soon found that correcting the record was a major hassle. The lesson he learned was that it is better to prevent identity theft then to try and correct the record later. So with that mind, I present this information to you so that hopefully you will not become another identity theft victim.

We often take our liberties for granted. What you know life to be can suddenly change if you've been a victim of identity theft.

While you've been busy with your day-to-day life someone could have stolen your personal information and racked up debts or committed fraud - all with your name on it. What happens then can be anything from being denied employment, credit or even being arrested for a crime you didn't commit.

Identity theft is that serious.

Victims of identity theft can spend years paying back debts or fighting to restore their credit as well as their reputation. Finding out you are a victim of identity theft can be frightening and a source of anxiety even after you've resolved the issue.

Don't be complacent, learn about identity theft and what you can do to lessen your changes of becoming another identity theft victim.

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