Identity Theft Defense Header: The Dangers of Identity Theft and How To Protect yourself            Id Theft Defense header continued: The Dangers of Id Theft and How To Protect yourself

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!

Credit Card Identify Theft

People who want to steal your identity do so in many different ways. One of the ways is by calling you on the telephone. This is a form of what is known as phishing – fishing for information about you such as credit card numbers, passwords and ID's to online accounts and anything else that can help the thief obtain money or services intended for you.

If the telephone rings one day and the person on the other end tells you they are from a certain credit card company, you may think nothing is amiss. Perhaps it is not, but you should get extremely suspicious if the person requests the number of your credit card. After all, the credit card company already knows your credit card number. Sometimes the credit card being fraudulently represented may not even be a credit card you own. This is because thieves dial random numbers or use the telephone book to contact people, hoping to encounter a person who has a specific credit card and doesn't yet know about these scams.

In fact, they may tell you the first four numbers of your credit card to make you think they are really from the company. How did they get this information? If you do not happen to work with credit cards daily such as in a retail business, you may not know that the first four digits of your credit card number are the same for every holder of that series of credit cards. Does your credit card begin with "5581"? If so, you hold a certain type of MasterCard. Does it begin with "4607"? If so, then you hold a Visa card. These facts are used against you to convince you that the call is valid and that you should give out your information. Don't do it!

Should someone call that you believe may actually be representing your credit card company but they ask for your credit card number, you can always ask for their number and call back. If the number is different than the customer service number listed on the back of your credit card, you should know immediately that someone is trying to steal your credit information.

Another scam that is used over the telephone that allows a phisher to misuse your information is when a caller finds a way to get you to give them your social security number. By obtaining this information they can use it to obtain identification, which can be followed by obtaining credit cards, bank accounts and many other things that can harm you. You may not learn that something is wrong until you try to obtain credit such as a vehicle purchase or a new credit card. Then you will find out that you have been denied credit due to overdue payments or too many credit requests.

Protect yourself carefully by not giving out any personal information to anyone that calls you. If you need to communicate with your credit providers, call them so that you know who you are speaking with. Credit card identity theft is avoidable if you are smart and avoid it!

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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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