If you’ve been watching the news lately, you’ve probably heard about the rise in identity theft. CBS recently ran a story calling it the “fastest rising crime in the country” and in January 2008, the IRS issued a warning about identity theft scams via email. It occurs when thieves get access to your personal information, such as social security numbers, driver’s license number, etc., and use that information to run up credit card bills, open new credit card accounts or obtain fraudulent loans. Victims of identity theft can spend months or even years (not to mention a whole lot of money) cleaning up the mess that thieves have made of their credit records and personal reputation.
One way to ensure that your identity remains secure is to keep a close watch on your credit report. If your identity has been stolen, warning signs, in the form of new account openings or increases in credit card balances (even on accounts you might have thought had been closed), will begin showing up almost immediately. You can get a recent copy of your credit report through any of the major credit bureaus or, for an annual fee, you can subscribe to a credit monitoring service that will give you monthly updates and even notify you via email of changes made to your credit report.
Other Resources:
