Don’t Let These Crooks Steal Your Identity

The term ‘Identity Theft’ may not sound that familiar to many of us, but ignorance toward this cannot protect you from this fast spreading and vicious crime. The first step towards protection from its malicious claws would be gaining knowledge and information about its manipulations and implications. Various online reports on the internet, journals and newspapers do hold witnesses of events wherein people are victimized by this malicious crime. 

Identity theft is a fraud where the swindler falsely claims to be someone else by assuming that person’s identity, in order to access credit or obtain resources and other benefits by faking to be that person. The identity thief steals, obtains or hack key pieces of personal information such as credit card number, name and address, social security number, date of birth, bank account number, driver’s license number etc for the purpose of impersonating as someone else. The information is then misused to gain false credentials, credit, merchandise and other services on victim’s name and identity numbers. Apart from facing dire consequences where the victim is held responsible for the crook’s actions, one can even face worse conditions where the imposter provides the victim’s identification to the police and gets him/her trapped in false and negative police records or even in outstanding arrest warrants. The crook may also carry on several illegal and criminal actions under the identity of the victim. 

An identity thief may misuse one’s identity information from unsecured databases, internet, pick-pocketing, bribing a third person to hand over information and through various other unfair means. Financial transactions through internet have made their job easier because of the absence of physical interaction and lack of legal paperwork.

In order to protect your important information from being stolen, one has to stay alert and careful about it and its value. One should regularly check one’s credit reports with major credit bureaus and should make sure that the bills come in time. Unwanted credit applications should be destroyed. Never divulge the personal information in response to redundant e-mails. Your safety is in your hands.