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Identity theft is one of the most common crimes in the United States but with the introduction of the internet, this crime has become on of the top crimes to watch for. Identity theft can destroy a person’s life and credit in just one click of a mouse.

They use your private information against your knowledge

How do these internet thieves take your identity? It is easy they take your name, social security number, credit card number or any other valuable personal information and turn it into theirs. To sum this up a definition for identity theft can be a person that uses your private information, against your knowledge, to commit fraud or theft.

They open accounts in your name

They can do such things like opening new credit card accounts by using your name, date of birth, and social security numbers. Then when they use the credit card and they do not pay the bill, the account is reported on your credit report. The can also call the card issuer and pretend to be you to change the mailing address on your credit card account. Then they will add new charges on your credit card account and have the statements sent to the new address. This is when people usually discover they have a problem.  They can also establish both land and cell phone bills in your name, open checking accounts and write bad checks, and the list of damages can go on and on.
Information is available online

So how do they about getting this personal information? It is amazing the vast amount of personal information available on the web. There are several different sites that provide addresses, criminal, civil, and professional history. They can also provide a list of your assets and bank account numbers. These sites even provide social security numbers, the last six addresses, current phone numbers, and they have the numbers and addresses for the neighbors! Two of the main companies that offer these services are Lexis-Nexis and West Publishing. Many people think these sites are illegal and their have been petitions to the federal government to have these companies banned and investigated for fraud.

Beware of Dumpster Divers

There are also several smaller companies that also provide this information. This information used take thieves days of watching and dumpster diving to acquire but is now available to them with just a click of a mouse.

Remember identity theft involves a thief using important pieces of your personal information in order to impersonate you. The primary purpose is to obtain both credit and debit cards.

400,000 annual victims

At least 1,000 people a day here in the United States become victims of identity theft. The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse states that there are well over 400,000 identity thefts every year, which results in well over 2 billion dollars in annual loss to our country.

So not only do you now have to worry about your information being taken in the real world now you have to be extra cautious in the cyberspace world. Remember identity theft can destroy your life and credit. Learn how to protect yourself from these would be thieves.

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