Identity theft is a very scary subject. Recently there was an article in the paper about a twenty eight year old woman, a resident of Salt Lake City, who almost lost her four kids due to identity theft. The woman's purse had been stolen two months prior to this.
A woman who looked very much like the twenty eight year old used the stolen driver's license when she was registering at a hospital to give birth. The woman later abandoned her premature infant leaving only the drivers license behind. Detectives of course assumed that the twenty-eight year old victim of identity theft was the woman who gave birth. It is terrifying to think that someone could be using our identification.
There are several ways to protect yourself against identity theft. One of the important ways is to make sure that you do not give out any of your person a information to an unsecured source. Do not give out any information over the phone to someone you do not know. Also, if you are shopping online or need to give out personal information while online make sure that you are using a secured website. Your privacy should be protected. To protect yourself from identity theft it is a good idea to shred any documents that may contain your personal information. There are several relatively inexpensive shredders on the market that can be purchased for less then twenty dollars. As a third precaution you should double-check your credit card and bank policies regarding identity theft. Make sure that your monetary funds are protected if someone does use your card or bank account in a fraudulent way.
Identity theft can happen to anyone. Make sure that you protect you personal information. Identity theft is not a victimless crime. Often times it takes years for the victims of identity theft to clear their names. Do not allow yourself to be the next victim.
