It is crucial to understand the warning signs of identity theft to save yourself from larger problems and become the victim. Your personal information can be fraudulently used and you might have to face the consequences. To know more about ID Theft - Warning Signs, do watch the video!
Some victims spend months or even years and thousands of dollars cleaning up the mess the thieves have made of their good name and credit record. Victims often experience humiliation, anger and frustration as they navigate the process of rescuing their identity.
The worst-case scenario is when the ID theft victim is arrested because of the thief’s criminal record.
Although the Justice Department found the most frequent victims of ID theft are those between the ages of 18 and 24, living in urban or suburban households and with an income greater than $75,000, all of us are at risk for identity theft—even if we take precaution—because more thieves are turning to database theft from employers or businesses in order to access thousands of records at a time.
Also, thieves often target older people for many types of fraud, including telemarketing fraud, Medicare fraud, and so on; the elderly are attractive targets because they’ve accumulated more savings via paid-up mortgages, receive Social Security checks and often have flawless credit. Tell older relatives, friends and neighbors to take precautions when they are approached or called by strangers. If someone tries to convince an older person to go to his or her financial institution for a cashier’s check to get in on a “good deal,” it’s most likely a scam.
