How Do I Avoid Identity Theft

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Identity theft is a menace to modern society and something that can happen to anyone at any time. What makes identity theft harder to tackle is the fact that victims rarely find out about it till it’s too late. In the U.S., most victims realize that their identity has been stolen almost 12 months after the crime. The longer the thief has access to your identity, the harder it will become for you to clear the resulting mess.

If you think there is nothing you can do except hope the next identity theft victim is not you, you cannot be more wrong. Being alert can help you catch identity theft as early as possible, and the damage might be contained.

The Warning Signals

Here are some signs to watch out for with regard to identity theft.

1) You don’t receive credit card statements regularly.
One of the ways identity theft is made easy is unlocked mailboxes. The identity thief can simply take out the credit card statements from your mailbox and walk away. If you think your mail is being tampered with, that is one of the signs of identity theft.

2) You receive statements regarding an account you did not open.
If you receive calls regarding an account you did not open, or your credit card company calls you regarding a credit card you never applied for, this may be another warning signal for identity theft.

3) Debt collectors contact you about unknown loans.
Debt collection agencies contact you to ask you to clear debts you knew you never had.

4) Inflated credit card bills
If your credit card bills seem inflated and you don’t remember purchasing the items billed to you, you should consider the possibility of identity theft.

5) Missing Checks
If your checkbook has missing checks, this could be another warning sign of identity theft.

6) Discrepancy in Credit Reports
Your credit reports show loans you never took and accounts you did not open. Monitoring credit reports regularly can help you detect identity theft early.

7) You are contacted by police over illegal activities you were not involved in.

The identity thief can use your name when arrested by the police or has any kind of trouble with law enforcement agencies. This should alert you to the possibility of identity theft.

How To Confirm Identity Theft

The warning signs mentioned above could spell trouble; on the other hand, they may indicate a commonplace problem in your mailing address, or the credit card billing system that can be sorted out in a phone call.

How do you make sure that you are a victim of identity theft? The best way to do it is by tracking your credit record. Every U.S. state has provisions for making your credit record available to you for free, you just need to apply to the proper authorities.

Never ignore the warning signs above, even if they seem too small to be of any importance. Becoming aware that you are a victim of identity theft is the first step towards resolving the problem.