How do I know if my identity has been stolen?

November 2, 2010 – 11:53 am

It’s official – according to Federal Trade Commission statistics, identity theft has reached epidemic numbers.

FTC statistics indicate that in the U.S. alone, there’s a new identity theft victim every four seconds. It has become a matter of when the typical consumer will become a victim, rather than if. And becoming a victim of this type of crime is an extremely stressful and costly experience if not handled swiftly and correctly.

So how do you know if your identity is stolen? There are a number of telltale signs that consumers should watch for.

• Your credit reports list new credit cards issued in your name that you never applied for.

• Your credit reports list information about accounts you didn’t open and know nothing about.

• You notice charges on your monthly credit card or bank statements that you didn’t authorize.

• You stop receiving monthly credit card statements or important bills altogether.

• You receive bills from companies with which you’ve never done business.

• You receive telephone calls from collection agencies regarding accounts you know nothing about.

If you find any of these telltale signs, it is important that you take immediate action. Contact your creditors and your bank immediately to inform them you suspect identity theft. If your credit card has been lost or stolen, or if you notice fraudulent charges on your statement, report it immediately to the card issuer. You should file a report with your local police department, and keep a copy of the report for your records. Collect and safeguard all documents, like credit reports, monthly statements, or other written information that relate to the incident. If you believe someone is using your Social Security number, you should contact the Social Security Administration.

Fraud victims should change passwords, PINs and account numbers of al the ATM/debit and credit cards attached to their bank accounts.

Regardless of the statistics, remain vigilant. One of the best things you can do to protect yourself is to subscribe to an identity theft protection service, which will provide monitoring 24/7. And the best of the bunch is LifeLock.

LifeLock is the industry leader in proactive protection, and you can rest assured, knowing that your information is being monitored, and that LifeLock will notify you the moment any threat to your information is discovered. This virtually shuts down the identity theft attempt before it can even become an issue.

So call LifeLock today, or go online at www.lifelock.com.

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