Using your child’s name to establish credit is Identity Theft!!

Tis the season to be careful!

Everyone will be doing some serious shopping no matter what is reported about the economy. Nothing stops us from spending money during the holiday season. Where there is a will, there is a way and we will find a way.

So while you are out there finding all those bargains to make your loved ones happy, what about someone stealing your identity and taking all of your hard money, or using your identity to make their own purchases. Identity Theft, what is it?

This can happen, don’t think for one moment that just because you use a debit card and have direct deposit, that is cannot happen to you.

This is the crime of obtaining the personal or financial information of another person for the purpose of assuming assuming that identity to steal it and use it to make purchases or establish credit without the victims’ knowledge.

Here a few examples:

Southern District of Florida. A woman was indicted and pleaded guilty to federal charges involving her obtaining a fraudulent driver’s license in the name of the victim, using the license to withdraw more than $13,000 from the victim’s bank account, and obtaining five department store credit cards in the victim’s name and charging approximately $4,000 on those cards.

Children sometimes have their identity used by their parents to establish accounts in their name. This is also a form of identity theft because children are being victimized with not way to stop it from happening.

Hackers are waiting online to steal your information so you must get the right tools to get rid of and monitor Spyware and Adware that is frequently downloaded with games, tool bars and new programs.

PrepaidLegal.com says that it is no secret that identity theft is a major problem not just in America but all over the world. Many of think we are not at risk? Unfortunately you are, we all are. Ask yourself these questions;

- Do you hand your credit card to servers at restaurants?
- Do you sign your credit cards?
- Do you supply personal information over the Internet?
- Do you keep your Social Security number in your wallet or purse?
- Do you leave mail at your home or business for the postal carrier to collect?
- Do you shred unwanted mail with personal information?

What if you discovered that your identity had been stolen?
Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to report the situation, whether Online,

By telephone toll-free at 1-877-ID THEFT (877-438-4338) or TDD at 202-326-2502, or By mail to Consumer Response Center, FTC, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20580

Call your bank and/or credit card company.
Contact the three major credit repositories – by the time you do all three major credit companies after contacting you bank you must complete the following steps for each credit company;

To report fraud, all three credit companies Equifax, Experion and Transunion.

Order a copy of your credit report

Dispute information in your report, call the phone number provided on your credit report.

Opt out of pre-approved offers of credit

After all this then you will do the following

Contact your local office of the Postal Inspection Service if you suspect that an identity thief has submitted a change-of-address form with the Post Office to redirect your mail, or has used the mail to commit frauds involving your identity;

Contact the Social Security Administration if you suspect that your Social Security number is being fraudulently.

Contact the Internal Revenue Service if you suspect the improper use of identification information in connection with tax violations

Fill out and submit the affidavit form supplied by the FTC to dispute new, unauthorized accounts count on spending on average $1,500 in out-of-pocket expenses to resolve the many problems cause by identity thieves

By the time you go through about a 20 helpful but extensive steps recommended by the Federal Trade Commission in its 30-page consumer support publication you will may get some results. The problem is not having any avenue to take care of the legalities that could occur from damaged credit. Especially if a crime is committed in your name.

WITH THE IDENTITY THEFT SHIELD: Get REGULAR monitoring of your credit report and let the proven leaders in the identity restoration and legal services fields assist you.

With no obligation, you can view a short presentation and learn more by visiting my website. See what Pre-Paid Legal can do for you at: http://www.prepaidlegal.com/idt/slackl

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