Have you, or anyone you know, ever been the victim of identity theft, or identity fraud? If you haven't yet been a victim, then, unfortunately, the odds may not be in your favor. While Wikipedia indicates that, at least statistically, the identity theft crime rate may have dropped in the past several years in the United States, it is also still reportedly the fastest growing crime in this country.The consequences of identity theft can be devastating. Consider the case of Michelle Brown. This poor woman not only suffered the impact of the loss of her credit rating, but also was forced to address an arrest warrant after a thief stole her identity and went on a credit card-spending frenzy. Can you imagine the devastating impact on your own life if you were arrested and falsely charged with crimes you did not commit?
So, please protect your personal financial information and check your accounts religiously for unusual activity. Here's hoping you can avoid becoming a victim like Michelle Brown!
Again, do you know anyone who has been a victim? What steps did they take to overcome the problems generated by this crime?
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Richard, had it happen to me just recently, was looking at the recent activities from my account on line, saw a charge for micro-soft-x-box-live
ReplyDeletegames, and points, and membership. I have no x-box, microsoft could care less, all the transactions were conducted via phone, they had activated an old debit card account over the phone, it was a fifteen year old boy.
Getting Microsoft to admit to the mistake is impossible, the bank how ever is making it right and has deleted the card permanently.