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19,178 Identity Theft Victims Per Day - Are You One Of Them?
Identity theft statistics are shocking. And we are told that it will only become worse, before it gets any better. Are you likely to be affected? According to recent studies, up to 7,000,000 people become identity theft victims each year, in the United States alone. That's over 19,000 cases a day, or 799 cases an hour. Whichever way you look at it, these are shocking figures. And with more and more people using the Internet, online banking, and other hi-tech services, things aren't likely to improve any time soon. In fact, another research, a survey conducted on behalf of the Federal Trade Commission recently, tells us that the situation is even worse. According to the FTC survey report, 4.6% of the US population were identity fraud victims last year - that's 10 million people. According to the FTC figures, if someone fraudulently opens a new credit card or another loan account under your name, on average you can expect the dollar amount to go to about $10,200. That's just an average amount. To clean up your name, and your credit rating, you will need to deal with this experience. You can expect to spend between $500 and $1,200 of your own hard-earned money cleaning up the mess. You can also expect to invest between 30 and 60 hours of your time. The above figures are just cold statistics. They say nothing about the emotional trauma, through which you are likely to go when it happens to you. It's all very well to read and hear about bad things that happen to other people. It is quite different when the same thing happens to you, or your loved one. Is there anything you can do in order to protect yourself? There is. Quite a bit actually. It's all based on common sense and, while there are no guarantees in life, you will minimise the risk and make the life of an identity thief a lot harder. Funny thing about thieves. They don't like working hard. If you make it hard enough for them, they will usually go away - to find an easier target. One of the common-sense things you can do in order to protect yourself, and your family, is to make yourself aware of the current scams that may affect you. The most infamous one at the moment is so a called 'phishing' scam. In a nutshell it looks like this: You get an email that looks like it was sent from your bank. They ask you to log in to your online account and verify some of your details. For your convenience, there is a link included right in the email. All you have to do is click on it an log in. Don't ever! The moment you click on that link and log in, the scam artists have your login ID and password recorded. This will enable them to log in to your account and within hours, or days, your account will be cleaned out!. There are two common-sense approaches to deal with this. First, you have to realise that your bank already has all the details they need to operate your online account. If they didn't, you wouldn't be able to open it in the first place. So, you can most likely quite safely delete the email and forget about it. Secondly, if you have any doubts as to the authenticity of the email, you can get the bank's phone number from your local phone book and give them a call. Tell them about the email you received and ask if they tried to contact you. I bet they are going to be as surprised as you are. And just remember: Whatever you do, never, ever, log in to your bank account, or any other sensitive account for that matter, right from an email. You already have the login link somewhere in your records. If not, go to the bank's main page and look for an online login page. What we covered today is just one of the things you need to do in order to protect yourself from identity fraud. There are many more. Lack of space doesn't allow me to cover more in this short article. You will find many more tips at http://www.credit-report-a-z.com/articles.html. They are free to implement and could save you lots of time and money. Andrew Obremski is the owner of www.credit-report-a-z.com, a web site devoted to information about credit reports, identity theft, debt, and other personal finance topics. Webmasters: Author's permission is granted to reprint this article, provided that: 1. The whole article, including the bio info above, is reprinted intact. 2. All links are live and in pure HTML (no Javascript or redirection allowed).
Latest News:Site: Yahoo! News Search Results for news [News] 5 O'Clock Shadow News you can't leave work without: Asamoah makes a deal News of record News of record reports for Chelan and Douglas counties Newport News police seek help on wave of thefts from cars NEWPORT NEWS A rash of summer-night car break-ins and vandalism has police asking the public for help, and warning them to lock their vehicles. Newport News hit with rash of car break-ins NEWPORT NEWS -- Police are asking for help in solving a large number of car break-ins and vandalism cases in Newport News. According to police, 134 cases were reported in the area between J. Clyde Morris Blvd. and Oyster Point Road since June 1. Most of the incidents were between J. Clyde Morris and Middle Ground Blvd. and happened during the early evening hours. Police say many thefts happened ... NEWS ALERTS: Sign up to get breaking news on your mobile phone Get breaking local news as it happens. Enter your phone number: Standard Messaging Rates or other charges apply. To Opt-out text STOP to 4INFO (44636). For more information text HELP to 4INFO (44636). Contact your carrier for more details. Powered by 4INFO. Newport News police search for suspects in string of car thefts Newport News detectives are seeking assistance from the Community, in solving a large number of cases involving damage to, and larcenies from, cars. Newport News police seek information regarding larcenies and property damage NEWPORT NEWS -- Police are investigating 134 cases of damage to cars and larcenies from cars that occurred between June 1 and July 25, according to police. News in brief Here are a selection of brief news items from this week?s paper edition, and possibly a few news briefs that didn?t make it in the paper. Newport News townhouse damaged by fire NEWPORT NEWS A townhouse in the 1000 block of Willow Green Drive was damaged by fire this morning, fire officials said. One of the residents had minor burns to his hand, a Fire Department news release says. An off-duty city firefighter/medic helped evacuate the adjoining homes. News of the Past who has deep genealogical roots to Winston County, provides news from past editions of the Winston County Journal. The Winston County Board of Supervisors posted a notice of the new "Dog Law" which was passed in the July term. Site: news - Google News Arizona News Round Up - San Francisco Chronicle (blog)
MORE RESOURCES: Site: Yahoo! News Search Results for credit Credit Unions Planning Amalgamation Eastern Edge Credit Union and Horizon Credit Union are negotiating to amalgamate the two credit unions. The merger must be approved by members from both operations and that decision is expected in late October. Credit Unions Can Do More Small Business Lending, Cheney Says Congress should raise the lending limits for credit unions because it would help small businesses and create jobs, said Bill Cheney, president and chief executive officer of the Credit Union National Association. Fitch: Credit-Card Charge-Offs Fall For 1st Time In 3 1/2 Years Fitch: Credit-Card Charge-Offs Fall For 1st Time In 3 1/2 Years Credit demand expected to surge CREDIT demand for corporate activity on a Europe-wide basis is expected to surge over the current quarter, following inactivity in bank lending. Credit card reform is working but challenges remain Credit card reform was intended to create a fairer and more transparent marketplace. Crédit Agricole Corporate & Investment Bank Expands Credit and Debt Markets Team with Five Seasoned Professionals NEW YORK----Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank today announced the addition of five new highly experienced sales, trading, research, and DCM origination professionals to its expanding debt and credit markets platform. Credit scores slide downward Credit scores for a quarter of American consumers are now too low to qualify for a mortgage or credit card. Credit union review welcomed by sector Credit unions have welcomed plans for an independent review of the sector. Credit Bureau Experts Announces Credit Repair Service for the Broken Economy After Twelve years in business, Credit Bureau Experts has a good understanding of what helps fix problem credit reports in this broken economy. Over 70 percent of reports have some inaccuracy. Metro Credit Union sponsors school supply drive in Swampscott Metro Credit Union?s office at 260 Humphrey St. in Swampscott has its annual school supply drive under way .... Site: credit - Google News CREDIT MARKETS: Tepid Auction, Refi Fears Dominate Trading - Wall Street Journal
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