Idenitty Theft - 1102 Words

You pay all of your bills on time, when you use your credit card you pay the balance off when you are supposed to; even more than the minimum payments, and then when you try and go buy a car or a house you are declined due to bad credit. Ever wonder how that can be? Well you might have been a victim of identity theft. What is identity theft you ask? It is a form of fraud or cheating of another persons identity in which someone pretends to be someone else by assuming that persons identity, typically in order to access resources or obtain credit and other benefits in that persons name. According to the national association of the attorneys general, â€Å"Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in the nation with an estimated†¦show more content†¦Keep all those things in mind and hopefully you will not fall victim to identity theft. If this does happen to you there are ways you can fix it. It will take a lot of time and money, but in the end it will be all worth it. It may take a few years to realize that your identity has been stolen, but when you discover identity theft you should try to file a police report providing specific details on the theft itself. By doing so, you are entitled to certain legal rights when it is provided to the three major credit agencies or to the company where your misused information was sent. An identity theft report can be used to permanently block fraudulent information that results from the theft such as, accounts or addresses from appearing on your credit reports. If the thief made charges on an existing account and you have been able to work with the company to resolve the dispute, you may not need an identity theft report. In 1998, Congress passed the federal identity theft and assumption deterrence ACT which makes it easier for prosecutors to conduct their cases. The act is broadly described so that the act of identity theft is easier for prosecutors to judge. The majority of U.S states have passed legislation on identity theft but do not consistently define the act. All in all, awareness is the best weapon against many forms of identity theft. Be very aware of how information is stolen and how to protect yourself, monitor your personal