Identity Theft

The TV commercials on identity theft are among my favorites. Each time I watch one I’m temporarily transported to a faraway place or on a spending binge in New York City. Then reality hits me I remember the nightmare I experienced two years ago when I was a victim of identity theft.

In April of 2005, I worked out of state for one month. In June, I opened one of my credit card bills and immediately knew there was a problem.The balance was much too high. This was a card I rarely ever used yet the statement revealed a whole page of charges. Upon closer examination I realized I had paid someones rent, utilities and cell phone charges for the month of May. They had also purchased a new computer, signed up for internet service and had many elaborate meals at my expense. I was horrified. I immediately called the credit card holder to alert them and followed their advice in resolving this unfortunate act of dishonesty.

The current estimates are that over a million people file police reports each year stating someone used their credit without their knowledge or permission. The costs are estimated to be as high as 500 million dollars. The situations vary from a small purchase to the total theft of another persons identity. One of the most devastating schemes today is falsely assuming the ownership of real estate and then selling the property. The real owner doesn’t know until they are forced to vacate their property. By then the theft has the proceeds and is long gone. Many times they are unable to recover their property.

It is my opinion that the most important thing we can all do to guard against identity theft is to be vigilant. Review your statements each month. Keep good records. Protect your personal and credit related information. Question and report any suspicious activity. Identity theft is a form of abuse - someone else is mistreating you and your credit. Just as we fight against other forms of abuse, we should do everything in our power to stop identity theft.

Margaret Norton, Personal Life Coach/Writer/Speaker, resides in St. Peters, Missouri.

April 11th, 2009 by admin | Posted in General | Comments (0)