Almost 4 million North Americans fell victim to identity fraud, in 2006.
The average loss due to Identity Fraud is $1,089.
Scenario: You start receiving collection notices on debts that you don't have. You check your credit rating and it doesn't look good. Suddenly your house has a second mortgage and there are bills for credit cards for which you never applied.
Scam: Your identity has been stolen and fraudsters are running you into the ground financially.
Identity fraud occurs when someone uses your personal information, usually without your knowledge or consent, to commit fraud or theft. Your personal information can be stolen, or retrieved from the garbage of your home or office. It can be captured by key strokes on a computer that has been tampered with. Fraudsters also will finesse victims over the phone. They may pretend to be with your insurance or credit card company or your bank and say they need your personal information to change something or fix a problem for you.
There have been cases where people have been told they no longer own their houses because the title to the property has been changed by someone impersonating them. The house may have been sold, or at least mortgaged to the hilt. The fraudster will do anything he can to get money.
You can protect yourself, so see our tips page to learn how to guard your personal information, and check your credit rating regularly.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of Identity Theft Fraud we want to know. Contact us and take ACTION NOW!
IDENTITY THEFT FRAUD
Burn or shred, with a cross shredder, any mail or financial papers with your personal information on it. Never recycle them.
Call 1-888-5OPTOUT and ask to stop credit card companies from sending pre-approved credit card applications to your house.
Ask your credit card firm to cease delivery of "convenience checks".
You are entitled to one free credit report each year. Get it as soon as possible. Order a credit report a month or more before you make a big purchase or apply for credit. This will help ensure there are no surprises in your credit history.
It's impossible to tell what's real and what's fake, online. Just delete any email that asks for personal information.
Just hang up on telemarketers, particularly ones who seem to be fishing for personal information, like your birthday.
Limit the number of credit cards you hold, and always inspect your financial statements each month. Consumer rights quickly fade over time; the sooner you discover an identity fraud incident, the better.
You can't always prevent an incident of ID fraud because two-thirds of the time some company that leaked the data is to blame. So be prepared, and be organized. Save paper bank records for a year, at least. You'll need them to prove your account balance in the event of an ID fraud incident.
Scenario: You start receiving collection notices on debts that you don't have. You check your credit rating and it doesn't look good. Suddenly your house has a second mortgage and there are bills for credit cards for which you never applied. 
