Have you ever thought about what would happen if someone
stole your child’s identity? Identity theft of children is a growing problem,
and it will get worse unless parents take the initiative to protect their
children from this crime. It’s more difficult to detect than other types of
identity theft because it sometimes takes years to discover—the criminals
depend on this! Don’t let your child be one of the victims!
Theft of a Social
Security Number
When someone gets hold of your social security number they
can do just about anything financially with it. Social security number ID theft
is the predecessor of all other types of identity theft because criminals need
this information to commit other types of identity theft including criminal
identity theft. What can a criminal do when he or she has your social security
number? Some of the possibilities include the following:
- Obtain credit in your name
- Get a job with your credentials (this will give them access to your employment and educational records)
- If you’re already retired they can collect your social security pension
- Get a driver’s license
- Apply for a duplicate social security card
- Apply for government benefits such as student loans, food stamps, public assistance and much more
For more information on what criminals can do with your
social security number visit our website at Legal-Yogi .
Credit Cards: Another
Problem Area
Identity theft criminals love the idea of credit cards
fraud. It is often quite easy because of the card issuers that either mail
unsolicited cards or pre-approved applications that the consumer only has to
sign and return. They don’t have the consumer’s signature, so all the criminal
has to do is sign the form and send it back with a change of address. Some card
issuers did get a little tighter on this and would not honor pre-approved
applications with a change of address. The criminal can still get by with it—my
neighbor got stung like that because all the criminal did was keep an eye on
her mailbox (she was gone all day working) and take the card when it arrived.
He was then able to activate the card and change the address so my neighbor
didn’t know anything about it. Needless to say she learned quickly how to
install a lock on her mailbox!
Put an End to
Identity Theft
While it’s impossible to stop identity theft completely,
each individual can take the necessary precautions to protect himself which in
turn will at least reduce the number of crimes that occur. When the criminals
learn people are going to be more protective and will report the crimes, they
will move on to an easier target.
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