Identity Theft
By:Logan St.Ama
Define Identity Theft.
noun
the fraudulent acquisition and use of a person's private identifying information, usually for financial gain.
Different Kinds of Identity Theft
1.) Financial Identity Theft
2.) Driver’s License Identity Theft
3.) Criminal Identity Theft
4.) Social Security Identity Theft
5.) Medical Identity Theft
6.) Insurance Identity Theft
7.) Child Identity Theft
8.) Synthetic Identity Theft
How to Prevent Identity Theft
*Keep important documents in a safe place inside your home never take them in public unless they're essential and you need them.
*Keep new checks out of the mail, pick them up at a the bank instead of them being sent home. This makes it harder to steal checks
*Be careful when giving out personal information over the phone because identity thefts may be calling faking to be a government agent or posing as a bank.
*Your trash is their treasure; you might want to shred anything that might have any personal information before you throw it away.
* Make sure to stay on top of your credit, and make sure they are accurate and up to date.
*Protect your social security number, make sure your bank doesn't print your social security number on personal checks.
*Follow up on your credit billing cycles closely. Making sure you receive your credit card bill every month is an easy way to prevent identity theft.
*Keep a list of account numbers, expiration dates and telephone numbers filed away.If your wallet is stolen, being able to quickly alert your creditors is essential to prevent identity theft.
* It might be smart to create passwords or PIN numbers out of a random mix of letters and numbers, so that it's harder for them find out information and steal it.
What to do if you are a Victum of Idetity Theft
1.) Put a Fraud Alert on Your Credit Reports
2.) Contact Any Institution Directly Affected
3.) Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
4.) File a Police Report
5.) Protect Your Social Security Number
Facts about Identity Theft
1. Medical ID Theft Victims Find Themselves in $20,000 Hole
2. Victims Need Five Full Weeks Off to Restore Identity
3. Smartphone Owners’ Habits Increase Chance of Fraud
4. Common Victims are Children & Deceased
5. 12.6 Million ID Theft Victims in 2012
6. ID Incidents Amount to $21 Billion
7. 11.4 Million Records Exposed in Data Breaches
8. Most Common Thieves Are Your Family
9. One in 700 Thieves Are Caught
10. Common Victims Ski and Play Tennis