Identity Theft

There are several crimes that carry the stigma of making a person feel violated; one such crime is that of identity theft. The good news is that identity theft is dealt with on a much harsher level then what it was when the crime came to such wide public notice. However, that still does not make dealing with the repercussions any easier for the victim for identity theft. Although the seriousness of the crime is not taken as lightly as it once was, the aftermath can still have devastating consequences. So the obvious question becomes how do you deal with the aftermath and how do you keep it from happening again.

The first place to begin when dealing with identity theft is to take a complete inventory of exactly what damage has been done. Of course by the time you get to the end of the actual ordeal you should have a good idea of what you're looking at when it comes to the amount of damage to your credit and reputation. The most obvious tool you will need is a statement from the District Attorney that is handling your case. This way you can send notice to creditors and others to let them know what has taken place so the damage can be isolated from what you are actually responsible for.

The next step you will want to take is to notify the Social Security Offices that your Social Security number has been compromised. By letting Social Security know it's highly possible to have a new number issued and the old one cancelled to avoid further complications or damage to your credit. Of course you will want to set up several safety precautions to prevent the possibility of future identity theft.

A few safety precautions that you will want to take are, of course, pin codes. Be certain you don't make the pin numbers too easy to figure out or any number that is easily found by others. However, should you have to give your pin number to someone be certain to change it as soon as possible to avoid an issue later.

Passwords are also a good way to prevent these types of issues. There is one key factor; when asked for your mother's maiden name why not use her middle name, this is much harder for someone to find. Of course make certain to shred information that has account numbers, never throw statements away, at the least black out the numbers so they are unreadable. The best precaution possible is that if given the option for a card with a photo on it be sure to take the option, this definitely helps avoid the possibility of theft.

Joann Carlisle is a writer who enjoys sharing her knowledge and advice with readers. For more on identity theft, Moneyed Up offers readers tips for protecting themselves from identity theft.

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