Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Identity Theft Shield: Protection From Identity Theft

By Harvey Warmuth

Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in America, affecting one in four households. It is a rampant problem that results in millions of dollars worth of damage each year.

Identity theft is a crime against consumers that, while it might not affect each of us directly, we all are indirectly impacted. Identity theft is the act of using someone's personal identifying information for criminal purposes, often times resulting in some sort of financial gain for the criminal.

Thieves will use an identity theft victim's sensitive personal financial data to commit the crime. The data they will use includes credit card numbers, bank account information, and Social Security Numbers. Through the unauthorized use of such information, the thieves intend to get a financial gain through illegal means.

In order to not become a victim of identity theft, you need to be very careful with how you handle your sensitive personal data. You also need to be aware of your online activity, including the use of email, as this is becoming an increasingly popular avenue for identity theft.

There are companies that offer identity protection solutions which compliment the steps that you should be personally taking to secure your identity. Due to the fact that the crime of identity theft is on the rise, you need to take some serious measures in the fight against identity theft. One of the best steps to take is to make use of one of these identity theft services.

An identity theft protection company will automatically place fraud alerts on your accounts with the major credit bureaus. Fraud alerts are one of the best ways to prevent identity theft, and can be done manually or through a service. The advantage of using a service is that they will automatically renew your fraud alerts, which is something that has to be done every 90 days.

Identity theft protection is becoming more and more important, as identity theft itself becomes a bigger and bigger issue. Identity theft protection services are rapidly becoming the number one way to protect yourself against identity theft.

Not only will an identity theft protection company really help you protect your identity, if you happen to become a victim of identity theft, they will help you recover from the crime. So when you purchase the services of an identity theft protection company, you are purchasing a safety net in case you do fall victim to ID theft.

With an identity being stolen every four seconds, and with the cost to consumers in the billions, you need to lock down your identity immediately. Protecting yourself from identity theft needs to be your top priority, so that you never have to suffer as a victim of identity theft. - 16089

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