Posted by
Chris Earl on Wednesday, July 02, 2008 11:52:10 AM
Dear friends I want to clear up the myth that identity theft is only of a financial nature where some one uses your personally identifiable information(ssan, name, d.o.b.) to open a new bank account, credit card or line of credit. While this is one type of i d theft, there are 4 other types of i d theft I want to make you aware of because they can be personally devastating and life threatening.
1) Social security # i d theft. ie #1: Miguel from Mexico uses your ss # to get a job here in the U. S. ie #2: some one uses your name and ss # to file a fraudulent tax return in order to get a refund. This stunt was being done right here in Mo. recently by some folks in KC, Mo. using the ss # and names of ederly folks to file phony tax returns and they got over $13m in refunds.
2) Drivers license i d theft. ie: some one has a drivers license with their picture and your information on it so that if they get arrested after being pulled over for dui/dwi the charges will go on your record and when they are a no show at their court date a warrant is issued for your arrest which is served next time you are stopped for a minor traffic violation. Gotcha!
3) Medical records i d theft. ie: some one uses your information and medical insurance benefits to have major surgery or get cancer treatments or to cover the fact that they are hiv positive. Now your medical records are corrupted and are practically impossible to correct.
4) Criminal/Character i d theft. ie: some one commits tax or financial fraud in your name to cover their tracks resulting in your good name being tarnished and having to convince authorities that it was not you who did these things.
5) Financial i d theft.
I hope this helps.
Christopher Earl, Certified Identity Theft Risk Management Specialist (CITRMS)