Be Aware Of Mail Identity Theft
March 10, 2008
There are many ways the criminal may attempt to steal your identity and you should be aware of them all. One method favored by the thief is to steal your mail and this article gives a few pointers on how to avoid mail identity theft.
When defining identity theft it is first important to know that this is a severe criminal offense. A person, who is convicted of identity theft, under current laws, will receive a minimum mandatory jail time of five years.
Specifically identity theft is when an individual deliberately utilizes the personal information from another individual with the intent of misrepresenting that individual. Usually, their purpose of taking on another persons identity is for illegal monetary gain.
Ways that an individual can steal another persons identity is through the stealing of sensitive personal information such as that information found on birth certificates or Social Security cards. Or an individual may use modern day technology to access another’s personal information found on anothers computer.
In addition, some thieves simply resort to robbing another person’s mail box. This is called mail identity theft. In order to limit the risk of mail identity theft there are some preventative steps that the individual can take to protect their identity. In addition, if an individual believes that their personal information has been compromised there are various steps that can be taken
Preventative Steps
It has been accurately said that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. This is certainly true in the case of protecting oneself from mail identity theft. Therefore, there are some specific and practical things that an individual can do to limit the risk of becoming a mail identity theft victim.
Some of those practical steps include the shredding of unwanted mail that may contain sensitive personal information. In addition, it is important to check credit reports offered by the three major credit reporting firms. Those firms include Experian and Equifax and TransUnion. An individuals credit report should be checked at least once a year and more frequently if the person feels that their information has been compromised.
Also, a simple measure to aid in the prevention of mail identity theft is to post personal mail at an official U.S. postal mail box. It is important never to leave outgoing mail in plain sight.
Steps To Take If A Victim
If an individual feels that they have been victimized by mail identity theft it is important that critical steps be taken immediately. Some of those steps include being registered in a fraud alert system. This system is offered by the three major credit bureaus. By subscribing to this service your name will be flagged and the opening of new accounts under this name and suspicious activity will be reported.
In addition, it is important that the fraud departments of each creditor be notified as well. These departments will also be on the alert for fraudulent activity and scrutinize any attempts to misrepresent the individual.
Also, it is important to inform two other agencies that will help address any potential mail identity theft actions. Those two entities are the local police department and a persons local bank.
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Tags:mail identity theft
Tags: identity theft
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