How to Protect Yourself from Identity Theft

Identity theft has become one of the most known scandals to man. More and more people are falling victims to identity theft and it can take years to repair what damage was done by someone who frequently took over what was once known as your good credit.

When I was sixteen years old, I had my wallet stolen out of my car. I didn't think much of it because I had no money in it, but I did report it to the police department. I was only sixteen and therefore didn't worry because I was still to young to build a credit history or have one ruin.

The years passed and around my eighteen birthday, my dad gave me the money to get a cell phone placed in my name as a present. I was told by the cell phone company that I couldn't get a cell phone because I had already taken out a contract with them for two phones about a month ago and that I owed them a lot of long distance charges. I argued with the cells clerk until I finally gave up and decided that it must have been a mistake on their part.

It wasn't until a few months later when I moved into my first house and went to have the electricity turned on, that I realized I had fallen victim of identity theft. The electric company first asked me if I needed a transfer and when I told them no, they said that I would need to pay the bill from my old place to have the electricity transferred. I didn't know what they were talking about. I had never had the electricity turned on in my life and yet they are claiming that I owe them a bill.

I asked for the address and went to the house which was located in the same town in which I was moving. I knocked on the door and a young man answered it. When I asked to speak to his mother he said that she was not home. I immediately became suspicious about this. I camped out in front of their yard waiting for her to show up. The lady of the house walked out the door of the house at around six in the morning, tip toeing to her car. I caught up with her and asked her about it. She said that she just moved in and that she had no idea as to what I was talking about. I noticed an electric bill in her laying in the passenger seat. I flipped it over and on the front of it in big black letters was my name. I said that I knew that she was lying and that she needed to pay the bill. She called the cops to her house right after I had said that.

When the cops arrived and we both explained to them, our side of the story, the cops said that I needed to contact the Social Security Administration to get this settled and that they are unable to do anything about it because this lady claimed that I allowed her to put the Electricity in my name at her address.

I called the Social Security Administration the next day and was informed that the only time that they can get involved was if someone was using my social security number to work and in this case, this female had not done this.

You may be a little confused right about now and I am going to explain to you as to why this is the way that it is. The Social Security Administration receives millions upon millions of claims that peoples identities have been stolen. It has become almost impossible for them to prove that someone has stolen your identity unless they are using it to work and in which case there would be a tax form that the employer would send in with the information on it.

The identity theft victims are left trying to prove this and, unless you hire a private detective, which is very costly, then it is almost impossible to prove that you have fallen a victim.

I had gotten a copy of my credit report to check it and found that this person had been using my information to go to doctors, for bills, and to even purchase product under my name without paying for them.

I am twenty two years old now and have paid off a lot of the debt that was acquired by this person. I still have years before my credit will even be worth anything to credit companies. When I need to purchase something, I now have to purchase it under my husband's name and I never add my information to anything that might be picked up by another person.

I have learned a lot of ways to keep people from stilling your identity and would recommend people to use these cautions whenever possible.

When a company ask for your information, always right it down instead of saying them out loud. When you say your information out loud, this gives by standers an opportunity to write them down and then later use them for their benefits.

Check your credit report at least once a year. When you check your credit report it will show you when your credit was ran by a company, where all you have lived in the past that has been put on file, and what purchases have been made using your information. If you are not sure about something then contact the credit bureau for more information on how to handle this.

I have found that paper shredders come in handy. Shred everything that might have any of your information on it before dumping it in the trash can.

Never give out information over the phone. If you can't see the person then how are you to know for certain that they are a legitimate company. If they need your information then they can wait to see you in person.

Check your mail as soon as it arrive. Never leave your mail in the mailbox for someone to grab. If you think that you are going to be away for a few days then either have your mail forwarded or have someone that you trust to pick it up for you.

Keep your personal information put up in a safe place. I would advise keeping it in a lock box and then checking it often to make sure that it hasn't been tampered with. Never keep person information in your car. If a person can break into your house then they can also do the same to your car. Keep in mind that insurance verification and titles are also personal information that can be used against you.

Alarms can also come in handy when someone is trying to still things. I would advise adding an alarm to everything that you own and are unable to keep a close eye on.

Identity theft insurance is also a good thing to have on your credit cards and bank accounts. Identity theft insurance will help to protect you if your identity is stolen.

Try to keep good records of any suspicious activity that might have occurred incase you need this information to prosecute someone or to verify that you were the victim of identity theft.

Until we win this war against identiy theft, we all need to try to be safe and keep our personal information out of the hands of theives.