Memphis attorney Vincent Perryman discusses Identity theft with Lynn Duncan from ID Theft Solutions of America. Identity theft is the number one white collar crime in America and is the fastest growing crime in America. It affects one in every six Americans. Credit Identity theft is less than 23 percent. Drivers license Identity Theft is when someone gets a driver's license in the victims name and then gets a traffic violation. Social Security Number Identity Theft is when someone uses a victims social security number to gain employment and then doesn't pay taxes and the actual owner of the number is responsible for those taxes. Medical Identity Theft is the number one growing type using your insurance card to gain medical assistance. This becomes a problem when the medical records of the victim are mixed with the records of the thief. Identity theft can occur when your wallet or purse is stolen or it may be retrieved from the garbage. On the Internet Phishing is used to gain information about someone by taking the victim to a fraudulent site. Skimming is used when a server in a restaurant can swipe a credit card number and then sell it on the Internet. Some preventative measures are just by being aware. Don't send mail out with personal information. Check your credit regularly. The Government is now passing several laws dictating how business dispose of, store, and use personal information.
Some of the regulations used to help protect identities. Business are required to have a privacy policy that describes how personal information is stored and how it is disposed. There are Federal and State regulations governing the handling of personal customer information. HIPPA is an example of a governing standard that protects personal information. If personal information has been compromised at a business customers must be notified of this. Businesses must train their employees on protecting customers from Identity theft. If a notification of compromise is received from a business stating personal information may have been handled improperly, then obtaining a credit monitoring company may be a good idea.
A good protective measure to prevent Identity Theft is to put your name and address on the no call list and removed from the mailing list. Be vigilant when you receive a suspicious email, letter or phone call. If they ask for information that they should already poses, this is generally a scam. If you suspect your insurance identity has been compromised it is very difficult to detect. If you suspect you are a victim of Identity Theft first file a police report. There is also a notification handbook, the FTC guide, that will help with the process. There are services that will help with Identity Theft retrieval. Once the Identity has been stolen it is very difficult to clear your record. Some things that will help prevent further damage once your identity is stolen is to freeze your credit in the 3 credit record repositories. Paying for extra protection on your credit card is not necessary. By law an individual is only responsible for up to 50.00 on a credit card if the theft is discovered within 60 days. Monitoring services are a good investment. Opting out of credit card offers is always a good idea. The number to contact them is 1-888-567-8688. This opts you out for 5 years or for life.
