Identity theft is one of the fastest-growing crimes in the United States. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), 2.68 million Americans were affected by identity theft in 2017. This equated to over $602 million dollars lost to identity thieves.
Identity theft can come in many forms, such as credit card fraud, bank and loan fraud, utilities fraud, social security fraud and online shopping charges. Thieves use your personal information to gain access to your accounts and make unauthorized purchases. Many don’t realize they have been victims until mysterious charges appear on credit card bills, bank accounts are drained, utilities have been established in their name, etc.
The four types of identity theft include medical, criminal, financial and child identity theft.
Let us check and see if anyone else is or has been using yours or a loved one’s Social Security Number.