Forms Of Identity Theft And 2 Ways To Prevent It

When identity theft happens, it can really create a whirlwind of hurtful results

. You will want to know what to do if identity theft happens to you, and how to prevent it from happening in the first place. There are a few kinds of identity theft that can take place. The first kind that can take place is something called "account takeover", and we will discuss this briefly below.

Account takeover is one of the most common forms of identity theft that happens today. An example of this is when a thief gets the information from your credit card and uses it to purchase goods. You usually don't find out that your credit card has been used until you receive your monthly statement or until your card has been maxed out.

Another form of identity theft that happens is something called "application fraud". To do damage on your credit file, a thief would only need a few pieces of your information to do his duty. These include social security number, full name, address, driver's license number, and even your birth date.

If you're someone who thinks that identity theft can't happen to you, then you should think again. It very commonly happens and all that is needed is a few information to get away with the crime. Sometimes it happens when people are careless with their sensible information and other times it can happen when you try your best to protect your information.

It doesn't matter if you have a credit card with a limit that is high or low. Thieves don't care and they are looking for any opportunity to get you for your valuables. There are 2 things that you can do however to safeguard your information, and here they are.

1) Place fraud alerts on your credit file

2) Get a security freeze

I personally like the second idea better because no one can get to your information except for your existing creditors. When you place fraud alerts on your credit file, you tell the credit bureaus to monitor your credit file for any suspicious activities that will be going on. This doesn't protect you 100% from identity theft, but is a good step in the right direction towards safeguarding your information.

When you place a security freeze on your credit file, you lock your file down so that no one can get to it. You can request temporary lifts of your security freeze so that lenders, or apartment landlords can access your records, but aside from this, your information is safe. Whenever someone tries to open up new credit in your name, the creditor will get a message that a freeze is on your credit file and that no one can get to your information.

This is an extreme way to protect your credit file but I think it's a good choice if you're concerned about your identity. Remember, once you've been a victim of identity theft, you can't go back into the future and take it back. You need to think about what matters most when it comes to protecting your identity, and what it will take to safeguard your information. Good luck protecting your identity and not being a victim of identity theft.

Forms Of Identity Theft And 2 Ways To Prevent It

By: Adrian Hargray

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