Identity Theft can Harm You Without Your Knowing

Identity theft is a very profitable business for criminals, and there were over 13 million victims in 2013. Some people think that identity theft can't happen to them, because they don't post personal information on social media, or that they are too young and their credit is too undeveloped to appeal to identity thieves. These fallacies leave some victims ignorant to the  fact that their identity has been stolen. Identity thieves are very attracted to new and undeveloped credit of younger citizens because it represents a clean start. Some criminals will even commit crimes in the name of a stolen identity, and a clean record of a young individual suits their needs perfectly. So no matter how safe you think you are, theft of identity can affect everyone. 

How can I Find Out if My Identity has been Stolen?

Monitor Financial Transactions

One way to know if your identity has been stolen is to closely monitor your financial transactions. If an identity thief makes small charges with your credit or banking information, you may not notice for a long period of time. However, by closely monitoring your transactions, and reviewing your financial statements, you can spot identity theft before is causes too much damage. 

Monitor Credit

Sometimes, if your identity is stolen, thieves will not make fraudulent transactions through your existing accounts, but will instead open new lines of credit. Monitoring your bank statements will not help to identify theft in this instance. By monitoring credit reports, you can find out if new lines of credit have been opened with your ID. 

Use a Third Party Identity Theft Expert

Identity Theft Protection is available from many veteran organizations. Organizations like Identity Guard use credit monitoring, identity monitoring, public record monitoring, and provide prompt alerts if certain suspicious activity occurs. These experts help to keep you aware and alert of fraud so that you can sleep at night knowing that you have help protecting your hard earned reputation.