Identity Theft And Debt Collection
A letter from a debt collection agency about a debt you know nothing about may be the first indicator that you could be the victim of identity theft. This crime touches the lives of as many as ten million people a year.
If a collector calls you about an unfamiliar bill, you should ask the collector for information about the debt, such as account applications and statements. The collector must notify the original creditor about the fraud or the identity theft.
It is a good idea to ask the collector to send you their fraud affidavit form. The best option to not be a victim is prevention; there are a number of ways to protect your identity. Most importantly, protect your social security number.
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Don\’t ever carry your social security card in your pocketbook. Only give out your social security number when it is absolutely necessary. If there are other types of identification that you can utilize in any situation, use that.
If you are not sure why a business is asking for your number, always ask why. You should put passwords on your bank, phone and credit card accounts. Try not to choose passwords that could be easily guessed. Combinations of numbers, letters and special characters are usually the best.
Keep your information safe. Watch your wallet, and keep your information in a secure place at home. Shred your charge receipts, copies of credit applications, checks, bank statements and credit offers you get in the mail. You can opt out of receiving pre-screened offers of credit in the mail by calling 1-888-5-OPT-OUT. Promptly remove mail from your mailbox.
One preventative method that might be worth considering is identity theft insurance. While it won\’t stop identity theft it can mitigate the damages to an extent. Keep in mind that in addition to loss of money, identity theft is time consuming. Also, many law enforcement officers and companies will only speak with you, making it impossible for someone else to help you.
Mallory McGuinness-Hickey is employed by debt collection company Rapid Recovery Solution and writes articles on business and finance. Grab a totally unique version of this article from the Uber Article Directory
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