You can never be a hundred percent sure that you are safe from identity thieves. Apart from applying various identity theft protection steps, you need to educate yourself with the signs that tell you are a victim. The truth is there are 9-18% of victims who only after 4 years or longer discover that they are victims of identity theft. The first thing to do to stop identity theft from happening is to know that it is already happening. People who refuse to consider identity theft protection because they think that they manage their accounts well are also the last ones to know that someone has already taken away a lot from them.
A significant part of identity theft protection involves preventing the scammers from completely taking advantage of your identity, form stealing your finances to committing crimes. If you know that someone is using your identity, you can take the right steps to stop him or her or them. More than that, the sooner you discover your being a victim, the lesser the damages you would have to repair.
Here are the signs that point out to identity theft already happening:
Your credit card billing statements include purchases you did not make.
The credit card provider has no power to determine whether you are the one who is indeed making purchases. However, what they do is to list all the purchases made under your name in the statement that you receive every month. Take a good look at it to make sure about what you are paying like you would when you study an official receipt.
When you see something on the statement that you are sure you did not purchase, report it to the credit card company and get a copy of your credit report. Someone could have stolen your account information and is already using your account to commit credit fraud or bank fraud.
Receiving a credit card you did not apply for
One way to exercise identity theft protection is to build financial relationships only with trusted and notable organizations. You should check privacy policies that protect your personal information before you begin transactions. Thieves develop numerous ways to steal a person’s identity.
It is common to receive pre-approved credit card offers especially if you have a good credit record. But if you receive a credit card you did not apply for you should call the provider and ask about them why they sent you one. A thief could easily open new accounts under your name once he gets hold of your information.
Your credit applications are denied
If your applications continuously get denied it only means creditors do not find you credit worthy. If you have good credit and this happens, you can ask your credit issuer for details. Get a copy of your credit report and study it. Chances are, your credit is already in a bad shape without your knowing.
You get denied for credit you did not apply for
Another means of identity theft protection involves being regularly updated with your credit report. You can easily check for suspicious activity in you own accounts this way. Like receiving credit cards you did not apply for, you know that someone is using your identity if you receive reports from a credit company saying an application is denied. You shouldn’t think twice starting an investigation if you did not apply for it in the first place.
