Cancel Credit/Debits Cards
If you have had your plastic cards stolen it is very important you cancel them immediately by phoning your provider, as this will prevent thieves from running up any fraudulent charges on them.

Police Report
The police report number will be a vital part of proving that you have been a victim of identity theft so as soon as you can file a report with your local police service and get several copies for your records. This will also help police with any ongoing investigations they may have concerning identity fraud.

Identity Theft Affidavit
The FTC has an official identity theft affidavit which allows you to quickly and easily alert all the necessary businesses and financial providers you need to that you have become a victim of identity theft. You simply fill in the affidavit and then send as many copies as you need to out to your credit providers (banks, credit cards, store cards etc) and also the main credit agencies Experian, Equifax and TransUnion.

Freeze Your Credit Report
If your identity has been compromised it can be a good idea to freeze your consumer credit report when you contact the main credit agencies, as this can prevent any thieves from using your personal information to apply for credit fraudulently in your name. You can always unfreeze the file again in the future when your case has been resolved so that you can apply for new credit yourself.

Credit Fraud
Thieves can use even basic personal details such as your name, address and telephone number to fraudulently apply for credit accounts in your name such as new cell phone contracts, bank accounts, credit/store cards, loans and car hire agreements. Any applications made in your name for credit with legitimate lenders will be recorded on your consumer credit file, so it is important that you request copies of your file regularly and check through your own credit history carefully, as this can help you to spot any fraudulent entries. Thieves can also use stolen identities to mask their own poor credit scores when applying for credit or rental agreements, and can misappropriate the details of your existing credit cards and bank accounts to try and steal money directly from your accounts and run up fraudulently charges.

Identity Crime
Identity crime is a serious issue and has been linked to some very nasty criminals such as terrorists, drug runners and human traffickers, and fake or stolen identities can be used for a number of reasons such as:
• To mask the identity of criminals when they are arrested and charged for a crime (the charge will be recorded under a false or stolen name) and also so they can get jobs, move around the country or escape abroad undetected if they have outstanding warrants in their own names.
• To mask the identity of illegal immigrants so that they can enter the country, and also live, work, pay taxes and claim benefits once they have arrived without alerting the authorities.

Identity theft can happen to anyone, and the scary thing is that this type of crime is growing every year, and as identity theft can be very difficult to trace it can be a lengthy and time consuming process trying to sort out the damage to your finances and good name if you do become a victim.

Millions of people around the world have their personal and financial details stolen and used for fraudulent activities every year, and the really worrying part of this is that these numbers just keep on growing. In fact identity fraud crime is officially one of the fastest growing crimes in the world. Everyone should be aware of identity theft crimes and take steps to protect their own personal data against these fraudsters.

The Hard Facts
• 16% of all identity fraud crimes are carried out by somebody the victim knows such as friends, relatives or co-workers
• 11% of identity crimes occur through lost or stolen purses/wallets
• 34% of all credit card related identity crimes occur when thieves obtaining existing card information to run up fraudulent charges and steal the victims credit
• Only 15% of identity theft victims are alerted by their credit card company or bank before any fraudulent activity can take place, which means that 85% of all identity theft victims do not realise their identity has been stolen until it is too late, and the damage has already been done.

Many criminals justify their actions by claiming that identity theft is a ‘victimless crime’ as any charges that are run up on credit accounts will be reimbursed by the account provider in the event of fraudulent activity. How this is simply not true, as many victims can find it very difficult to prove that the theft occurred in the first place, and the account provider may be consider them liable for any fraudulent charges and debts. There are also Federal capping laws for credit fraud, which may see victims only receiving reimbursement for part of the charges run up in their names. Criminals also do not take into account the financial, mental and emotional impact that these crimes can have on victims, leaving them with serious problems such as frozen accounts that they cannot access and difficulties applying for their own credit needs. Identity theft may also have even more serious ramifications on victims lives, which has caused many experts to parallel the effects of identity fraud on its victims with that of violent crimes.