Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in America. According to the Dept. of Justice, 3.6 million households were victims of identity theft in 2004. Households headed by young people aged 18-24, and families earning over $75,000 annually were the most frequent targets of identity thieves. Of those who were victimized, 48% experienced unauthorized use of credit cards, 25% had bank accounts used without permission, 15% experienced misuse of personal information, and 12% had a number of different types of theft occur at the same time.

There are two types of identity theft. "Account takeover" occurs when a thief gets your existing credit account information and makes purchases using your credit card, and/or your account number and expiration date. You become aware of these purchases quickly since they appear on your monthly credit card statement. Generally, victims of credit card fraud are not liable for over $50 of the loss. Your bank account can also be taken over via electronic withdrawals and forged or “washed” checks. Check washing is done by removing outgoing mail from your mailbox, finding checks, and soaking them in a solution that dissolves the ink. The thief then has blank checks from your account to use as s/he desires.

"Application fraud" occurs when the thief uses your social security number and other identifying information to open new accounts in your name. Application fraud goes on for some time before you are aware it is happening because the monthly account statements are mailed to the thief’s address. You become aware of the theft when you check your credit report, are denied credit, or you get a call from a debt collector. It usually takes months, and sometimes years, to clear your credit and recover from the damage done to your credit rating.

Skilled identity thieves use a variety of methods to steal your personal information, including:

• Dumpster Diving: Thieves go through your trash looking for bills, bank statements or other paper with your personal information on it.
  
• Skimming: Thieves steal credit/debit card numbers by scanning your card with a special storage device when processing it.
  
• Phishing: Thieves pretend to be legitimate financial institutions or companies and send spam email or pop-up messages asking you to reveal your personal information.
  
• Changing Your Address: Thieves divert your billing statements to another location by completing a "change of address" form.
  
• "Old-Fashioned" Stealing: Thieves steal wallets, purses, mail, including bank and credit card statements; pre-approved credit offers; and new checks or tax information. They steal personnel records from employers, and hack into computers containing files where your personal information is stored.

If you take all of the recommended actions, you can still hire a Private Investigator to track down the thieves, and help you prove that you have been an identity theft victim. With the aid of a dedicated investigator you can restore your good name and credit more quickly, and help prevent the thieves from victimizing others by gathering evidence that will get them off the street and into the jail cells where they belong.  The sooner you call ICS to aid you in this serious matter the better chances we will have in tracking down and catching the criminal.  You can call 24/7 for a no-obligation consultation.

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