Identity Theft

Identity Theft



In the course of a busy day, you may write a check at the grocery store,

charge tickets to a ball game, rent a car, mail your tax returns, call home on your

cell phone, order new checks or apply for a credit card. Chances are you don’t

give these everyday transactions a second thought. But someone else may.

The 1990’s spawned a new variety of crooks called identity thieves. Their

stock in trade is your everyday transaction. Each transaction requires you to

share personal information: your bank and credit card account numbers; your

income; your Social Security number (SSN); or your name, address and phone

numbers. An identity thief co-opts some piece of your personal information and

appropriates it without your knowledge to commit fraud or theft. An all-too-

common example is when an identity thief uses your personal information to

open a credit card account in your name.


Identity theft is a ser...