If you receive a collection notice concerning an account that is unfamiliar to you, you should not ignore it.  Someone may have stolen your identity and used it to fraudulently obtain credit in your name.  This happened to me in 1998. The scheme generally works as follows. Someone, likely part of a ring, gets ahold

Identity thieves steal your personal information to commit fraud. They can damage your credit status and cost you time and money restoring your good name. To reduce your risk of becoming a victim, follow the tips below: Don’t carry your Social Security card in your wallet or write it on your checks. Only give out

ID theft: It’s still a Problem Identity theft is everywhere. Turn on your TV, and you’ll see “special reports” on how to prevent it. Turn on the radio, and hear ads for services pledging to protect you from it. Search for it on Google, and you get 140 million results. In fact, according to a

How to Protect Yourself Now There’s a lot of advice about how to deal with identity theft around these days – some helpful, some unrealistic, and some a little ridiculous. We’ve done the research for you and present the following easy-to-do, indispensable steps. These items should be considered MUST-DOs if you’re serious about minimizing the

Identity theft occurs when someone obtains your personal information, such as your credit card data or Social Security number, to commit fraud or other crimes. The Federal Trade Commission estimates that 9 million Americans suffer identity theft annually. It sounds like a big number, but it isn’t. For one, the hysteria has been stoked by much-publicized data

As you’ve prepared to send your child back to school this fall, you’ve likely been hit with a mountain of paperwork for class enrollment, youth sports, and other after-school activities. But as you share your child’s personal information with teachers and administrators, carefully consider how and why the information will be used in order to

Looking for a job? You should also be looking out for identity thieves. You want to be thorough on your résumé when you’re looking for a job. But here are a few things you should NOT include on your resume, according to the Identity Theft Resource Center. You can provide any of these things to

Here are a few tips on how to avoid becoming the victim of credit card fraud: Periodically review your credit reports. There are three main credit bureaus. Order your credit report from each of them at least once a year. Request copies of your credit report from TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax. You can also obtain

Defined as when one person masquerades under the identity of another, identity theft has flourished in recent years with the advent of online, faceless Internet lending and credit transactions. Although it is almost impossible for consumers to completely guard themselves against identity theft, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and other consumer agencies suggest the following