What affects 25 million people and is worth over 50 billion dollars?

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  • FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION
FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION --  Identity theft occurs when someone uses your personally identifying information, like your name, social security number, or credit card number, without your permission, to commit fraud or other crimes.

The Federal Trade Commission estimates thieves steal as many as 9 million American's identities stolen each year, with over 25 million known cases.

You or someone you know may have experienced identity theft.

The crime takes many forms. Identity thieves may rent an apartment, obtain a credit card, or establish a telephone account in your name. You may not find out about the theft until you review your credit report or a credit card statement and notice charges you didn't make--or until you're contacted by a debt collector.

Identity theft is serious. While some identity theft victims can resolve their problems quickly, others spend hundreds of dollars and many days repairing damage to their good name and credit record.

Some victims may lose out on job opportunities, or be denied loans for education, housing or cars because of negative information on their credit reports.

In rare cases, they may even be arrested for crimes they did not commit.

Skilled identity thieves use a many methods to get hold of your information, including:
· Dumpster Diving. They rummage through trash looking for bills or other paper with your personal information on it.
· Skimming. They steal credit/debit card numbers by using a special storage device when processing your card.
· Phishing. They pretend to be financial institutions or companies and send spam or pop-up messages to get you to reveal your personal information.
· Changing Your Address. They divert your billing statements to another location by completing a change of address form.
· Old-Fashioned Stealing. They steal wallets and purses; mail, including bank and credit card statements; pre-approved credit offers; and new checks or tax information. They steal personnel records, or bribe employees who have access.
· Pretexting. They use false pretenses to obtain your personal information from financial institutions, telephone companies, and other sources.

Learn more about identity theft at ftc.gov or McConnell AFB SharePoint.