Your information is everywhere and criminals, such as hackers, who’ve stolen as many as 1.2 billion passwords in one crime spree, know how to get to it. Our new Identity Theft 101 infographic discusses the different types of identity theft, explains exactly how identity theft occurs, and what you can do to prevent it. Don’t leave yourself unprotected!

1. IDENTITY THEFT 101:
HOW IT HAPPENS AND WHAT
YOU CAN DO TO PREVENT IT
Your information is on file everywhere, from your doctor's office
to your bank to your school. Savvy criminals know how to get to it,
so you need to know how to protect it.
Identity theft can take many forms, but no matter how it hits you,
its impact can be devastating.
IDENTITY THEFT
IS A MAJOR THREAT
13.1 million consumers suffered identity fraud in 2013.
Every 2 seconds, another American becomes a victim of identity fraud.
FORMS OF
REPORTED
IDENTITY
THEFT
WHAT CRIMINALS DO WITH
YOUR INFORMATION
Criminals can get your personal information by:
Dumpster diving Listening to personal
Shoulder surfing when you
enter personal information
Stealing mail Phishing emails requesting
Skimming credit
personal information
Hacking online accounts containing
personal or financial information
With your personal information, criminals can:
Take out
a loan
Open utilities
accounts
Posing as a legitimate institution over
the phone or by email to obtain personal
quitclaim deed
THE FINANCIAL IMPACT THAT ID
THEFT CAN HAVE ON YOUR CREDIT
10% Types of credit
used
10% New credit
15% Length of credit
history
FICO
CREDIT
SCORES
CONSIST OF
35% Payment history
30% Amounts owed
Criminals who have stolen your identity reduce your credit score by:
Opening new
credit card
accounts and
utilities accounts.
Obtaining home or
car loans in your
name that they may
default on.
Upsetting the
balance between
credit available
and credit used.
Applying for credit,
which will lower
your score even if
the applications
are denied.
Failing to make payments
Failure to pay any bill accrued in your name, including medical bills and utility
bills can result in the charge being reported to a collections agency, which will
appear on your credit report and negatively impact your credit score.
Victims must painstakingly comb through credit reports
to pinpoint all false inquiries, accounts, and charges and go
through the lengthy process of disputing them.
Until the damage is repaired, the victim’s low credit score can impact:
Ability to get a job when
employers run the victim’s credit
Employers are hesitant to hire
individuals with a low credit score,
assuming that they're irresponsible.
Approval for a home or car loan
If you have a low credit score, you
may be denied for a loan.
Application approval for an
apartment lease
Individuals with a low credit score
are seen as high risk and
landlords may worry that they will
not pay rent on time or at all.
Interest rates on lines of credit
If you are approved for a loan
or credit card, your interest
rate is much higher if your credit
score is low.
Approval for new credit cards
A low credit score will result in
denial for new lines of credit.
Insurance premiums
Insurance premiums are based
off your credit score. A low score
results in high premiums.
Victims may also lose money when identity thieves file
fraudulent tax returns or apply for government benefits
claims using the victim’s stolen identity.
Victims of employment fraud, where the criminal obtains
a job using the victim's identity, may:
Have trouble getting a job because it
appears they're employed.
Be unable to receive unemployment or
other benefits they need because the
government believes they are working.
THE EMOTIONAL IMPACT
OF IDENTITY THEFT
Credit card companies and others who believe that the victim has
been avoiding payments can turn everyday life into a nightmare, with:
Notices from
collection agencies
Persistent harassing
phone calls
Astronomical
bills
Victims often come to dread looking in the mailbox or answering the phone.
Identity theft effectively disrupts nearly every part of everyday life.
In some cases, victims like Erie Salgado have been arrested for crimes
committed using the stolen identity. Salgado was released 4 days later, but the
fear of being arrested still haunts him.
10 WAYS TO PREVENT
IDENTITY THEFT
Be extremely cautious about who you give your information to, and never
trust emails or phone calls from companies claiming to need personal or
financial details.
Set up a hold on your mail while you’re traveling so criminals can’t steal
personal information from your mailbox when you’re away.
Never discuss personal or financial details on the phone when you’re in a
public place.
Check your financial information often, including credit reports, bank
statements, and any other notices you receive regarding financial
accounts.
Make a note of items you don’t receive as well as ones you do – if you stop
getting credit card or bank statements it could mean that someone has
filed a false address in your name.
Keep records of your financial accounts and transaction for five years.
These will be helpful if you need to dispute fraudulent transactions.
Keep financial documents and personal records, such as a birth certificate
and social security card, in a secure location like a home safe.
Lock your purse or wallet up when you’re at work.
Place outgoing mail in a post office collection box, not your unsecured
mail box.
Shred credit card offers, financial statements, and other mail before
discarding it.
Over time, it is possible to recover from identity theft,
but it's important to act quickly.
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09
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With IdentityForce’s UltraSecure+Credit, your personal information, including your
credit, will be monitored 24/7, and you’ll be notified immediately of any suspicious
activity so you can act before any damage is done. If anything does happen,
IdentityForce will be with you every step of the way helping you restore your identity.
Brought to you by:
34% Government
documents/benefits
fraud
17% Credit card
fraud
14% Phone or
utilities fraud
17% Others
4% Loan fraud
6% Employment
related fraud
8% Bank fraud
Apply for a new
credit card
information directly from you
Make withdrawals from
your bank account
conversations
or debit cards
Use telephone
calling cards
File fraudulent
tax returns
File a
SOURCES:
http://www.ftc.gov/system/files/documents/reports/consumer-sentinel-network-data-book-january-dece
mber-2013/sentinel-cy2013.pdf
https://www.javelinstrategy.com/brochure/314
http://money.cnn.com/2014/02/06/pf/identity-fraud/
http://www.justice.gov/criminal/fraud/websites/idtheft.html
http://www.myfico.com/crediteducation/whatsinyourscore.aspx
http://money.msn.com/credit-rating/4-ways-id-theft-affects-your-credit
http://www.bankrate.com/finance/debt/credit-score-seen-as-a-judge-of-character.aspx
https://www.familysecure.com/CreditScore.aspx
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20130407/NEWS01/704079939
https://www.ncjrs.gov/spotlight/identity_theft/summary.html
http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0272-how-keep-your-personal-information-secure
http://m.wftv.com/news/news/local/9-investigates-identity-theft-victims-legal-woes/ndLQS/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/russ-warner/employmentrelated-identit_b_3017872.html
http://www.spamlaws.com/identity-theft-skimming