Article Advise

submitted: Aug 21st 2008 | by: PaulWilcox | Total views: 2 | Word Count: 386 | |

Reports of identity theft and fraud top the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) list of consumer fraud complaints this year and have every year since 2000. In fact reports of fraud and identity theft make up about 39% of consumer complaints with fraud resulting from Internet auctions in second place with about 16% of consumer complaints.

Identity theft is a major problem for consumers today. With the inception of the Internet, more and more innocent people are finding themselves victims of identity theft and fraud. These crimes include credit card fraud, stolen bank funds, and even stolen identity theft by criminals looking to escape prosecution for their crimes.

Credit Card and Loan Fraud

One of the easiest and most popular identity theft crimes is credit card fraud. Thieves gain access to an innocent person's personal information and use it to open credit card accounts or use it to gain access to existing credit card accounts. These criminals usually quickly max these credit cards out by purchasing extravagant items. Fortunately most credit card companies will not hold the legal cardholder liable for these purchases.

Another form of identity theft is when criminals obtain a loan in some unsuspecting victim's name. These types of crimes are more difficult to resolve. Many lenders have made the process of getting a loan so easy that it is hard to prove that an imposter took out the loan instead of the victim. Victims often don't find out about the loan until it has affected their credit rating.

Identity Theft And Fraud For Criminal Purposes

It isn't always just your credit that gets destroyed; it can be your police record as well. There have been many instances where someone who has stolen the identity of another individual has given the stolen identity when caught committing an unrelated criminal act.

Often times the victim doesn't even know this crime against them has been committed until they may apply for a job that requires a criminal background check or get stopped for a speeding ticket. Imagine their surprise when they don't get the job or get hauled off to jail for a speeding ticket because they have a warrant for their arrest. It can take a lot of time and money to clear a victim's name in cases such as these.

About the Author

Is your computer secure enough? Find out what you should be doing to keep it safe from spyware, viruses and other internet security threats at the Online Security Toolkit website. Visit http://www.onlinesecuritytoolkit.com for more tips & info.

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