Federal Trade Commission: Your National Resource About ID Theft

About Identity Theft

How can someone steal my identity?
What are the effects of identity theft?
How can I tell if I'm a victim of identity theft?
What is "pretexting" and what does it have to do with identity theft?
How long can the effects of identity theft last?
Should I use a credit monitoring service?

How can someone steal my identity?

Despite your best efforts to manage the flow of your personal information or to keep it to yourself, skilled identity thieves may use a variety of methods to gain access to your data.

They get information from businesses or other institutions by:
• stealing records or information while they're on the job
• bribing an employee who has access to these records
• hacking these records
• conning information out of employees

• They may steal your mail, including bank and credit card statements, credit card offers, new checks, and tax information.

• They may rummage through your trash, the trash of businesses, or public trash dumps in a practice known as "dumpster diving."

• They may get your credit reports by abusing their employer's authorized access to them, or by posing as a landlord, employer, or someone else who may have a legal right to access your report.

• They may steal your credit or debit card numbers by capturing the information in a data storage device in a practice known as "skimming." They may swipe your card for an actual purchase, or attach the device to an ATM machine where you may enter or swipe your card.

• They may steal your wallet or purse.

• They may complete a "change of address form" to divert your mail to another location.

• They may steal personal information they find in your home.

• They may steal personal information from you through email or phone by posing as legitimate companies and claiming that you have a problem with your account. This practice is known as "phishing" online, or pretexting by phone.

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What are the effects of identity theft?

Once identity thieves have your personal information, they use it in a variety of ways.

• They may call your credit card issuer to change the billing address on your credit card account. The imposter then runs up charges on your account. Because your bills are being sent to a different address, it may be some time before you realize there's a problem.

• They may open new credit card accounts in your name. When they use the credit cards and don't pay the bills, the delinquent accounts are reported on your credit report.

• They may establish phone or wireless service in your name.

• They may open a bank account in your name and write bad checks on that account.

• They may counterfeit checks or credit or debit cards, or authorize electronic transfers in your name, and drain your bank account.

• They may file for bankruptcy under your name to avoid paying debts they've incurred under your name, or to avoid eviction.

• They may buy a car by taking out an auto loan in your name.

• They may get identification such as a driver's license issued with their picture, in your name.

• They may get a job or file fraudulent tax returns in your name.

• They may give your name to the police during an arrest. If they don't show up for their court date, a warrant for arrest is issued in your name.

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How can I tell if I'm a victim of identity theft?

If an identity thief is opening credit accounts in your name, these accounts are likely to show up on your credit report. To find out, order a copy of your credit reports. Once you get your reports, review them carefully. Look for inquiries from companies you haven't contacted, accounts you didn't open, and debts on your accounts that you can't explain. Check that information, like your Social Security number, address(es), name or initials, and employers are correct. If you find fraudulent or inaccurate information, get it removed. See Correcting Fraudulent Information in Credit Reports to learn how. Continue to check your credit reports periodically, especially for the first year after you discover the identity theft, to make sure no new fraudulent activity has occurred.

Stay alert for other signs of identity theft, like:

• failing to receive bills or other mail. Follow up with creditors if your bills don't arrive on time. A missing bill could mean an identity thief has taken over your account and changed your billing address to cover his tracks.

• receiving credit cards that you didn't apply for.

• being denied credit, or being offered less favorable credit terms, like a high interest rate, for no apparent reason.

• getting calls or letters from debt collectors or businesses about merchandise or services you didn't buy.

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What is "pretexting" and what does it have to do with identity theft?

Pretexting is the practice of getting your personal information under false pretenses. Pretexters sell your information to people who may use it to get credit in your name, steal your assets, or to investigate or sue you. Pretexting is against the law.

Pretexters use a variety of tactics to get your personal information. For example, a pretexter may call, claim he's from a survey firm, and ask you a few questions. When the pretexter has the information he wants, he uses it to call your financial institution. He pretends to be you or someone with authorized access to your account. He might claim that he's forgotten his checkbook and needs information about his account. In this way, the pretexter may be able to obtain personal information about you such as your Social Security number, bank and credit card account numbers, information in your credit report, and the existence and size of your savings and investment portfolios.

Keep in mind that some information about you may be a matter of public record, such as whether you own a home, pay your real estate taxes, or have ever filed for bankruptcy. It is not pretexting for another person to collect this kind of information.

By law, it's illegal for anyone to:

• use false, fictitious or fraudulent statements or documents to get customer information from a financial institution or directly from a customer of a financial institution.

• use forged, counterfeit, lost, or stolen documents to get customer information from a financial institution or directly from a customer of a financial institution.

• ask another person to get someone else's customer information using false, fictitious or fraudulent statements or using false, fictitious or fraudulent documents or forged, counterfeit, lost, or stolen documents.

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How long can the effects of identity theft last?

It's difficult to predict how long the effects of identity theft may linger. That's because it depends on many factors including the type of theft, whether the thief sold or passed your information on to other thieves, whether the thief is caught, and problems related to correcting your credit report.

Victims of identity theft should monitor their credit reports and other financial records for several months after they discover the crime. Victims should review their credit reports once every three months in the first year of the theft, and once a year thereafter. Stay alert for other signs of identity theft. See How can I tell if I'm a victim of identity theft?

Don’t delay in correcting your records and contacting all companies that opened fraudulent accounts. The longer the inaccurate information goes uncorrected, the longer it will take to resolve the problem.

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Should I use a credit monitoring service?

There are a variety of commercial services that, for a fee, will monitor your credit reports for activity and alert you to changes to your accounts. Prices and services vary widely. Many of the services only monitor one of the three major consumer reporting companies. If you’re considering signing up for a service, make sure you understand what you're getting before you buy. Also check out the company with your local Better Business Bureau, consumer protection agency and state Attorney General to see if they have any complaints on file.