Protecting Our Identity

Identity theft professionals are becoming greedier and more proficient at their “game.” Identity theft is no longer limited to unpaid credit cards, small credit loans, but with the booming real estate market there is fast cash there for the conniving individual to make.

Mortgage fraud through identity theft is the second most common mortgage fraud scheme. The FTC reported in 2004 that $429 million dollars in damages for home mortgage fraud hoaxed and approximately $1.1 million dollars lost on commercial loans.

Mortgage fraud through identity theft occurs in several different ways. First a person may apply for a loan for a new home or for a home equity loan using your personal and financial information. The home equity loan is most often on the house that you are residing in, thus making this the easiest hoax to commit. Knowledge of an individual’s date of birth, social security number, as well as address makes it easy for victimization to occur.

Secondly, mortgage fraud may occur in a fake sale of your home. One thief will assume your identity and “sell” the property to another thief. With mortgage loan money in hand, both thieves get away and no real sale occurs. However, there have been instances where the homeowner’s identity was stolen and the home was sold to a legitimate buyer and the thief gets away with the money, the buyers have no new home and the original homeowner is left with the messy business of re-establishing his identity and his credit.

In most cases, the banks are the ones most damaged by these types of schemes. A legitimate homeowner did not take out the loan, so may not be held liable, but they don’t get off with out any damage at all. Many hours and much money may be required to correct the credit problems that are a result of identity theft, particularly when the theft results in large sums of money being stolen. Then there is the additional effort to protect their future credit and personal information.

Those most likely to be victims of mortgage fraud are the elderly, established homeowners, and those who have a great deal of equity in their homes. Equity information is readily available through an online title search and the use of tracking property values in the area.

Homeowners need to do the following to protect their homes and their credit.

- Monitor your credit report, receive regular updates, and stay informed;

- Immediately contact any lenders that provide information on your credit report when you discover pieces of information that are mistakes of fact or that you don’t know or recognize;

- Read your social security benefits statement when it comes in the mail to determine if anyone has already claimed your benefits.

- Be wary of communications regarding your home, real estate, personal or mortgage information including special “offers” to help you with your mortgage or interest rate.

- You may need to educate your parents or other elderly individuals with their credit protection plans.

- Install an anti virus and spyware software system on your computer to protect your personal and financial information.

Early detection and reporting of mortgage fraud schemes is important. With mortgage fraud, consumers may lose their property, their savings, and their credit rating. Secondly, lenders are affected by the loss of money, security, and assets in their company, not to mention the lack of trust resulting from these types of rackets.

If a victim of this type of crime, it should be reported to The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) http://www.fbi.gov/ (202) 324-3000 - National FBI Financial Institution Fraud Unit. However, there are a possible 18 other government agencies, banking, consumer, and fraud reporting agencies as well as other consumer resources available to consumers depending on the type and method of mortgage fraud that occurred. For a complete list of resources, visit Mortgage News Daily http://www.mortgagenewsdaily.com/Mortgage_Fraud/National_Resources.asp

Consumers can try to stop identity theft before it happens by being forewarned and vigilant. If you are a victim of identity theft, in particular mortgage fraud you will have the information you need to correctly and quickly report the theft and take the steps necessary to begin to repair your credit.



By: Lisa Carey

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Yearly Reports of Identity Theft to the Federal Trade Commission:

In 2007 identity theft accounted for 36 percent of the 674,354 fraud and identity theft complaints (reported to the Federal Trade Commission.

In 2005 -255,565 cases of identity theft were reported to the FTC

In 2004 -246,847 cases of identity theft were reported to the FTC

In 2003 215,177 cases reported of identity theft were reported to the FTC

In 2001 CBS News reported that someone became the victim of identity theft every 79 seconds (CBSnews.com, 1/25/01)

Between 1997 and 2005 the Federal Trade Commission reported that over 3 million cases of fraud and identity theft were reported to over 1400 law enforcement agencies in 19 nations. Identity theft crimes are not limited to the United States but are committed world wide.

Facts every consumer should know:

- Credit card fraud (26%) was the most common form of reported identity theft followed by phone or utilities fraud; (18%), bank fraud (17%), and employment fraud (12%). Other significant categories of identity theft reported by victims were government documents/benefits fraud (9%) and loan fraud (5%). (Federal Trade Commission Complaint Data)

- the majority of cases go unreported to Federal or local authorities

- the most common age group affected by identity theft is 18-29

- the top 10 metropolitan areas affected by identity theft include: Phoenix, AZ; Las Vegas, NV; Miami, FL; San Francisco, CA; and Dallas, TX (2005)

- California had the most reported cases of identity theft with a total of approximately 45,000 cases of identity theft (2005)

- the most common method of retrieving information for use in identity theft is through lost or stolen wallets, theft of mail, dumpster diving, and information obtained through friends, family or consumer providers

- another common method of obtaining your information is by “stealing” it at a business that you may you frequent

New, Harder to Detect Form of Identity Theft

Synthetic identity theft occurs when bits and pieces of several people are used in order to create an entirely new identity. Information may come in the form of an address from one person, the social security number of another and employment or banking information from a third or fourth.

Your Damages resulting from Identity Theft:

In a study conducted of 173 victims of identity theft by The Identity Theft Resource Center specific damages were explored. In each case the victim’s damages included:

- an extended period of time to correct their credit status;

- 85% of the victims found out about the theft when they attempted to apply for a job or credit;

- victims are currently spending over 600 hours attempting to repair the damages to their credit

- victims are spending money in the approximate a amount of over $16,000 per victim to repair their credit

- it is taking longer to remove negative, incorrect or falsified information from their credit reports

- many victims equate the emotional impact of identity theft with that of a violent crime - in some cases similar to a rape as the violation can be that personal.

Identity theft is a serious crime. Damages result to individuals, banks, and businesses as well as families. Imagine going to purchase your new home to find out that your credit is damaged and now you are unable to. Imagine the time and money you will spend to correct the problems associated with identity theft. Millions of dollars and Hundreds of thousands of people in the United States and millions worldwide are affected each year by identity theft. Victims, both personal and business must use valuable time, effort and resources to correct the situation, which in some cases is beyond total repair. Damages are not only to your credit and your finances but also to your emotional, physical, and psychological well being.

Reporting suspected identity theft is essential to protecting yourself further and protecting others. Reports should be filed with local authorities, your State’s Attorney General’s office and the Federal Trade Commission. Consumers need to not only protect their information but by reporting efforts at identity theft may be able to stop it from happening in the future.

Consumers can report ID theft to the FTC by calling the agency’s toll-free number: 877-438-4338.



By: Lisa Carey

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cacy of technologies has generated intricate crimes to be possible. Have you watched those films featuring a group of local goons stealing a highly-guarded museum operating right at a backyard? How about flicks in which ordinary Mr. Joe transforms into a very rich and powerful businessman after “pilfering” another person’s identity? So do I make myself clear: technology makes no bounds for what can be done today. Let’s speak about the mentioned films here …

Identity theft is a fast-growing crime in the world, most especially in America. The Federal Trade Commission estimates that 10 million Americans experience identity theft every year. That’s really a lot, huh! With your own ID, criminals may get a credit card, open a new line of credit, rent an apartment, or open a telephone account. They can practically create, or more aptly waste, a life at your expense. The victim may not find out about the theft until after the crime is complete or until you are contacted by a debt collector. Now that’s really awful!

So how do you define identity theft anyway? According to identitytheftlabs.com, the definition of “identity theft” varies from Webster’s to Wikipedia and others. The Web site suggests that the FTC, in this case, does a fine job of outlining the situation. Identity theft, says FTC, is when someone uses your personal information, like your SSN, name, bankcards, etc. without your authorization, to perpetrate fraud or other crimes.

How serious is this kind of crime? Identity theft is a very serious crime. While some victims can resolve problems quickly, others spend thousands of dollars and vast amount of time to resolving damage to their good name and credit records. Some victims of identity theft may lose out on job opportunities, or have education, housing, or car loans rejected. In rare cases, people have been arrested for crimes they did not commit.

Identity theft can be avoided if you keep your identity at utmost privacy. But then again a lot of organized theft rings operating online and offline to steal your identity. These criminals are always one step ahead and constantly trying to find ways to overcome obstacles to their operations. Having stored your identity and information on any server puts you at potential risk for identity theft.

There are identity theft protection plans being offered by financial institutions which reimburses for out-of-pocket expenses up to a certain dollar amount and helps with the process of contacting creditors, writing affidavits and filing reports. Some plans are free as part of checking or savings account and others may charge a monthly fee.

But there is a better way to avoid identity theft… avoid it at the onset! With services provided and accessible online, there are companies that extend proactive identity protection from these possible issues for just $0.25 to $0.30 per day. These companies not only furnish the best protection from identity theft but also support their services with identity insurance guarantees of up to one million dollars.

Among others, LoudSiren, LifeLock and Trusted ID are good examples of companies that have combined a few basic technologies into very affordable and valuable services. You can easily decide for yourself which company to choose by comparing the track records of Lifelock, LoudSiren and Trusted ID. Additionally, there are also available online reviews for these companies that cater to theft protection.



By: Charles White

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