Identity Theft

Identity theft occurs when an individual's personal information is stolen and used without their knowledge to commit fraud or other crimes. Identity thieves obtain Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers, credit card numbers, bank account numbers, and other personal identification codes and passwords as a means to hijack another individual's identity, usually for economic gain. In virtually every case, identity theft costs the victim time and money. It can destroy the victim's credit and ruin their otherwise good name.

Identity thieves use a victim's information to run up debts on the victim's account, establish credit, take over existing financial accounts, and create fictitious identities for future identity thefts. Victims often experience denial of credit or utility services, increased difficulty in securing housing or employment, higher credit and insurance rates, among other financial difficulties. A victim may even have a criminal record develop in his or her name.


How do Thieves Obtain This Information?

Identity thieves may use any combination of the following methods to obtain another individual's confidential information:

-Old-fashioned stealing- of wallets, purses, and other personal effects
Stealing mail or digging through carelessly disposed-of mail
Retrieving information from discarded or recycled data storage equipment that has not been properly wiped clean
Researching the victim in government registers, public records search services, or internet search engines
-Shoulder surfing- or eavesdropping on public transactions
-Phishing- or impersonating a legitimate organization in an electronic communication
Stealing personal information in computer databases via hacking
Infiltration of organizations that store large amounts of personal information
Advertising phony job offers to which the victims reply with their personal information
Browsing online social network sites such as somekeyword, somekeyword, somekeyword and others for personal details that have been posted by potential victims
Stealing payment or identification cards

Keep in mind that this is only a partial list. With incidents of identity theft on the rise and more safeguards being implemented, thieves are constantly devising more sophisticated methods of obtaining the personal information of their victims.

Have You Become a Victim of Identity Theft?

Here are a few common tell-tale signs that you may have fallen victim to identity theft:

Unexpected credit card or account statements
Bills that do not arrive as expected
Unexpected denials of credit
Phone calls or other communication regarding purchases you did not make

If you are the victim of identity theft, or suspect that you might be, please somekeyword the Coffman Law Firm today to arrange a consultation with a Texas identity theft attorney.

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