Identity Theft...A Matter of When! by Taryn Pleva, Esq.

Here are some scary facts: 

Identity theft is the number one consumer complaint for the past 13+ years according to statistics gathered by the FTC

Almost 12 million Americans were victims of identity theft in 2011, an increase of 13 percent over 2010, according to a report released on February 22, 2012 by the research firm Javelin Strategy & Research (“JS&R”). In 2012, 12.6 million Americans fell victim to identity theft and this equates to 1 incident of identity fraud every 3 seconds.

About 7 percent of all smartphone users fell victim to identity fraud in 2011, according to JS&R. Smartphone users were about a third more likely to become victims than non-users.

Although there is no proof of direct causation, users of LinkedIn, Google+, Twitter and Facebook had the highest incidence of fraud according to a report in 2011 by JS&R.

While anyone can become a victim of identity theft, this crime especially impacts seniors who often have more wealth and have spent a lifetime developing good credit.  Elderly identity theft is common among seniors for many reasons. They are generally more trusting than younger adults, not as aware of identity theft risks and scams, and are also more likely to know the identity thief. They are prime identity theft targets online, over the phone, and even in their own homes since they’re less likely to suspect loved ones of the crime.

Identity theft often involves more than simply stealing one’s credit card or financial information.  For example, one of the deadliest forms of identity theft involves stealing one’s medical information. Medical identity theft occurs when someone uses a person’s name and sometimes other parts of their identity – such as insurance information -- without the person’s knowledge or consent to obtain medical services or goods, or uses the person’s identity information to make false claims for medical services or goods. Medical identity theft frequently results in erroneous entries being put into existing medical records, and can involve the creation of fictitious medical records in the victim’s name.

We must all be vigilant about protecting our identity and the identity of those we love.  Shredding documents, creating secure passwords on our smartphone, and using updated antivirus software and firewall protection on our computers can help. Consider subscribing to an identity theft protection services which can work for you by monitoring your personal information to detect and/or prevent identity theft. Unfortunately, it is no longer a matter of if your identity will be stolen, but when it will happen.

Taryn Pleva, Esq.