Identity Protection Review

Growing Danger of Identity Theft Preys on Millions

The United States is experiencing the largest rate of identity theft in history and this number is growing to staggering heights. This figure has reached to over 9 Million people having their identities stolen each year. With countless accounts being accessed without any proper authorization whatsoever, these thieves prey on the good names, credit reputations, and government benefits of the people they steal from for their own personal gain.

Protecting yourself from these thieves is a necessity which can no longer be ignored.

Losing More Than Just Borrowed Money

Possible damages can exceed the value of homes and other assets which could be legally taken away by banks and debt collectors if you are not informed of the identity theft activity in your name. Crooks who use your name and reputation can take away more than you could ever imagine with their illegal activities.

You can be denied credit and loan opportunities, loss of employment due to fraud or other allegations, and getting in trouble with the law simply because another person used your name and reputation to open up accounts based on simple data which can be derived by individuals having access to information about you available in public records, through the media and even through publicly accessible accounts with popular websites and social networking.

Signs Your Identity may have been Compromised

There are many ways to distinguish that you may have become a candidate for identity theft in process:

-Applying for credit or loans and being denied even with previous known good credit rating.
-Account statements stop arriving in at your mailing address.
-Having a credit card in your name arrive in your mail without applying for one.
-Having bills or collection notices sent to your home for services that were never requested by you.
-Noticing that you are not receiving mail that is supposed to arrive at your mailing address.

Taking Advantage of Identity Theft Protection Services

By using id theft protection services, it is possible to prevent and repair damages which may occur to an account. Several people are able to use these services to protect their identity from:

-Unauthorized bank and loan account creation.
-Credit damaging accounts and fraud.
-Amendments to public records and documents.
-Changes of address forms being submitted.
-Sale of personal information to malicious parties.

Selecting a Quality Service to Protect You from Identity Theft

Using this website to find a service which will provide you the high quality service is possible. By understanding what each company has to offer in terms of security and protection of your identity and current accounts, their presence and reputation in this industry, their ability to recover losses that are incurred to your identity and their customer service practices, you could make a selection with a high quality company that will be able to prevent damages to your good name.

Some services offer to go as far as to protect you up to one Million dollars if your good name takes damage that could not be protected. While this is a good quality in the service, each and every one of the services reviewed on this site has their strengths when dealing with different aspects of identity theft.

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How can I tell if my Identity has been compromised?

It is important to keep a close eye all of your financial accounts and consumer credit report, as there are a number of key indicators that can alert you to the fact your identity may have been compromised, which will then allow you to take immediate action to limit any damages that may result to your finances or good credit name.

Credit Report

Each consumer is entitled to a free annual credit report from the main credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion) and you should request your free copy and check it carefully for any signs of suspicious activity such as credit requests you do not remember applying for or any strange addresses linked to your file.

Refused Credit

If you know you have a good credit history then you should act immediately if you are suddenly refused credit by a lender, as they will have checked your credit score as part of the application process and may have spotted something that they didn’t like.  This could indicate that a fraudsters has been misusing your details in order to apply for credit in your name, running up debts and missing repayments, which has affected your own credit score.  If you are refused credit for no good reason that you can think of then you should request a free copy of your consumer credit file immediately, and review it carefully for any suspicious activity.

Mail Checks

You should keep a close eye on your mail, and ensure you receive every bill, statement, receipt and correspondence you are expecting each month.  Identity theft can intercept mail in order to steal personal information from you, so if anything does go missing then chase it up with the provider and make sure no changes have been made to the account involved.  You should also look out for any mail that is addressed to you personally but from credit lenders you have never heard of or applied for a product with, as this could indicate someone has been trying to apply for credit in your name.

How can I stop junk mail?

Unlike the FTC’s National Do Not Call Registry that helps consumers to control telephone telemarketing, there is no government backed scheme in place to stop unsolicited sales and marketing contact via the postal system, which is known as junk mail.  Junk mail can be very annoying, and most of the time will just be addressed to the ‘occupant’ or ‘recipient’ and most consumers will just throw the leaflets and flyers away without reading them.  However junk mail can also disguise some more sinister attempts by identity thieves to scam people into providing them with either money or personal information, which can often be very professional and official looking, so it is hard to tell the genuine offers from the fake ones.

You cannot stop junk mail coming to your address completely, but you can reduce the amount of unsolicited mail you receive by taking the following steps:
•    Treat your name and address as private information and if anyone calls you asking for these details don’t reply unless you are sure the request is for a genuine reason.
•    Avoid signing up for brochures, catalogues and special offers either online, in store or with cold callers and telemarketers.  This will put your details out in the commercial mailing lists and you may receive mail not just from the company you signed up with but a whole host of other companies too.
•    Mail Preference List – The Direct Mail Company (www.dmachoice.org) provide a ‘Do Not Mail List’ that you can register with, which is supplied to marketers and mass mailers so that they can take your name off of their mailing lists.  Although this will not completely stop junk mail from being sent to your address it will significantly reduce it.