by: robertanderson1
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Date: Thu, 1 Jul 2010 Time: 1:14 AM -
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The Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) was passed by the Congress and enforced by the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) to protect consumers against inaccuracies, unfair and misleading information in the consumer reporting agencies' (Equifax, Transunion and Experian) reports.
Article Source: DirectoryArticles.com
Identity theft is the generic term used for impersonation of your identity. Identity theft is a fraud in which someone pretends to be someone else and accesses benefits in that person's name. The benefits may include accessing resources or obtaining credit card etc. The person whose identity has been stolen can suffer irreparable damage for such consequences as suffer embarrassment, loss of reputation and financial loss. He or she may be held responsible and accountable for the thief's misdeeds. Apart from the material benefits that the fraudsters may stand to gain through identity theft there are other types of perpetration involved. Sensitive data transfer can be done through identity theft.
There has been a 37% increase in identity frauds since 2007 in the Unites States. A total cost of $54 billion is reported for a 11.1 million population that became victim of identity theft.
Identity theft prevented is a good formula for a peaceful life. You would not realize the importance of protecting your identity until your identity is compromised and you end up in debts or some other big trouble. By monitoring your credit card bills regularly you can learn of identity theft before any damage is done. You may opt for a credit freeze which means an impersonator has to produce a credit report for a new loan or credit card. You may set up a fraud alert with each creditor you have an account with. New accounts cannot be opened unless the lender checks with you if the credit fraud alert has been activated.
Detect early if you are a victim of identity theft. You may be a victim of identity theft if you get a call from a creditor either approving or not approving a loan you never applied for or your credit card statement shows expenditure you never incurred. A worse indication is a debt collection agency calls you to inform they are collecting for an account which is not yours.
If you are a victim of identity theft, settle on a plan of action. You may start the cleaning up process immediately if you suspect identity theft. Apart from checking credit report frequently, placing fraud alerts and freezing your credit, you need to file a police complaint as well as a complaint with the FTC. Save all the phone numbers you call, the names of people you interact with about the fraud, contact the local post office and track if your credit card bills are reaching a new address given by the identity thief. You may also call the Social Security Administration to check of any misuse of your social security number.
The identity theft will definitely cost you a lot in terms of money and time. Instead of spending sleepless nights over the issue you may contact an FCRA attorney. Attorneys at www.yourcreditrights.com follow an effective process of handling credit report errors, identity theft, and other consumer fraud issues with the most favorable and acceptable outcome for you in the shortest possible time. Over 35,000 satisfied customers vouch for the services at www.yourcreditrights.com.
Want your bad credit to be repaired or have a dispute with your credit report? Get free help by our Identity Theft Attorney
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