As an Identity Theft Victim you are guilty till proved innocent.  In some cases, the victims are able to resolve the effects of the crime in a couple of hours, but there are some cases in which things get so tangled and complicated.  It takes way more than just making a few calls.  When the debt collectors start calling regarding an account(s) you know you had nothing to do with, it is a little too late.  It happens all the time.  If “junk” debt buyers start calling, then it is way too late.  This is what I would like to address in this post: the “junk” debt buyers, their unethical collection practices, your rights, and laws to protect you. Read the full story

It seems we have heard enough about common email scams, but I feel compelled to talk more about it.  Scams will continue to exist, because there is market for them.  If no one was buying into them, the amount of scam would most likely be reduced.  Today, I am getting more scam emails than I was a year ago.  My email service automatically sends those emails to a spam box, but some still come though to my “Inbox”.  They are so annoying!  For a while, I had my spam filtering system to delete all spam emails automatically, but since I started my blog www.identitytheftmanifesto.com, I decided to accept them and keep my own statistics for educational purposes.  There plenty of scams out there; here are the most common ones I come across on daily basis: Read the full story

In many Identity Theft cases, the victims discover they have been victimized by this crime while reviewing their credit reports.  The credit reports contain our personal information and basically all of our financial history including judgments, bankruptcies, repossessions, etc.  However, about 75% of all credit reports contain incorrect information.  Therefore, you do not need to be an identity theft victim to check your own report.  It should become a habit and be a part of our lives. Read the full story

I have recently noticed tons of emails from FBI signed by Robert S. Mueller, III again.  The first round of them happened about a year ago and now it is happening again.  With all the media attention to this issue, you would think that the scammers would figure out that pretty much everyone out there knows about it (I assume). Read the full story

In the article Avoid the “Work-At-Home” Scams!, I told you a story about a young man I interviewed for a job for one of my clients.  As a recruiter, I interview a lot of people and every one of them has a story.

A while ago, I interviewed an individual, let’s call him Mark for the purpose of this article, who applied for a position which would give him access to highly sensitive customer information.  Therefore, my client runs very extensive background checks for all candidates.  Mark was very much liked by my client and was the first one in line for the available position with a company.  Unfortunately, when Mark’s background check came back, my client was forced to decline employment to Mark. Read the full story

We live at the time when the individual’s worth is measured by numbers.  Every citizen, permanent resident and… the thief in the US has a Social Security number.  With this number you can get loans, credit, buy homes, get employed, etc.  Without it-you are basically nothing.  Even to rent an apartment you must present your Social Security number.  I do not see a reason why, though, but this is what is being done. Read the full story

With an identity theft being the fasted growing crime in the US, I am still baffled by the amount of sensitive personal information available through public records.  Your name, date of birth, your address, your social security number, driving record, legal matters, bankruptcies and a lot of other information about you can be obtained by anyone who is looking for it.  Therefore, I suggest monitoring not only your credit reports, but also your public records on regular basis.  Reviewing your public records may help you to discover if the thief may have gotten a property in your name, or filed a bankruptcy, or had some criminal activities in your name, etc. Read the full story

Identity theft is a crime that leaves the victim with a heavy financial burden, tarnished reputation and an uncertainty for the future. If you are a victim of an identity theft in any shape or form, you are guilty till proven innocent.  According to the FTC 2006 survey, the median amount of time spent on resolving the effects of the crime is about 10hrs.  From my personal experience, it has been an ongoing battle.  In many cases, the victims are left with the consequences for life. Read the full story