Identity theft is very real--it’s the fastest growing crime in the United States. Identity theft refers to crimes in which someone wrongfully obtains and uses another person's personal information in ways that involve fraud or deception, typically for economic gain according to the United States Department of Justice. A thief can steal your personal information in many different ways. An Continue Reading

Identity theft is very real--it’s the fastest growing crime in the United States. Identity theft refers to crimes in which someone wrongfully obtains and uses another person's personal information in ways that involve fraud or deception, typically for economic gain according to the United States Department of Justice.

A thief can steal your personal information in many different ways. An identity thief might steal your mail or garbage to get your account numbers or your Social Security number, trick you into sending personal information in an email or over the phone, steal your account numbers from a business or medical office, or even steal your wallet or purse to get your personal information.

An identity thief can use your identity in many different ways: buying expensive things with your credit cards, obtaining more credit cards in your name, stealing your tax refund, getting medical care, pretending to be you if they are arrested and more.

According to TransUnion, it can take the average victim an estimated $500 and 30 hours to resolve each identity theft crime.

Protect yourself from identity theft by trying these tips:

An example of identity theft from the United States Department of Justice:

“A woman was indicted and pleaded guilty to federal charges involving her obtaining a fraudulent driver's license in the name of the victim, using the license to withdraw more than $13,000 from the victim's bank account, and obtaining five department store credit cards in the victim's name and charging approximately $4,000 on those cards.”

Another example from the Department of Justice:

“In one notorious case of identity theft, the criminal, a convicted felon, not only incurred more than $100,000 of credit card debt, obtained a federal home loan, and bought homes, motorcycles, and handguns in the victim's name, but called his victim to taunt him -- saying that he could continue to pose as the victim for as long as he wanted because identity theft was not a federal crime at that time -- before filing for bankruptcy, also in the victim's name.”

Protect yourself from identity theft by keeping your personal information private, monitoring your credit statements.

Your homeowners policy may also offer an optional endorsement that will provide funds to reconstruct your credit following an ID Theft. Give us a call (607-324-7500) or email us ( Service@RyanAgency.com ) for more information!