Identity Theft

Criminals do not need guns or knives to steal your identity, Our garbage is a goldmine to these Predators. We throw away important information about ourselves and others on a daily basis, things like pre-approved credit cards, applications, documents containing social security numbers, personal banking statements, life insurance offers and so on. According to FBI statistics, identity theft/fraud is the fastest growing complaint by consumers to the Federal Trade Commission. According to the FTC, 27.3 million Americans have become victims of identity theft of some sort prior to 2003, and a 2004 report announced that for the fourth year in a row identity theft topped the list of consumer complaints. An FTC 2008 report reads as follows: credit cards- fraud is the most common form of identity theft up 23% followed by utilities fraud at 18% employment fraud at 14% and banking fraud at 13%. Consumers reported fraud losses totaling more than 1.2 billion. The median personal monetary loss was $349 the report stated. Federal law gives every consumer the right to one free credit report from each of the nation wide consumer reporting companies every 12 months. Staggring these reports by getting a credit report from a different company every few months can help you monitor activity on your credit report. For more information, or to request your free credit report visit annualcreditreport.com. Aaron Bryant www.bryantpublications.com/mission.html