Identity theft is a crime where a thief steals your personal information, such as your full name or Social Security Number, to commit fraud.
With this information, the thief can fraudulently apply for credit, file taxes or get medical services. These acts can damage your credit status and cost you time and money to restore your good credit history.
Often times, you may not know you are a victim of identity theft until you experience a financial consequence, such as an unknown bill, credit collections or denied loans.
An identity thief could be in another country, another state or even right next door. The scary reality is, you aren’t always in control of who has your personal information. But, you can control whether or not you’re protected against identity theft, a crime that claims 16 million American victims a year.
The Federal Trade Commission provides help through IdentityTheft.gov, a resource that makes it easier for identity theft victims to report and recover from identity theft. A Spanish version of the site is also available at RobodeIdentidad.gov.
This website features an interactive checklist that walks people through the recovery process and helps them understand which recovery steps should be taken upon learning their identity has been stolen. Additionally, the site offers tips for specific forms of identity theft, including tax-related and medical identity theft.