With identity theft crimes increasing throughout the United States, it is important to make sure you are aware of the many different ways your personal information can be stolen and used for fraud. In this blog, we explain some of the common forms of identity theft you need to know about and how to protect yourself.
Child Identity Theft
Most parents don’t realize it, but their children might be targets of identity thieves. Criminals will try to obtain a child’s social security number to take out loans or open new credit accounts. If your child is the victim of identity theft at an early age, it can damage their credit score and affect whether they can go to college or be approved for a car or home loans.
Insurance Identity Theft
People commonly commit insurance fraud to obtain medical treatment they don’t have access to. This crime can result in higher insurance premiums and huge medical bills for those who have their insurance information stolen.
Tax Identity Theft
Tax ID theft occurs when someone uses your personal information to file a fraudulent tax refund claim. If this happens to you, your legitimate tax refund can be significantly delayed.
Criminal Identity Theft
When someone commits a crime using your name, they have committed a form of criminal identity theft. Some criminals will give officers another name or fraudulent ID when they are arrested in an attempt to maintain a clean record.
How Do I Protect My Identity?
If you want to protect your identity from thieves, you need to practice safe habits whenever you use devices like your tablet, laptop, and smartphone. Avoid opening and responding to unfamiliar emails requesting you send your personal information. Don’t give out your social security number over the phone and verify the legitimacy of any calls you receive asking for your information. Be careful with your personal information in public spaces and when you use ATM machines.
Do you have more questions about identity theft protection? Call (888) 451-0883 to speak with our Atlanta insurance administrators today.