Identity theft is when someone pretends to be someone they aren't. They are attempting to gain access to the victim's resources or obtain credit and other benefits that are in the victim's name. There are many consequences for the victim if they are held responsible for the thief's actions. There are also ways that a person can protect themselves from potentially being a victim of identity fraud. There are many cases out there where people have been charged with identity theft. A Los Angeles woman was going to school to become a licensed medical biller. She worked at a medical billing company. People at the college began to investigate this suspect after she was able to pay for 1,000 in classes and other school expense. After almost 9 months of investigation, the suspect was arrested on suspicion of not only identity theft but burglary and grand theft auto. She was later found guilty on 21 counts of identity theft and three counts of multiple identifying information theft. This thief was found to be in possession of 400 identity profiles and credit card information of 200 people. .
Victims of identity theft have many resources out there that can restore the disaster that was caused from the person/people that stole their identity. Having your identity stolen causes many issues in your life as well. The best way to protect yourself from identity theft is to put a lock on your credit. You can have this done through one of the credit reporting bureaus; Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. You personally will have to have your credit unlocked if you want to open a credit card, apply for a loan or make a big purchase. You can also continue to monitor your credit. You want to make sure that there is nothing suspicious going on that you do not recognize. Victims of identity theft can purchase credit monitoring which lets you know if something shows up on your credit report. There are resolution services that will walk you through the steps that it takes to fix the problem.