How does Identity Theft happen?
Most victims discover the crime in some negative way, such as credit card application declined, but most have no idea how their personal information was stolen. Since the vast majority of these crimes are never reported to police, and those reported are almost never solved (1 in 700), the information we have from law enforcement is sketchy, too. What we do know is that personal information is stolen by numerous avenues and from wherever personal information can be accessed. This includes the mail, the garbage, over the phone, by e-mail, directly from a wallet or purse, from a home PC, or from the trusted custodians of this information – employers, financial institutions, government agencies, churches, organizations, schools, hospitals and merchants.
Identity theft occurs when someone obtains your personal information (Social Security Number, credit card numbers, etc.) and then uses it to fraudulently apply for credit, make purchases, and/or withdraw money from your bank accounts, seriously jeopardizing both your financial health and your credit standing.
