Identity theft has been published enough that some public paranoia has been generated. Some, like my father, shred everything including envelopes from correspondence. Having once had our own identity stolen, we have first hand experience with the frustrations and difficulty of restoring good credit after fraudulent cards have been opened and abused. Before the Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act of 1998 victims of identity theft had no right to file police reports or recoup damages because they were not considered the "victims" of the crime. Prior to 1998 the "victims" were the credit agency who lost the money. No consideration was given for those whose credit was destroyed.
The Identity Theft Act of 1998 changed that school of thought so the person whose identity was stolen has recourse today. The Federal Trade Commission has been appointed by this legislation to act as advocate for identity theft victims by helping them find the right agencies to prosecute the perpetrator. No longer are identity theft victims at the mercy of the big companies who harrass them for payment of bills that are not truly theirs, but are unwilling to prosecute the criminal who opened the fraudulent account.
For more information visit the FTC websites below:
- General information when identity theft happens.
- What identity theft is, how it is done, and how to combat it.
- Resolving specific identity theft problems.
Give the Gift of Peace of Mind by going to www.protectingyourid.us
Posted by: Patrick Kendrick | December 01, 2006 at 11:08 PM
Give the Gift of Peace of Mind by going to www.protectingyourid.us
Posted by: Patrick Kendrick | December 01, 2006 at 11:07 PM