You ve always paid your bills on time, you ve never had a check bounce, and you ve never had a problem getting a loan. Suddenly, you start to get calls from a collection agency demanding that you pay for merchandise you never ordered, and your supermarket refuses your checks because you have a history of bouncing them.
Identity theft is on the rise.
Criminals steal credit card numbers, social security numbers, telephone calling card numbers, driver s license numbers and other pertinent forms of identification, and use this information to impersonate their victims. Even so, victims are left to cope with a bad credit report and must spend months, sometimes years, regaining good credit standing again. There are some things you can do to minimize your losses in case of identity theft. When you pay bills, do not leave the envelopes containing your checks at the mailbox for your postal carrier to pick up. Mail your checks at the post office or a Postal Service mailbox.