Identity theft is a serious crime in the United States with as many as 9 million victims each year. Identity thieves steal personal information such as name, Social Security number, driver’s license number or credit card numbers with the intention of committing fraud. Once the thieves have your information they may rent an apartment, open a credit card account, establish telephone, utilities or automobile bills in your name, and since the regular payment of these credit lines do not effect the thief there is little regard to the destruction of the victim’s credit score. The scariest part of this type of crime is that the victims are sometimes unaware of the sabotage against their credit history until after the fact when contacted by debt collectors. The aftermath victims face can range from a quick resolution to hundreds of hours and dollars spent to restore their good name to missing out on opportunities like employment and housing or education loans. Continue reading →