|
|
Article: Protecting yourself against identity theft.(Legal Forum)
- Article from:
- Soldiers Magazine
- Article date:
- February 1, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 Soldiers Magazine. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
IDENTITY theft is the intentional misuse of another's personal information for profit. Your personal data--especially your Social Security number, your bank account or credit card number, and your telephone calling card number--may allow someone to personally profit at your expense. While identity theft is often referred to as a "victimless crime," more than 8.9 million people were affected by identity theft in 2006.
Its total cost to the United States in 2006 was more than $56 billion, with the average identity-theft case costing individuals $6,383 and more than 40 total hours of effort to resolve. While these facts may be daunting and frightening, there are ...