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Create A BlogFacts on Identiy Theft... |
I don’t understand it. I use my credit card all the time on the Internet with no problems. I use it to cover an unexpected dental bill and end up with fraudulent charges at half a dozen Internet-based stores.
My friend throws a blood clot in an outpatient surgery and is admitted to the hospital for a couple days (she’s okay). However, somebody steals her driver’s license and debit card from her purse while she’s asleep and runs up a bunch of charges.
In both cases, there were some good suspects and fraudulently purchased items were scheduled for home deliveries in other states. Sound like good leads, but investigators weren’t very interested because the charges were under $1,000. Crime does pay, apparently, and I bet we’re all paying somehow for the losses.
Everybody should take a few precautions against identity theft. Check your accounts online; don’t just wait for the statements. Do not carry your Social Security card on your person; only take it with you when you know you’ll have to present it. I don’t even leave my vehicle registration in the glove compartment (I drive one of those high-theft vehicles – a pickup truck!). I keep the registration in my purse in case I get pulled over and have to produce it.
Following an article about a nurse at an assisted living facility getting caught for diverting residents mail to her home, the St. Petersburg Times gave these facts about identity theft…
Identity theft: risks and remedies
While seniors have particular vulnerabilities to identity theft, they are not the most common targets. The Experian Gallup Personal Credit Index, released in August 2005, found that 11 percent of people over 65 reported being victims of identity theft, compared with 18 percent of people between 30 and 65, and 25 percent of people under 30.
However, older people make appealing financial targets because they typically have higher credit lines, greater home equity and more financial resources than younger populations. Also, seniors have already made most of their big-ticket purchases, such as homes or cars, so they may be less likely to monitor their credit reports.
Seniors should take the same precautions against identity theft as everyone else (shredding bank and credit card statements, getting locked mailboxes or post office boxes), with one extra tip: They need to protect their Medicare cards, which typically use the Social Security number as an identifying factor. Patients have to show their original Medicare card the first time they see a provider; after that, however, they should be able to present a photocopy of their card with the last four digits of the SSN blacked out. Then they don't have to carry the original around with them.
Sources: Better Business Bureau, privacymatters.com, fightidentitytheft.com.
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