Identity Theft Protection Insurance and Information

The Identity Theft Advisor's
Free Prevention & Victim Assistance Guide

Identity Theft Protection - Is Your Identity Protected?

Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in America, and with over 10 million victims last year alone, identity theft crimes have become the epidemic social crisis of the 21st century.

The Identity Theft Advisor is dedicated to giving you relevant information on identity theft, along with the knowledge and resources you'll need to actively protect your identity and prevent identity theft criminals from stealing your most valuable possession - your personal identity. Whether you need general information on identity theft and how it affects society today, or you need a more in-depth report about personal credit monitoring, identity theft law, identity theft prevention techniques, protection resources or up-to-date identity theft statistics, The Identity Theft Advisor can direct you to the information on identity theft you need.

Free Identity Theft Protection Guide
Although some identity theft criminals have become so sophisticated that you cannot completely eliminate all risk of being victimized, there is much you can do to minimize those risks! Consistently monitoring your credit report, scrutinizing those who have access to your credit cards, debit cards, and checking account info(i.e. waiters/waitresses/websites/retail stores), shredding financial documents and securing your mail are all precautions you have to take. But protecting your Social Security number like it was the Hope Diamond is paramount--if someone, even a family member (see CBS 60 Minutes Special Report) gets your Social Security number, you could have much more to worry about than credit fraud. Victims of this type of identity theft have spent years behind bars while trying to regain their identities from these ruthless criminals.

Identity Theft Protection

Identity theft is one of the top stories every day for our local and national news medias. And with such a high profile, identity theft protection has become another new buzz word.

So how do we really protect ourselves from the onslaught of identity theft crimes?

First, read the in-depth precautions in our Free Identity Theft Protection Guide. But considering all the recent security breaches in large and trusted institutions such as Citi, Bank of America, ChoicePoint, LexisNexis and major universities across the country, having complete and total control with a personal identity theft protection plan is no longer a viable, workable solution. With the increased technical sophistication of the new identity theft criminals, living in our present day society necessitates the need to at least consider researching one of the many professional identity theft protection plans and services offered to consumers. You can read our review on identity theft protection plans for some of our favorites, or you can find an almost unlimited number of sites on the internet explaining various identity theft protection services offered through various companies - some more comprehesive than others. But at the very least, you need an identity theft protection service that continually monitors your credit report. Identity theft criminals move so quickly that reviewing your credit report once or twice a year won't protect you at all - the criminal will be long gone, leaving you with the hundreds of hours of paperwork and phone calls needed to clear your name.

Identity Theft Statistics & Law

According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), statistics prove that identity theft is growing at an alarming rate. Over 27 million people in the U.S. have been victimized in the past 5 years alone. That's 1 out of every 10 Americans. And, using accumulated statistics from various reports and studies, the FBI has estimated that figure will continue to rise by between 500,000 and 700,000 victims annually. Studies further indicate that most victims don't learn about the crime until 12 months after the occurence, and victims have reported that they have spent an average of 175 hours actively trying to clear their names. According to the FTC Identity Theft Survey Report by Synovate, the average false account victim lost $1200, with 20% of those surveyed losing over $5000 per case for an annual loss of over $5 billion. And, the average business loses over $10,000 per case for an annual cost of $48 billion. Although federal, state and local law enforcement agencies and legal services are taking a more active role in apprehending these criminals through the 1998 Identity Theft Act , the brand new Identity Theft Penalty Enhancement Act , and various state laws , at present only about 5% of those criminals ever get prosecuted. Since there has been such a small chance of every being punished for breaking this law, the crime will only continue to escalate in the years to come. Hiring professional identity theft monitoring and legal services along with proactively taking precautionary prevention measures is an absolute must!

See The "Catch Me If You Can" Man, Frank Abagnale's Commentary

Identity Theft Prevention & Monitoring

Whether you decide to fight these criminals on your own or with the help of professional identity theft monitoring or legal services, The Identity Theft Advisor can direct you to the resources and services you need to make an informed, educated decision. There are so many various ways criminals can obtain your personal information that we have had to design many different pages to cover each topic separately. There are pages covering credit card protection and identity theft monitoring , identity theft prevention , internet security , property theft, Social Security Numbers, and mail theft . They all come into play when protecting your identity, so spend some time on each page.

Free Identity Theft Protection Guide

Review - ID Theft Protective Services/Insurance

Complete Credit Card Directory
Citi Bank Credit Cards-- American Express-- Custom Credit Card Search