“In our modern world, with click-of-a-mouse speed, identity theft is a growing threat to you personally and financially,” says Doug Scotten, family financial education specialist with University of Missouri Extension.
The United States Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) includes three types of incidents that are considered identity theft. The incidents include the unauthorized use or attempted use of an existing account, the unauthorized use or attempted use of personal information to open a new account, and misuse of personal information for fraudulent purposes. BJS statistics indicate in 2012, 16.6 million people reported being victims of identity theft in the United States. The number of identity thefts rose 33 percent from 2005 to 2010.
The top five things identity thieves are looking for are as follows…
For more information, including the different forms of identity theft and the important detailed steps you need to take if you believe your identity has been stolen or compromised, see the full version of this article at http://missourifamilies.org/
