How did this happen to me?

The key findings of a report entitled "Nowhere to Turn: Victims Speak Out on Identity Theft," published in May 2000 by the consumer advocation organizations CALPIRG (California Public Interest Research Group) and the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse noted:

How Can This Happen?
When you make everyday transactions like writing a check at a store, charging purchases, renting a car, mailing your tax return, calling home on your cell phone, ordering new checks, or applying for a credit card, chances are that you don't give this a second thought. However, crooks known as "identity thieves" may be paying attention. Each transaction requires you to share your personal information such as your bank and credit card account numbers, your social security number, name, address, and phone numbers. Despite your best efforts to control your personal information, skilled thieves can use a variety of methods, low and high tech, to gain access to your data.

How Your Identify Is Stolen

How Your Stolen Identity Is Used
The crooks call your credit card issuer and, pretending to be you, ask to change the mailing address on your credit card account. The impostor then runs up charges on your account. Because your bills are being sent to the new address, it may take some time before you realize that there is a problem.

Thieves can also open a new credit card account using your name, date of birth, and your social security number. When they use the credit card and don't pay the bills, the delinquent account is reported on your credit report.

Other scenarios include: establishing a phone or wireless service in your name; opening a bank account in your name and writing bad checks on it; file for bankruptcy under your name to avoid paying debts they've incurred under your name, or to avoid eviction; counterfeit checks or debit cards, and drain your bank account; and buy cars buy taking out auto loans in your name.

If You are a Victim, the FTC recommends you do these Three Things Immediately:

Credit Reports This Is Serious To Us As Well
The Department of Justice prosecutes cases of identity theft and fraud under a variety of federal statutes. Congress passed the Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act. This legislation created a new offense of identity theft, which prohibits

knowingly transfer[ring] or us[ing], without lawful authority, a means of identification of another person with the intent to commit, or to aid or abet, any unlawful activity that constitutes a violation of Federal law, or that constitutes a felony under any applicable State or local law.

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