For the past five years, Florida has been ranked number one in the nation for the most filed complaints regarding identity theft, according to Cathy Costley, identity theft victim specialist for the Florida Attorney General's Office.
"In 2014, there were approximately 12.7 million people in the United States that were victims of identity theft," said Costley. "This equates to every two seconds in this country, someone has their personal identifiable information stolen."
The Federal Trade Commission defines identity theft as "when someone uses your personal information without your permission to commit fraud or other crimes."
According to Costley, there is no clear reason why Florida is number one in identity theft but there are ways people can be proactive and protect their personal identifiable information. Personal identifiable information encompasses a variety of information that includes full name, birth date, Social Security number, driver's license number, mailing address, passwords, computer's IP address, email address, bank account numbers and routing numbers. Florida even considers biometric information such as thumbprints, voice prints and eye retinas as personal identifiable information.
Ways to protect personal identifiable information includes shredding personal and financial documents; reviewing monthly credit card and bank statements to detect fraudulent activity; never giving out personal information over the phone; and protect PIN numbers and passwords.
Costley stated that everyone is entitled to a free annual credit check and urges them to take advantage of it. Information available on a credit report other than your credit score includes previous address you lived at, type of bank accounts opened under your name, list of business that accessed your credit report, public record information from state and county court documents and information on overdue debts. To get a free credit check, you can visit http://ift.tt/o2j1vQ or call 1-877-322-8228.
Being overly cautious with personal information is better than having to prove that your identity has been stolen, said Costley.
"Identity theft is not one of those crimes where you are innocent until proven guilty," said Costley. "The burden actually lies with the victim to prove that they did not commit this crime and that they did not make these purchases."
The Federal Trade Commission estimates that it takes 200 hours on average once a person becomes a victim of identity theft to clear their name and finances.
Different types of identity theft to look out for includes credit card fraud, where someone uses your existing credit card or opens new accounts using your information; utilities fraud, where someone opens a utility accounts using your information; bank fraud, where some one uses your bank account information to transfer money out of your account; medical identity theft, where someone uses your insurance information to receive medical treatment; employment related identity theft, where someone uses information to gain employment or unemployment compensation; and criminal identity theft, where someone uses your identity and information when they are arrested.
According to Costley, there is a prediction that identity theft will increase among college age students this year. If you have a college student, make them aware of how to protect their information.
To find out more about identity theft, visit http://ift.tt/1fEZEmB.
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