His hard earned money? Gone. Creditors on his back everyday. Police knocking on his door. His family strained to the breaking point. He didn’t do anything wrong but my business partner’s life got turned upside down a few years back. He became a victim of what is now the fastest growing crime in the world. Identity theft.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, since 1999 over 27 million people in the US alone became victims of this
epidemic 10 million more last year. Harris InterActive,a
marketing research company, reports that between 2002 and
2003 roughly 19,178 people per day fell victim.

Your identity can be stolen in many ways. For my partner,
the thief gained access to his social security number and
address then applied for a series of loans in his name. When
the bills came due, guess who the creditors and law enforcement held accountable?

He and his family felt the full impact. Identity theft can
cripple and even destroy a person’s life. Not just the time loss
trying to recover your identity but also the out of pocket
expense. U.S.Treasury Secretary John Snow calls identity
theft “the greatest threat to consumers and far more
insidious and harmful to our national welfare than many
people realize.”

The internet doesn’t make it any better with its almost
limitless access to information but a great deal of identity
theft still comes from the offline world. Wherever it comes
from the goal stays the same. Get your personnal
information and steal what belongs to you for as long as
possible.

In many cases, this can lead to the victim filing for
bankruptcy or worse. As reported by the Orlando Sentinel,
one man whose identity got stolen recently spent 54 days in
jail before authorities realized their mistake.

Yet even when the thief finally gets caught, victims find
out all too often the worse part still lies ahead. The
recovery of their identity. For my partner, that meant never
ending battles with the same credit bureaus that previously
gave him good ratings.

They destroyed his credit almost overnight eventhough he did
everything they told him to get it restored. The agencies
refused to clear his record and instead, started sharing his
information with each other. His mortgage rates went
thru the roof. He paid more for everything but still got
declined. With all of this came the burden and fear of him
not knowing if he would ever recover his identity.

Six years later he finally did. He started working with a
company that within 90 days restored his credit. His
mortgage rate dropped and he went back to paying full price
for everything like the rest of us.

And like my partner, all of us risk becoming victims. In San
Antonio Texas, television station KENS 5 spoke with a man
convicted of identity theft who warned “Don’t take for
granted what you have because anybody could take it away I mean at the snap of a finger.”

He would know. The ways of stealing an identity have turned
this crime from nuisance to worldwide crisis.

Daryl Campbell’s website provides free information including featured articles from security experts, tips,resources and up to the minute news concerning id theft and fraud. Check it out here
http://fightidtheft.winthemarket.com