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Illinois has the tenth highest rate of identity theft in the United States. Out of every 100,000 residents, 93.8 people will become victims of such crime; in a recent year, more than 12,000 Illinoisans reported identity theft to the Federal Trade Commission.
Criminals are stealing Illinois addresses, birth dates, names, and especially social security numbers, and using them to damage victims' credit scores, bank accounts, and many other aspects of their lives. The IRS recently reported that tax-related identity theft is on the rise; taxpayers find out when they try to file their return that there was another returned submitted using their social security numbers, and the thieves walked away with the refund the taxpayers were counting on. Medical identity theft allows criminals to get cosmetic surgery, elective procedures, and even everyday health care. Employment identity theft lets criminals get a job - or allows criminals to sell victims' good names and backgrounds to someone else - which often goes undetected until victims check their annual Social Security Administration earnings statement and see that there has been income reported by an employer they do not recognize.
However, Illinois residents have several options available to protect themselves. Identity Theft Protection services offer customers 24-hour monitoring of their identity - social security numbers, bank accounts, credit card numbers, and so forth - and move quickly to block any suspicious activity. Many Illinois customers of such protection services appreciate knowing that such crime is more likely to be detected quickly. Another wise strategy for Illinois residents is to protect their social security number. While many businesses in Illinois routinely ask for a SSN, it is always up to the individual whether or not to give that information; any request for a SSN should be met with the question of why it is needed, how it will be used, how it will be protected by the requester, and what consequence there will be, if any, for not sharing it.
Illinoisans can protect themselves from becoming victims of identity theft by taking simple steps to protect their personal information and by making smart decisions with how that information is shared.
Identity Theft In The News
BBB tips to avoid identity theft
Scams are designed to either steal your money now, or steal your identity in order to steal your money later. Scammers have all kinds of techniques to collect personally identifiable information (PII) ...
Published: Sun, 23 Sep 2018 21:21:00 GMT
ID theft: Use credit freezes to keep your kids, elderly safe from this financial scam
Amy Wang and her husband spent the first six months of 2016 trying to repair their credit after someone redirected their mail and stole tax forms with sensitive information. A Macy's, Bloomingdale's a...
Published: Fri, 21 Sep 2018 03:01:00 GMT
New Medicare cards will offer better ID theft protection
If you have Medicare, you'll be getting a new Medicare card to help protect you from identity fraud. Criminals are always looking for ways to get your Social Security number, so those numbers have bee...
Published: Mon, 24 Sep 2018 01:21:00 GMT
Wyandotte residents report incidents of identity theft, debit card fraud
Although they don't appear to be related, three Wyandotte residents reported incidents of identity theft and fraud, all on the same day - Sept. 18. The first police report was taken at 11:50 a.m. and ...
Published: Fri, 21 Sep 2018 11:13:00 GMT
Identity Theft Service Captures Top Rating from TopConsumerReviews.com
LifeLock, a leading Identity Theft protection service, receives the highest ranking available from TopConsumerReviews.com. We're pleased to give LifeLock a first-place ranking as our top pick for Iden...
Published: Wed, 19 Sep 2018 10:41:00 GMT
New Federal Law Offers Parents Protections From Child Identity Theft
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Starting Sept. 21, 2018, a new federal law will offer you and your children more protection from identity theft. You will be able to place a security freeze on your credit ...
Published: Thu, 20 Sep 2018 14:54:00 GMT
Coeur d'Alene woman's quick thinking saves her from identity theft
Surveillance video obtained by KHQ from the McDonald's in Spokane Valley shows an alleged thief who Krystalynn Tekancic says broke into her home while she was moving. "We're pretty sure that the perso...
Published: Fri, 21 Sep 2018 17:10:16 GMT
Fake ID Docs Sold On Websites Targeted By Feds
Discussions about ID theft often involve hackers and cyberattacks gaining access to consumer and payment data. But action from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on Tuesday (Sept. 18) showed how ...
Published: Tue, 18 Sep 2018 19:17:00 GMT
How Experian can protect you from identity theft
Bad news: Identity theft has reached an all-time high. Good news: IdentityWorksSM Plus by Experian is an effective weapon against this rising threat. Criminals can nab far more than just your name on ...
Published: Tue, 18 Sep 2018 10:25:00 GMT
To Prevent Identity Theft, Set Up Web Access for Banking, Phone & Other Accounts
Staying offline doesn't keep you safe from online threats. That's bad news for many older Americans. According to a 2017 study by the Pew Research Center, 34 percent of senior citizens in the U.S. don ...
Published: Wed, 19 Sep 2018 07:17:00 GMT
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