Identity Theft

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Identity Theft in San Francisco CA

Identity theft occurs when your personal information is stolen and used by another person. In most cases, identity theft is done for financial gain. Research shows that in 2017 more than 15.4 million Americans were victims of this crime, losing a combined $16 billion dollars. And those numbers are only going up! In fact, the more adapted we become to using technology and the internet, especially for purchases, the more likely it is that we become victims of this crime. Thieves use your stolen information to make their own purchases, open credit accounts, and receive medical services. This leaves most victims with ruined credit scores and mounting bills. There are several types of identity theft, each with its own hazards.

Most times, this particular crime can go unnoticed for relatively long periods of time. For instance, if you are a victim of medical ID theft, you may not realize it until medical bills start arriving for services that you never used. Even more troublesome is child ID theft, which can go unnoticed until the child becomes an adult, and the damage has already been done to their credit. Other common types of theft of your identity include the following:

• Taxes - in which someone uses your social security number to file for tax returns with the federal and state governments;
• Seniors - this theft is common among senior citizens both living on their own and in retirement homes;
• Social Media - this is different from most other types in that it is not done for financial gain and your identity is stolen by the thief using your name, photos, and personal info in order to open social media accounts.

Luckily, there are ways for you to protect yourself from ID theft, and even to recover from an attack. Credit Advisors Council will help you to learn how to prevent, protect your identity and recover from your identity being stolen. Our San Francisco credit counselors will help you to learn how and when to check your credit score, setup fraud alert tools, identify and avoid scams, and remove false charges from your credit report in the event that you have already experienced identity theft. Our staff is experienced in consumer credit, allowing us to be better able to help you guard against identity theft or repair your credit score.

Have you done a credit check and do you have protection from identity theft in San Francisco?

Most people know to check their credit card statements for charges that they didn’t make. However, this will only ever catch a thief who is using a credit account that you already know exists. In many cases, a thief will instead open new accounts in your name, in order to make charges that you might not be made aware of until well after the card has been maxed out. But any new accounts that have been opened in your name will appear on your credit history report. By making sure that you regularly check your credit report, you can easily catch any inconsistencies and fraudulent charges that appear on your report and take the appropriate action to reconcile them. With the continued rise of ID theft and fraud cases across the country, it is more important than ever that consumers learn how to protect their credit reports and take action against identity thieves.

There are several credit monitoring services that can help you find check and credit card fraud

In today’s day and age, it can be hard to check your credit on a regular basis. Whether you’re just always busy, or you don’t know enough to properly monitor your credit report for fraudulent activity, our San Francisco credit agency can help you set up credit monitoring services to help you regularly watch your credit. Such services will even alert you if there is a problem with your credit report. For instance, if a new account is opened in your name, your credit monitoring service will immediately alert you. While you can choose to pay for a credit monitoring service, you can also choose to monitor your credit on your own. This, however, can be limited to so many credit reports over the course of a year, without the ability to check your overall credit score in the bargain. Credit monitoring services will offer you regular credit reports and credit score monitoring so that you can get the best idea of where your credit stands and any possible fraudulent accounts.

Have you been a victim of IRS identity theft, credit card scams or stolen ID in San FranciscoCA?

IRS or tax identity theft, occurs when someone steals your social security number for the purpose of filing tax returns with the state or federal government. In most cases, the victim is unaware that their SSN has been stolen until they try to file their own taxes and are informed that a return has already been filed under that social security number, or if they are contacted by the IRS on the grounds of fraudulent activity. There are multiple warnings signs to tax ID theft, which our San Francisco credit advisors can help you to properly identify. Start by securing your social security number and monitoring your credit score.

There are numerous credit card scams that you could fall victim to, in addition to IRS identity theft. And your computer is at the heart of many of these ID theft schemes. If your computer is not properly protected, you could be at risk to be hacked, have your security breached and your information stolen. Malware and spyware can embed themselves in an unsecure computer, spying on users and stealing their personal information when they shop online. But your identity isn’t necessarily safe if you stop shopping online. For instance, there are machines and software that hackers can install on ATM machines and card processing units that copy a card’s information and credit ‘clones’. This is called skimming. Another way that criminals steal your identity is through social engineering. This is a very popular form of scamming in which scammers send emails posing as financial institutions asking for your credit card information or other personal info. And in extreme cases, some scammers will hack into company databases that contain consumer credit card information.

Some other types of identity theft near San Francisco are consumer fraud, medical, online or internet fraud

Consumer Fraud
Consumer fraud is defined as any instance where an individual suffers a personal loss because of business practices that are unfair, false, misleading, and so on. Fraud itself is a form of deception. Thus, consumer fraud encompasses a wide range of crimes, including fake charities, cashing someone else’s Medicare or social security checks, healthcare fraud, and investment fraud. Identity theft is also a form of consumer fraud, and is the most reported form of such fraud.

Medical Fraud
Medical fraud occurs when someone files false or misleading information that causes them to receive additional payout from healthcare providers. Healthcare fraud or medical fraud can also be done by medical practitioners and providers. Some examples of medical fraud include billing for services not performed, waiving patient copays in order to overbill the insurance carrier, and falsifying a patient’s tests in order to justify more costly procedures such as surgeries that are otherwise unnecessary. Consumers can also commit medical fraud in the form of filing claims for services that were not provided or using someone else’s insurance card or information.

Internet Fraud
Internet fraud occurs when someone uses the internet to gain access to your personal information or otherwise scam you. Internet scams can include email fraud in which scammers try to gain access your bank information through human compassion. Phishing and spoofing, skimming, and data breach are all types of internet fraud. Fraudulent activity can also come in the form of malware, scareware, and ransomware; all forms of computer viruses and malicious software that can infect your computer and steal your personal information by monitoring your online activity.

Call now to find out what is identity theft, if you were a victim, how to report it in San Francisco and if you need a lawyer

If you have already become a victim of identity theft, there are steps that you can take to regain your good name. The first thing you should do when you become alerted of fraud is to lock down the breached or unauthorized account. In some cases this could be a bank account with unauthorized charges. In others, it could be a credit card account that you didn’t open. You should also sign up for a credit monitoring service that can help alert you to any future suspicious charges. A credit counseling service in San Francisco can help you to scan your bank statements and credit card history, and review your credit reports for suspicious accounts. You should also take steps to file a report with the local San Francisco police department or California law enforcement. This way, proper measures can be taken to not only restore your identity, but to catch the thief responsible.

But even credit repair specialists can’t help you with every aspect of your identity theft recovery. Thankfully, Credit Advisors Council also has access to an experienced team of legal professionals, including identity theft attorneys. An ID theft attorney can help you to file an FTC identity theft report and contact the credit bureaus in order to have fraudulent charges removed from your credit report. As an added benefit, bill collectors and creditors are prohibited from contacting you directly so long as you retain an consumer protection lawyer. You will also learn what remedies and aids are available to you as a victim. Remember, the law firms that we work with are here to help you fight for your legal rights in any situation, and they have your best interests at heart.

Identity Theft - Common Terms and Definitions