Family Fraud: When Mom Steals Your Identity
Identity theft is bad enough when it's a stranger committing the crime. But it gets even more complicated when the perpetrator is a relative. And that scenario is far more common than you might guess.
Identity theft is bad enough when it's a stranger committing the crime. But it gets even more complicated when the perpetrator is a relative. And that scenario is far more common than you might guess.
In the past five years, 27.3 million Americans were victims of identity theft, says author and identity theft expert Steve Weisman. Here are his tips for keeping your identity protected from the con men, criminals and fraud artists.
With all the hackers in the headlines, you might be feeling more hesitant to offer up your credit card numbers while shopping online. Virtual credit card numbers offer one possible solution. But don't expect them to be infallible.
At least 16% of Americans have engaged in some kind of identity fraud -- lying about their Social Security number, name or birthday -- on applications for goods and services, a new study reveals. That's 45 million people trying to game the system, and every time one succeeds, he or she may be making trouble for you.
Identity thieves are claiming fewer victims, but those victims are spending a lot more time and money resolving the incidents, according to a survey by research firm Javelin Strategy & Research.




