Legal Advice for Protecting Yourself Against Identity Theft

An accused person may raise a number of defences to a criminal identity theft prosecution. Finding the appropriate course of action for your situation might be assisted by an attorney.

Bank statements, Social Security cards, Medicare cards, and other documents containing personal information should be kept in a secure location at home or at work. When you are on the road, stop delivery and check your mail frequently.

1. Notify the authorities of identity theft.

Credit card accounts, real estate purchases, and even job applications can all be made in your name by an identity thief. You have to call the police and report it to minimise the harm. In order to challenge information on your credit reports, stop organisations from collecting debts they obtained in your name, and prohibit the thief from creating new accounts, the police will issue an ID Theft Affidavit.

Informing the thieves that you are a victim of identity theft can also be done over the phone with the creditors they used. Make sure you inquire about the fraud or security department. Choose complex passwords and keep private information secure. Additionally, look for charges or withdrawals you didn't make on your bank account and bills.

2. Speak with the credit reporting agencies.

Although there is no foolproof defence against identity theft, you can keep yourself secure by being aware of how thieves get your personal information and what warning signals to look out for. Unknown inquiries on your credit record, unauthorised purchases on your account statement, and new loans that you did not seek appearing on your credit report are some of the most typical indicators of identity theft.

If you notice any of these symptoms, make sure you record them in a computer file along with all pertinent details. This will be useful when contesting charges and submitting reports to law enforcement and credit bureaus to support your claim that you were the victim of identity theft. Consider freezing your credit reports and setting up fraud alerts as well. For these, lenders will need to call you to confirm your identification before opening new accounts in your name.

3. Speak with Your Banks

Free fraud monitoring is provided by numerous banking institutions. This can notify you of potential fraud before you fall victim to credit card theft.

Your bank accounts, credit card debt, utility services obtained in your name, tax refunds, and insurance benefits can all be taken advantage of by identity thieves. In order to make an arrest for a crime you did not commit, they may also provide police authorities with your identity and other pertinent information.

By storing your passwords, bank account numbers, and Social Security numbers in a secure location, refraining from posting personal information on social media, and utilising virtual private networks when using public Wi-Fi to browse the internet, you may help prevent identity theft. Additionally, before discarding any physical documents containing your PII, shred them. Additionally, make sure you routinely clean out and destroy all the data on your computer.

4. Speak with your insurance provider.

When someone steals another person's name, Social Security number, bank account information, or credit card number, it's known as identity theft, which is a serious crime. With this information, the thieves can obtain goods, services, credit, money, and other items under the victim's name. They may also get arrest warrants, rack up medical expenses, and even provide police officers with fake identities.

A few insurance providers enhance their homeowner's, auto, and renter's plans with identity theft protection. These services watch for any dark web sales of your personally identifiable information and notify you if anything questionable is seen.

Conflicts can be difficult, but you have to move fast. All case-related paperwork, such as disputed bills and receipts, letters, and credit reports, should always be kept on file.

5. Speak with Your Lawyer

Identity theft occurs when someone steals your personally identifiable information (PII) and uses it to commit crimes in your name or pass off as you. Through the use of a victim's PII, thieves can empty bank accounts, buy things with credit cards, seek medical care, and even get arrested for crimes they didn't commit.

Your personal information can be stolen by hackers from government, insurance, and medical databases. Additionally, they may get their hands on your PII by using malware on your computer, submitting change of address forms, or going through your mail.

By obtaining the necessary proof, your attorney can assist you in defending yourself against an identity theft charge. For instance, you might be able to demonstrate that the sensitive data that was stolen was unintentionally delivered to your residence by gathering proof like postal receipts.