Identity theft is very common in today’s world. It is very easy for almost anyone to get all kinds of information about you either on the

Internet, by calling and tricking you into disclosing information, or even from mail you might leave in your vehicle or home. A different kind of identity theft has been going on for many, many decades.

This is postmortem identity theft. That’s right, people can steal your identity even after you die. This can have disastrous consequences on your surviving family members when and if it is discovered.

How could something like this happen at all? Well, all it takes is an identity thief to read the obituaries and find someone who matches either what they look like or what their clients are looking for.

Once you have a name and birthday, all you have to do is go to city hall and get a death certificate. Social security numbers actually remain valid for a number of years after death due to paperwork pileup and overall population. This enables the use of that social security number for a long time with no worries.

The problems with postmortem identity theft arise when creditors notice this person is massing a lot of debt. There will be a lot of confusion between family members and creditors as they try to sort this all out.

If there are inheritances, the creditors may try to get paid from that lump of money before any family members receive their share. This is very unfair but that’s exactly what the identity thief wants.

By the time all this has happened, odds are the thief has moved on to another victim. To protect yourself, make sure to notify the Social Security Administration as well as all creditors and consumer reporting companies.

If they know this person is deceased, they won’t issue credit cards and notify you immediately if that social security number gets used.

Many people love and hate their checkbooks. They are absolutely unnecessary in today’s world but people are naturally stubborn and will continue to use paper checks.

These little rectangular pieces of paper have the ability to ruin your life for years. That sounds a little dramatic but it’s all too common.

People view checks as convenient and may be scared to get a debit card because it requires changing their old routine.

What makes simple checks so damaging is the fact they have an enormous amount of your personal information on them. Every single check has your bank account and routing numbers right there on the bottom.

In skilled hands, just these numbers alone can enable someone to get money right from your account and deposit it in their own. Sure you will find out on your next bank statement but by then, the damage is done.

Another important piece of information on a paper check is your full name and address. Many married couples put the name of their spouse on there as well.

Now they have two identities to steal. Identity thieves absolutely love it when people are foolish enough to put social security numbers on the check too. There is no reason anyone should ever do that.

If your social security number is on there with your name, address, account number and routing number, you might as well walk strangers into your house and give them all of your bank statements, credit card bills, and utility bills.

It’s just ridiculous. If your checkbook is stolen, even if you cancel the checks, the information is all still on them. Be very careful to keep your checks secure and put as little information on them as possible on them.

One of the most damaging types of identity theft is more common than you think. Do you make sure you don’t have your social security card in your wallet or purse?

Do you shred every document you have with your social security number on it after you don’t need it anymore? Not many people do.

I’m sure in my garbage right now are papers with my social on them. This number alone allows people to amass huge debts with your name on them.

This might sound like it would take a lot of work but just call a phone company and ask them what they need to open a new account. They need an address, social security number, name, and birthday.

All it takes is someone to call you up, confirm your social security number and say you won some type of prize. People get really excited and will offer all kinds of information.

Name and birthday are always just spit right out. Now, someone just ordered a modem, phone, cable, and every single accessory a phone company offers and you are the one responsible for the bill.

Sure, this can easily lead to an arrest but often, these thieves only rent a room somewhere until they get all this stuff and leave.

Depending on the motivation and intelligence of the identity thief, they can create complete identities to get illegal immigrants across the border, rent homes, get utilities, and even get legal employment all pretending to be you.

It could take months or even years to realize there is someone out there screwing with your life. The end result could be devastating. Imagine the IRS thinking you have 3 homes even if they are rentals and nowhere near the income to pay for them.

The IRS would take a very close interest in your life and nobody likes that.

Medical identity theft is often overlooked on television and newspapers but is growing extremely rapidly. People are unable to get medical coverage easily and desperate times can drive many people to take very desperate measures.

Unless you have a medical condition, you could keep your insurance card in your wallet or purse and rarely ever use it. You might not even notice if it happened to disappear.

When medical identity theft occurs, you may never even know it happened until it’s way too late. The complications it can cause can threaten the life of you or your loved ones.

Blood types can be changed, diagnoses you never actually got can be put into your records and much more very scary things could happen.

Imagine getting into an accident and losing a lot of blood not realizing an identity theft had occurred and now your records show your blood type as A instead of B.

If you get a pint of the wrong type, serious problems or death may occur. You also may end up with extremely high medical bills. If someone bills your insurance for a broken leg, you may be responsible for much of the bill.

Repairing medical identity theft errors can be a very long and complicated process. If someone got treatment somewhere, that information may be shared all around the country.

Even if you change it, it could take a very long time to correct everywhere and that puts you at great risk in case of an accident.

To prevent all of this, keep detailed records of your medical bills and insurance statements.

The home computer is one of the newer places for identity theft to occur. Many people don’t understand how it can happen to them but later realize they really messed up using online services that just weren’t secure.

An intelligent identity thief can easily get all of your personal information and use it to destroy your credit which could take years to repair even if you prove you are a victim.

One of the easiest ways for someone to get more information than you can imagine is when you simply upgrade, donate or throw away your old computer.

People can be so excited about their new computer that they simply unplug their old one and set it aside until it’s time to dispose of it.

This is one of the worst things you can do. That old computer has all of your computer cookies, bookmarks,
emails, and everything you ever looked at on it.

Someone just has to take it home and plug it in to see what you have been doing, buying, and looking at.

The Internet itself is used to gain access to all kinds of personal information. College students are at very high risk because their personal information and grades are often posted on the Internet so they can check it.

All it takes is someone to figure out their password and they now have everything they need. It’s not hard to stop this from happening in the first place.

Use difficult passwords. Don’t use anything that is related to you. No numbers, no names, nothing like that. Choose a password that is eight to ten characters long with numbers and letters in it. That is very hard to crack.

When you think of identity theft, you probably think of people using credit cards that are in someone else’s name. Though this does happen often, it really is just caused by cashiers who are too lazy to check the back of the card, demand identification, or check that signatures match exactly.

Sometimes, the cashier themselves may write down or memorize your credit card number for use at a later time. Though this is now considered one type of identity theft, there are a few more that have a more dramatic impact.

Drivers licenses are a very common way you can have your identity stolen. This doesn’t cause that much damage and is very easy to fix. The most common thing someone will do with your drivers license is alter the photograph so it looks like them.

This is very difficult so if someone goes through all that trouble, odds are they have a warrant they want to avoid. The problems arise when they get a speeding ticket or any ticket that doesn’t send them to jail. They will disappear and you will find yourself having a warrant from somewhere you may have never been.

The last thing you want to happen is to be on your way somewhere with friends and family and find yourself in jail for a crime you didn’t commit and have no knowledge of.

It can be very difficult to prove that this person wasn’t even you and you might have to find the officer that issued the ticket. That could take a while and you might spend days in jail until you can be bailed out or the issue is resolved.

There’s no limit to what a thief can steal. He can steal your car or break into your home and take any number of valuable electronics, guns, appliances and of course money and collectibles. Some of these items are replaceable and some aren’t. Some may be covered by insurance and repurchased. So many possessions have sentimental value that can’t be measured or recovered.

Perhaps the most valuable possession that’s uniquely yours that a thief can steal is your identity. This is done hundreds of times each day and when that happens, the thief can pose as you and receive the same treatment you would get whenever you might apply for credit or a loan. Someone without your permission poses as you, using your personal information to obtain credit and much more.

It can be a nightmare leaving you feeling violated and helpless. It could be occurring at this very minute without your knowledge. Someone has gone to a lot of trouble becoming you and learning about your financial and personal self to live your life until discovered. This may not occur until you receive a phone call or letter in the mail demanding payment on extravagant purchases that are overdue.

That’s just the beginning. Then, your credit report will reflect negative information about you and your bill payment history. Your valuable credit score could be lowered and you’ll find it difficult or impossible to get credit yourself even though you had nothing to do with this. In most crimes, you’re innocent until proven guilty – but in credit identity theft you have the burden of proof.

Creditors will say you’re late with payments and have run up an extraordinary high balance. They have the facts to prove it. They have your statements you’ve ignored because you were not even aware the charges were being made. You may have to go to court to prove your case. This will entail documenting you were not responsible for the bogus bills. You will have to prove your innocence and this may require expensive legal representation.

Credit identity theft is best prevented by vigilance and being aware of your financial accounts at all times. If you have a joint account communicate with your spouse about what the other is charging. Be aware of any unusual high balances and expenditures. Look for late pays. Are the payments and charges accurate?

Be alert to receiving an unusual amount of credit card offers. Crooks sometime make applications in your name by stealing the offers out of your mailbox. Take your name off these mailing lists. If you’re late getting your financial and banking statements call the institution and find out why. They could be stolen or diverted to another address.

Your creditors cannot be held responsible. They’re just reporting the facts as they know them. Unfortunately, you’re very unlikely to recover any money that has been stolen and the thief usually goes uncaught and unpunished.

Keep all valuable papers out of sight from visitors in your home. Check your credit reports frequently. If you discover something wrong, don’t hesitate to get it repaired. It could take up to three months to make reparations.

Credit identity theft can be very harmful to your financial and emotional well-being. Be constantly aware of the symptoms and take action immediately when the smallest inaccuracy is noticed. Good credit and your identity are so precious to you and your family. It’s one of the most valuable assets you possess. Guard it.