She Stole His Heart Then His Wallet

Identity theft it happens all too often in this country. I heard this story from a close friend of mine a few years ago. It blew my mind away to learn just how far people will go to harm another. No there was no domestic violence or beating, no gunshots fired or a knife inflicted wound. Just a simple four word statement that would alter his life forever; “She stole my wallet.”

You see when she took his wallet in the course of the night her plans were laid out clearly. He was an affluent man of his community, a well respected entrepreneur and philanthropist. One night would prove him wrong and change the course of his life to a direction he had never imagined. From innocent to villain in 2.5 seconds flat.

Identity thieves are all around us. Scouring evidence from improperly disposed of medical records, purchase receipts, DMV databases, pre approved credit offers and so many other areas of your personal life that you wouldn’t have a chance in hell of competing with their cunningness. Identity thieves are out on a mission to steal your good name and forever ruin your ability to grow your credit or personal wealth by destroying everything credible about you.

In search of new ways to elude the peace keeping community and hide their corrupt identities behind new ones; think about it, a total protection plan for the criminal. Your good name stolen, funds and credit card charges racked up against you with no one else to blame. Our law enforcement officials are looking at you as the felon or co-conspirator in the event.

Most people think that their identities are safe because they stopped all of the junk mail to their personal residences, yet they are unaware of all areas that their identity’s can become affected. Let’s take a look at some of the ways your at risk…

1) Department of Motor Vehicles

Identity Thief could get a license in your name and accumulate tickets in your name. You could end up with a warrant issued for your arrest, as the identity thieves do not pay fines due nor show up for court to plead their violations.

2) Social Security Identity Theft

Identity Thief could use your SS# for employment or start business and you would be responsible for the tax bill. This has been a problem for some applying for work and finding their social security number is already working there at the business. A frequent cause is when illegal immigrants are sold Social Security numbers and fake ID cards to gain employment.

3) Medical Identity Theft

Medical identity theft occurs when someone uses a person’s name and sometimes other parts of their identity — such as insurance information — without the person’s knowledge or consent to obtain medical services or goods, or uses the persons identity information to make false claims for medical services or goods. Medical identity theft frequently results in erroneous entries being put into existing medical records, and can involve the creation of fictitious medical records in the victims’ name.

4) Criminal Identity Theft

Identity Thief could use your information to commit crimes, escape fines or jail time. You could be issued a warrant for your arrest for these crimes or fines not being paid.

5) Financial Identity Theft

Identity Thief could use your information to get money, goods or services leaving you responsible for the bill. This could be anything from new credit cards to new lines of credit issued in your name. Please note the Schedule E of liabilities covered by your bank that pertain to credit cards has a sixty day window. After that period, they are not legally obligated to reimburse any monies lost.

So when she took his wallet he was exposed to financial identity theft, social security identity theft and DMV identity theft just from a wallet. Now having all of this information the other areas of identity theft are wide open. So you see although his decision to have a quiet night out on the town turned fruitful for his evening when Mr. X woke up the next morning it was the worst nightmare in his entire life.

His credit cards had all been maxed out, a car had been purchased in his name and subsequently wrecked that same morning. Now who gets the bill for the damages? You guessed it; Mr. X. he was rudely woken from his slumber by a local Police Officer wanting to arrest him for a hit and run felony.

After a long and uneventful stay at the local Police Station Mr. X.’s Attorney finally arranged for the release of his client. This wasn’t the first time Identity Theft had been a problem in this community. Fortunately there was a lead on the case while Mr. X. had been in custody the thieves struck again at a local bank who immediately notified the armed guard and they took the perpetrator into custody.

Mr. X has been trying to untangle the web of debt from thievery and clear his good name but the process has been long and tedious. In keeping short and to the point if you think you’re out of the woods because you have poor credit or no credit think again. It’s not just your financial status thieves are after. It’s any aspect of your identity you can have exploited.

As long as the blame can have the finger pointed in a direction away from the real criminals you are still their best target for their defense. You need a shield to protect you from them. Your identity is everything to employers, education systems, financial institutions and more. I know you can see the importance of protection for you and your family. My question is who can you trust?

You need a name you can count on with a guarantee that will stand in your favor if the chips are down. A company that provides you not only with monitoring of your identity, also with a one million dollar guarantee that if your identity becomes stolen while you’re a customer they will pay to restore your identity to it’s good name. With that said know that all companies are not created equal. Learn to Maximize and Protect Your Wealth

• The perpetual money machine The armor shield of protection for your self and family protection must be impenetrable to enemy forces. A Trojan horse of strength and attack, An M-1 tank in resistance strength, and the agility of an aerodynamic fighter jet, your first line in defense against attack of ones livelihood or......
• Changes in your credit score and what they mean to you You've heard the news about the changes in credit scores and the impacts of these changes are yet to unfold. You can rest assured that this is the first step in major changes in banking reform on both the business and deposit account holders end. Tighter financial requirements on the......
• New additions This week I decided to dedicate a couple of new pages to the blog scene. One is dedicated to the ongoing pursuit of justice in the financial field. The second is on the subject of credit and changes or happenings in the industry. Although I am very much a......
• 5 steps to a better more accurate credit score Often times I get asked how do I raise my credit score, now of course the answer may not be the same for every individual circumstance. Although the basic four rules apply to assist in keeping your credit scores in their best possible. score. Number 1 rule of thumb is......
• Love is in the air, dating, credit cards and identity theft will be all there It happened on a warm spring evening, they were dancing, eating and sounds of fun filled the air. It wasn’t long after the evening ended the fun and festivities all disappeared. He realized his wallet was stolen; his identification, credit cards and personal information all were gone. As he rested......

• Taking Inventory of Our Wallets - Who Would We Need To Contact If They Were Lost Or Stolen? A few weekends ago I was trying to access my bank's services online but their website was down. I was able to utilize the 24-hour system over the phone, but I had to enter my account number and a personal access code. The situation made me consider what I would......
• Thoughtful Thursday: Old Friends Yesterday, I had the pleasure of meeting with one of my old high school friends and having dinner together.  It was really enjoyable.  We're both rather quiet people (or at least, we were back in high school), but when we have the chance to get together and let our hair......
• What Everybody Ought To Know About Preventing Identity Theft Identity theft is running rampant and one only has to read the headlines to find yet another case where someone’s personal information has been compromised.  The stories are heartbreaking and we all hope that we do not find ourselves in similar circumstances.  There are some things that you can do......
• The Relentless March of the Financially Clueless Congress Plays the Blame Game As expected, Congress is fully engaged in grandstanding and pontificating over the Paulson/Bernanke bailout plan.  Public statements from congressional hearings serve as a catalyst for continued volatility in the markets.  The Democrats countered Paulson's three-page bill with a forty-page bill of their own.  "OK Mr.......
• Managing Stocks in an Economic Crisis 2008 is showing all of the hallmarks of being a difficult year financially, and for this reason, having control over your cash flow is absolutely vital. Managing stocks in an economic crisis is one of the best possible defenses that you can take during the credit crunch. By monitoring the......