Every case of identity theft is different from one another but the real concern is to know what happens to the victims of identity thefts. It is said to feel that these victims get little or no help from the authorities who actually informed on their stolen identity to them. The law enforcement agencies do not conduct any type of serious investigations to resolve these problems. For them, the number of identity thefts are growing in so large numbers that it is getting difficult to handle such cases, although the financial fraud departments of many police departments are being expanded.

When someone is hit by an identity theft, they go to file complaints to the police and sheriff’s department but the police officer simply refuses to report their cases. They try to intimidate the innocent people by saying that their loss is nothing in front of the banks and the financial institutions that faced the actual financial loss.

Many victims report that they do not get adequate help from the credit grantors, banks and the CRA’s. They say that no one is there to hear their sad stories and they are given the run after. Even after the fraud alert is activated by the credit bureau, the imposter is still able to obtain more credit in the name of the victim.

Identity theft victims are tremendously threatened by the collection agencies asking them to pay the balance. In most of the cases, they are threatened with law suits, garnished wages, and having their homes taken away from them.

It is also noticed that the victims have to spend a lot of time in cleaning up this mess. They have to take offs on working days from their office to make necessary phone calls, write letters to the concerned departments and get affidavits notarized. It not only costs them time and money but they are left with agony for many years to come.

Be an informed consumer and know how to prevent a possible identity theft.

Beware of the word “prevent”: There is no person and no product that can prevent identity theft. The criminals will continue to benefit as long as there are ways to steal personal information. Sensitive personal information can be found everywhere, housed and archived in variety of ways. Every individual and company should take the initiative and store personal information in a safe manner so that it does not fall into the hands of the scammers.

There are no guarantees: There is no guarantee to anything and identity theft is no exception. While a number of instances of fraud can be restored to pre-theft status, some identity dilemmas simply can’t be fixed. If you’re on the ‘no fly list’ thanks to an imposter or an error, you’ll stay there. A third-party solution cannot deliver a remedy.

Watch for shoulder surfers and skimmers: Be careful with your personal information when you are in public place. With the advent of cell phone cameras, anyone can take a picture of your credit or debit card and they will get your private information pretty easily, if you are not careful.

Keep your social security card safe at home: There is no reason to carry cards displaying sensitive information like your social security card.

Destroy the old computer before you dump it: Your personal computer can have a lot of personal information in it. It is always recommended to physically remove the hard drives before you dump it. This is to ensure that your personal information can not be retrieved even if erased.

Don’t keep your personal information and the password stored on any website by the password manager. When convenience trumps confidentiality, you are actually inviting trouble.

Keep a photocopy of the personal material you carry in your wallet. If your wallet is stolen, you will be left wondering what was actually taken and if it had your credit cards, driving license, you will find hard to track the numbers. You need to have enough information of the lost item so that you can immediately inform the appropriate agencies.