Imagine what could happen to your world if someone with crime on their mind had full access to your computer, passwords and all. First of all, they would probably go on a pretty serious shopping spree. They would then use your personal information to adopt your identification and set up multiple credit cards in your name. They might even be able to buy a car or a house before you were able to stop them. Computer identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in the nation and it occurs so often because people simply don’t protect themselves.
When you are home, you lock your doors. When you park your car, you take your keys and lock your doors. But, why do you let your computer, a machine with your most valuable information on it, completely unlocked? People leave laptops in their cars, on desks at school, in their gym bags, without any fear that in one moment that computer could be gone and their entire identity would be stolen.
Computer identity theft involves much more than someone taking your identification to obtain credit. In fact, that is not the biggest problem at all. Most people who have been victim to computer identity theft find that they spend years trying to reassure companies that they are who they say they are. Once someone has compromised their identity, they are unable to get it back.
You may spend years trying to get your old user names back on each of the potentially hundreds of websites that you do business with. You will have to get a new Social Security card, a new driver’s license, and alert all of the credit reporting agencies that you are who you are, and not the person who is stealing your credit. Computer identity theft is costly, but it is also one of the most frustrating crimes that could ever happen to you.
CLICK HERE To Start Preventing Computer Identity Theft!
Photo Credit: Don Hankins
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