About Identity Theft

Someone becomes a victim of identity theft every 3.9 seconds in the U.S.*

What is Identity Theft?

Identity theft occurs when someone obtains personal information (credit card number, Social Security number, bank account number, etc.) and uses it without your knowledge to commit fraud or theft. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) provides examples of how a thief may steal your identity:

Thieves may obtain information from businesses or institutions by:
• Stealing records
• Bribing an employee
• Conning information
• Hacking into computers
• Rummage through trash or dumps in a practice known as "dumpster diving”
• Steal wallets and purses
• Obtain credit reports by abusing their employer's authorized access to credit reports or by posing as a landlord, employer or someone else who may have a legitimate need for and a legal right to the information
• Steal credit and debit card account numbers as your card is processed by using a special information storage device in a practice known as "skimming"
• Steal mail, including bank and credit card statements, pre-approved credit offers, new checks, or tax information• Complete a "change of address form" to divert mail to another location
• Steal personal information from your home
• Scam information from you by posing as a legitimate business person or government official

Once thieves obtain your information, they can cause untold amounts of damage.Restoring one’s name and good credit is a time consuming and expensive process. On average, it takes six months to detect identity theft and approximately 200 hours to recover from the crime. Victims must endure a number of costly steps to dispute fraudulent debts and accounts opend by identity theft.Victims also report being denied employment, credit, loans and mortgages, government benefits, utilities and leases when credit reports and background checks show fraudulently incurred debts or wrongful criminal records**.

Fastest Growing Crime

Identity theft is considered the fastest growing white-collar crime in our nation.* Too often people don’t realize they’ve been victimized until it’s too late. With PSN’s Identity Theft Plan you have the tools to assist you in keeping your good name and protecting your identity. From prevention education, to privacy advocates to manage your case, to telephone attorney access for legal advice, the PSN Identity Theft Plan offers the services you need to protect your most valuable asset ...you!

*Source: Federal Trade Commission, Synovate Identity Theft Survey Report, Jan. 2006.

** Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2003.