Imagine walking confidently onto a car lot to buy a car for your college-age son. You make an enviable salary, and have always paid your bills on time. Now imagine being turned down for the purchase because of your awful credit.

That’s what happened to Brazoria County District Attorney Jeri Yenne. The dealer explained the problem arose because she defaulted on the $17,000 loans for the two cars she bought in 2008.

But Yenne didn’t buy the two cars, and certainly didn’t default on any loans; someone in the Milwaukee area bought the cars and financed them using her Social Security number and the names Jo Perkins and Jo Harris.

It’s not likely Yenne will ever learn how the identity theft occurred, but she does know how her credit was ruined: “I had not taken the time to check my credit,” she said. “Everybody should be encouraged to check their credit.”

But, losing a pristine credit record is only a part of the picture. A stolen Social Security number can lead to criminal identity theft, where an arrested criminal uses the ID theft victim’s information and the victim ends up with a criminal record.

If a stolen Social Security number is used to obtain employment, the IRS may demand unpaid taxes or fines based on earned income associated with the stolen SSN.

The thief may claim retirement benefits, making it impossible for the victim to receive Social Security benefits at retirement age.

One of the first services LifeLock provides their nearly 1.5 million members is a free credit report. Visit LifeLock.com to find out more about their other services including fraud alerts, WalletLock™, eRecon™ and TrueAddress™.

Enroll using the LifeLock promotion code DEFENSE to get the lowest price available.

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