When the identity thief is someone you know
The first thing identity theft victims want to know is who’s the culprit. Most people assume an internet purchase led to the crime, or a waiter in a restaurant copied the info from a credit card. Maybe it was a dumpster diver.
Most people will never know who the perpetrator was, but 25% of all victims do find out who stole their identity. Half of those people will discover they’ve been taken advantage of by a relative, a neighbor, an employee, a repairman, a former boyfriend—someone they knew and trusted.
What to watch for
- Most of us know someone–or are related to someone–who has or has had a problem with alcohol, drugs or gambling. Their compulsive behavior means they have a frequent need for money, and when their money is gone, they’re going to need someone else’s.
- Lack of impulse control, and a sense of entitlement, is a dangerous combination. This could be the kid who thinks if his parents refuse to buy him something he wants, he’ll find a way to get it from them another way. Or it could be the nanny who resents her employers’ wealth.
- Divorce or the break-up of a long-term relationship frequently occurs in an atmosphere of animosity and leads to a lesser standard of living. For many that’s reason enough to use an ex’s personal and financial information–and feel good about doing it.
- Watch out, too, for someone with champagne taste, but a beer budget—especially if he seems to always have all the trappings of a champagne lifestyle. All those goodies are being paid for someone; be careful it isn’t you.
- If the woman who works for you in your home-based business has lousy taste in men, her bad-egg boyfriend could be pressure her to feed him your information.
- It’s easy to think of ID theft as a victimless crime, especially if the victim is a child, and especially if the parent, the coach, the babysitter or the aunt is desperate for money. The rationalization might be that the kid won’t need a decent credit score for a long time.
Anytime someone has access to your personal information, your risk of becoming an identity theft statistic increases. More than a million people count on Life Lock for identity theft protection. Visit LifeLock.com to learn more about the services that make LifeLock the industry leader. Sign up for their services using LifeLock Promotion Code RD17 to get the best available prices.
