All of us, no matter how careful, can become victims of identitytheft. In fact, it was determined every three seconds another identity isstolen. In 2007 there were seventy nine million credit card and Social SecurityNumber thefts according to major news media investigations. That was anincrease of four million additional people over the previous years statistics,that had their identity or financial information compromised. This makesidentity theft one of the fastest growing crimes in America.

Anyone with a Social Security number and assets to loose should be concernedwith identity theft. Unfortunately, a common belief by many people is theyassume they have nothing significant for thief’s to take advantage of. Bear inmind criminals are much better than you are at making use of your information.For example; there is credit card theft where someone steals your credit cardand runs up charges. Identity theft is where someone steals your personalinformation (social security number, date of birth, name, etc.) and uses youridentity to open a new line of credit, gain employment or even establishcitizenship.

You must realize that your information is stored locally and nationally. Yourdentist, doctor, banking facility(s), college transcript, club memberships areexamples of data configurations where your personal information is stored. Idon’t have to remind you there have been numerous sophisticated agencies andinstitutions hacked into and identities stolen. How easy it would be to haveyour identity stolen from neighborhood businesses, your mailbox or even yourtrash receptacles. Yes shredding papers listing your personal information is agreat step to protect your identity but as indicated, your information iseverywhere.

It’s no secret that many savvy consumers have learned to place fraud alerts ontheir accounts which prompt creditors to call them if someone is trying toestablish credit in their names. But did you know these alerts are generallyonly valid for a period of ninety days? Are you really confident enough tobelieve your going to take the time or for that matter, even remember to renewfraud alerts every three months? Remember too, just because you have fraudalerts placed does not guarantee you from becoming a victim.

There is an option to implement a credit freeze which locks down all of yourpersonal information making it impossible for anyone to open a line of creditin your name, including you. There are also fees involved with many creditfreezes. When you place a freeze, you pay a fee. From there on, if you want toopen any new line of credit (loan, credit card, cell phone) the freeze must belifted; there will be a fee for that as well. Currently 33 states and the District of Columbia offer the credit freeze option, but ifyou are not living in one of them, you cannot do this.

Credit watch services have come into prominence thanks to the many breachesthat have been publicized. What exactly is a credit watch, and what benefitdoes such a service offer the consumer? Credit Monitoring (or a watch) is thecredit bureau selling the consumer their own information. After there has beena change on your credit report, the bureau notifies you in 24 to 72 hours thatthere has been a change. It is then the consumer's responsibility to check theinformation for accuracy and by the way, if they find that it is a case ofidentity theft, the consumer is responsible for any losses, expenses and has tospend the time to clean up the mess. The Bureaus do nothing to actually preventthe crime of identity theft, nor do they help fix the problem. The FTC says ittakes an average of 177 hours and over two years to clean up an identity orcredit compromise, if you can clean it up at all.

I’m not trying to come off as a fatalist and give anyone the impression thereis nothing that can be done about criminal activity. If you worry aboutidentity theft, then it’s time you got to know about identity theft services.These agencies provide proactive identity theft protection.

On your behalf, ID theft companies request that fraud alerts be placed on youraccounts. By placing these fraud alerts, you are asking that creditors takeextra care to identify who you are and to investigate the validity of anypending transaction. These services also request that your name be removed frompre-approved credit card lists and junk mail lists. Additionally, servicesannually order your free credit reports from the three major credit reportingbureaus. In the event that your identity is compromised, qualifiedprofessionals are available to assist you in addressing whatever complicationsmay arise.

In summary one might ask; if the consumer can do these things by themselves,what is the need for an identity theft service? The simple answer is nothingmore than convenience and protection. The assurance that nothing is overlookedin the shuffle and required responsibilities in everyday living that would keepyou from taking the measures necessary to protect your identity. These serviceshave but one concern and mission, to safeguard your identity and assets.