Identity theft is a phrase we often hear, and most of us immediately think of credit cards and bank accounts. However that is only the tip of the iceberg. If someone were to take over your credit cards or raid your bank account you would immediately think, "I'm an identity theft victim." If you get arrested by police at 2am for an assault in another state you probably wouldn't think that. But the truth is you would be a victim of a different type of identity theft.

The five major types of identity theft are Financial, Social Security Number, Driver's License, Medical History and Character. Each type can cause different headaches for the victim, even going so far as to put your health and freedom at risk.

A cottage industry for protection against identity theft has sprung up in the last few years. Most of these programs are based on financial issues and not the other four areas. Citibank's commercials are funny and they will make you laugh, but don't call them about that arrest. You're on your own. As a matter fact you're really on your own anyway. They will discover the issue and possibly refund your money but that's not going to help you in the long run. They addressed the symptom and not the cause.

Recovery from identity theft is a long, drawn out complicated affair. Victims are looking at an average of $1,400 expenses not counting attorneys fees and 600 hours legwork to recover their identity. That legwork could be spread over a period of years. It's not as simple as people would have you believe. There's much more than just handling the financial issues. You will need an attorney in most cases and someone who knows where to find the evidence of identity tampering that is not financial.

Experts are directing us to two trends where identity theft is concerned. First no one is safe from becoming a victim, infants and the deceased have been targeted. All ages, ethnicities and economic classes have been targeted. The second trend is that this is the fastest growing white-collar crime in America. Identity theft is more profitable than drug dealing with less risk to the criminal, so it's no longer a case of "if" you are an identity theft victim but "when."

Article Source: http://www.mykidsinheritance.com/articles

Cheryl Baumgartner is an Identity Theft Risk Management Specialist and Independent Associate of PrePaid Legal Services. For more information contact her at legallady01@hotmail.com or visit her website www.prepaidlegal.com/idt/cheryl63

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