Identity Theft: Stay Educated- Introduction

Just before Christmas I was having problems with my debit card which was extremely frustrating since I needed to buy gifts. When I contacted my bank they told me they froze my card due to suspicious charges. Apparently someone in North Carolina tried to use my card information for  a $200. purchase at Walmart. Thankfully my bank continuously monitors for unusual charges and stopped the transaction before I had to pay for someone else's Christmas bliss. My brush with identity theft was mild, but unfortunately many people aren't as lucky.

A report form Consumer Sentinel  Network Data Book for 2011 shows that from 2009-2011 there were approximately 328,984 incidents of identity theft with the number of incidents decreasing in 2010 by 10,000 and rocketing back up in 2011 by 18,000 incidents.

In a society where access to technology makes identity theft 4,000 times easier then when famous former fraudster Frank Abagnale Jr. was in his deceptive prime, the best defense is a strong offense. Over the next several weeks I'll post a type of identity theft and a tip of the week of what you can do to help prevent it.

Keep a look out!