The Key to the Truth is in the Numbers

Identity theft affects millions of lives annually; identity theft is a crime that sees no boundaries in age, income, or gender. The fact is anyone can be a victim of identity theft, and the internet has become a hotbed for those criminals looking to steal another person’s identity for whatever reason.

Protecting yourself against identity theft not only includes the direct victim, but identity theft can affect businesses and companies regardless of size. Identity theft is simply a crime that can strike anyone without rhyme or reason, and the only method of insuring identity theft does not affect you is to verify personal data you may receive on a job application, a credit application, or a rental application.

How do you verify that someone is who they say they are?

A social security number is a nine digit number that is as unique to us as our finger prints. In our society, a child is issued a unique social security number shortly after birth. Without a social security number a child can not attend school, daycare, or preschool; as that child grows, the social security number becomes a unique part of the adult person that child will become.

The social security number is used for numerous purposes including the use as an identifier with the government. However, the social security number does not have a physical description of what that person actually looks like, but a social security number can be linked to other organizations that do contain the physical description of the number bearer.

Simply stated, a social security number is a unique part of who we are. Unfortunately, identity theft most commonly occurs when an individual with criminal intent gains possession of another person’s social security number. The individual with criminal intent will then use that social security number to gain access to vital information and financial records of the victim.

The victim’s identity is stolen, usually for financial purposes, and then the perpetrator or perpetrators will assume the victim’s life behind the scene. A perpetrator may obtain credit fraudulently, obtain a lease or rental property, and obtain a driver’s license by assuming the victim’s identity.

However, the victim is not the only person to suffer from identity theft. A company issuing credit to a perpetrator may find that the loss of money needs to be passed onto innocent customers. Perhaps an individual using a fraudulently obtained social security number creates a debt to the Internal Revenue Service, or even worse, commits a crime. The person renting your home has an excellent credit rating, but how can you be sure that the social security number used to obtain that credit rating belongs to your renter?

Have you been receiving unusual phone calls from creditors, but you know you did not create that debt? Did you apply for credit and get refused for outstanding debts you cannot explain? Has the Internal Revenue Service contacted you about income you cannot validate? You may be a victim of identity fraud and not even know you are a victim until it is too late.

If you could stop identity fraud, would you take proactive measures to insure the validity of information on that application? How much time, money, and mental anguish could you prevent if you simply verified the information on that application? Believe it or not, you too can help fight this crime simply by taking a proactive step in verifying the information you receive on that application.

While the majority of individuals want to believe the best of others, the fact remains that an individual needs to verify information for their own safety. Would you want a nanny with your children who had stolen someone else’s identity to get the job? Of course, no one would allow a criminal capable of such actions around their loved ones without prior knowledge.

Stopping identity theft is as simple as verifying information. Investigating an individual may seem like a simple enough undertaking but accuracy is the key. Without accurate information, you will be making a decision based on inaccurate possibly harmful information. Accurate information is vital to your investigation.

Today the internet is a main source of investigations throughout the world. While sitting in the comfort of your own home, you will be able to checkout those applicants for your rental, your nanny position, your employee opening, or your tutoring position. Obviously, the internet allows an individual to remain in complete control of the investigation. Yet, not all website are created equally.

When you start your investigation, a website must be found that offers truthful, honest, professional, and up-to-date information. Most websites do not offer the reliability needed to allow the individual to make an educated decision. Instead, many websites offer outdated, unreliable, and/or fabricated databases for a large sum of money.

How can an individual find a website that offers accuracy, reliability, and professionalism?

Whether you are searching for yourself or someone else, validating the social security number you obtained is an important part of preventing identity theft and fraud. Additionally, verifying your own social security number can actually alert you if criminal activity and allow you to take actions should the unexpected happen to you.

Major companies pass identity theft onto their customers by raising prices; rental properties can be destroyed by a perpetrator before the victim realizes the truth; family members can be injured or hurt by a perpetrator; lives can be ruined. Identity theft is a crime that can be prevented by taking a proactive approach to an individual providing a social security number.