South Florida Bankruptcy Lawyer
Improving Your Credit Score
When someone uses your personally identify information, like your name, Social Security number, or credit card number without your consent and commits fraud or other crimes, it is called identity theft. Research done by the Federal Trade Commission estimates that as many as 9 million people in the United States have their identities stolen each year. Identity thieves can ruin your credit in various ways, by renting apartments, obtaining credit cards, or opening phone accounts in your name then failing to pay the balance or withdrawing the funds from your account.
How it Works
Criminals can steal your personal information in a variety of ways, including:
- Rummaging through trash for bills with your information on it
- Storing credit/debit card numbers using a device called a skimmer when processing your card
- Pretending to be a financial institutions and sending you spam messages
- Diverting your billing statements to another location by completing a change of address form
- Stealing items like wallets, purses, and mail
Detecting Theft
If charges appear on your credit card that you did not make, your identity could have been stolen. The federal Fair Credit Reporting Act requires each of the major nationwide consumer reporting companies to give you, at your request, a free copy of your credit report once every year. You can request one of these credit reports at www.annualcreditreport.com.
Speak with a South Florida Bankruptcy Lawyers
If you are facing financial crisis because of identity theft, contact the South Florida bankruptcy lawyers of Eric N. Klein, P.A. at 561-353-2800 for guidance on how to get out of your troubled times.
