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·Identity Theft was the #1 complaint in 2008, according to Consumer Sentinel Network Complaint Data for 2008.

·Credit Card Fraud (20%) was the most common form of reported identity theft followed by government document/benefits (15), employment fraud (15%) and phone or utilities fraud (13%)

·Other significant categories of identity theft reported by victims were bank fraud (11%) and loan fraud (4%). These figures only take into account those crimes that were actually reported by victims.

·Electronic funds transfer-related identity theft continues to be the most reported type of identity theft bank fraud during the calendar year 2008.

·Arizona is the state with the highest per capita rate of reported identity theft complaints, followed by California and Florida.

Identity theft and identity fraud are terms used to refer to all types of crime in which someone wrongfully obtains and uses another person's personal data in some way that involves fraud or deception, typically for economic gain.  Unlike your fingerprints, which are unique to you and cannot be given to someone else for their use, your personal data ­especially your Social Security number, your bank account or credit card number, and other valuable identifying data ­can be used, if they fall into the wrong hands, to personally profit at your expense.

In the United States and Canada, for example, many people have reported that unauthorized persons have taken funds out of their bank or financial accounts, or, in the worst cases, taken over their identities altogether, running up vast debts and committing crimes while using the victims’ names. In many cases, a victim's losses may include not only out-of-pocket financial losses, but substantial additional financial costs associated with trying to restore his reputation in the community and correcting erroneous information for which the criminal is responsible.

To victims of identity theft and fraud, the task of correcting incorrect information about their financial or personal status, and trying to restore their good names and reputations, may seem as daunting as trying to solve a puzzle in which some of the pieces are missing and other pieces no longer fit as they once did. Unfortunately, the damage that criminals do in stealing another person's identity and using it to commit fraud often takes far longer to undo than it took the criminal to commit the crimes.

If you think you've become a victim of identity theft or fraud, act immediately by hiring a private investigator to minimize the damage to your personal funds and financial accounts, as well as your reputation. 

IDENTITY THEFT

Identity Theft Investigations | Arizona Private Investigator