Tampa Identity Theft Attorney Serving St. Petersburg, Sarasota, New Tampa, Clearwater, Wesley Chapel, Brandon & Throughout the State of Florida

Identity theft is stealing a person’s identity for the purpose of obtaining credit in the victim’s name, access to funds held in the victim’s accounts, obtaining credit for other purposes, applying for loans, creating accounts with telephone and utility companies, leasing automobiles, and even applying for a job. Recently, there have even been reports of identity thieves using innocent victim’s identities in the commission of crimes, such as traffic infractions and felonies.

Typically this theft is attainable with only the victim’s social security number, birth date, and address, or phone number. Oftentimes, the thief will apply for credit in the victim’s name but provide their personal address. Due to the hasty nature of the credit lending, lenders and credit organizations do not always verify the applicant’s information thoroughly and the thief may also claim a change of address, if questioned, which is common and doesn’t necessarily raise any red flags.

Unfortunately, once this first account is established, obtaining additional accounts or transactions in the victim’s name will be much easier because the thief can use this new account and other identifying information to gain borrower credibility. This common practice often results in acts of identity theft going undiscovered for months or years.

According to recent statistics, Florida is ranked sixth in the nation for identity theft. To prevent identity theft, be sure to request a copy of your credit report every year. This will identify applications for credit in your name, use of your accounts, and changes of your billing address. Other important tips include:

• Store your social security card, debit card and credit card in a safe place;
• Shred documents that indicate any account number(s) or other personal information;
• Never provide your card numbers or social security number over the phone, unless you placed the call;
• Collect your mail promptly;
• Avoid submission of credit card information or social security number via email;
• Only use secure web pages for online ordering that show a padlock status bar where the credit card number is requested;
• Regularly use and update anti-virus and personal firewall software;
• If you receive calls from creditors, take these calls because they may be notification that a theft has occurred.

If you believe you may be the victim of identity theft, you can obtain information about
reporting the theft from Florida’s Identity Theft Resource and Response center. Also, the Department of Justice prosecutes federal identity theft cases.

Victims of identity theft often also become the victims of illegal debt collection practices. The Federal Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) and Florida’s Credit Collection Practices Act (FCCPA) prohibit attempts to collect an illegitimate debt, or a debt that does not belong to the person being pursued. If you are the victim of an identity theft and you, your family members or friends have received phone calls or letters attempting to collect the fraudulent debt incurred as a result of the theft, contact Yesner & Boss, P.L. today to schedule a free one hour consultation.