Identity theft can affect far more than your credit score. Yes, someone stealing your information and using it to buy a house in your name or open multiple lines of credit can be devastating to your financial situation and your credit. But most people don't realize that there are other dangers to identity theft that can be just as detrimental and sometimes even worse.
If you lose your wallet, or your social security number gets stolen, someone could commit crimes under your name. I know someone who was pulled over and arrested right in front of his home, because he had warrants out for murder and rape charges on his record. Of course he told the officer's that it wasn't him, but who doesn't say that? Because of the fact that he was arrested on a Friday, he had to spend the weekend in jail until he could see a judge on Monday. He was soon released when the police realized that the man they were looking for was black, and my friend was white.
Also, someone can get treated at a hospital using your identity, thus adding their medical conditions to yours. Now if this person had a blood type that is not compatible with yours, or is diabetic, or has AIDS, you can see where this would be a serious problem when you go in for treatment. Society is very database driven and a doctor will treat you based on what your record says.
Identity theft is a growing problem and will probably continue to get worse. The conviction rate of identity thieves is less than 5%. Law enforcement agencies just simply do not have the time or manpower to track down each individual identity theft criminal.
No comments:
Post a Comment