Identity Theft: Preventing It, Spotting It, Fixing It

Identity, theft, isn't, just, one, crime;, it's, three., Each, one, gets, discovered, in, different, ways., Existing-account, fraud, happens, when, someone, uses, an, account, you, already, own., You, usually, spot, this, on, your, statement, within, a, month., New-account, fraud, is, when, someone, opens, credit, in, your, name., You, typically, find, out, about, this, only, on, your, credit, report, or, when, a, collections, letter, shows, up,, often, a, year, later., Then, there's, synthetic, identity, fraud., This, mixes, your, identifying, number, with, a, fake, name, and, history., It, might, never, show, on, your, report, since, the, file, isn’t, really, yours, at, all.

The, practical, takeaway?, Checking, your, statements, only, protects, you, from, the, first, and, least, harmful, type., To, tackle, the, second, and, most, damaging, type,, you, need, a, credit, freeze., This, blocks, new, accounts, from, opening, in, your, name, until, you, lift, it., A, freeze, is, free., It, doesn’t, touch, your, existing, accounts, or, your, credit, score., Plus,, you, can, lift, it, temporarily, when, you're, applying, for, something., This, is, the, most, valuable, step, in, this, lesson., Yet, many, people, still, haven’t, done, it.