PREVENT IDENTITY THEFT
By Grant Hall 

As the public scrambles for solutions to the greatest fraud growth crime in recent history, identity theft, identity insurance products flood the market place. And because an identity theft occurs every few seconds at an average cost of between $3,000 and $10,000, the panic stricken, public, continue to panic, and the news media pessimists feed the frenzy with horror stories of the unfortunate and less than cautious souls who allow their lives to become open books to criminals. Statistics continue to grow with the fraudsters winning. The corporations’ identity theft commercials promise you that perpetual, identity insurance premiums paid to their companies, staffed with boiler room, operating, part-timers, armed with subscribers’ home addresses, personal telephone numbers, and credit files, will prevent identity theft. The public is always wrong.

Identity theft is profitable and in demand. With a good identity, an illegal alien or other criminal can borrow money, provide a valid Social Security number for a job, qualify for certain government entitlements, obtain fraudulent medical services, or benefit otherwise by stealing the life of another.

Sadly, the average Joe or Jane continues running the rat mazes provided them by those promising fixes to the problem once it has occurred. Seldom does one escape unscathed. The agencies and corporations do not have the motivation or know how of the professional identity thief who continues to win the battle for sought after identities and the financial rewards available to them.

Successful identity theft prevention is not for the dependent, the lazy or the unaware. Indeed, preventing identity theft is a process of careful, identity protection through a systematic change of lifestyle, unlike the masses, and in fact, to avoid identity theft with a high confidence level, it is necessary to travel, bank, work, and live anonymously.

These privacy tactics can be adopted over a period of time to fit the privacy needs of individuals and business people who choose to keep their lives under their control while depending on privacy principles and concepts implemented by themselves, rather than entrusting, part-time insurance company, clerical staff with their most personal and confidential information.

Identity theft “Self Insurance” involves taking the responsibility to keep your identity secure through the practice of privacy living.

Copyright: James Clark King, LLC, December 16, 2009