Identity theft could happen to anyone. It is a criminal offense in which a person intends to acquire an identification of another person and uses it without proper authorization as he adopts it as it was his own. Most often, the purpose is for financial gain. A criminal may gather information by tapping a phone call, listening to conversations, hacking passwords and banking information over the internet, etc.
Shredding sensitive documents and refusing to give away sensitive information (e.g. your social security number) can make you less vulnerable to identity theft. Additionally, federal law dictates that you can get your credit report for free; do not pay for this service! Use your free credit report to verify that no fraudulent activity has taken place under your name.
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