My Online Identity

Illegal immigrants have been in the news a lot in the past year for many reasons. It's a hotly contested subject in Washington and throughout the US - particularly states with high illegal populations.

But what do illegal immigrants have to do with identity theft?

I'm pretty sure that illegals aren't slipping across the border to:

    * Shop at the mall
    * Order Chinese take-out
    * Visit Disney World
    * Attend a Broadway play
    * Take kids to soccer practice

They're coming here to find work.

One of the first things an employer will ask for is your social security number. Ah, but the well-equipped illegal has that taken care of. He got the deluxe package deal - a trip across the border and a ready-to-use-identity. Just plug and play.

Here's where the identity theft part comes in.

If it just happens to be 'your lucky day', maybe it's your name and social security  number being sold - not just once, but many times over. So imagine your surprise when you get a nasty-gram from the IRS telling you that you owe back taxes - a lot of back taxes... If you've ever tried to tell the IRS they made a mistake, you know how hard it is to convince them. This is going to take a lot more fixing than just a simple letter.

Or how about getting arrested at work for a crime you didn't commit at a place you've never been to? Not the best thing to make a good impression on your boss.

No, I'm making this up. These things can and do happen. It can take years to straighten out. In the meantime, your credit is trashed, your good name is questioned if you apply for a job, and every time you try to explain, you're confronted by people who figure you're just another deadbeat who says, "It wasn't me - I'm innocent." [Cue rolling eyeballs from the person you're talking to.]

But you're more than just innocent, you're a victim.

As a victim of identity theft, the burden is on you to prove your innocence and clear your name and credit of fraudulent information. It starts to feel like a part-time job. Depending on how many times your information was sold, this could go on for years. You may start to wish you could just reincarnate to come back as someone new and start over.

Identity theft isn't going away. It's getting worse every year and will continue to grow because there's a low-risk of getting caught and prosecuted. Many thieves are smart, but even the dumb ones can figure out which crimes are the safest to commit.

People under the age of 30 are especially vulnerable because they move so often and forget to get their mailing address changed. And they don't check their credit reports or even give them much thought until they need a loan.

Learn to be proactive and protect yourself. It's not being paranoid - it's being safe.