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Home › Articles › General Family Finance › Don't Lose Your Good Name

Don't Lose Your Good Name

Protecting Your Family from Identity Theft

By Cara Stevens

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"The second time we were victimized, people were sending me checks for a charity event through the mail," Cooperman says. When the Coopermans realized they weren't receiving any mail addressed to Renee, they made some inquiries at the local post office. "We discovered that all my mail was being delivered to a Mailboxes Etc. address in the Bronx," she says. "Someone had filled out a change of address form and forged my signature."

Once they got everything straightened out, the Coopermans took action with their local post office, which prompted them to change their methods locally, requiring more strict confirmation for any changes.

Bank fraud is another very common occurrence. Back in 1998, I did a routine balance check on my bank account to discover that it had been emptied entirely. A quick call to the bank confirmed that a starter check that I had used to pay a bill years before had been "washed" dipped in an acid solution to remove the ink and reused to empty my account. After many phone calls, letters and threats to the bank, I was finally refunded the money and closed my account.

Kids Can Be Victims Too
While the majority of identity theft cases involve money, there are other ways people can misuse your identity. A criminal can falsely provide your information when questioned by legal authorities or take on a fake Social Security number for residency or employment purposes.

There have, in fact, been a number of cases where a child's identity is stolen to set up false documentation, according to Linda Foley, executive director of the Identity Theft Resource Center. "This is a growing problem, and families need to look into their children's reports as well as their own," she says.

Protect Your Family
There are a few simple precautions you can take to protect your family's assets and identity without feeling paranoid every time you sign your name or throw out the trash.

1. Obtain a report from each of the three major credit reporting bureaus, which include: