Posted by Kevin

I thought that this was a really interesting article about other areas of exposure and possible ways that your identity can be stolen.  I would not have thought that domestic violence victims could be open to systematic identity theft.

All forms of identity theft can be devastating, from a simple lost drivers license that is used as a fake ID all the way to a complete loss of your credit worthiness, money and having a criminal record because of the stolen ID.  The article continues by stating that as part of the abuse, the abusers may use private information, credit info, mother maiden names and other information who in addition to other forms of abuse use their personal information as a means of control.

New York State has a system in place to prevent and mitigate identity theft. Their tips and consumer assistance resources can be found at www.nysconsumer.gov. Consumers may also find this and additional domestic violence information on the OPDV website at www.opdv.state.ny.us.

Their tips are basically the same as with any other identity or fraud protection information.
• Check your credit and account information. Close compromised accounts.
• File police and/or Federal Trade Commission affidavits with credit bureaus. This can be found at http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2002/02/idtheft.shtm
• Place a security freeze on your credit reports.
• Check your free credit report regularly for errors.

You can read the full article about identity theft proection at http://www.romesentinel.com/news?newsid=20081231-141453