Identity Theft Articles

The media today scares us with stories of identity theft, thieves who steal a person’s persona and rack up thousands of dollars of debt, entering into contracts and changing assets at banks until the money is lost. We’ve all heard accounts of a man who’s discovered that the government thinks he’s moved, that he’s employed somewhere he’s not, or the woman who stands at the bank only to be told all her accounts were closed last week and the money is gone. Worse, there are stories of people who are told that they’re not who they claim to be, only because someone else has stolen their identity and has done a good job at portraying a role.

We need to protect ourselves, which means we need to be informed on how to prevent identity theft. Most people today would go straight to their computers and Google, plugging the words ‘Identity Theft’ and believing what they read. But reader, beware! Just how valid are those identity theft articles you’re paying attention to? Where does the information come from, and who is putting identity theft articles up on the Internet to begin with? Finding reputable information in identity theft articles can be a little like winning the lottery as searches return thousands of hits, so here’s a few tips about which identity theft articles are good ones, and which aren’t.

Government agencies are the first place to look for solid, reputable information, and in their identity theft articles, you’ll often find security tips to safeguard both your identity and wallet. Banks are also a good, credible source for identity theft articles. While there may not be much information on individual bank sites, checking each one and searching their safety information forums can sometimes provide you with good advice. Sites that offer consumer information are usually good places to look for identity theft articles, as their business is protecting consumers from marketplace scams.

Search engines pull up links to thousands of other sites that have information. These are the ones readers have to be wary of. While the identity theft articles may be informative, they may not be accurate or written by someone who has done research on the subject. If you read carefully, you’ll notice that the ideas and tips may be vague, or just give you notions of how to protect yourself and not full step-by-step instructions. Because something is put down in words on pen and paper (or monitor screen in a virtual world) doesn’t mean it’s been written by someone who really knows what they’re talking about. Make sure the sites you do get your identity theft articles from have some kind of credentials or commonly-known reputation.