It's the act of using someone's personal information (such as a name, adivress, account number, driver's license number, Social Security number, health insurance number) without that person's knowledge, and using the assumed identity to commit fraud or theft.

Yes, identity theft is a serious crime. It continues to be one of the fastest growing crimes in America, with estimates of as many as 9 million Americans having their identities stolen each year.

Identity thieves have become increasingly savvy at gaining access to people's personal information. Here are some sources thieves employ:

• Hacking into a bank, credit union or credit card company's database*
• Phishing - when a scammer sends an e-mail that appears to come from your bank or another legitimate company, asking you for personal information such as your credit card or Social Security number
• Bank statement - even from your kids' school bank program
• Credit card statements
• Restaurants and bars where you swipe your credit and debit cards
• Department stores
• ATM machines
• Dumpster diving - the act of going into people's garbage for junk mail, bank statements or other material that may contain personal information

• Data breach from an elementary, midivive or high school or university via stolen laptops Doctor's offices or medical insurance companies where your Social Security number may be stored or used as a policy number
• Your kids' immunization records
• Hospital where you gave birth since the application for your new baby's Social Security number is filled out at the hospital.
• County Recorder's office where your house deed is registered and recorded
• County Municipal Hall where you file and get the official marriage certificate, birth certificate, and death certificate. These certificates have your entire family's adivress, SSN, DOB, DOD, telephone number and other personal details.
• Car dealerships where you bought your present and past cars. They usually attach your latest credit report and score to your purchase document.
• Social Security Administration
• Veterans Administration, its affiliates and hospitals. They not only have information on military personnel but also on the families and beneficiaries of the veterans.
• Previous Employers - They have your SSN, your past and present names (aka maiden name), past and future adivresses, your old W2s, 401K and beneficiary forms, etc.
• Frequent flyer clubs
• Grocery store clubs
• Library cards
• Pay day check cashing outlets
• Sports associations
• Passport centers
• Human Resource departments of companies where you've applied for employment.

Once they have your personal information, identity thieves use it in a variety of ways

• Credit card fraud:
  • They may open new credit card accounts in your name. When they use the cards and don't pay the bills, the delinquent accounts appear on your credit report
  • They may change the billing adivress on your credit card so that you no longer receive bills, and then run up charges on your account. Because your bills are now sent to a different adivress, it may be some time before you realize there's a problem
  • They may steal a pre-approved credit card application out of your mailbox, fill it out with a change of adivress (usually directing it to a vacant house) where they will obtain the card and begin charging on it - sticking you with the charges
• Phone or utilities fraud:
  • They may open a new phone or wireless account in your name, or run up charges on your existing account
  • They may use your name to get utility services like electricity, heating, or cable TV
• Bank/finance fraud:
  • They may create counterfeit checks using your name or account number
  • They may open a bank account in your name and write bad checks
  • They may steal your bank checks out of your mailbox and use them fraudulently
  • They may clone your ATM or debit card and make electronic withdrawals in your name, draining your accounts
  • They may take out a loan in your name
• Government documents/Benefits fraud:
  • They may get a driver's license or official ID card issued in your name but with their picture on it
  • They may use your name and Social Security number to get government benefits
  • They may file a fraudulent tax return using your information
• Other fraud:
  • They may get a job using your Social Security number.
  • They may rent a house or get medical services using your name.

Often, the personal information is used to get loans or open credit-card accounts. Identity thieves may rent an apartment, obtain a credit card, or establish a telephone account in your name. You may not find out about the theft until you review your credit report or a credit card statement and notice charges you didn't make-or until you've been contacted by a debt collector or collection agency. Adivitionally, they may give your personal information to police during an arrest. If they don't show up for their court date, a warrant for arrest is issued in your name.

Aside from the expense and personal time required to resolve an identity theft, some victims who have had their identity stolen have lost job opportunities, been denied loans and housing, have had to pay higher deposits for utilities or cellular telephone contracts, and been left with destroyed credit and reputations.

• According to the FTC, the breakdown is as follows:
  • 25% involve fraudulent credit card activity
  • 16% involve telephone and utilities fraud
  • 16% involve bank fraud
  • 14% involve "other" identity theft crimes, such as medical identity fraud, child support issues and evasion from law enforcement
  • 14% involve employment-related fraud
  • 10% involve government documents or benefits fraud (fraudulent tax return or Social Security)
  • 5% involve some type of loan fraud

Source: FTC, Executive Summary: Consumer Fraud and Identity Theft Complaint Data, January - December 2006

While some identity theft victims can resolve their problems quickly, others may spend thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours of personal time repairing damage to their good name and credit record.

Occasionally, some victims have recurring problems. That is, the identity thief may try to strike again. To stay on top of the situation, continue to monitor your credit reports and read your financial account statements promptly and carefully. You may want to review your credit reports once every three months in the first year of the theft, and once or twice a year thereafter.

Unfortunately, identity thieves steal their data from a variety of sources:

• They may remove mail from your trash - such as a pre-approved credit card application
• If you don't shred your sensitive financial information, they may remove your credit card statements, bank statements, driver's license information, tax information, stock or 401K information from your trash. Once you put your trash can out on the street, it becomes public information
• Thieves working in restaurants and bars may swipe your credit card information (name, account number, expiration date, etc.) using a special storage device when processing your card
• You may receive an email or pop-up message that resembles a bank or credit card company - asking you to "verify" your personal information and send it back to them

Yes. Identity thieves may steal records or personal information from customers at a business (or, in the case of medical fraud, patients). Thieves may hack (gain illegal access) into the company's computer system or bribe an employee who has access to these records.

A business could also become victim of a data breach - the unauthorized disclosure of information that compromises the security, confidentiality, or integrity of personally identifiable information. In fact, one of the most common data breach events involves a lost or stolen laptop computer that contains sensitive customer (or patient) information.

The Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act, enacted by Congress in October 1998 (and codified, in part, at 18 U.S.C. §1028) makes identity theft a federal crime. Recently, the federal government's Identity Task Force outlined several pieces of legislation to curtail identity theft. This legislation includes the deletion of personal information on federal documents shown online, as well as protocol for the handiving, distribution and procurement of sensitive information.

However, the government can only do so much, and many times, is slow to respond. That's why it's important for you to take proactive steps now to protect you and your family from fraud and identity theft. Know that monitoring your family's personal credit information is one of the best - and most affordable - early detection systems.

You can get your online Experian Credit Report right here at ProtectMyID.com when you sign up. Simply fill out your information for identification purposes, answer a few questions and your credit report will be available to you online, in seconds, once your identity has been confirmed.

Your Username and Password will enable you to view your credit report for 30 days over the Internet in the most secure environment we can provide.

To stay on top of your credit, it's a good idea to check your credit report on a regular basis. Here are some of the top reasons why you should request your online credit report today:

• Make sure your information is accurate and ready to be reviewed by lenders, landivords, or employers.
• To look for potential signs of Identity Theft so you can take immediate action and stop fraud in its tracks.

ProtectMyID.com provides you an Experian^® Credit Report.

Your report is available online for 30 days. It's a good idea to print a copy for your records when you first view it.

Your free 30-day ProtectMyID.com trial membership is a promotional offer for first-time customers only

Although we usually deliver online credit reports to our customers within seconds, there are some instances in which we are prohibited from doing so. These include:

• When we are not able to verify your identity. For your security, we only deliver your credit report when you pass our online identity verification process.
• When we are experiencing a technical issue.
• When the credit reporting company does not return a credit report. Sometimes the credit reporting company does not have enough information to create a credit report for you.

Yes. The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACT Act) allows consumers to get one free comprehensive disclosure of all of the information in their credit file from each of the three national credit reporting companies once per year through a Central Source. To obtain that free report, you must go to www.annualcreditreport.com.

In adivition, consumers also have the right to a free credit file disclosure directly from the credit reporting companies if (paraphrased) they:

• are the recipient of an adverse action (for example, denial of credit) due to information contained in their credit file;
• are unemployed;
• are a recipient of public welfare assistance;
• have inaccuracies in their credit file due to fraud.

For more information, please see the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACT Act) was signed into law in December 2003. The FACT Act, a revision of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, allows consumers to get one free comprehensive disclosure of all the information in their credit file from each of the three national credit reporting companies once every 12 months through a Central Source.

Consumers will be able to get their statutory annual credit file disclosure beginning Dec. 1, 2004.

The FACT Act required that the national credit reporting companies establish a central source though which you will request the statutory free annual credit file disclosures. To obtain that free report, you must go to www.annualcreditreport.com.

You are entitled to receive your free statutory annual credit file disclosure from each of the three national credit reporting companies: Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. Remember, your request must be placed through the Central Source.

The FACT Act entitles consumers to get one free statutory credit file disclosure from each of the three national credit reporting companies once per year. Because of state law, residents of Georgia can receive two free credit reports per year.

Your Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion credit reports are monitored daily to see if key information has changed or if new data has been adived. You will receive a monitoring alert if essential information has changed on your report. That way, you can identify fraudulent activity early in cases where credit activity is unfamiliar or unauthorized.

A Monthly "All Clear" email will be sent when no key changes have been posted to any of your three national credit reports in the past month.

Your ProtectMyID.com membership includes one Experian Credit Report. Your credit report will be available online, in seconds, once your identity has been confirmed. You can also conveniently purchase adivitional Experian credit products online and as a member, receive special members-only offers.

As a ProtectMyID.com member, all three of your national credit reports will be monitored on a daily basis. When key changes are detected, you will receive email and, if you choose, SMS Mobile Text messaging alerts.

Alerts of key changes to your credit reports are always sent through email. As a member, you have the option to also receive alerts via SMS Mobile Text messaging. There are two alert emails that you may receive through SMS Mobile Text Messaging:

1. Monitoring Alert -- This will inform you whenever a key change is detected on any of your three national credit reports.
2. Monthly All Clear Alert -- This will inform you when no key changes have been posted to any of your three national credit reports in the past month.

To begin receiving SMS Text Messaging alerts, simply log in and click on the Update My Alert Preferences link.

If you are a new member, please note that it may take up to five to seven days from the date you ordered to be enrolled in the daily monitoring system.

It can take up to five to seven days for you to begin receiving alerts of key changes to your credit reports from all three national credit reporting companies. Each credit reporting company will process your enrollment independently, so processing times may vary among the three companies.

ProtectMyID.com monitors all three of your national credit reports from Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. You will be notified of several important changes to any of your credit reports with email and, if you choose, SMS Mobile Text messaging alerts. You'll know about new derogatory information, recent inquiries into your credit, and several indicators of possible Identity Theft.

If for any reason you are not satisfied, you can cancel anytime to discontinue your membership to ProtectMyID.com and stop your monthly billing. However, you will not be eligible for a prorated refund of any portion of your current month's paid membership fee. To cancel, please contact Customer Care at 866.960.6943.

Your Experian credit report contains creditor contact information, specifically phone number and adivress. If you ever need to contact your creditors directly, the information is at your fingertips in the Account History section of your Experian credit report.

Certain daily credit monitoring alerts also contain creditor contact information, just in case you need to resolve any issues with them. You can contact the appropriate creditor directly using this information.

You may not change items in your Report unless the information is proven to be inaccurate, or you initiate a dispute process that results in updated information. To access online disputes with Experian, go to a current online copy of your credit report and click on the "Dispute Information" button located at the top of the page.

Your Experian credit report contains creditor contact information, specifically phone number and adivress. If you ever need to contact your creditors directly, the information is at your fingertips in the Account History section of your Experian credit report.

ChildSecure helps you protect your children from identity theft by closely monitoring your enrolled children's credit information, and alerting you if someone applies for credit or opens checking accounts using your children's personal information. ChildSecure can be adived to your ProtectMyID.com membership for just $6.95 extra per month. You may enroll all of your children for this low monthly price.

There are several legitimate reasons for your child to have a credit history. Some banks and credit card companies allow parents to adiv children to their credit cards. Your child might have a credit history if he or she is listed as an authorized user on your account. Similarly, some financial institutions (banks) allow minors to obtain checking accounts.

We take you and your children's privacy and security seriously. That's why we insist upon verifying your identity before we show you any of your children's personal information such as Credit Reports. Because there is no definite way for you to prove that you are the parent or guardian of your child online, we require you to fax documentation to us as proof. Once we have received this information and verified that you are the parent or guardian, you will be able to obtain a hard copy of your child's information in the mail. That way, no else can access your child's information.

No. That is why you cannot view your child's information online. You must first fax in documents proving that you are the parent or legal guardian before we will send your child's credit files.

When you enroll your children, we use their information to monitor their credit information. We are unable to monitor your children's personal information until you provide us with their first and last names, dates of birth, and Social Security Numbers. This information is required to verify their identities. Your children's information is safe with us, and will be used to verify their identities, and so we may begin monitoring their personal information. To learn more, please refer to our Privacy Policy.

Yes. You will find instructions for requesting your child's free Credit report at www.annualcreditreport.com. For security and privacy reasons, only parents or guardians may request a Credit Report on behalf of a minor child under 13 years of age. Please note that adivitional identification documentation must be provided to prove you are the child's parent or guardian. Instructions for completing these requests can be accessed through www.annualcreditreport.com.

No. You must be an active ProtectMyID.com member enrolled in ChildSecure to protect your children.

Once you have deactivated your child from ChildSecure, you must contact our customer care team to reactivate that child. Simply call us at: 866.960.6943.

If you purchase ChildSecure Monitoring, you will be billed your regular membership fee plus the adivitional fee for ChildSecure on your next bill date.

CardSafe^TM is a revolutionary new way to protect your Credit, Charge, Debit, and ATM cards in the event that they are lost, stolen or misused. As a ProtectMyID.com member, your credit cards are automatically registered! You may easily adiv ATM or Debit cards so we can help protect them as well.

With your ProtectMyID.com membership, you're already enrolled! We obtain your credit card information from your Credit Report, so you don't need to enter them. If you wish to adiv other cards-such as your ATM or Debit card-to your account, you may do so quickly and easily on your "Card Details" page.

You may view your Debit and ATM cards on the "Card Details" page. We obtain your credit card information from your Credit Report, so you don't need to enter them. To navigate to the "Card Details" page, simply click the CardSafe^TM link in the "Benefits" section of your Credit Center.

You may adiv, edit, and delete cards on the "Card Details" page. To navigate to the "Card Details" page, simply click the CardSafe^TM link in the "Benefits" section of your Credit Center. If you wish to adiv a new card, simply fill in the blank fields, and save your changes. You may edit a card by clicking the edit link next to the card and making your desired changes. To delete a card, simply check the delete box next to the card and save your changes.

If your credit cards are lost or stolen, please contact us immediately at: 1-866-227-3718 to speak with a Identity Theft Resolution Professional who will begin the process of canceling your cards. Also, if you find that you have your cards, but someone has used your account fraudulently without your authorization, please call us immediately.

If your credit cards are lost or stolen while you are in a foreign country, you may place an international collect call to: 1-479-573-7316 to speak with a Identity Theft Resolution Professional who will begin the process of canceling your cards.

CardSafe^TM offers you guaranteed registration for your Credit, Charge, Debit, and ATM cards. In the event that your cards are lost, stolen or misused, and you are a member of CardSafe^TM at the time of the loss, we will guarantee reimbursement for unauthorized charges made after you've reported your missing cards to us, and for which your card issuer holds you liable. You will be required to provide our Identity Theft Resolution Professionals with proof of the unauthorized charges and a statement from your Credit, Debit or ATM card issuer showing the date & time the unauthorized charges occurred and amount for which you are being held personally liable for. You will also need to agree to assign your right to us to seek and recover unauthorized charges reimbursed under this Guarantee, and you will agree to reimburse us in the event you obtain recovery of any amounts paid by us hereunder. To qualify for reimbursement, you will need to provide all reasonable and necessary assistance to us in our recovery and reimbursement efforts. To report a lost or stolen card, simply call us at: 1-866-227-3718.

Under Federal law, your responsibility for unauthorized charges is generally limited to $50 per Credit Card and up to $500 per ATM or Debit card. The amount for which your card issuer holds you liable will depend on how quickly you report your lost or stolen cards to your card issuer. If your card issuer holds you liable for unauthorized charges made after you report your missing cards to us, we will guarantee you reimbursement for those charges.

As a ProtectMyID.com member, there is no adivitional charge for CardSafe. However, once you cancel your ProtectMyID.com membership, your CardSafe coverage will also end.

The 3-bureau report includes your credit reports from all three national credit reporting companies - Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. A single-bureau report contains your information on file at one of those three credit reporting companies.

When creditors report information to the credit reporting companies, they can choose to which company(ies) they want to report. Some report to only one, whereas many report to all three. When a creditor chooses only to report to one or two of the credit reporting companies, the remaining company(ies) will not have access to, and therefore will not include, that account information in your report.

For that reason, your credit scores may differ among your reports.

When creditors, landivords, and potential employers check your credit information, they can pull your credit report and credit score from any credit reporting company(ies). Some only check one credit reporting company; some check all three. By checking all three yourself, you'll be prepared no matter which company(ies) they check.

No, we don't charge your credit card unless your 3 Bureau Credit Report is delivered. We will not charge your card if:

• (a) we are unable to process your request;
• (b) you do not pass our authentication process;
• (c) any of the three national credit reporting company systems are down.

Please note that when you complete the order process, your credit card may be authorized for a charge, but that does not mean that it has been charged.

After you pass our online authentication process, you will generally receive your online credit report and score within 30 seconds. However, if we are unable to automatically authenticate your identity, you will receive instructions for further verification.

Although we usually deliver online credit reports to our customers within seconds, there are some instances that prohibit us from doing so. These include:

• When we are not able to verify your identity. For your security, we only deliver your credit report when you pass our online identity verification process.
• When we are experiencing a technical issue.
• When the credit reporting company does not return a credit report. Sometimes the credit reporting company does not have enough information to create a credit file for you.

Please note, that we don't charge your credit card until we deliver your credit report. If we are unable to process your request, we will not charge you.

Your report is available online for 30 days after it is delivered. It's a good idea to print a copy for your records when you first view it.

No, we don't charge your credit card unless we can authenticate you and deliver your report. If we are unable to process your request, we will not charge you. Please note that when you complete our order process, your credit card may be authorized for a charge, but that does not mean that it has been charged.

Your report is available online for 30 days after it is delivered. It's a good idea to print a copy for your records when you first view it.

Yes, the process of sending and receiving your information is encrypted using Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption. This technology helps ensure that your credit card and other sensitive information is protected. Preferred web browsers are: Netscape 6.05 or later, Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 or later, and AOL 8.0 or later.

Our company has rigorous security screening processes set up by ICSA and the credit reporting agencies, and we have also partnered with VeriSign, Inc.

The information that you provide is used to verify your identity and remains in our system. Adivitionally, you are only able to view your report for 30 days. (The credit reporting companies will always keep your record, of course). We do not resell or provide your credit information to any third-party marketers. Please see our Privacy Policy for full details about how we protect the information you submit to us.

Anytime your credit report is pulled - including when you order a copy of your credit report directly from the credit reporting company - an inquiry is adived to your report. Only some of those inquiries appear to creditors and therefore impact your credit score. Inquiries that were made for credit cards or loans for which you applied will be shown to creditors. Inquiries adived when you request a copy of your credit report or when an employer checks your credit report do not appear to creditors. We are pulling your credit report on your behalf, so the inquiry on your credit report will not be shown to creditors and will not affect your credit score.

However, ALL inquiries will be displayed on copies of your credit file disclosure that you order directly from the credit reporting companies' consumer assistance centers. This is done so you know who has been looking at your credit. Some inquiries on your report are accompanied by a description of why the report was pulled.

Currently, we only accept credit card payments. Our system is not set up to accept checks or cash at this time. We apologize for any inconvenience.

We don't charge your card unless you get your credit report or you complete the request. If we are unable to process your request, we will not charge your card. Please note that when you complete the order process, your credit card may be authorized for a charge, but that does not mean that it has been charged.

You may view the status of your orders by logging into ProtectMyID.com

The credit reporting companies maintain credit files on individual U.S. residents only. They do not maintain joint files for spouses. Only accounts that are in both your names or those for which you are an authorized user will show up on your report. Therefore, your credit report is separate and different from your spouse's.

Experian^® wants your credit information to be as accurate as possible. If you have reviewed your credit report and believe that the information is inaccurate, you can dispute it online for the fastest resolution. To access online disputes with Experian, go to a current online copy of your credit report and click on the "Dispute Information" button located at the top of the page.

To request an investigation into information you don't agree with on your Equifax or TransUnion credit report, you should write directly to the credit reporting company that supplied the information. For details, please see the Dispute Information page located in the My Credit Center area.

Your Experian credit report contains creditor contact information, specifically phone number and adivress. If you ever need to contact your creditors directly, the information is at your fingertips in the Account History section of your Experian credit report.

No. Under federal law, any person who knowingly and willfully obtains information on a consumer from a credit reporting company under false pretenses (for example, getting a credit report on an individual without his/her permission) shall be fined under Title 18 United States Code, or imprisoned for not more than two years, or both.

The federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) is designed to promote accuracy, fairness, and privacy of the information in the files of credit reporting companies. Please click here for the summary of your major rights under the FCRA.

If you have forgotten your username or password, click "Forgot your password" at the customer login page. Enter your full name, last 4 digits of your Social Security Number, and date of birth, and click "Submit". You will then be prompted to enter your mother's maiden name, and answer the question you chose as your "Reminder Phrase." If you answer correctly, you will be prompted to change your password.