Rather than approach the subject of identity theft
or credit fraud from the "what if" perspective, characteristic of so
many other credit information sites, we assume that you are here because you have
been, or believe that you might be, a victim of either or both. Of course, we
will give you pointers as to how you might better protect yourself against, or
recover from, being a victim. However, we want you to understand one inescapable
fact: there is no way for you to stop the free flow, or exchange, of your personal
identifying information.
It has always been, and will continue to be, somewhat easy for professional criminals to obtain and fraudulently use your personal information. Though the Internet provides greater access to information, it's still easier and cheaper for criminals to simply steal your mail or use other existing and well–known information gathering techniques which we, for the betterment of the credit industry, will not discuss here.
There is no question that being a victim of credit card fraud, or identity theft, will cost you time and, in many cases, money. However, the real agony comes when you begin the painstaking process of notifying your creditors and the major credit reporting agencies, as well as explaining any negative credit information to potential creditors that might appear on your credit report as a result of the theft or fraud.
