Legally Speaking with Aaron Sachs and Action 12 News and Channel 33 News






		This Weeks' Topic Identity Theft. This is the time of year the Mall is full and everyone is looking for the perfect gift. It is also the biggest month for using your credit card. How big a problem is identify theft? There were over 69,000 reported cases of identity theft last year. 80% of the victims have no relationship with the suspect. It costs businesses millions of dollars.

What is identity theft?

Stop and think for a second about how you identify yourself when you bank or make a purchase. You use your bank pin number, social security number, date of birth, and credit card number. Your identity is basically a series of numbers.

If a criminal can get his hands on certain key numbers or documents, he can steal your financial identity.

If someone takes your financial identity, what crime have they committed... is it stealing; is it the crime of false pretense?

Seven years ago, in 1998, Congress passed the Identity Theft Act making it a federal crime to illegally use someone else's identification. The punishment for a federal violation includes jail time ranging from 3 to 20 years, depending on the circumstances.

In Missouri, identity theft is also a specific crime with up to 5 years in jail plus restitution to the victim.

If you are a victim of identity theft, what should you do?

If you suspect that your personal information has been stolen, there are 3 steps you must take immediately. Contact the Fraud Department of each of the 3 major Credit Bureaus (Equifax, Experian,Trans Union)

Order your credit report and contact creditors to confirm status accounts
File a report with local police

Time is of the essence, if you want to limit your liability. When you hear about identity theft, don't ignore it and say "ba hum bug". Take steps and protect yourself.

Disclaimer
This information is general and may or may not apply to your situation. The information contained on this web site is not to be considered as legal advice. Since no two cases are identical, we recommend that you contact an attorney in your jurisdiction to discuss the specific facts of your case. Furthermore, since statutes and case law change so frequently and due to information provided by other sources, we make no warranty or guarantee concerning the accuracy of the content of this or any other web sites to which we link.