Believe it or not, someone wants to be you. Not for the rest of their life but only long enough to use your credit cards, bank account and anything else you may have of value for their own personal benefit.

They become you by stealing your identity. Although stealing someone's identity isn't new (read your Bible), it seems it has risen to new heights.

The FBI says the crime has grown from 23,000 people in 1992 to 360,000 in 1998 and they report the staggering statistic of over one million cases in 2002.

Identity theft occurs when someone steals your name, address, credit card numbers and / or Social Security number and use this information to open new charge accounts, order merchandise, borrow money and obtain goods and services posing as you.

The unfortunate reality is consumers targeted by identity thieves usually do not know they have been victims until the crooks fail to pay the bills or repay the loans, and collection agencies begin dunning the consumer for payment of accounts they didn't even know they had.

Every major newspaper, magazine and newsletter, both on and off line, have done stories about this problem. However, it doesn't hurt to raise the issue to the forefront one more time. You just can't get too much information when it comes to scams, frauds and ripoffs.

"When someone hijacks a consumer's identity, it can be a nightmare," says Jodie Bernstein, Director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection. The Director just summarized the situation in one short sentence.

Imagine waking up one morning and discovering someone else is you but you know they aren't you because you are you. Confusing? Not to the merchants, banks, loan and finance companies that extended credit or gave money to the "not" you. They believed the "not" you was you since the "not" you had the proper ID to prove (s) he was you.

Welcome to Nightmare Village. Unraveling this spider web of deceit, lies and theft can take years with the "real" you suffering tremendous damage. While all identity theft cannot be stopped, consumers can take certain precautions to lessen the chances of it happening to them.

For example, calling the FTC at this toll-free number, 1-877-IDTHEFT (877-438-4338) will accomplish two things. One, victims of identity theft can report the crime to the FTC and two, at the same time receive advice from telephone counselors trained to provide assistance to ID theft victims.

For those savvy on using the Internet, an online consumer complaint form is located at www.consumer.gov/idtheft [http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft] ID theft victims can enter their complaint data directly into the FTC's secure database from that site.

I am not advocating that you use only the FTC to solve your problem. Heck, it is a government agency and government agencies are notoriously slow in helping anyone but themselves. However, before I wrote this article, I visited their site and found not only the above information but also that the site provides links to numerous consumer education materials, as well as state laws governing ID theft, articles and reports.

The FTC also provides a 21-page booklet that addresses identity theft and is available at www.consumer.gov/idtheft [http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft]

The FTC isn't the only consumer champion in the universe. The American Association of Retired Persons, Kiwanis, Elks, newspapers, television stations, your local District Attorney, sheriff and police force all provide information and / or direct help to victims.

Use your favorite search engine to find other agencies and groups providing help and assistance. The Internet is one of the best resources in the world because it gives instant feedback. The moment you become aware you have been stolen, contact your local authorities and start surfing.

Hopefully the following guidelines will prevent you from becoming a victim. They are common sense actions but are worth repeating if for no other reason than to keep them foresquare in our minds when divulging sensitive personal information.

1. Be careful about giving out personal information such as social security number, date of birth, mother's maiden name, etc., to someone over the phone (or the Internet) when you haven't initiated the transaction. Never ever give it to someone who contacts you out of the clear blue trying to sell you a product or service.

2. Never just throw away old bills, bank or credit card statements. Shred them or take a pair of scissors and cut them into tiny pieces. The same holds true for investment account statements. The Securities and Exchange Commission's website, http://www.sec.gov has more information.

3. Don't carry your Social Security card (or your children's SSNs) in your wallet or anywhere on your person or in your car. Take the time to memorize these numbers. You should also call the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213 to request a copy of your SS earnings. If someone has used your number to get a job, for example, the amounts deducted from their check will show on your report. 1-800-269-0271 is the SSA's fraud hotline.

4. Put passwords on credit card and bank accounts, to make it harder for an ID thief to make changes to, or "takeover," your account. One of the most common passwords is your mother's maiden name. Identity thieves know this so select another word. If your checks are stolen or lost, put a stop on them immediately. Then call the 3 major check verification companies (they alert retailers) at:

Telecheck – 1-800-710-9898
International Check Services – 1-800-631-9656
Equifax – 1-800-437-5120

5. Order your credit reports once a year from each of the three national credit bureaus. They charge about $ 10 but the $ 30 you spend could save you a lifetime of grief and expense. As of this writing, a law has been passed making it mandatory the credit bureaus (see para 6) provide you one free copy, no questions asked. Send me an email at the address below and I will mail more info.

6. Should you discover your identity has been stolen, call the fraud departments of all three credit bureaus:

Equifax: 1-800-525-6285 ( http://www.equifax.com )
Experian: 1-888-397-3742 Formerly TRW. ( http://www.experian.com )
TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289 ( http://www.transunion.com )

and tell them to put a "fraud alert" on your file. This tells creditors to call you before they open any more accounts in your name.

If you suspect the fraud to be Internet based, go to: [http://www.ifccfbi.gov/Default.asp] and report it. This is a joint venture between the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center.

7. Ask for a copy of your credit report, and ask the credit bureau to remove any fraudulent or incorrect information. You should also call 1-888-567-8688 to stop the deluge of preapproved credit cards arriving in your mail box.

8. Contact the credit grantors involved – eg, the bank or credit card issuers who opened the fraudulent account or permitted access to your existing account. Immediately close all affected accounts. Yes, this is a pain in the posterior but if you don't do it, you may be giving tacit agreement that it was you who opened the account.

9. Contact your local police, and ask to file a report. This benefits you in two ways. One, the police are now on alert someone has committed a crime and two, having a police report can help you in clearing up your credit records later on. This is important. At the federal level, the FBI has information on Identity Theft at: [http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/fraud/idtheft.html] You can not go wrong reporting your perdicament to the G-men.

10. If you live in a state where your social security number is also your driver's license number, you may want to lobby your representative to change back to the old numbering system. Likewise, (most people do not realize the DMV has such information as name, address, sex, age, social security number, health problems, medications) if you live in a state selling your information, you may want to lobby to stop this practice .

Like I said at the top of this article, these precautions won't stop a determined crook but it will make it harder for him / her to succeed and may just save you a ton of hassle and tribulation.

Forewarned is forearmed someone once said.

Consider yourself forewarned.

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2004 (c) This article may not be reprinted without permission of the author who can be reached at tom-koziol@excite.com