Colorado is the 3rd Most Scammed State

The financial website Mainstreet.com listed the top 10 states targeted for identity theft. Colorado is third in the nation. Wash DC is number 1, followed by Nevada.
photo credit: TheTruthAbout

The Federal Trade Commission released a report on fraud and identity theft based on information gathered from the Consumer Sentinel Network, a database used by law enforcement.

The report shows that fraud and identity theft is on the rise. The median amount scammed was $399 with credit cards involved in 40% of all complaints.

9News reported that children are especially vulnerable to identity theft.

"They have social security numbers. Identity thieves know this," Lifelock's Tami Nealy told 9News. "They know that they can go out and get that information and take advantage of it for a longer period of time. Because until that child goes out and applies for a student loan, applies for a credit card, their true address and their true information won't show up to the credit bureaus or to the collection agencies that are going to be looking for them if the bad guys go out and open a new line of credit, or do something in their name."

To protect your credit, do not give out personal information over the phone or in emails unless you are sure who you are talking to.

Request a credit report for every member of the family, including the children. The credit report for the kids should read, "Credit report does not exist." "Should you get a credit report for your child, that's a red flag," said Nealy.

Request a free annual credit report by visiting the website, annualcreditreport.com

Go to 9News for the full story and the complete list.

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Posted on January 24, 2011 11:16:08 by Blog Author