The Federal Trade Commission estimates that each year millions of Americans are victimized by identity thieves ultimately costing the credit industry billions of dollars.  Identity theft occurs when a criminal steals your name, Social Security number, or other significant identifiers and utilizes the information without your knowledge or permission. The thief can use your information to obtain credit, employment, or other services. We have even seen many cases where the thief gets arrested for a crime and gives the true person's name and information. This type of activity results in the victim having a criminal record and sometimes warrants issued for their arrest as a result of the initial charges.

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