We talked
about identity thief many times on this blog. By now you know to destroy all
bills and documents with your personal information on it before you put them in
the trash. Even after doing that, you still may not be safe from thieves.
Identity
theft is a very real criminal activity. Utility fraud is a much more popular
scheme with lawbreakers than identity theft. In fact, utility fraud is
currently rated the number two type of fraud in the United States. In some
states, utility fraud rates higher than credit card fraud.
Utility
fraud is the illegal practice where identity thieves use your personal
information to obtain utility accounts such as Natural Gas, Electric, Water,
Sewer, Cable, and other services. In many cases, you will have to go to
court and fight charges that these bills amounting to thousands of dollars are
not your bills. These fraudulent bills may stop you from getting that new job or
purchasing that new home or car.
These
smart thieves can set up telecommunication accounts through your home or cell
phone. In many cases, your name, address, and phone number is all that they need
to commit utility fraud. That can be done by a relative, friend, or just
someone who knows your name, address, and phone number but can’t open accounts
because of their own bad credit.
About 15%
of senior citizens are victimized by an identity thief by obtaining unauthorized
telecommunication accounts or access to utility equipment/services by using the
person’s name.
You can
fight utility fraud by doing the following;
- Keep a tight rein on all personal information and never give it out over the phone
- Shred any documents or mail with your personal information on it
- Never put personal information in the trash without shredding it first
- Never give out utility account numbers over the phone or to people who you do not have evidence that they belong to that utility company.
- Check your three credit reports at least once a year, looking for duplicate utility accounts.
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