Don't Let It Happen to You: Seven Emerging Areas of Identity Theft
These days, the threat of identity theft and fraud is something every educated consumer knows about, and has probably taken steps to prevent against. However, even with preventative measures in place and improvements being made in developing tools to fight this type of crime, identity thieves have gotten trickier—and are finding new and more creative ways to "borrow" a person's identity.
Some emerging opportunities for identity theft include:
Medical identity theft, involving the "theft" of a person's name and personal information to obtain medical services or treatment. Medical identity thieves may also exploit a victim's identity to forge insurance claims for monetary gain. This crime can be life-threatening, because the fraudulent information can end up as part of your permanent medical history.
Identity theft of a newborn or underage child. This is an attractive area for identity thieves, because it can take years before the theft of a child's identity is detected.
Reporting for duty. Despite the service they are providing to America, active duty military personnel serving overseas are at heightened risk of identity theft. Because they are abroad, an identity breach is likely to go undetected longer, which gives criminals time to do more damage.
Moving to a new home. Those mountains of paper tossed in the trash and the flood of sensitive mail that may end up at the wrong address create opportunities for confusion and increase the risk that sensitive information may fall into the wrong hands.
The loss of a loved one. As unpleasant as it may sound, unscrupulous individuals may attempt to "take over" the identity of a deceased person for financial gain. That may force the survivor to cope with the stress of a personal financial catastrophe at a time when he or she is trying to recover emotionally.
Traveling overseas. Discovering the world can be exciting, but there are possible financial perils—such as the loss of a passport, driver's license, or credit cards in a foreign country. Furthermore, as with military service, an extended stay overseas can mean that it takes longer for an identity breach to be discovered.
A natural disaster. The days after a natural disaster or catastrophe can be hectic and confusing. The upheaval can create opportunities for identity fraud and theft to occur, because one's personal information is more vulnerable when ordinary life is disrupted for both individuals and government agencies.
To provide peace of mind for its customers, MetLife Auto & Home now provides assistance for life events where the risk of an identity breach is the greatest, as part of its suite of identity protection services. Using the service, for example, it's possible to protect, and even suppress, a minor's credit file until the child reaches 18. Similar actions can be taken to protect the identity of a deceased love one. The service is available to all of its renters, condominium owners, homeowners, and auto customers, in most states at no additional premium.
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