1. Identity Theft Stefany K. Watson Brandon K. Mosley

2. What is Identity Theft? Identity Theft is the crime of obtaining the personal or financial information of another person for the purpose of assuming that persons name to make transactions or purchases.

3. Statistics Approximately 8.3 million adults discovered that they were victims of identity theft in 2005. In 2005, the median value of goods and services obtained by the identity thieves for all categories of ID theft was $500. Ten percent of victims reported that the thief obtained $6,000 or more, 5 percent reported that the thief obtained at least $13,000 in goods and services.

4. Who is the Federal Trade Commission? The FTC is a federal agency with both consumer protection and competition jurisdiction in broad sectors in the economy. The FTC wants to protect consumers.

5. Deter, Detect, Defend Deter Minimize your risk of identity theft. Protect your social security number Treat your trash and mail carefully Be on guard when using the internet Safeguard your purse and wallet. Detect Stay alert for the signs of identity theft. Accounts you didn’t open Receiving credit cards you didn’t apply for Failing to receive bills or other mail. Defend Recover from identity theft. Place a fraud alert on your credit reports. Close the accounts that you know, or believe, have been tampered with or opened fraudulently File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission

6. Identity Theft Tips Select intricate passwords Verify a source before sharing information Store information in secure locations Protect your social security number

7. How to File a Complaint You can file a complaint with the FTC by using the online ID theft complain form, calling the FTC ID theft hotline, or you can write. https://rn.ftc.gov/pls/dod/widtpubl$.startu p?Z_ORG_CODE=PU03

8. Free Credit Reports www.freecreditreport.com www.annualcreditreport.com

9. Video www.vodium.com/MP/MPF/1.1.8/mpf.as p?dataset=pn100311_fh_ftc&eventid= 83S99Z4O&majver+minver+0revver+ 0