Identity Theft is a huge issue in today’s world. On a consumer level, there are many things to worry about, of which credit card fraud is only a minority portion. You have all seen ads on TV in which a man speaks in a woman’s voice and describes the new plasma TV he/she just bought, but the fact is that credit card fraud makes up less than a third of all identity theft issues, and is actually one of the least dangerous forms. According to PC Magazine, most US citizens are listed in at least 50 different databases – private, state, and federal.

Here are some other frightening examples: Motor Vehicle Identity theft. Let’s say someone has your driver’s license number, and is stopped for drunk driving. Will they show up on their court date? Of course not! So a warrant is issued on you, and the next time you get stopped for a minor offense such as a speeding ticket, you go straight to jail! Telling the arresting officer “Oh, no, you made a mistake, that is not me” is not even worthy of making him laugh at you. This has happened many times.

In order to work, employers ask prospective employees for a valid Social Security number. Such a number is worth about $150 on the open market, such as at a flea market. Inside sources admit that a red flag is not even raised until several dozen people are working under the same SSN, probably in multiple states. Are you liable for a bill for thousands of dollars in back withholding taxes? Yep. Happens all the time.

Medical Identity Theft is the most frightening of all. Say that someone used your medical insurance number, and entered the hospital. If they are listed as having a chronic condition such as diabetes or AIDS, that goes into your permanent medical record. In most states, it takes a court order to change any of the state’s own records, and each change requires a separate court order. Do you think that might forever affect your ability to get a job, or health insurance? How about if you are unconscious and get a transfusion of the wrong blood type? Game over.

This is not all that can go wrong. On the information “Black Market”, do you know what CVV2 means? Your complete information, including PayPal account. That’s right, this stuff is wicked.

This book is a good start, but there is no single answer to this problem. I plan to submit this article both as a review for the book, as well as an ebay guide. If you live or work in the State of Georgia,  protectingyourself.org  could be a good source for help on this issue. This problem continues to grow and challenge all of us, probably forever. Protect Yourself!