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•They may steal your wallet or purse.
•They may complete a "change of address form" to divert your mail to another location.
•They may steal personal information they find in your home.
•They may steal personal information from you through email or phone by posing as legitimate companies and claiming that you have a problem with your account.
How identity thieves use your personal information:
•They may call your credit card issuer to change billing address on your credit card account. The imposter then runs up charges on your account. Because your bills are being sent to a different address, it may be some time before you realise there's a problem.
•They may open new credit card accounts in your name. When they use credit cards and don't pay bills, overdue accounts are reported on your credit report.
•They may establish phone or wireless service in your name.
•They may open a bank account in your name and write bad cheques on that account. •They may issue counterfeit cheques or credit or debit cards, or authorize electronic transfers in your name, and drain your bank account.
•They may buy a car by taking out a car loan in your name.
•They may get identification such as a driver's license issued with their picture, in your name.
•They may get a job or file fraudulent tax returns in your name.
You may freely reprint this article provided author's biography remains intact:
John Mussi is the founder of Direct Online Loans who help UK homeowners find the best available loans via the www.directonlineloans.co.uk website.