Could You Become an ID Theft Victim?

Did you hear that Ben Bernanke's wife was a victim of identity theft? If the chairman of the Federal Reserve, one of the most powerful men in America, can become a victim, you had better believe it could happen to you.

Bernanke was affected when someone stole his wife's checkbook, and the thieves only took money -- a few hundred thousand dollars. They were caught rather quickly. That is what we in the identity theft protection business call "getting off easy."

The people who have it really tough are the ones who don't find out about it until long after the thief has started a whole new life in the law-abiding citizen's name. Imagine getting a knock on the door from an IRS agent saying you owe back taxes because of undeclared taxes on the tips you made as a stripper at that club in Vegas. Never mind that you live in Muncie and have never set foot in Vegas -- when a crook gets hold of your information, they can become you for tax purposes. In that example, the criminal might be a felon trying to make a new start at life but not wanting to tell their parole officer that they're working in a strip club.

Look, I know you might be thinking, "This guy is just trying to scare me into trying one of those identity theft protection products."

To which I say, "You're darn tootin' I am!" If even one person's nightmare is alleviated by using that product, I have accomplished my mission in this life. (In case you're wondering, I am a proud affiliate of that product. Everybody's got to eat.)