Credit Cards And Identity Theft

Identity theft. A few years back, it was something unheard of - the very idea of someone walking around pretending to be you had a surreal tinge to it. In the past few years, though, identity theft has taken on a very specific meaning that has come to the public attention in a big way. All an identity thief needs is enough information about you to fill out a credit card application, and you could suddenly find yourself carrying a load of debt on loans and credit cards that you had no idea even existed.

Just how prevalent is identity theft? The BBC stated last year that identity fraud was one of the fastest growing crimes in the UK. They added that a survey by Which? Magazine showed that one in four UK adults have either been a victim of identity fraud or know someone who has. Protecting yourself from identity theft has become a major concern among consumers - but why now?

It's simple - the same mechanisms that make it easy for you to obtain credit cards make it easy for someone using your name and identifying information to get a credit card in your name. Our buy-it-now, get-it-now, instant-credit-approval society has led people to apply for credit cards and loans in record numbers. Get a new cashback credit card to save money on your purchases, the adverts blare. You'll find the best credit card online, they tell you. We've grown used to web sites that allow us to compare credit cards online and apply directly from those sites for the best credit card we find.

Many people would like to place the blame on weak security when sending personal information over the internet. Not so, say investigators. In fact, your personal information is seldom safer than when it is traveling over encrypted connections as it does when you apply for a credit card online. Interviews with the real identity theft experts - identity thieves - gave a far different picture of where and how they get your personal information.

- Your rubbish bin. Despite warnings, most people toss out papers with their personal information plainly readable - just waiting for an unscrupulous thief to come along and pick through it.
- Your mailbox. It's not difficult for a determined thief to pluck your mail out of your box if it's not locked - and once he's got it, he can use it to apply for credit in your name.
- Your handbag or wallet. The biggest danger when your handbag or wallet is lifted isn't that thieves will run up your current credit card accounts. It's that they'll use your name, address and other identifying markers to apply for a credit card in your name.

There is one way that identity thieves get your information through online sources - phishing. It's as simple a matter as luring you to a website that's set up specifically to get all the personal information needed to apply for a credit card. In some cases, you might even believe that you ARE applying for a credit card. The best way to avoid inadvertently handing over your personal information to a phisher is to only use trusted web sites like moneyeverything.com when you compare credit cards to find the best credit card for you. Moneyeverything.com allows you to search for the best credit card deals whether you're looking for a cashback credit card, a charity credit card or a low interest all-purpose credit card. You can compare credit cards without ever entering any personal information on the site. When you find the best credit card deal for you, clicking on the Apply Now link will take you directly to the web site of the company or bank that offers that credit card. You can apply for your cashback credit card with confidence, knowing that the information you send is not going to be used to steal from you in the future.

Identity theft is a growing problem that's fueled by our in-a-hurry culture - but there are ways to protect yourself from becoming a victim. It's simply a matter of safeguarding your identification details and being careful where you enter them.