Linda Vincent

You don't need to have a computer to become a victim of identity theft . . . but it helps. Cyber-crimes involving identity theft continue to rise, so you can consider yourself vulnerable if you use the Internet and do not have an ID theft prevention plan. Hackers find new and ingenious ways to steal personal information every day, and the growing instances of data breaches of large institutions' databases puts sensitive information at risk on a global scale.

Identity theft continues to be one of the fastest growing crimes in the U.S., affecting one out of four people every year according to the FTC. This is a staggering statistic, but even more startling may be the number of victims who are children. The FTC reports that children represent five percent of the victims of identity theft, which equates to about 500,000 child identities stolen each year.

Think your child isn't at risk of becoming yet another victim of identity theft? Think again. The FTC estimates that over 140,000 children are victims of identity theft every year, and the Carnegie Mellon University CyLab Child ID Theft Report showed that children are 51 times more likely to experience identity theft than adults.

One of the most devastating and potentially deadly forms of data breaches involves stolen electronic medical records and the resulting medical identity theft.

By knowing what information you’ll be asked to provide—and what you won’t be asked to provide—you can protect yourself from census scams and identity theft.

Medical ID theft can have a devastating effect on victims, causing collections issues, credit problems, and even bankruptcy. But that’s not all. The type of medical treatment obtained by the identity thief can also prevent the victim from getting medical insurance or medical services themselves because, as far as the insurance company is concerned, the victim now has a “pre-existing” condition.

Any employee can be a potential thief, so an employee criminal background check should be conducted on every new hire. As the economy continues to recover and businesses begin to hire more employees, it’s important for you to know the “do’s and don’ts” of an employee criminal background check. An employee criminal background check ensures that you are protected from identity theft predators or opportunistic criminals masquerading as enthusiastic job applicants.

The FTC Red Flag Rules will take effect on November 1, 2009. Will your practice be prepared and protected? If not, you’re not only putting yourself and your practice at risk; you’re also exposing your patients to the threat of identity theft.

Anyone can be a victim of identity theft. Unfortunately, since young people are less likely to monitor their credit and may make themselves especially vulnerable to identity thieves, students at all levels are a common victim of identity theft.

Identity theft is a threat to everyone, but you don’t have to be a casualty. Stop identity theft in its tracks by taking action today so you don’t have to spend months or even years trying to repair your good name.