Did you know that one simple phone call can leave you victim to identity theft? Unfortunately, your telephone can make you victim of identity theft very quickly. The scam is used often and many people unsuspectingly end up with a great many problems. It is imperative that you understand the importance of identity theft through the phone to be better protected.
One popular scam is for someone to obtain a copy of your credit report. They then also access your public telephone number from the Internet. A professional sounding and firm accountant type voice will call your phone to report that they are taking legal action against you for an unpaid debt that is present on your credit report. The next step is to offer you a pay off amount for the unpaid debt. Not only will you pay off the debt and avoid legal action but they will remove the file from your credit report, giving you a better credit rating.
So how are you a victim of phone identity theft? In order to pay off the debt at a lower amount, you will have to provide them with the verification of your social security number. Do not give your social security number out over the telephone. Next, they will verify your date of birth to make certain that they are indeed talking to the person with the actual debt. Finally, you can pay the debt with you can pay the debt with an electronic check over the phone or even another credit card.
If you have a debt and want the reduced amount to pay off, tell the phone operator that you need the address and contact name of the company. Normally, they will insist that you can only take advantage of the payoff if you provide the information over the phone. Refuse to give out your social security number and your date of birth. Request that another statement be sent to you for settlement. Often, the operators will claim that they have sent you repeated statements requesting payment of the debt and will take legal action against you. This threat is to intimidate people to give out information. Even if you can't make a payment, they now have your social security number and date of birth before you realize what is happening and you have become a new victim of identity theft.
Published by Rob Bernabe on December 2, 2007 11:55 AM
