For example,
a thief opens a credit card in your name uses it to make purchases.
Not exact matches
A child's Social Security number can be used by identity
thieves to apply for government benefits,
open bank and
credit card accounts, apply for a loan or utility service, or rent a place to live.
The identity
thief can use your personal information to
open a new account — typically with a
credit card company.
This security freeze can be important in preventing financial harm, such as an identity
thief who is trying to
open credit cards in your name using your Social Security number.
Identity theft occurs when a
thief obtains — and illegally uses — your identifying information, such as your Social Security number (SSN) or your
credit card or checking account numbers, to
open new
credit accounts and apply for loans in your name.
It bars new creditors from accessing your
credit report — and as a result, identity
thieves will have a hard time
opening new
credit cards or loans in your name.
An all - too - common example is when an identity
thief uses your personal information to
open a
credit card account in your name.
In addition to draining your bank accounts, racking up charges on your
credit cards and
opening accounts under your name, hackers and identity
thieves can wreak havoc on your
credit score that'll have a far more lasting and damaging impact than a few false charges.
But having a
credit freeze locks
thieves out of your
credit, making it impossible for them to
open cards or loans in your name.
Identity
thieves have been known to scour obituaries and use a deceased person's information to
open credit card accounts or apply for loans, says Eva Velasquez, president and CEO of the Identity Theft Resource Center.
If you're the victim of identity theft, or might be, you can use a
Credit Freeze Request to help protect your credit score, so that the thief is unable to open credit cards using your name or access your credit hi
Credit Freeze Request to help protect your
credit score, so that the thief is unable to open credit cards using your name or access your credit hi
credit score, so that the
thief is unable to
open credit cards using your name or access your credit hi
credit cards using your name or access your
credit hi
credit history.