Chapter 1. Identity Theft: How Big a Problem?

Your identity is important to you. It not only defines who you are, personally, but it distinguishes you to all the different organizations, businesses, and authorities with which you deal on an everyday basis. Lose your identity, and you become invisible to society. Even worse, if someone else steals your identity, he becomes you—and gains access to everything you own and have access to.

Having one’s identity stolen is a serious concern, especially in this age of Internet shopping, banking, and transaction tracking. When you’re dealing with any online entity, no one knows your friendly face; you’re identified only by a series of numbers. If an identity thief steals your identifying numbers, he can ...

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