Welcome to New York Identity Theft Lawyers.com

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Identity theft may well be considered an epidemic in New York, as it is such nationwide. According to the United States Secret Service, there are numerous cases where criminals have stolen personal information in order to drain bank accounts, apply for loans or open new bank accounts inside or outside of New York.

	The Internet Crime Complaint Center 2004
	Identity theft occurs when someone appropriates another’s personal information without their knowledge to commit theft or fraud.Complainants per 100,000 population in New York Complainants per 100,000 population 28.54 Represents % of total individual perpetrators 9.5 Represents % of total individual complainants 6.4 Source: National White Collar Crime Center and the Federal Bureau of Investigation

In response to the rapidly growing number of identity theft victims, President Bush signed the Identity Theft Penalty Enhancement Act last year. The Act adds two years of prison time for each criminal convicted of using stolen personal information. As Bush then stated, people need to stay informed and most of all they need to protect their personal records. In New York, many cases of identity theft have occurred where the victims were left with taken-over bank accounts and, understandably, with hurt feelings.

While identity thieves have become very creative in developing methods to obtain personal information, many still stick to the old-fashioned way of stealing mail. Many people are not aware that their personal mail could be of any interest to others and therefore leave it unattended during holidays or wait several days before they empty out their mailbox. There are, however, several other methods how personal information can be stolen:

• Skimming
• Dumpster Diving
• Shoulder Surfing
• Database Fraud

Identity theft is a crime that is in most cases only discovered once it's too late and it leaves the victims, in worst-case scenarios, with no money and a long process of paperwork to rectify the financial situation. Contact one of our New York lawyers to assist you with any questions you might have and to advise you about the procedures once you have become a victim of identity theft.

Contact our New York Identity Theft Lawyer Now!

New York Audio & Video         Identification Theft: Protecting Your Personal Data AUDIO, RM, 44Kbps, 5:09, 7/18/2005 Pesca details what's being done to protect private consumer data. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission estimates identification theft affects 10 million Americans each year, and the problem is only growing larger Source: NPR

New York External Sites         SCHUMER: NEW YORK IS THE IDENTITY THEFT CAPITAL OF COUN In New York, identity theft is becoming increasingly common, Schumer said, as he issued a new report showing that there were over 3300 identity fraud S:\PRESS\Press Releases\identity theft report.wpd Identity theft is running rampant throughout New York and, with the holiday ... intended to detail the scope of identity theft across New York State