Some information doesn’t go out of date quickly.  This afternoon I stumbled across a post by Wilma Colon-Ariza who published a helpful article entitled “Identity Theft and Phishing Scams” last January.  Its content is still timely.

She first notes:

The federal government reports that identity theft is now the fastest-growing financial crime. Every 79 seconds, a thief steals someone’s identity and opens accounts in the victim’s name.

I don’t know what the current statistics are, but guess they are worse.

After commenting on an “Identity Theft Prevention Act” which took effect in New Jersey, on January 1, 2006, Wilma proceeded to provide a very practical outline of how consumers can protect themselves against Identity Theft and Phishing attempts. 

Finally, if you become a victim of Identity Theft, you can refer to specific steps Wilma provided to get things back in order.

Thanks, Wilma, for an informative and practical post, even it took me a long time to read it!