Identity theft happens when someone steals your identity and impersonates you in order to open credit accounts, rent apartments, even engage in criminal acts. You don't know when it happens. Then one day you are turned down unexpectedly for a loan, you get a call from a collection agency about an account you never opened, or worse yet, a call from the police about a crime you didn't commit. Suddenly you are a victim of identity theft.
Identity theft is one of the fastest-growing crimes in America and has become a national crisis according to the Social Security Administration's inspector general. The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse estimates that there are between 500,000 to 700,000 identity theft victims a year.
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