It usually begins with a denied credit application or a call from a creditor saying a payment has been missed on an account the individual had not idea existed. After dealing with the company or their collection agencies, it may suddenly become clear someone else has used their personal information to obtain credit. This can leave the victim holding the bag for possibly thousands of dollars in debts.

Whether done online or because someone stole your wallet and all your identifying information, when your life suddenly becomes a story of identity theft – restoring your good name takes work – it is hard to know where to start to stave off further damage and if possible curtail the damage that has already been done.

There are several software programs and services that can help you with identity theft repair if you have been the victim of an identity thief. Some of these are preventative measures as well. You might also consider prepaid legal services, should you need the help of an attorney to counter identity theft.

There are several steps you can take on an ongoing basis as protection against identity theft.

They are:

* Carrying with you (in your wallet, etc.) only those credit and other identifying cards you will actually need. Never carry your social security card unless you are heading to a place where you will actually have to have it.

Victims of identity theft are oftentimes treated in a suspicious manner by both law enforcement and financial institutions. You will have to do much of your own legwork in initiating the investigation and collecting evidence.

Report the crime to law enforcement. Provide documentation, i.e. credit card or bank statements. Ensure that an Identity Theft Report is filed, that lists fraudulent account numbers, and obtain a copy.

There are many ways that identity theft can affect you, and the life that you have built. If you think that you have been a victim of identity theft in the past, you will definitely want to seek out the advice of a lawyer. Believe it or not, there are law firms that specialize in identity theft, and can help you recover your losses if you have been hit with this unfortunate incident.

One of the best buys, and the most proactive approach to hiring an identity theft attorney, is through the purchase of prepaid legal services. An identity theft attorney can help you get back your good name, repairing your credit by notifying financial institutions, credit reporting bureaus and creditors that the incidents that caused the bad credit to occur were not perpetrated by you.

When it comes to identity theft, you probably know somebody that has been a victim of this crime. In more unfortunate cases, you may even have been the person that has been targeted. Identity theft is a major problem in the world today, and there is really no way of stopping the people that are committing these crimes. The best thing to do is to learn about prevention, and then take all of the appropriate steps.

You may or may not be told about potential identity info theft by the firm whose database has been compromised. You must, therefore, learn how to recognize if any identity info theft has occurred.

You may be the victim of identity info theft if you see unexplained and unusual charges on any of your bills, especially credit card billing. You should also be concerned if you get bills or phone calls for products, services or credit accounts that you don’t have and didn’t open.

One common situation that needs identity theft security is shopping on the Internet. Shopping online is not only an identity theft security issue either. It can also lead to your credit card information being sold to others, transactions recurring without your authorization, and fraudulent purchase situations such as no delivery of goods, or delivery of damaged or unusable goods. Identity theft security can go far in preventing these other situations as well.