Katherine had always paid her bills on time, monitored her credit report and kept her credit score above 800. Her parents taught her the importance of good credit --- a lesson she took to heart.

On a recent Saturday morning, Katherine, (whose name has been changed to protect her privacy) one of JBG’s original members and a high-powered corporate executive, shared her story of identity theft.

She called her financial planner to review her assets, investments and ask questions about her portfolio. During the call and a review of her credit, Katherine’s planner was shocked to see her credit score had plummeted to 440. Katherine’s planner, quickly printed and faxed a copy of her credit report to her and she was amazed with all the unauthorized transactions, credit cards and loans that were on her report.

“I still can’t believe I was the victim of identity theft,” Katherine confessed. “I’ve always kept a close eye on my credit and never used the internet to pay bills or conduct business that required my social security number. It’s obvious there is a new breed of high-tech identity thieves.”

But credit experts told JBG that identity theft is more prevalent than you think and whether you want to believe it or not --- everybody is at risk. Personal information is easier to obtain than ever with the increase of credit card use, online banking and access to personal information on the internet. Each time you write a check, use a credit card, mail a bill, rent a car or apply for a credit card, you are at risk of someone stealing your identity.

Though you probably never give these actions a second thought, identity thieves are lurking nearby. More than 10,000 people are victimized by identity theft every year.

According to a recent PC Today Magazine article “Identity theft can take several forms. Some thieves simply make unauthorized charges on a victim’s card (some banks differentiate this as identity fraud). Others appropriate a person’s name, address, Social Security number, and birth date as their own, using it to create parallel identities, as in the case of Katherine.

It’s been 10 months since Katherine detected that she was a victim of identity theft. She’s been able to restore her credit score to 720, but she is still writing letters, speaking to bank officials, credit card company representatives and law enforcement officials to resolve her situation.

According to the Federal Trade Commission, identity thieves get your information:

1. Stealing records and information from their job

2. Hacking into computers to retrieve personal information

3. Stealing your mail or rummaging through your trash

4. Stealing your wallet or purse

5. Filling out a change of address form and diverting mail to another address

6. Steal personal information they find in your home

Here are ways to fight back against identity theft:

• Check your credit report regularly.
• Shred documents before putting them in the trash.
• Do not give out personal information over the phone.
• Put your mail away when people come to your home.
• Leave your social security number in a safe place, don’t carry it with you
• Keep your purse in a safe place at work

For More Information visit: www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/idtheft.htm