(WXYZ) — We talk about scams almost every day, but recently, the Federal Trade Commission has zeroed in on identity theft. It’s the FTC’s Identity Theft Awareness Week, and we went to the experts to see how you can identify it and protect yourself from it.
Elliot Sprehe, an Air Force veteran who lives in Wayne County, will never forget when his identity was stolen a few years ago.
“Someone filed a tax return in my name and actually gave me a promotion and a significantly higher salary, which is why the IRS red-flagged that, I came to find out later,” Sprehe said.
Thankfully, he didn’t lose any money and no loans were taken out in his name. But, he had to contact the IRS, FTC and all the credit bureaus.
“Even now years down the road, I get an annual pin number from the IRS to identify me as myself,” he said.
Identity theft is a huge issue in the U.S. Last year, the FTC received identity theft reports from more than 1.3 million people, and they consider it just a drop in the bucket because many people never report being a victim.
“Identity theft happens when a thief uses someone’s personal or financial information without their permission,” Kelle Slaughter, the FTC Identity Theft Program Manager, said.
She added that thieves often use that stolen information to illegally borrow money or get a credit card in someone else’s name.
“IIt costs time and money to recover from those issues not to mention the emotional toll that it takes on the person.,” Slaughter added.
She said the…
