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Identity theft is a complex issue that can have a dramatic effect on your life if you are a victim. It can destroy your credit rating, have bill collectors harassing you and in general make your life miserable for a very long time as you work to clear up the mess made by the thief.
The purpose of this section is to point you to a few articles to get you up to speed on identity theft, how to protect yourself and what to do if you are a victim. After you read these articles, peruse the rest of the material on this site as there are many more very in depth articles that address particular areas of identity theft.
Start with Identity Theft: A Working Definition to get a better understanding of what identity theft is.
Then learn more about identity theft by reading some examples that are easy to relate to in the article 5 Examples of Identity Theft.
Follow that with 10 Ways to Protect Yourself from Identity Theft.
Assuming that you have recently been a victim of identity theft or believe you are about to be a victim, you can contact the credit reporting agencies to place fraud alerts on your credit reports. Read Place Fraud Alerts on Your Credit Report to learn how to take this important step.