Identify theft has become so popular in California, with thousands of victims losing thousands of dollars to such acts. Taking the right steps to prevent this can significantly help. However, getting help singly sometimes becomes difficult. It becomes easier if a group of identity theft victims sues for damages together. It is possible through a class action lawsuit. Nevertheless, not every lawyer or legal advisor knows about identity theft. It requires a lawyer who can navigate the theft cases and hold the identity thieves accountable for their deeds.
What Is Identity Theft?
Identity theft is trying to use someone’s information without authority, such as utilizing a victim’s financial information to make transactions or purchases. Identity theft comes in many forms. They include:
- Account takeover fraud: A victim’s information is used for personal gain. This happens through fraudulent identification.
- Creation of new accounts: Once your personal information such as social security card information is stolen, it can create new bank accounts, which can later be used to take loans.
- Social security identity theft: If they access your social security number, they can also use it to take loans or apply for credit cards.
If the above has happened to you as a group, there is a high chance of obtaining financial recovery. Once it’s determined who stole, victims can sue for damages. You can look out for an identity theft lawyer. Again, since identity theft happens to many individuals, you may consider ganging up as victims who have suffered similar damages once you learn that your identity has been stolen. In this way, you can be able to file a class-action lawsuit to protect your legal rights and know the options to take.
Filing A Class Action Lawsuit
Before you decide to file a claim, you should first determine the statute of limitation for identity theft. It’s the only way you can have a chance to file a successful claim. Besides, you should also keep track of your case. Since this is not easy, especially when you have been harmed as a group, you can choose to hire class action lawsuit lawyers in California to file the case on your behalf. Such lawyers have a big reputation to help consumers get back on their feet after their identity is stolen.
Your lawyers can work with private investigators or forensic accountants to identify who stole your information. Once a class action lawsuit is filed and successful, you will recover financial losses and also have a chance to rebuild your credit score.
How To Prevent From Identity Theft
There are ways you can protect your information or guard your privacy against being interfered with. They include but not limited to:
- Keep your social security number safe: One way to ensure you keep it safe is not to carry the card every time. Again, make sure to provide the information when it’s necessary.
- Safeguard your personal physical information: If you have sensitive data, ensure you keep it safely secured from those around you. These could be your trusted employees. You can also choose to pick your bank sensitive information rather than have it mailed or put in unsecured mailboxes.
- Safeguard your sensitive online: This may include information such as your birth date, your personal identification number (PIN), and any other personal information. It’s possible to hack into computer networks and use an information malware detector to gather sensitive information. If you have to input any financial information to any website, make sure the site is secure.
- Destroy any sensitive information after use: You can shred your credit card statements or tear them up after use. Some thieves sift through your trash bins to see whether they can obtain any financial information. Also, make sure to keep on monitoring your credit cards. And if you discover any fishy thing, communicate this with your bank or consider closing the account.
- In addition to putting your name in the Do Not Call Registry due to robocalls, you can make sure to take your name off the telemarketers’ list.
There have been many identity thieves on the rise; the best way to ensure you are safe is to be vigilant about your personal information. One way to ensure this is through credit monitoring. You can be able to detect any fraud immediately and prevent surprises when you need money. Also, you can provide to check the accuracy of your personal documents. Protecting yourself from identity theft requires the right understanding of what is involved in such theft. In such away, you can wall such thieves and ensure your personal data is safe. If identity theft happens and you report the act, the culprit will serve federal crime punishments. To find out more about identity theft and how a lawyer can help, you can speak with an identity theft lawyer.