Released on = September 17, 2006, 6:44 pm

Press Release Author = HowIdentityTheftWorks.com

Industry = Consumer Services

Press Release Summary = Identity theft affects millions of people each year.
HowIdentityTheftWorks.com is committed to educating consumers and businesses about
identity theft so future occurrences and damages can be minimized.

Press Release Body = Over the last few years, identity theft protection has gone
from nonexistence to being on the verge of explosive growth. Why has identity theft
become such a large problem? Every single person\'s information is stored in excess
of 50 databases, and large data aggregators, universities, and corporations
experience a data loss or theft, what seems to be, routinely. Even if you have
stopped giving out your Social Security Number (SSN), it\'s probably too late.

There is no way to prevent identity theft, but there are steps you can take to
minimize your risk and to minimize the time and money you can potentially lose if
you become a victim.

There are 3 main areas that need to be in a comprehensive identity theft protection
plan.

1. Access to legal counsel.
Laws and the way identity theft occurs are changing too rapidly. Having access to
legal counsel is absolutely necessary. Access to attorneys in all 50 states would
be ideal. A family member or friend who is an attorney could be helpful with minor
problems; however, it is unlikely that he or she would have the knowledge or the
time required to be able to help you in the event of a full blown identity theft.

2. Continuous credit monitoring.
One of the ways to catch identity theft early, which is extremely important, is to
have a monitoring service in place with at least 1 of the major credit reporting
bureaus.

3. Identity restoration services.
Restoration takes people, on average, 600 hours and thousands of dollars.
Subscribing to an identity theft protection plan that includes full restoration
services in all cases of identity theft is something to consider. You want a plan
that has experienced professionals, not customer service representatives, that will
perform your restoration for you.

In certain cases, identity theft has caused people to be wrongfully arrested because
someone had committed fraud in his or her name. Who would you call if you were
arrested at 1:00 AM? Be wary of plans that offer various amounts of coverage up to
$25,000 or $100,000 or even $1,000,000. This type of plan has sizable deductibles
you must pay before coverage kicks in. These plans are usually reimbursement plans.
What good is $25,000 worth of reimbursable coverage if you don\'t have $25,000 to
put out in the first place? Another thing to consider is that an underwriter is
going to look at your claim and decide whether or not it should be covered under the
policy.

Identity theft protection should be proactive. It does not mean protection after
the fact. Think of it this way: Would an auto insurance company pay for your car to
be fixed if you called them after you got into an accident? Identity theft
protection is something you get before it happens to you.

For more information on how to protect yourself and to learn about the 5 types of
identity theft, visit http://www.HowIdentityTheftWorks.com and view the short
presentation.

Web Site = http://www.HowIdentityTheftWorks.com

Contact Details = Vincent Curto||PO Box 1163||Neptune ,
07753||$$country||||7328031902||vcurto@optonline.net||http://www.HowIdentityTheftWorks.com