Having your identity stolen is a scary thought that seems all too common these days. What’s really scary about it is what they may be using your identity for and how it can affect you. If someone steals your identity and rents an apartment under your name and then gets evicted, that could affect your ability to rent in the future. They could use your identity for jobs and not pay taxes or get fired which could hurt your employment record and your standing with the IRS. They could even use your information to run up medical or student loan debt.
There are certainly a number of ways that identity theft can affect you but the most common thing affected is your credit. Identity theft can devastate your credit and significantly lower your credit score. This can have a long-term effect on your financial future.
How Identity Theft Affects Your Credit
Identity thieves will use your information to take out numerous credit cards. The credit inquiries alone, made each time they attempt to open a new account, could take 10 – 20 points off your score. They will max out each credit card they get approved for and never make payments. The credit inquiries missed payments, increase in debt, and poor credit utilization (debt to credit ratio) will all damage your credit score considerably.
These actions could make it impossible for you to ever get approved for credit in the future and affect other aspects of your life. Not to mention, the crippling debt that would all be in your name. Identity theft is no joke. Thankfully there are ways to protect yourself against identity theft and repair the damages if it does happen.
To avoid having your identity stolen, you may want to consider identity theft protection. You should also request a copy of your credit report each year to make sure everything is in order and there’s no suspicious activity. Early detection of identity theft can make all the difference.
Need help repairing your credit following an attack from identity thieves? Call Credit Absolute for credit repair assistance.
