Credit Card Fraud or identity theft may involve just a few pieces of valid identification. With them, identity thieves can apply for and receive credit cards or debit cards in your name. Your credit rating will quickly be damaged. Your efforts to correct these problems can literally be exhausting!

How easy is it to get false ID, steal the numbers that identity you, and commit credit card fraud?

A lot easier than you might think. There are traditional ways of acquiring your financial information:

• Stealing your wallet or purse,
• Accessing your credit report by posing as an employer, loan officer or landlord,
• Stealing mail from mailboxes to obtain credit card statements, bank statements, or other personal information,
• Taking trash bags from the street with old credit card and bank statements, and
• "Dumpster diving" into trash bins to retrieve financial statements.

But today hundreds of databases already exist that contain detailed information about your personal life, your buying habits and other lifestyle characteristics.

Various companies offer services that provide address, criminal, civil, and professional history as well as a list of assets and bank account numbers. Also available are your Social Security number, last six addresses, current phone number and names and phone numbers of neighbors. Some large, prestigious companies offering such information include Lexis-Nexis and West Publishing Company. Many smaller companies also provide similar services.

Identity theft is getting easier and faster. Today, you can steal someone's wallet or purse--or find the right database on the Internet. This information is available in minutes with only a few click of your mouse. Here are economical products that can quickly uncover personal details.

(NOTE: Before you look at these sites, determine if you have a personal use for a private investigator. Is there something about someone your are trying to find out? These sites gives you the tools and resources known only by private detectives--until now. You'll learn their tricks and investigative methods. OK, now look.)

The documents typically used to gather information to construct a fraudulent identity include:

Nearly any document can be created if the content and form is known. You may be interested in visiting some sites that can rapidly produce necessary IDs that can allow criminals to establish fraudulent credit accounts in your name. Though these sites advertise their document replicas as being for entertainment purposes only, these documents look real enough to be used for more nefarious purposes.

In spite of the ease of committing this crime, there are steps you can take to reduce your exposure to the consequences. Click on the image below.

Other sites you may want to visit include:

Already an identity theft victim? Here's how to cope.
Identity Theft Prevention: Steps you can take.
Your credit report: Use it to detect identity theft.
U.S. government's central website for information about identity theft
Privacy Rights Clearinghouse information about identity theft
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) information about identity theft