Watch over your back – Military Credit Scare

While those of us who serve in America’s military forces may be used to some extra risks in life, it’s the unexpected ones that can catch us off guard. One such risk is the increased risk for credit identity theft. Douglas Aaron, a credit repair lawyer says,” Military are often targeted by criminals for identity theft because they are often out of the country for extended periods of time.” Criminals who go to the trouble of stealing other people’s information don’t like to be quickly shut down. People who go on a tour-of-duty for a year or more provide just such an opportunity. Once a criminal has obtained your particulars, including your social security number, name and birthday, they will start opening new lines of credit, taking personal loans and buying cellular service. More sophisticated operations quickly add some form of photo ID for bank loans, automobiles or boats. In any case, coming home to a mountain of bills, or trying to make purchase with credit only to discover it has been ruined by thieves is something no one should have to experience. To add insult to injury, repairing the situation often requires months to a year or more to iron out tall the issues created by this type of crime. Cory Baker, a North Carolina resident said:”I served my country for two years, overseas. This was not the type of homecoming I hoped for.” “Proving in court that you didn’t make $7,000 in phone bills to Greece is time consuming and utterly distracting.” Many of these types of problems could have been prevented or stopped a lot sooner with a little more attention to one’s finances, especially monitoring one’s credit report. “Knowing what is on our report, cleaning up and contesting errors, actively trying to increase your credit score is something we can all afford to do, “says Douglas Aaron. If you’re not sure of your score, how will you know if it’s gone down? At the very least, order your scores today. Today’s economic problems demand our attention; they demand we are prepared for emergencies.