Welcome to New Mexico Identity Theft Lawyers.com

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Identity theft may well be considered an epidemic in New Mexico, as it is such nationwide. According to the United States Secret Service, there are numerous cases where criminals have stolen personal information in order to drain bank accounts, apply for loans or open new bank accounts inside or outside of New Mexico.

	The Internet Crime Complaint Center 2004
	Identity theft occurs when someone appropriates another’s personal information without their knowledge to commit theft or fraud.Complainants per 100,000 population in New Mexico Complainants per 100,000 population 25.64 Represents % of total individual perpetrators 0.3 Represents % of total individual complainants 0.6 Source: National White Collar Crime Center and the Federal Bureau of Investigation

In response to the rapidly growing number of identity theft victims, President Bush signed the Identity Theft Penalty Enhancement Act last year. The Act adds two years of prison time for each criminal convicted of using stolen personal information. As Bush then stated, people need to stay informed and most of all they need to protect their personal records. In New Mexico, many cases of identity theft have occurred where the victims were left with taken-over bank accounts and, understandably, with hurt feelings.

While identity thieves have become very creative in developing methods to obtain personal information, many still stick to the old-fashioned way of stealing mail. Many people are not aware that their personal mail could be of any interest to others and therefore leave it unattended during holidays or wait several days before they empty out their mailbox. There are, however, several other methods how personal information can be stolen:

• Skimming
• Dumpster Diving
• Shoulder Surfing
• Database Fraud

Identity theft is a crime that is in most cases only discovered once it's too late and it leaves the victims, in worst-case scenarios, with no money and a long process of paperwork to rectify the financial situation. Contact one of our New Mexico lawyers to assist you with any questions you might have and to advise you about the procedures once you have become a victim of identity theft.

Contact our New Mexico Identity Theft Lawyer Now!

New Mexico Audio & Video         Identification Theft: Protecting Your Personal Data AUDIO, RM, 44Kbps, 5:09, 7/18/2005 Pesca details what's being done to protect private consumer data. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission estimates identification theft affects 10 million Americans each year, and the problem is only growing larger Source: NPR

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