Identity theft happens to millions of people each year, no matter how high or low their checking account balance. No one is immune. And with over 15.4 million identity theft cases in 2016, it’s one of the fastest growing crimes in the world. Depending on how long the fraudulent activity (that means it’s illegal and done by someone claiming to be another person) has gone on undetected, it can take months or years to sort out the mess and get the victim’s life back on track.
Time isn’t the only cost of identity theft. Victims also suffer two forms of financial loss: direct and indirect. Direct loss is the money stolen or misused by the thief from banking or savings and investment accounts. Indirect loss includes other costs like legal fees, overdraft charges, harm to their credit score, or time missed from work to combat the fraudulent activity.