The state of Florida has released a resource guide to help residents prevent identity theft.

The guide offers information about the many forms of identity theft, ways consumers can further protect private information and steps to take if identity theft occurs, officials said.

Identity theft occurs when someone uses or attempts to use the private personal information of another person to commit fraud, typically for economic gain. Tax identity theft has been the most common form of identity theft reported to the Federal Trade Commission for the past five years, state officials said.

However, there are other ways scammers can use someone’s personal information to commit identity theft.
While identity theft is often associated with stolen credit card numbers and unauthorized loans, it also occurs in the medical field. Medical identity theft occurs when someone uses or attempts to use another person’s name and insurance information to receive medical treatment or acquire prescription drugs. Someone working in the medical field could also use another person’s information to submit fraudulent bills to insurance providers.

For more information on types of identity theft, warning signs and tips, view the resource guide here.

Click here to read the full article.

By News 4 Jax, March 3, 2017