Identity Theft Strikes Cocke County Man

Scammers continue to make life difficult for honest people. Sometimes, scammers and thieves don’t even have to talk to you to effect your life. Identity Theft is a very real and very scary thing. A Cocke County man knows that firsthand now. A man told the sheriff’s office this week that someone had used his identity recently to take out two loans that he knew nothing about.

One of the loans is from U.S. Small Business Administration Processing and Disbursement Center for $10,415.00. The other loan is from the Arizona Department of Economic Security for $9,720.00. That’s over $20,000 in loans the victim is now technically on the hook for. In cases like this, the identity thief runs away with the cash and leaves the victim with the loan repayment bill.

Security experts say there are ways you can protect yourself. Don’t give out your social security number to anyone unless you are sure who you are dealing with. Use strong passwords on your accounts and don’t fall for phishing e-mails. Watch what you put out on social media and check your bank accounts and credit card accounts on a regular basis. To further protest yourself, there are companies such as LifeLock that offer identity theft protection.