*You* might be a victim

Today, US Attorney General Michael Mukasey announced indictments against 11 people for (according the allegation) stealing more than 40 million credit cards. The credit cards were stolen by hacking into the computer networks of at least nine major US retailers:
- TJX Corporation (TJ Maxx and Marshalls)
- BJ's Wholesale Club
- Barnes and Noble
- Sports Authority
- Boston Market
- Office Max
- Dave and Busters
- DSW shoe stores
- Forever 21

With so many major retailers having been hacked and so many credit card numbers stolen; what are the chances that *you* might be a ID Theft Victim?

If you have ever purchased clothing, accessories, or home decor from TJ Maxx or Marshalls; you might be a victim.

If you have ever acquired electronics, accessories, home decor, sports equipment or toys from BJ's Wholesale Club; you might be a victim.

If you have ever obtained books, DVD's, magazines, toys, or even a gift card from Barnes and Noble; you might be a victim.

If you have ever procured clothing, footwear, or sports equipment from the Sports Authority; you might be a victim.

If you have ever grabbed lunch, dinner, or even a snack at Boston Market; you might be a victim.

If you have ever secured office supplies, technology, electronics, or furniture from Office Max; you might be a victim.

If you have ever earned the high score on the games, or enjoyed food or drinks at Dave and Busters; you might be a victim.

If you have ever collected footwear (boots, slippers, pumps, clogs, mules, athletic, casual, or even slippers) from DSW; you might be a victim.

If you have ever expanded your wardrobe (top, bottoms, dresses, outerwear, or even intimates) by shopping at Forever21; you might be a victim.

Let's pause for a moment and consider how vast the scope of the theft was. Let's bring this into focus by comparing it to something more tangible. If we were to compare the number of credit cards stolen against the population of New York City how would that turn out? The US Census Bureau estimates that New York has a 2007 population of 8,274,527. It is not even close (40 million versus 8.2 million).

If our most populous city (bear in mind that we're counting every man, woman, and child) doesn't stack up against the size of the theft. How about if we were to add Los Angeles(3,834,340), Chicago(2,836,658), Houston(2,208,180), and Phoenix(1,552,259)? Nope. The combined population of the five largest cities still doesn't compare to the scope of the theft (18,705,964 vs 40,000,000) . To approach the size of the theft, we would need to have the entire populations of the top 33 most populous cities (New York through Atlanta) to equal the number of credit cards stolen. That is a staggering sum!


So, if you are concerned about your chances of becoming a victim of Identity Theft, what should you do? An excellent choice is enrolling in Merchants SmartIDentity plus. There are several companies offering ID Theft services that you might turn to, but Merchants distinguishes itself by offering "Fully Managed Recovery".

Fully managed recovery services are different than most others. Most other service providers offerings are limited to "consultation". In other words, they provide only advice on how *you* go about recovering your credit and good name. At Merchants, Recovery Advocates (RA's) can act on your behalf to contact retailers, credit institutions and others and clean your record. With the "consultation" from other providers, you bear the full (sole) responsibility for knowing and taking all of the steps required to restore your good name. At Merchants, the RA's can act on your behalf (once you have executed a limited power of attorney) to do the legwork for you.