As a real estate professional, you are out in the public eye. You have your phone numbers, addresses, and personal information everywhere so you will be noticed and gain business. But you are also exposed to identity theft.

Different Flavors of Identity Theft:

When your identity is stolen thieves can use it different ways. Running up credit is the most prevalent crime, but there is another one that has happened to a Washington appraiser. A competitor stole her identity and was appraising homes under her name!

Kathy Carpenter was reading an email on an appraisal when it hit her, she had not done that appraisal. What unraveled next was a sordid tale of identity theft by an office worker from another appraisers office who stole Kathy’s identity and performed appraisals under her license.

The thief, Jean Faye Dodge, has been caught but Kathy is still fighting to find out and rectify the damage that has been done.

Read the rest of this article…