Just as all five fingers on your hand are not equal, human beings also differ from one another. Each individual has his/her own identity. To facilitate the identification of individuals for professional purposes, governments of countries issue identity documents. Insurance companies, creditors, and other agencies verify the documents of individuals prior to offering their services.
Unfortunately, the majority of these documents are not above forgery. That is to say, one can forge someone else’s identity by cloning their documents in various ways. An identity theft attorney in Georgia or elsewhere in the United States can help restore the identity of those who are influenced by this crime.
The last few years have witnessed a sharp rise in cases relating to identity theft throughout the United States. What does it stand for? How an identity theft attorney can help an individual in recovering from its damaging effects? Read on to find out the answers to these pertinent questions.
What does identity theft stand for?
As the name suggests, identity theft is the crime of stealing someone else’s identity and posing as them for receiving financial or other benefits in ways that are forbidden by law. This can be done by either stealing the documents of an individual or by accessing any piece of confidential information which belongs to them.
Criminals steal the identity-related documents of individuals for committing fraudulent activities such as obtaining credit or making illicit transactions. Aside from financial damages, such acts can also influence the image of an individual negatively in society.
For instance, if an unauthorized person obtains credit in the name of an individual without their knowledge, it can affect the latter in two-fold ways. Apart from financial damages. It can also put a person on the bad books of credit agencies. Defaulting on credit payments can translate into a bad credit report.
An identity theft attorney in Georgia and other regions in the United States can help a victim identify the entities responsible for forging their identity via a lawsuit.
Ways in which an identity theft attorney can help victims
For others, identity theft may be just a crime but for those who face it in practical terms, the effect of it goes beyond its description. From a financial setback to the loss of reputation in society, it affects the victims in several ways.
A fraud defense attorney in Cobb County or anywhere else in the United States can help a victim in weathering the storm in the hour of crisis due to identity theft. Here are some ways in which they benefit their clients.
Legal counsel: Generally, clients approach a lawyer for legal advice on their cases. A fraud defense attorney also does the same thing for a victim who is affected due to identity theft. To assist their clients to the best of their abilities, identity theft lawyers inquire for all significant details relating to such cases from their clients. Based on their understanding of the matter, they suggest the future course of action to their clients.
File for restitution: A primary recourse which fraud attorneys consider at the initial stages is filing for restitution. This move is aimed at helping a victim recover from financial and other losses due to identity theft.
File for credit monitoring: Besides financial losses, cases relating to identity theft can also lead to bad credit report due to default payments. This diminishes the credit score of an individual. A poor credit score, coupled with a credit report in red, makes it difficult for such individuals to apply for or obtain loans in the future. An identity theft defense attorney helps in filing for credit monitoring to prevent such possibilities.
File for the request to clear the name of a victim: As a matter of fact, identity thieves can commit disability of insurance fraud. If a victim fails to turn up in court in a trial resulting from such crimes, they may face various legal hassles. To eliminate the possibility of such hassles, an identity theft defense attorney in Georgia or other territories in the United States file for a request to clear the name of their clients off all records.
Legal representation in court: The role of a legal counsel does not end with offering legal advice or filing for a case. These are the initial actions. The actual role of an identity theft attorney is to represent their client throughout the trial process.
Going the extra mile: Apart from the conventional course of action, an identity theft lawyer may consider taking some additional actions to benefit their client.
Final thoughts
Unlike normal cases, the ones that relate to identity theft pose a greater difficulty in that it is not easy to trace the culprits and accomplices. More often than not, such crimes land victims in a state of shock. However, the timely intervention of a fraud defense attorney in Cobb County or any other jurisdiction can help victims stay on top of things and recover from the difficulties arising out of their stolen identity.
