Georgia a Hotspot for ID Theft

ATLANTA - Identity theft thieves are making Georgia a hotspot for fraud. And many of the victims are left fighting a battle to prove their true identity.

It's an unsuspecting crime that can cause a lifetime's worth of damage. But it's happening everyday in Georgia in ways that may surprise you.

Brandee Scott has lived most people's worst nightmare. The Covington realtor was accused of crimes she didn't commit -- two speeding tickets along with traffic violations. She says she was shocked when she got the letter.

"It said that if I don't respond to this warrant and pay the ticket that I received two years before, they would arrest me," said Brandee Scott.

To this day, Scott has no idea how it happened, but someone had her name on their license when they were stopped by police.

"Somebody used my name. They had my birth date even. I don't know where they got the information from, but they received a ticket," said Scott.

And according to a 2010 survey by the Federal Trade Commission, Scott's situation is common in Georgia -- where identity theft ranks 4th highest in the nation. Of the more than 9,000 complaints in the state last year, nearly 3,000 were govement document or benefits fraud.

"You have fraud, you have credit card fraud, bank fraud there are all areas of identity theft," said Brenda Muhammad of Atlanta Victim Assistance

Brenda Muhammad is the Executive Director of Atlanta Victim Assistance, the agency Scott tued to for help in clearing her name. And Muhammad says domestic ID theft is what her office faces most -- that's theft by your own family member.

"There are young people right now, who are getting ready to go to college, who are filling out these grant applications and finding out that their credit is bad. But many of their parents have been using their social security number for years," said Muhammad.

Muhammad says the rise of technology has made protecting your credit cards, bank records and social security number even more important.

Scott, after three months of back and forth to court, was able to finally prove her innocence, but says the whole ordeal has made her a lot more guarded.

"If people don't have to have the information, don't provide it.unles its an absolute need to know basis," said Scott.

Ways to avoid ID theft:

1. Protect your social security number. Don't put it on your checks, license, you can request another number if it's used for account purposes.

2. Treat your trash and mail carefully. Shred copies of anything that has your name, social security, account numbers - anything that identifies you.

3. Be on guard when using the inteet. Select intricate passwords and veirify a site before entering personal information.

4. Verify sources before sharing information. When asked to provide personal information, ask question about why the information is needed.

For more information on Atlanta Victim Assistance, click here!