How can you check if your identity has been stolen

That's a good question.

When someone's identity is stolen, one of the most obvious signs is that money is withdrawn from bank accounts or charges are made to credit cards.

What happens if they are opening credit cards, receiving medical care and opening other accounts in your name?

Check all your accounts regularly. If you see any strange activity, call your bank or the company you are dealing with. Check your statements for bills, make sure it's for your account and all information is correct. If you receive a past due notice and it's not for an account or service you received, don't assume it's an error. Check it out and be sure someone isn't using your information. Check your credit report routinely to be sure things aren't showing up there that should not be.

You can learn more about identity theft from a site by the FTC if you are in the US.

http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/features/feature-0014-identity-theft

 Also, you are entitled to a free credit report every 12 months, which I found by looking around at the link Brandy just shared.

http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0155-free-credit-reports

Hey there Clark! Well, what works best for me is checking my credit reports and my online debit and credit card accounts. If there are inconsistencies or unknown transactions, including new purchases and withdrawals, then those are sure signs that my identity has probably been stolen. I also just recently signed up for a credit monitoring service to make performing a credit score check much easier. It also helps me to be familiar with my credit score, so if there is any change, I can instantly verify the change. I will leave you with this link: http://www.articlesbase.com/personal-finance-articles/post-identity-theft-measures-everyone-should-take-6199206.html. I am sure it can help.