Kai Vaughn

Fastport Passport secures international driving permits within 24 hours for overseas travelers who want to drive a car, truck, or motorcycle legally in a foreign country. This is a companion document to your valid country's driver's license. It is valid for 1 year. This is a vital document when your are on your travels.

In most cases, a driver's license issued in the U.S. won't be recognized abroad. However, if you need to drive for a short-term period, you have options. Many governments accept the international driving permit (IDP), which allows citizens of a foreign country with a valid driver's license to drive while traveling in a foreign country.

Many countries require drivers from other nations to hold an international driving permit to drive within their borders. Showing an IDP in these countries can prevent legal hassles such as fines and bail fees if you are stopped or in an accident and are unable to show proof of your eligibility to drive.

Note that while not all countries require IDPs, you might find it helpful to obtain one anyway. It serves as extremely useful identification because it is translated into 10 languages, so it can prevent communication issues during the process of ID checks. An IDP may also be necessary to rent a car in the country you're visiting.

While it might seem like senior citizens have been around the block long enough to know how to recognize and avoid situations that put them at risk for identity theft, unfortunately they are actually becoming a highly targeted group of people.

Here are just a few reasons for reported increases in senior citizen identity theft:

• Sometimes, seniors especially those in retirement have larger checking and savings accounts than younger people who are still working to pay off car loans, mortgages, and other major financial obligations (such as college debt).

• Many seniors receive Medicare or Medicaid benefits, which opens the door for identity theft in the medical sector.

• Generally, seniors don't check their credit reports as often as do younger people, mostly because the main reasons for checking to take out home or auto loans, or to open a new credit card are no longer relevant to many seniors.

• Some seniors don't stay on top of the latest fraud attempts related to phishing e-mail and websites, or telephone scams, and they might not have many family members to help keep them educated and sort through any problems.

• Many seniors are reluctant to talk about a potential identity theft problem with their family members because they don't want to appear as though they're not capable of managing their own affairs.

Identity theft is a nightmare, but there are ways to restore your identity. Know what to do so that no time is wasted saving your credit rating and potential out-of-pocket costs resolving identity theft. Act fast. The sooner you notify the companies you do business with, like your bank and credit card companies, the better. The longer you wait, the more you risk. In some cases you may choose, or the company may suggest, to close your account and open a new one.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) oversees identity theft cases, and provides an Identity Theft Affidavit for you to complete when your identity has been stolen. While a copy of your Identity Theft Affidavit and police report are crucial components, it's best to keep copies of every document you've used to report your identity has been stolen for your Identity Theft Report. This might include everything from IRS correspondence stating a return was filed using your information, to a letter you receive in the mail letting you know a credit card (you didn't apply for) has been approved.

Numerous businesses provide just as many credit-reporting services throughout America; however, because of the number of banks, creditors, and other companies they work with, three of those credit-reporting agencies probably have become the most well known and respected. Even though they're all publicly traded and for-profit companies, each one must comply with regulations set forth by the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). Aside from providing you with free annual credit reports , you can also use these credit bureaus to put a freeze on your credit and provide fraud alerts.

The credit bureaus can place a credit freeze, or security freeze, which restricts access to your credit report. Credit freezes are useful in stopping current identity theft because they stop access to your credit report. Without that access, ID thieves can't open fraudulent accounts in your name; most creditors simply won't open a new account without seeing your credit report.

When a vehicle is sold or a title is transferred, the law requires written documentation of the total mileage as recorded on the odometer. If the odometer mileage is known to be incorrect for any reason, the seller is required to provide a written statement of this knowledge on the title to the buyer.

Often, odometer fraud is done in conjunction with other crimes in order to make a used vehicle appear to be newer or have less wear than it actually does.

If you think you've been the victim of odometer fraud, you must contact your local law enforcement agency. For large scale investigations, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Odometer Fraud Investigation can provide assistance. You may help an investigation by reporting a suspicious VIN to the NHTSA Office of Odometer Fraud Investigation at (202) 366-4761.

The NHTSA Office of Odometer Fraud Investigation may help you with general inquiries about odometers and may be able to help you to determine if other legal or law enforcement authorities need to be contacted. Contacting your state motor vehicle department can also help you as each state law, on handling odometer fraud, will vary.