This Element is an excerpt from Homebuyers Beware: Who’s Ripping You Off Now?--What You Must Know About the New Rules of Mortgage and Credit (ISBN: 9780137020164) by Carolyn Warren. Available in print and digital formats.

Ten powerful new ways to prevent or respond to identity theft--techniques you haven’t already heard!

You’re sitting at the kitchen table sipping hot coffee, when, out of the blue, there’s a loud banging at the front door. The police bust into the room shouting your name. One reads you your rights, while the other slaps handcuffs on your wrists. You’re under arrest for the murder of two women. Sound far-fetched? Michael Berry of Arlington, Virginia, had his identity stolen by a convicted murderer....