How Thieves Obtain Your Information

FREE Identity Theft Prevention Checklist Click Here  Are You at Risk? If you think you’ve figured out how to keep the thieves out of your personal information you may be surprised at the methods they use to gain access to it. Finding out HOW thieves access your information is the first step in reducing the risk. Businesses or Employees Employees or businesses that have legitimate access to your personal information may use that information for non-business activities. Identity thieves that work in institutions that contain sensitive personal data may abuse the access they have or even present themselves to you as someone that should have access, such as a landlord or employer. Break In Anytime you or a business that has your information is a victim of a break in you may have had personal information stolen.   Personal Computers Are you storing sensitive passwords on your laptop? Are you throwing out an old computer? If your laptop is stolen or accessed by a thief they may be able to find that information. Old computers may hold information on their hard drives even when you’ve deleted it. Spyware A new threat on the scene is from computer viruses that ‘spy’ on you while you shop or do banking online. Any website that you enter personal information into can be ‘spied on’ putting you at risk. Unsecured Online Transactions Online shopping at a site that is not secured can potentially put you at risk of having your information stolen. Websites may also collect and sell some of your information without your knowledge unless their posted Privacy Policy states otherwise. ‘Phishing’ or ‘Pretexting’ Online or over the phone there are unscrupulous individuals masquerading as legitimate businesses in an attempt to convince you to pass on personal information for illegal purposes. Any requests to ‘validate account information’ by providing personal information online or over the phone should be questioned. “Phishing” is a common type of fraud where con artists “phish” for information from consumers. They may look for bank account numbers or other personal information so they can use that information to commit identity theft or steal money from someone. Many times phishing occurs over the Net. You may receive an email for example, from a legitimate looking site that asks you to click a link to verify your password, an account number or other information. Con artists notoriously plague PayPal, an online payment center and processing center with scams. They often warn their customers to watch out for online scams. If you receive an email that suggests you have to update your personal information, do not click the link in the email and enter information. The link will direct you to a false look alike or mock site that serves only to gather your personal or banking information. Instead, if you have an account with an online banking service or payment service like PayPal, log into the site directly using your browser, then find out if there is any need to confirm your identity or account information. You can always get the 1-800 number from the official site and call to find out whether the email you received was a scam. Many sites, including PayPal, will ask you to send the fraudulent emails to them so they can track down and close down the false sites. While this isn’t always possible, everyone, including online merchants is trying to cut down on fraud and identity theft. Remember also that PayPal is not the only merchant site targeted by con artists and identity thieves. Any time you receive an email or call asking for personal information, you should pause for a moment and question or verify the identity of the caller. A legitimate inquiry will back their claim with solid evidence. Fraud Fraud is a form of identity theft that occurs when someone uses another’s identity to open a bank account or apply for a credit card or gain credit they do not deserve using someone else’s name. Roughly ½ of all crimes related to identity theft involve fraud. Fraud may also involve several scams or cons that people engage in to gather or collect personal information about a person to use for unauthorized purposes. For example, if someone sends you an email claiming you won a lottery, and then asks you to give them your banking information to send your winnings (even though you never entered a lottery) there is a good chance a con artist sent this email to you. This con artist or thief wants to defraud you or steal your personal and confidential information. We will talk about many different types of fraud throughout this book. For now you need to put your skeptic’s hat on. When it comes to identity theft, if it sounds too good to be true, then there is a good chance it is! If anyone tries to get personal information about you without legitimate cause, pause for a moment. Ask yourself, “Do I know this person? Why should I give them my personal information?” Fraud occurs often because con artists are tricky. No matter who you are or what you do, everyone is at risk of fraud. Even the smartest person may fall for a scam by a good con artist. What are some of these tricks con artists use to take your information? An identity thief or con artist may call for example, and pretend they are from your bank. They will ask you for information to verify your identity, for “security” purposes. Here’s a tip. If someone is calling from your bank and needs information, pause for a moment. Ask them their name. Then tell them you will call back. Call your LOCAL bank branch and verify the information. Chances are you will find the person that called you doesn’t exist, and was “phishing” for information. If the call is legitimate, you have nothing to worry about; you were just working to protect your identity. Your bank will be glad you did call to verify the caller was legitimate. If they were not legitimate and you took their name and number, you can report them to the FTC. We will learn more about reporting complaints to the FTC and other agencies later in this guide. Lost or Stolen Wallet Not surprisingly a person who has had their wallet lost or stolen is at great risk of becoming a victim of identity theft. Carrying important documents like your Social Security Number, birth certificate, driver’s license and credit or debit cards in your wallet can give a thief easy access to your personal information. Missing Mail If you think you’ve missed a couple bills or know that your mail box has been broken into, your personal information may have been stolen. Credit card bills, offers for credit cards and information that contains personal information or your SSN can be used to gain access to unauthorized credit or to commit fraud in your name. Garbage Thinking of throwing the latest credit card offer in the garbage? Clearing out old tax forms or other personal information? Rummaging through the garbage for such information is known as ‘dumpster diving’ and can be an easy source for identity thieves. Your personal garbage isn’t the only source – businesses that collect personal information can also be targeted. ‘Skimming’ Thieves have access to ‘tools of the trade’ that allow them to steal information from your card at ATM’s or during a card swipe for a purchase. These data storing devices capture your information without your realizing it. Change of Address By filling out a form at the post office the identity thief can have your bills and other personal mail diverted to a new address. It may take you a few days to realize what has happened and make the correction. How to Identify a ‘SPOOF’ Email Along with the convenience of the internet has come a new wave of predators looking to steal from innocent victims. This often occurs through ‘spoof’ emails. A ‘spoof’ email is an email that appears to be from a legitimate organization or business – often banks or service providers – but is really a fake email sent from a con artist. These thieves construct emails that use the logos and styles of the bank or business and attempt to convince the recipient to reply or click on a link to a website and submit personal and financial information that can be used to commit identity fraud. While these emails are extremely common they can be difficult to identify unless you know what to look for. Here are some signals that an email may be a fraud as well as some general warnings about dealing with ‘spoof’ emails. Not Using Your Name Spoof emails will likely not have your name in the message. They may be addressed ‘Dear Customer’, ‘Member’, ‘Friend’ or other ambiguous title. Real emails from institutions or business you have accounts with will use your name or a name you created for your account. No Account Number Companies that you have done business with will have account numbers and passwords on file. If you are ever contacted by a business that asks you to verify your account number or password do not respond. Only give information to businesses if you have initiated the contact. Improper Grammar or Spelling Errors A surprising amount of these ‘spoofs’ will have grammar or spelling errors. Whether this is because the con artist is not a native English speaker or it was done in a hurry is immaterial. A legitimate business email will not likely have these glaring errors. Warnings to Close Your Account Often the ‘spoof’ email takes the form of a warning that your account has been illegally accessed, that you have been a victim of fraud or that your account will be closed unless you respond to the email. They will ask you to click on a link in the email and verify your information. In reality you are giving the information to the thief who will use it to access your real accounts. Always be suspicious of emails that ask for personal information. Contact the business through their official website and find out how to forward the fraudulent email to them. If you have opened any links or provided personal information you should immediately contact the business about the account and watch for unauthorized activity. Change all passwords or close the accounts and open new ones with different access codes. ‘Phishing’ Emails ‘Spoofs’ are also called ‘phishing’ emails. ‘Phishing’ refers to any email that attempts to get you to share personal or financial information that can be used to commit fraud. While ‘spoofs’ pretend to be a known business or institution, ‘phishing’ emails also include offers to collect prizes, requests for help, charity donations or false notices that you have won a lottery or a trip. They tell you that to reserve your prize you must give them a credit card number for verification or as a deposit. Some emails request your help by offering you a portion of a fund that will be deposited into your bank account. These are often sent as requests from rich foreign (particularly Nigerian) nobility or government officials. They are dangerous groups and should never be contacted or replied to. Similar scams are also done over the telephone and are called ‘pretexting’. Always contact the organization or business directly if you are contacted for charitable donations or account information.