12 ways identity thieves can get your information

This week RPS is looking at ways thieves can steal identities and what you can do to stop them or at the very least make it more difficult for them. Thieves make a living stealing the identity of consumers all over the world. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in the USA estimates that about nine million Americans alone are victims of identity theft each year.

Yesterday we looked at ways to prevent data theft and today we are looking at ways the theives can get your personal information.

What exactly does identity theft mean?

The crime of identity theft occurs when someone uses your personal information without your permission. This is personal information that identifies you. It includes but is not limited to:

Social Security Numbers

Driver Licence Numbers

Credit Card Numbers

Bank Account Numbers

Financial Account Information

Pay Slips

Tax Information

Telephone Calling Cards

How do thieves obtain this data?

There are several ways enterprising thieves steal information which can then be used to commit serious financial fraud against the victims:

Skimming - This practice occurs when a credit card device is rigged to steal credit card numbers. This can happen anywhere a card is swiped including petrol stations, convenience stores and restaurants.

When you can, take the second copy of your credit card receipt with you when you leave an establishment.

Phishing - This scam usually involves an email or pop-up message allegedly from a financial institution. It might read that you have to click on a link in the email to update your financial information because it has been compromised or for some other reason. Never click on a link like this.The email is actually from an identity thief who wants to get access to an online account of yours (such as PayPal or eBay).

Smishing - This is like phishing, but it’s with a text message instead of an email. They are most effective with iPhones and other smartphones.

Vishing - This is voice phishing. Someone calls you and asks you for personally identifying information. They may claim to be from your financial institution, or they may claim that you’ve won a contest or a prize of some sort.

Spoofing - Sometimes, hackers will break in and drive traffic from a legitimate web site to a fake website. So, you’ll try to log into Facebook, but your computer will take you to the hacker’s site where they will steal your login information. From there, they’ll have access to plenty of personal information they can use to steal your identity

Changing Addresses - A change of address form is completed on your address so your bills get diverted to another address. A tipoff this might have occurred is if you are missing bills you usually receive in the mail.

Searching through your rubbish - Thieves will thrash through your rubbish to obtain your personal information. To prevent this from happening, shred your financial data.

Stealing - Plain old fashioned theft of wallets, purses, mail and new checks can provide enough information to steal your identity. Stay alert to wherever your personal information is stored or delivered.

Con artists - Thieves con employees of financial firms, utilities and other institutions to obtain your information.

Hacking - Tech savvy thieves hack into online databases to obtain the personal information stored there.

Telephone scams - Fast talking thieves can convince you to provide financial information over the phone. always ask where they got your number from and they will then often hang up.

Dishonest Workers - Thieves can obtain information from dishonest workers in a position to have access to your financial information.

Misdirected Faxes - Similar to mail, faxes with credit card information on them can be misdirected to other phone numbers that thieves have access to.

Identity theft can be deterred by your alertness. Treat your personal information like the precious commodity that it is.

Buy yourself a shredder. Shred letters with your address on each day, shred credit and debit card receipts. Do not throw financial information into the rubbish bin.

As you can see, however, even if you practice the due diligence of a police officer, some factors remain out of your control. If you find your identity stolen, go to a proven website that contain information which can help you deal with this problem. Contact your bank and credit card company immediately.

Contact [email protected] for more information or for a security review or training.

With thanks to http://www.identitytheftprotection.net for their advice; adapted