Identity Theft through Stealing
Millions of people are
severely impacted by identity theft every year.
By obtaining just a small amount of your personal information, criminal
minded individuals can easily apply for credit cards, bank accounts and medical
benefits in your name. Criminals will
implement various tactics to acquire this information; many of them are even
bold enough to steal it from you.
Here are just some of the
ways an identity thief can steal your personal information:
•
-physically snatching your purse or wallet
•
-stealing personal records or information from
your job
•
-bribing employees on the job who have access to
personal records
•
-hacking personal records via computer
•
-intercepting mail to steal credit card and bank
account statements, credit offers, new checkbooks and important tax information
•
-dumpster diving through personal and public
trash bins in search of information
•
-peeking over your shoulder in the checkout lane,
an act known as shoulder surfing
•
-capturing the information from your credit or
debit card in a data storage device, a practice known as skimming
•
-diverting your personal mail to another address
by submitting a simple change of address form at the post office
•
-using internet email and fraudulent web sites to
trick you into giving out the information
Are You
a Victim?
Identity
theft can be so damaging because most people will go weeks or even months
before knowing that they have been victimized.
By the time they do find out, clearing their name is often an expensive
task. Here are a few warning signs that
will help you determine if identity theft has occurred:
Missing
mail - if important mail such as your routine bank account statements and
credit card bills suddenly stop coming in, there may be a cause for
concern.
Trash
tampered with - those holes in your garbage bag may not have come from the
neighborhood squirrel. Identity thieves
are well known for sifting through personal trash bins, sometimes taking the
entire bag.
Unexplained
bills or services - what you think is junk mail could be a clue to identity
theft. If you begin to receive invoices
about items and services you never signed up for, there may be a need to
investigate.
Unusual
account activity - unauthorized payments and direct debit charges on your
bank account or credit card statements is one of identity theft's most telling
signs.
Protect
Yourself From Identity Thieves
These days,
criminals will stop at nothing to steal your identity. Their methods range from simplistic to
sophisticated. Some may attempt to steal
this information from a computer, while others are bold enough to thieve it
right in your presence. Regardless of
how it comes, you should always protect yourself from this rapidly growing
crime. Here is what you can do:
•
-shred all documents containing personal
information such as bank account numbers, medical insurance details and Social
Security numbers
•
-remain suspicious of banking institutions that
contact you via email. Also remember
that a legitimate institution will never request sensitive information through
email
• -never open any attachment in an unsolicited
email
•
-shield your personal information when making
purchases out in public
