Common Ways Identity Thieves Get a hold of Your Information
As a consumer, you need to protect yourself against identity theft. With so many new scams popping up on the radar due to the internet, a consumer can only protect themselves in so many ways against this ever-so-growing crime. Though it is essential for a consumer to know how to protect themselves from falling victim to this crime, a consumer cannot protect themselves if they do not know the common ways their identities are stolen. Here we discuss some of the most common methods used by identity thieves today.
Shoulder Surfing – When you are checking out at the grocery store or at the ATM, how many people are around you? Often an identity thieve will peak over someone’s shoulder as they are typing in their PINs or even while talking on the phone to get more than enough information they need.
Dumpster Diving – One of the most common methods still used today is by going through a consumer’s trash. If you think about it, what do you throw away on a daily basis? Junk mail, credit card offers, and even old receipts? If this sounds like documents that are tossed into your trash, then these are a gold mine for an identity thief. These documents contain more than enough information for them to get the job done.
Pre-Approved Mailers – We all get them. Those pre-approved credit card offers or even home mortgage offers. Though majority of consumers will just toss these in the trash, these are something an identity thief will look for in your trash. All they have to do is fill out the form and mail it in to get a credit card in your name.
Phishing, Spam and Pharming – With the growing use of the internet it is no wonder that some of the common ways for identity thieves to steal an individual’s personal information is on there as well. Some of the more common methods utilize phishing emails, spam emails that plant malware on your computer or even by setting up fake sites to attract consumers who do not type in the correct web address.
Just realize that an identity thief can pick up bits and pieces of information from multiple sources. Therefore it is important to protect your information on all angles and not just a few here and there. Often these thieves will store even the smallest amount of information they get on consumers on black market websites for other thieves to purchase if they have the missing pieces.
Resource:
What are the Most Common Ways to Commit Identity Theft or Fraud?, www.justice.gov, November 28, 2010, http://www.justice.gov/criminal/fraud/websites/idtheft.html#whatcommonways