DEFINITION OF IDENTITY THEFT – AVOID STOLEN IDENTITY

found your drivers license, your social security number, even your medical and insurance cards tend to be very valuable. b.) Mail Theft (incoming or out going) c.) Dumpster Diving. (See report 23) Many times thieves use this information to build a profile on you, which is then used to apply for new credit in your name or create false identification cards or accounts for themselves. Often they will find pre-approved credit card offers that you may have thrown away, they apply for the card, and just tell the credit card company to change the address. They might use your water bill account number as a reference account to the new credit. They may take the little bit of information they have on you, do a background check, and get a lot more. If they find or steal your bank account numbers, they often go to the local office store, buy a check writing program, duplicate your checks, and make the check out to what ever drivers license or ID they happen to have at the time. (see report 9). d.) Pharming (farming) for your information is done by a live person, trying to get personal information, usually calling on the phone, pretending to be a banker, government agency, or someone informing you, that you won a contest you never entered, but always trying to get social security number or other identity information. e.) Phishing (fishing) (see report 22) is the same thing, only it’s done by sending you emails with a link to fake web sites that look like the real company. Never respond to these emails, if your in question, log on to the web site itself, be sure the site is secure. Run your mouse over the padlock (bottom right), it should tell you who secures the site. If you use Foxfire browser - the address bar at top of the page, as well as the form fields turn yellow of secure pages. f.) Shoulder Surfing (see report 25) is almost as bad as it sounds, thieves get close to you while you enter your pin in the ATM, read what your writing with binoculars, record your bank card and information with their video & cell phone cameras, and ease drop on your phone conversations. g.) Skimming (see report 13 & 24) is using magnetic tape, and other devices that look like credit card readers, only these copy your credit card information, the thief then uses the copied information to make a new credit card exactly like yours. Skimmers can be carried in a shirt pocket, attached to a belt, added to an ATM machine (see report 14), and even carried in a back pack. Some of these skimmers can read your cards while in their mailing route, or even read your card without removing it from your wallet. h.) Data base hacking and stealing of laptops. If you’re information is in any data base or laptop (see report 2) that was hacked or stolen, most likely it was stolen by organized crime, and definitely a warning that a time bomb is on your tracks. Report 2 shows just how fast stolen information is used.

WHAT IS IDENTITY THEFT VICTIM STATS?

For 7 years in a row 10 million people a year (15 million for 2006) had their identity taken, that makes 1 in 8 victims already. From January 2005 to November of 2008, at least 245 million** peoples personal information has been taken in data breaches and stolen lap tops. (See links in business for a list of breached data). If there are 300 million people in the United States, that makes 2 out 3 are at risk of becoming identity theft victims. The thieves already have the information, they just haven’t used it, YET! While these are just a few of the hundreds of ways thieves take your information, the real problem is proving you are you. The creditors feel your trying to get out paying the bill, and now you have to prove who you are. The FTC video in report 1 makes this process seem easy. What they don’t tell you is the procedures have to be followed almost exactly as outlined in their guide (the instructions are 46 pages long, and take 4-5 weeks to get). And if you don’t contact the correct agency, in the correct fashion, in the allowed time, you have to start all over. Not to mention things like your fraud alert expires in 90 days. It is this lack of knowledge that causes the average person to spend 175 hours, and $1200 out of their pocket, plus attorney fees just to restore their identity. Many victims are charged with thousands of dollars, and take years to clear their names. Because once they become a victim, often their information is sold over and over again.

** This number is based on reported data breaches of personal information. Some individuals information may have been in more then one breach. Data gathered from Privacy Rights Clearing House, and FTC.