| Identity theft commonly begins with the loss | | | | on your personal information, and ultimately, |
| or theft of a wallet or purse. But there are | | | | your money. Here are some of the low-tech |
| many or high-tech and low-tech ways criminals | | | | techniques they employ: |
| can get their hands on your personal and | | | | |
| financial information in order to commit | | | | - Dumpster Diving, one of the easiest ways |
| identity theft. | | | | for them to appropriate your personal |
| | | | information. |
| When someone uses your name or personal | | | | |
| information, such as your credit card number, | | | | - Mail Theft from unsecured residential |
| driver's license number, Social Security | | | | mailboxes. According to statistics, mail |
| number, telephone number, or other account | | | | theft most often takes place at unprotected |
| numbers, without your permission, you become | | | | and easily accessible mailboxes in public |
| a victim of identity theft. | | | | places. |
| | | | |
| Thieves steal your personal information and | | | | - Shoulder surfing takes place when a thief |
| use it to open credit accounts, bank | | | | watches or listens literally over your |
| accounts, telephone service accounts, and | | | | shoulder as you enter your PIN into an ATM |
| make major purchases in your name. These | | | | machine. They may even follow you home or |
| criminals use your sensitive information to | | | | your place of work to gather additional |
| take over existing accounts, or open new | | | | information about you. |
| accounts. Their criminal activities can | | | | |
| result in damage to your credit rating and | | | | High-Tech Techniques: Data transferred across |
| denials to credit and job offers. | | | | the Internet can be intercepted during its |
| | | | journey. |
| Protecting Your Identity While there are no | | | | |
| guarantees that your identity will never be | | | | - Phishing and Pharming: While phishing is a |
| stolen or compromised, there are several | | | | scam in which consumers are tricked into |
| steps you can take to minimize the risks. | | | | entering their personal information via a |
| Here are a few of them: | | | | bogus email and website form, pharming occurs |
| | | | where hackers steal personal information from |
| - Before you discard your personal | | | | numerous people simultaneously through |
| information that you no longer need, such as | | | | something known as "domain spoofing". They |
| credit card receipts, billing statements, and | | | | take over a DNS server and redirect user |
| pre-approved credit card offers, shred them | | | | information to a new website that they use to |
| using, at best, a diagonal-cut shredder. | | | | gather, collect, "pharm" illegal information. |
| | | | |
| - Create unique passwords and personal | | | | - Skimming: Thieves quickly and temporarily |
| identification numbers (PINS) and avoid using | | | | steal a credit card and run it through a |
| easily available information such as mother's | | | | skimmer, a credit card reader that has been |
| maiden name, date of birth, or last four | | | | reprogrammed to steal information off the |
| digits of your Social Security number. | | | | card. |
| | | | |
| - Do not give your Social Security number to | | | | Fight Back: Reduce the Risks |
| people or companies that you do not know. | | | | |
| | | | Make education about the scams, schemes, and |
| - Guard your mail from theft. Promptly remove | | | | frauds criminal use to steal your identity |
| your incoming mail from your mailbox and | | | | your priority in view of the rising |
| place outgoing mail in locked collection | | | | occurrence of this |
| boxes at your local Post Office. | | | | multi-million-dollar-problem. With education |
| | | | comes prevention. Here are some prevention |
| - As an extra measure of security, install a | | | | tips to help reduce the risks: |
| lock on your mailbox, even if mail theft is | | | | |
| not an identified problem in your | | | | - Safeguard your personal information. Never |
| neighborhood. | | | | take simple things for granted. |
| | | | |
| - Before disclosing personal information, | | | | - Carry with your only the information you |
| even to people you know where you shop or do | | | | need. Always keep your personal information |
| business, insist on knowing the reason(s) | | | | and documents in a safe and secured place of |
| your personal information is required and how | | | | your choosing. |
| it will be used. | | | | |
| | | | - Order and review a copy of your credit |
| Low-Tech Rip-offs: Thieves can do much damage | | | | report at least once a year. |
| with what they remove from your mailbox. | | | | |
| | | | - Shred documents containing your sensitive |
| Criminals are increasingly creative in the | | | | information before discarding them. |
| methods they use to get their hands or eyes | | | | |