1. Invest in a shredder – Never throw anything away without shredding it first. Identity thieves will dig through dumpsters and trash bags looking for credit card receipts, voided checks, paid bills, credit card offers, and other items which provide them with your personal information.
2. Mail everything from the post office – Leaving your outgoing mail in or on your mailbox is an invitation to have it stolen by an identity thief. Not only can they get all of your personal information from the check, but they can even alter the check and cash it themselves. Instead, drop it by the post office or another mailbox.
3. Use a post office box – Incoming mail is also a target for identity thieves. Your bills, checks, even junk mail can be used by these thieves to steal your
4. Personal information. If you have a post office box, your mail will be delivered safely to that box.
5. Have a non-published phone number – Some identity thieves will also use the telephone in an attempt to get your personal information. For example, one scam involved a caller telling a person he or she had won a government grant that will be directly deposited into their checking account. Of course, the caller needed the person’s checking account number to deposit the money. If your phone number isn’t available, you won’t be harassed by these calls.
6. Check your accounts weekly – If you don’t already, you need to get in the habit of checking the balances of all your financial accounts every week. Waiting for monthly statements isn’t good enough, because by then your account could have been completely drained.
7. Check your credit report yearly – Every year, you should request free copies of your credit report and check them for any errors, such as credit cards or loans you never took out. If you find out now that someone is using your identity, you can start correcting the problem before you need to use your credit.
8. Memorize PINs and passwords – Never write down your PINs or passwords. No place is a safe place to keep these important pieces of information. Also, make them more complicated than an ordinary word or your birthday. It shouldn’t be easy for anyone to guess.
9. Keep only basic information on checks – Your checks should only include basic information about you, such as your name and address. Your social security number should never be printed on your checks. If it is, then you’re handing over the keys to your identity to any thief who comes in contact with your check.
10. Eliminate unwanted credit card offers – Those credit card offers you throw away can be used by identity thieves. They simply have to complete the application and change the address to have a card sent to them in your name. Shred them, but you can also opt-out of the credit card offer mailing list, so you’ll stop receiving them.
11. Carry only necessities – Never carry anything in your purse or wallet that isn’t necessary, such as extra deposit slips, social security cards, birth certificates, etc. The more personal information your purse or wallet contains, the more valuable it will be to an identity thief if once lost or stolen.

Getting to know identity theft

Identity theft is most often performed so that a certain person can obtain credit, especially during times of crises such as mounting debts. The period of concealment may extend indefinitely without any detection at all, particularly if the thief is able to gather the necessary false credentials for passing a long line of authentication tests.

Criminal identity theft

When the criminal decides to fraudulently identify himself to police authorities as another person, especially during the point of arrest, then this situation is referred to as criminal identity theft. In fact, there are even instances when the perpetrators obtain identity documents that have even been issued by the State itself, making use of credentials that actually belong to other people. Or, if not that, the criminals can also make use of fake IDs.

Existing Charges

Provided that the subterfuge actually works, any existing charges may be placed under the name of the victim, which somehow lets the criminal off the hook and free to commit further related or unrelated crimes. The victims usually only learn of their misfortune by chance, such as when they suddenly get court summons, finding out that their driver’s license have been suspended because of a problem that occurred due to minor traffic violations. There are also times when the victims experience problems whenever they have their backgrounds checked for employment purposes.

When a crime of identity theft has been committed, it is usually difficult for the victim to clear their record. The necessary steps for clearing the incorrect criminal record actually depend on the crime’s related jurisdiction. Also, it depends on whether or not the true identity of the perpetrator can be found out.

In order to do so, the victim needs to obtain information about the original arresting officer so that they can prove their very own identity through DNA tests or fingerprinting. They may also find the need to attend a court hearing so that they can be fully cleared of any charges.

Expungement

The expungement of court records can also be necessary. The authorities might keep the name of the victim as an alias for the true identity of the perpetrator within their databases. Sadly, however, the victims might come across data aggregators that might still possess wrong criminal records within their databases, even when the records of the court and the police have already been corrected. This means that it is still possible that a background check in the future might still bring out incorrect criminal records.

As if that is not enough, it is also sad to know that this kind of situation is just one example of the different sorts of effects that may continuously affect the victims for months, and even years, to come. This comes aside from the psychological trauma of having been cloned normally engenders.

Unfortunately, phishing is a growing way to steal someone’s identity. And it’s only one way. Identity thieves can take your personal information from your mailbox or your home. They can steal your wallet or purse and convince you to give out personal information. We all have to be on our guard.

Identity theft is the fastest-growing white-collar crime. It happens when an identity thief obtains some pieces of your personal information. The thief then uses the information about you—without your knowledge—to commit fraud or theft. The identity thief is disguised as you. The trail leads back to you.

Internet scammers casting about for people’s financial information have a new way to lure unsuspecting victims; it’s called ‘phishing.’ Phishing is a high-tech scam that uses spam or pop-up messages to deceive you into disclosing your credit card numbers, bank account information, Social Security numbers, passwords, or other sensitive information.

According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), phishers send an email or pop-up message that claims to be from a business or organization that you deal with — for example, your Internet Service Provider (ISP), bank, online payment service, or even a government agency. The message usually says that you need to “update” or “validate” your account information. It might threaten some dire consequence if you don’t respond.

The message directs you to a website that looks just like a legitimate organization’s site, but it isn’t. The purpose of the bogus site? To trick you into divulging your personal information so the perpetrators can steal your identity and run up bills or commit crimes in your name.

You can be a victim of identity theft even if you never use a computer. Malicious people may be able to obtain personal information (such as credit card numbers, phone numbers, account numbers, and addresses) by stealing your wallet, overhearing a phone conversation, rummaging through your trash (a practice known as dumpster diving), or picking up a receipt at a restaurant that has your account number on it. If a thief has enough information, he or she may be able to impersonate you to purchase items, open new accounts, or apply for loans.

The internet has made it easier for thieves to obtain personal and financial data. Most companies and other institutions store information about their clients in databases; if a thief can access that database, he or she can obtain information about many people at once rather than focus on one person at a time. The internet has also made it easier for thieves to sell or trade the information, making it more difficult for law enforcement to identify and apprehend criminals.

Many people do not realize just how easily con artists can get valuable personal information without having to break into our homes. In public places, these criminals may engage in “shoulder surfing” where they will watch you from a nearby location as you punch in your telephone number or credit card number. Some even listen in on your conversation if you give your credit card number over the telephone to a hotel or rental car company.

Even the area near your home or office may not be secure. Some criminals engage in “dumpster diving,” going through your garbage cans or a communal dumpster or trash bin — to obtain copies of your checks, credit card or bank statements, or other records that typically bear your name, address, and even your telephone number. These types of records make it easier for criminals to get control over accounts in your name and assume your identity.

Is this an invisible enemy and are Americans’ personal and financial information easily accessible to identity thieves? What can the average American do to protect themselves from these personal attacks on their privacy? Although there are no guarantees, here are five simple steps to help prevent identity theft:
1) Shred private credit card statements, tax documents, bank statements, pre-approved credit card offers, or any other documentation with private financial information.
2) If you are inundated with pre-approved credit card offers, you can opt out and request to have your name removed from the mailing list. In addition, you can call the national do not call registry to stop unsolicited telemarketing calls where you could divulge personal information.
3) Monitor your credit report at least once a year. Look for suspicious activity. It is also wise to subscribe to a credit protection service that will inform you of changes in your credit report.
4) Check your mailbox daily and do not allow mail to sit overnight in your mailbox. Mail theft is an easy way for thieves to secure personal information. It is best to mail outgoing bills and checks at the post office or other secure locations. If you believe your mail has been stolen, you must contact the nearest postal inspector.
5) Be defensive and more guarded with your information. Do not divulge your personal information freely. Never “validate” your personal or financial information when contacted through an email, even if it is a company you do business with; they have this information on file. It may look legitimate and realistic, but these attempts are getting more sophisticated, and these types of scams are known as “phishing.”

We have explored five simple steps that the average person can do to help themselves prevent identity theft. In this age of advanced communications and technology and with the thieves getting more deceptive than ever, it is imperative to continue to educate yourself. Be cautious and understand that this information can be abused, and it is up to you to safeguard yourself and your family from this growing trend.

Identity theft is one of the fastest-growing crimes in the country and what can be frustrating about this is that you cannot know how fast it is growing. Not only are identity theft cases hard to solve, but they are also hard to detect. There are identity crimes that are not solved until after a decade because of the lack of information. Remember that though these crimes may be easily detected through credit card purchases, some con artists do not use that avenue. What they do is just assume your name and personal history and use it as their own.
Unlike fingerprints that are impossible to copy, your data, especially your Social Security number, your bank account or credit card number, your telephone number, and other identifiable data can be used, if they fall into the wrong hands.

In the United States and Canada, for example, many people have reported that unauthorized persons have taken funds out of their bank or financial accounts and in the worst cases, took over their identities, obtaining huge debts and committing crimes while using the victims’ names. In these cases, the victim’s losses may include not only financial losses but additional financial costs associated with trying to restore his reputation.

In recent years, the Internet has become the perfect place for criminals to obtain personal data, such as passwords or even banking information. In their haste to explore the exciting features of the Internet, many people respond to “spam” unsolicited E-mail that promises them some benefit but request identifying data, without realizing that in many cases, the requester has no intention of keeping his promise. In some cases, criminals reportedly have used computer technology to obtain large amounts of personal data.

If you have received mail-in applications for “preapproved” credit cards, but have thrown them in the garbage can without tearing up the enclosed materials, criminals may retrieve them from the trash and activate them without your knowledge. (Some credit card companies, when sending credit cards, have adopted security measures that allow a card recipient to activate the card only from his or her home telephone number, but this is not yet a universal practice. Also, if your mail is delivered to a place where others have ready access to it, criminals can intercept and redirect your mail to another location so that they will receive them.

With enough identifying information, a criminal can assume an individual’s identity and conduct a wide range of crimes: for example, applications for loans and credit cards, withdrawals from bank accounts, use of telephone calling cards, or obtaining other goods or privileges which the criminal might be denied if he were to use his real name.

If the criminal takes steps to ensure that bills for the falsely obtained credit cards, or bank statements showing the unauthorized withdrawals are sent to an address other than the victim’s, the victim may not even be aware of what is happening until it is too late when the criminal has done much damage to the victim’s assets, credit, and reputation.