What You Should Do
Install anti-virus and and anti-malware. Never put personal information onto email forms. Always send or recieve mail through secure and locked mailboxes. This includes a private email with a log-in. Use only one credit card for personal expenses and one card for business expenses. Monitor accounts online weekly, so you can catch it quickly. Destroy financial records, shred or burn, or lock them in a safe. Never give out your social security number, driver's license number, PIN numbers, passwords, unless you know the source and it is secure while you do it. Also instead of signing your credit card, write "See ID" or something like that.
Ways to Get Your Identity Stolen Online
Phishing: They pretend to be financial institutions or companies and send spam or pop-up messages to get you to reveal your personal information. (ftc.gov)
Viruses: By contracting a virus it may compromise the personal information on your computer, and it is to your benefit to be fully protected with an anti-virus and an anti-malware program.
Some Identity Theft Statistics:
- It is the fastest growing crime in the United Kingdom and the United States (factsaboutidentitytheft.com)
- 10 million people a year become victims of identity theft - thats 19 people per minute! (scambusters.org)
- According to the U.S. Department of Justice, drug trafficking is now being replaced as the number one crime by identity theft. (scambusters.org)
- About seven million illegal aliens are currently using stolen social security numbers for employment, which added a 10% surplus to Social Securty last year. (scambusters.org)
Types of Identity Theft
Here are the most prevalent types of identity theft according to factsaboutidentitytheft.com:
- Credit Card Fraud (28%)
- Phone and Utilities Fraid (19%)
- Bank Fraud (18%)
- Employment Fraud (13%)
- Government Document and Benefits Fraud (8%)
- Loan Fraud (6%)
- Other (28%)
