Six Ways Identity Thieves Get Your Information
Jim Stone
Your information is less secure than you think. Here are 6 ways thieves can get your personal information, and create a personal nightmare for you:
1. They Can Steal Your Pre-Approved Credit Card Offers From The Mail: Often credit card thieves can apply for a credit card in your name using pre-approved credit card offers. These can come in the mail in a separate envelope, or as inserts in magazines you subscribe to. Make sure you destroy (burn?) every pre-approved credit card offer that comes to your home, and try to get off the mailing lists of these companies.
2. They Can Pose As You To Get Your Information From Unwitting 3rd Parties: This is the trick we've all seen on TV too many times. The thing is, it's a real threat. Identity thieves can be slick, and can catch a customer service rep off guard with a good excuse for not having proper identification, and can trick them into giving up your sensitive information.
3. They Can Rummage Through Your Files At Work: You know that disgruntled co-worker who is always complaining about not having enough money? There are ways for them to pad their meager incomes by betraying you and your information to identity rings. Know who is supposed to have access to your personal information at work. Minimize the amount of information that is available, and know your company's policies to know your risk.
4. They Can Become Your False Friend On Your Favorite Forums: Fraudsters can be really tricky, and really mean. Men will pose as women who lure unsuspecting men into "relationships" and then con them into sending them all kinds of gifts. Or they'll set up a business opportunity, and they'll let you in on it because you're their "friend". Be very careful, because that's not all. Meet with the wrong person you met online and you could wind up losing more than your identity.
5. They Could Steal Your Phone: They don't even need to steal your phone for long. They could just "borrow" your phone to "call their dying mother" request a couple minutes of "privacy", and have all the room they need to find whatever there is to find on your phone. At the least they could use your address to feed your friend's phone numbers into their phone spam ring, and your friends will suddenly see an increase in unwanted dinnertime calls.
6. Phone Phishing: They could pose as someone "official" on the phone. Susie: "Hi. This is Susie from 'Your Favorite Bank', and I'm seeing some suspicious activity here. Did you recently change your address?" You: "Er, yeah." Susie: "Can I get the updated information from you?" You: "Sure." Susie: "OK, I'm going to need your social security number, to verify your account, and then I'm going to need the new address . . ." You get the point.
Can you do anything about these forms of identity theft? Well, you can take more care with your information, in some of the ways mentioned above. But there are now also ways to get indentity theft protection. Take some time to check them out.
Jim Stone advises individuals about how increase the security in six areas of their lives.
http://www.sixfoldsecurity.com/financial/identity_theft.php) Get Educated About How To Secure Your Identity at
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