What have states done to reduce the growing crime of identity theft?
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Identity theft cannot be 100% fully prevented. To do so would require a policy of never sharing financial information with anyone, anywhere, anytime. You would not be able to conduct financial transactions in society with that policy. And even if you were able to, your information is already in the records of your physician, bank, the IRS, department of motor vehicles, etc. There is no way to remove this information. Therefore you could become victim to identity theft. However, there are steps you can take to reduce those chances.
Internet mail is one of the main sources that perpetrators of identity theft are using to gain access to your personal information. The perpetrator may send threatening emails, or emails that seem appealing. Emails requesting personal financial information are linked to identity theft and arrive in millions of mailboxes worldwide each and every day.
In most cases, no one person is being specifically singled out to become the next victim. It is just not worth the effort involved. Identity thieves are not interested from whom they are stealing the identity from. Instead they focus on targeting as many people as possible as it is a numbers game. The more people they target the higher are the chances that someone will be tricked into volunteering personal financial information.
The senders of these emails are challenging the receiver by using deception, hoping the receiver will give out personal information, such as bank numbers, PIN and passwords, Social Security numbers and other precious information that the thief can use to gain control over your identity. Often these emails state that a bank account or Paypal account has been frozen until information is verified. The victim, being worried that pending transactions will not clear properly, will follow the demand of the email that account information be “updated”. The criminal who sent the email will always include a handy link to click on for updating the requested information. Never click on those links.
If you want to avoid identity theft, there are several emails that you may want to bear in mind are SPAM, and you should completely ignore them. One is the forzen account along with a request to update your personal financial information. Another is a claim that you have won x amount of cash, and to act now to receive your prize. If you have not joined a contest, then chances are you have not actually won a prize. A third is an email claiming that you could receive scholarships or grants to attend such and such a college; to earn your degree act now by providing your personal information. These are all fake and designed by criminals to steal your personal financial information. Delete them without a second thought!
Companies that already have your personal information, such as your bank have no reason to ask for this again in an email. In fact, most banks clearly state in their Terms & Conditions that they will never send electronic mail requesting information from the customer at any time. Giving your personal information to someone that sent an email that has your bank name listed in the header is only asking for trouble.
Identity thieves are extremely creative when it comes to stealing identities, including sending emails in respected names. The prestigious FDIC was targeted by thieves; the sender sent emails to recipients of the bank requesting that they provide personal information to avoid closure of their accounts. Microsoft was also targeted by thieves when emails were sent to various inboxes requesting the receiver to download patches to protect their computers. Once the receiver downloaded the attachment, a dangerous virus took control of their computer, leaving a backdoor entry that would give the hacker access to the information stored on the computer.
EBay is also a target for thieves. EBay scams abound. False Paypal payments are common, as well as false or counterfeit checks. Be very wary of anything purported to be from EBay that seems fishy. If you have to think twice about the legitimacy, it is likely a scam. Beware.
Here are some helpful tips for you to avoid identity theft as much as possible:
1) Do not open emails if you do not trust the sender.
2) Never give out your personal information over the internet, unless you know that the company can be trusted and is using encryption to secure the web page(s). If Paypal or EBay request your information, which they never have done to this author. go directly to their home page, log into your account there, and see if the request is associated with your account. Never click the link in an email requesting information.
3) Do a background check on any site you are thinking of giving your information to or you are considering buying from. This includes calling the state attorney general’s office.
4) Change your PIN numbers and passwords regularly, at as minimum every 6 months.
5) Do not post even general financial information on forums, bulletin boards or discussion boards online.
6) Conceal your personal information at all times, including at home.
7) Never give your personal information over the phone line.
When using ATM or other machines to make deposits, withdrawals, or purchases make sure no one sees you type in your PIN number.
9) Do not just throw personal information, such as bank statements or letters containing your postal address, account numbers or any sensitive information in the trash. This is a favorite place for criminals to search. Put it through a shredder first.Â
10) Never mail your tax return by putting it in your mailbox with the flag up. Criminals will drive neighborhoods during tax season searching for tax returns. These are the ultimate sources of information for identity theft.
Greg Roy
http://www.articlesbase.com/finance-articles/tips-to-prevent-identity-theft-56824.html
There is a problem plaguing corporate America today. And it is a serious enough problem that could have repercussions on the very nature of our economy. This is a problem that can strike any one of us who ever held a credit card or a bank debit card or ever shopped online. The problem is one that has come to be known as Identity Theft.
The repercussions are more than mere identity. Estimates of the financial fall out of identity theft range from a few billion dollars a year to as much as 480 billion dollars! And experts in the field of identity theft only claim that it is growing by the day.
Identity theft first made an appearance in the news headlines when the odd shopper or credit card holder reported the loss of a small amount of money. Frequently, this was discovered to be related to fraud more than identity theft. One particular case that made the headlines pertained to a man who had been buying pornography on the Internet and had used his wife’s credit card. When he was found out, as he ultimately would have been found, he cried identity theft and lodged a complaint. Turns out the man had not even bothered to cover his tracks. The IP address of his computer was tracked to the websites he had visited and the hoax of identity theft was quickly discovered and plugged.
But there are several genuine cases of identity theft that occur on an alarmingly frequent basis. A recent news report mentioned the theft of a lap top from the home of a retired banker that had the credit card details of over one thousand of the bank’s clients. Why the retired banker had the information was irrelevant. What was relevant was that the theft was discovered in time to prevent any large scale identity theft. But the thieves have been getting smarter and better.
One of the more common methods of identity theft nowadays involves fraudulent retailers who set up dummy retail outlets on the banking network and try out stolen credit cards for nominal charges. Once they are approved, they typically make a large withdrawal from a nearby automated teller machine.
But as the perpetrators of identity theft get smarter, the banks too have begun installing security features that make it more and more difficult for the fraudsters. Today’s network security systems are smart enough to enable bankers to spot the first instances of identity theft almost as soon as the theft occurs. But a lot more needs to be done to restore the faith of the general public in the infallibility of their credit cards.
Identity theft will always be with us but, there are steps you can take to minimise your risk. Have a look around the web and you will see there is a plentiful supply of free information. InternetBankingRevealed.com specialises in preventing internet banking fraud. If you use internet banking then take a look: InternetBankingRevealed.com
John Reimann
http://www.articlesbase.com/finance-articles/the-growing-concern-of-identity-theft-62058.html
Identity theft is one of the fasting growing high-tech crimes of this century, yet most people are taking a very lax view of it in terms of ensuring that they are protecting themselves against it. At least until they discover to their absolute horror that they have become a victim of identity theft. At that point, it is too late and that victim is going to spend a significant amount of their personal time and likely a fair chunk of money in order to straighten out the mess.
What is identity theft? Simply put, that is when a thief steals your identity. In other words, the thief obtains some of your personal information â enough of it to allow them to open credit card accounts or apply for loans as if they were you. Are you starting to see where the problem comes in? So the thief has opened a couple of Visa accounts, get a new car loan approved, and is last seen driving off into the sunset with a new car and credit cards charged to the hilt, never to be seen again. Meanwhile back at the ranch, the car dealership and the Visa companies are calling you to ask when you are going to start making payments.
How can this happen? In todayâs world of credit cards and debit cards, it is unfortunately all too easy, and if you are not careful, you could easily become the next victim. Think about all the places that enough of your personal information appears, and what you do with that information. For example, say you get the same junk mail that most people get where you are offered car insurance or pre-approved for a new credit card. If you are like most people, you throw the mail in the trash. That is mistake number one. NEVER throw that stuff in the trash. That stuff will almost always contain your name and address, sometimes also your phone number, perhaps your driverâs license number, and sometimes even your social security number. In other words, more than enough information for someone digging through the trash to temporarily become âyouâ and commit an identity theft crime.
The answer is to get a paper shredder. These are incredibly cheap, like under $50 at just about any office supply store like Best Buy, Office Max, etc. SHRED that junk email if it contains any information about you personally.
Another word of advice is to RARELY use a debit card. The rules of a debit card are vastly and totally different than the rules of a real credit card, even though the debit card probably still sports the Mastercard or Visa logo. With a debit card, you usually cannot dispute a transaction like you can with a credit card. With a credit card, your liability is usually capped at $50 (depending on the card), but a thief can drain your entire debit card bank account and you will have no recourse. Never allow the waiter in a restaurant to walk off with your debit card for exactly this reason. If you are in a restaurant and paying with plastic, either use a real credit card or walk up to the register yourself if you must use a debit card. And when given a choice by the establishment asking if you want to use your debit card as a credit card or debit card, ALWAYS choose the credit card option.
There are multiple more things you should do to protect yourself against identity theft, but the key is to start doing them NOW as a normal part of your life so that you can lock in those habits and avoid becoming a victim of identity theft.
Jon Arnold
http://www.articlesbase.com/finance-articles/why-you-are-not-protected-from-identity-theft-103935.html
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I understand what these illegal alien advocates think they are doing even though I do not agree with it, but how can they think crimes like this are okay and should be forgiven?
Why do they think they should not be prosecuted for identity theft or having fraudulent documents?
Do not use the excuse as they don’t know what they are doing is illegal. They know they entered illegally and everything from then on is illegal. Who would believe that buying something like an I.D or S.S number is legal?
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Lake Co. sheriff: Arrest shows ‘devastation’ of illegal immigrant crime
By Tony Gordon | Daily Herald Staff
Published: 1/12/2010 12:53 PM | Updated: 1/12/2010 5:27 PMLake County Sheriff Mark Curran said the recent arrest of a Franklin Park man is another example of the havoc wrought by illegal aliens who commit crimes.
Sergio Uscanga, 26, is charged with identity theft and forgery for using the financial information of a Lake Villa Township man to work for four years.
Curran said Uscanga, who entered this country from Mexico, purchased the name and Social Security number of the 39-year-old victim.
Uscanga used the information to apply for a job at Banner Service Co. in Carpentersville, Curran said, and was hired Sept. 12, 2005.
This past December, Curran said, the victim received a letter from the Internal Revenue Service saying he owed taxes on the wages he had been paid from the job.
The man called police, and Curran said sheriff’s detectives tracked down Uscanga and arrested him Sunday morning.
"This case is another example of the devastation criminals who are in this country illegally can cause," Curran said. "This victim will now have to spend months getting his credit straightened out and dealing with an IRS bill he does not owe."
Curran, who has repeatedly called for harsh punishment and expedited deportation of illegal aliens who commit crimes, said it is estimated up to 50 percent of people in this country illegally have stolen identity information.
Uscanga, who is held on $50,000 bond, faces up to five years in prison if convicted and is scheduled to appear in court Feb. 2.
As Debra said, all they have to claim is they did not know. Advocates claim they are doing this only to work and should not be prosecuted.
apache,they would use fake and stolen identities to get these license, how would that help.
No I blocked tony before, but it does no good because of HIS many accounts. I have One account, I need no more, thanks for asking.
It’s now more bizarre than that. An illegal can’t be charged if they claim they didn’t know the identity was that of a real person. In other words, the illegal can say he didn’t realize that the drivers license he has in the name of Joe Smith belongs to a real Joe Smith. It’s insane.
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