Identity theft is a crime that is affecting millions of people worldwide and which needs to be taken seriously. In order to be able to fight identity theft you should at least have a basic knowledge of how your personal information is used in identity theft so that you know what to look out for. In this article we will discuss some of the things criminals may use your personal information for.
The first thing which your personal information may be used for is to draw money from your bank accounts or charge items to your credit cards. If someone has stolen your credit card and managed to get hold of your pin number then they can use this personal information in identity theft by stealing money from your bank or using your credit card as if it was you doing the transactions.
Another way in which criminals may use your personal information in identity theft is by actually opening up new credit cards and accounts in your name. They put all your details, except perhaps for your address, and then never pay these bills. After a while these bills add up and soon you will have a collections agency or someone from the company contacting you to ask why you have not paid these bills and so find yourself in debt that you never even knew you had.
Criminals may also use your personal information in identity theft to get telephone or utility services which they do not pay for. Once again, these fees add up and soon you find that you owe a lot of money for services which you never received.
Medical identity theft can be particularly dangerous. In cases of medical identity theft criminals may take your personal details to get medical services in your name. If they do this your medical records could be compromised and include some of their details as well, which could lead to a serious misdiagnosis and wrong treatment. Personal details in identity theft of this type could even lead to death according to Pam Dixon of the World Privacy Forum.
In conclusion, personal details are used in identity theft in a number of ways, usually to run up serious debts in your name either through the use of your credit card and bank account, or through opening other accounts and credit cards in your name. Personal details are also used in medical identity theft which can have extremely serious consequences, even occasionally leading to death.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
How To Protect Your Personal Information From Identity Thieves Online
We all know criminals are out there, waiting to steal our information. All they want to do is run up the bill then leave you with the debt. Most of these thieves are very far away. The most common way for someone to steal your information is through a fake email and they usually say that there has been a problem with your account and needs attention and attention meaning your information.
Identifying these fake emails isn't hard, most of the time the person doesn't even have a credit card from which the company the thief is sending from. Then you can also right click on the link that they send you and even see if the website they sent is even real.
These criminals don't want you to see their website source they want you to click on the link so it will take you right to the site. Most of these sites are identical to the real credit card companies many use, therefore causing for many to steal your information as you type all your information in to the fake website.
Those of you who have become victims of this scam probably realized too late and by then the thieves would have already went on a shopping spree with your credit card, running up the bill within minutes or even seconds. Once you have entered all your info in the fake website you have already done exactly what they wanted you to do and no longer need you.
If you received an email that is a fake you should delete it ASAP. Even just clicking on the link to investigate could cause your computer to become infected with viruses or spyware, causing for them to steal your info anyways.
If you do your part and protect all your info you have nothing to worry about. As you know your personal info is very important you would never want it to fall into the wrong set of hands. As long as you keep it protected you will have nothing at all to worry about. There are always people out there on the internet waiting for you to mess up and steal your info so you should always be on the look out. All they want is your credit card info and your personal info so do everything you can to protect it and give it to no person.
A criminal will do anything they can to get what they need that is why it is so very important to keep it hidden. If you keep it protected then you will have nothing to worry about and these thieves that are out there doing this wont be able to complete their scam. Some of these thieves will even actually try and get you to send them money. They might even try to get you involved in the scam by writing you emails to help them out but you really don't know it's them messing with you.
Identifying these fake emails isn't hard, most of the time the person doesn't even have a credit card from which the company the thief is sending from. Then you can also right click on the link that they send you and even see if the website they sent is even real.
These criminals don't want you to see their website source they want you to click on the link so it will take you right to the site. Most of these sites are identical to the real credit card companies many use, therefore causing for many to steal your information as you type all your information in to the fake website.
Those of you who have become victims of this scam probably realized too late and by then the thieves would have already went on a shopping spree with your credit card, running up the bill within minutes or even seconds. Once you have entered all your info in the fake website you have already done exactly what they wanted you to do and no longer need you.
If you received an email that is a fake you should delete it ASAP. Even just clicking on the link to investigate could cause your computer to become infected with viruses or spyware, causing for them to steal your info anyways.
If you do your part and protect all your info you have nothing to worry about. As you know your personal info is very important you would never want it to fall into the wrong set of hands. As long as you keep it protected you will have nothing at all to worry about. There are always people out there on the internet waiting for you to mess up and steal your info so you should always be on the look out. All they want is your credit card info and your personal info so do everything you can to protect it and give it to no person.
A criminal will do anything they can to get what they need that is why it is so very important to keep it hidden. If you keep it protected then you will have nothing to worry about and these thieves that are out there doing this wont be able to complete their scam. Some of these thieves will even actually try and get you to send them money. They might even try to get you involved in the scam by writing you emails to help them out but you really don't know it's them messing with you.
How to Prevent Identity Theft - How to Fight Identity Theft
Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in the world and so it is vital that everyone learn how they can prevent identity theft. In this article we will be covering a couple of tips that you can use to fight identity theft and protect yourself.
The first step in order to prevent identity theft is being aware of it and how it can happen. Once one realizes how identity theft occurs and the type of information that criminals look for you are better able to protect this information. The main areas you should watch out for in this area are your credit card details, social security number and other personal details.
Before giving out your social security number to anyone ask them why they need it, what it will be used for and what would happen if you refuse to give it to them. By asking this information you will be better informed as to whether you actually want to give out this information to them. Do not carry your social security number around with you and keep it locked up in a safe place at home.
Credit card identity theft is a huge business and one that we all need to be careful of. In order to fight identity theft only carry around credit cards with you when you will be using them and try not to carry too many cards at once. When you receive any credit cards make a copy of both sides and keep this filed in a safe place.
Prevent identity theft by being extra careful with your mail. Lock mail boxes, remove your name from mailing lists and opt out of receiving credit offers. All of these put you at risk of having mail stolen that can be used for identity theft purposes.
Another way to prevent identity theft is to shred all mail that you are discarding. This stops people from going through trash and getting your personal details off old mail. This applies to all documents which contain personal information that could be used in an identity theft case.
Fight identity theft by regularly ordering credit reports on yourself and using these to check that no other credit cards have been opened in your name.
It is also important to fight identity theft online. This can be done by ensuring proper internet and computer security. Make sure you use anti-virus software, only open email attachments if you know where they are from and what they contain, use firewall software and passwords on your computer.
In conclusion, it is important for everyone
The first step in order to prevent identity theft is being aware of it and how it can happen. Once one realizes how identity theft occurs and the type of information that criminals look for you are better able to protect this information. The main areas you should watch out for in this area are your credit card details, social security number and other personal details.
Before giving out your social security number to anyone ask them why they need it, what it will be used for and what would happen if you refuse to give it to them. By asking this information you will be better informed as to whether you actually want to give out this information to them. Do not carry your social security number around with you and keep it locked up in a safe place at home.
Credit card identity theft is a huge business and one that we all need to be careful of. In order to fight identity theft only carry around credit cards with you when you will be using them and try not to carry too many cards at once. When you receive any credit cards make a copy of both sides and keep this filed in a safe place.
Prevent identity theft by being extra careful with your mail. Lock mail boxes, remove your name from mailing lists and opt out of receiving credit offers. All of these put you at risk of having mail stolen that can be used for identity theft purposes.
Another way to prevent identity theft is to shred all mail that you are discarding. This stops people from going through trash and getting your personal details off old mail. This applies to all documents which contain personal information that could be used in an identity theft case.
Fight identity theft by regularly ordering credit reports on yourself and using these to check that no other credit cards have been opened in your name.
It is also important to fight identity theft online. This can be done by ensuring proper internet and computer security. Make sure you use anti-virus software, only open email attachments if you know where they are from and what they contain, use firewall software and passwords on your computer.
In conclusion, it is important for everyone
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