Is Someone Else You Too?

What is the fastest growing crime in America right now? If you don’t know, its identity theft. If you’re relived it’s not a violent crime, don’t relax just yet. Even though identity theft is, for the most part, a non-violent crime, the effects of being victimized could be a long drawn nightmare which could ruin your life financially and emotionally.

A crime quickly catching up to 2^nd place, are personal violation crimes. These crimes include cyberstalking, cyberbullying, and voyeurism.  I have classified these three crimes into one because they are similar in that, to be committed, they require the same thing as identity theft, your information. (See the post titled Cyberstalking).

According to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Federal Trade Commission, approximately 9.9 million Americans were victimized by this faceless crime and 6.6 million are victims of cyberstalking.  It’s also estimated that hundreds of thousands more American have been victimized and aren’t yet aware they have been victimized or did not reported the crime.

So what is my point? The message I am trying to get out is that the newest, hottest, and most lucrative commodity on the black market now is….INFORMATION, namely, your information! Information is now sold on the internet and used for profit, all with the anonymity if internet IP addresses.  Yes, back in the day, stealing things to fence and money was popular for criminals but, it required physical action and involved the risk of getting caught. Well, not anymore. Now that we now live in a different time, thanks to technology, society’s insistence on convenience, and the belief that “it will never happen to me”, society has made identity theft and personal violation crimes a tempting easy score.

These crimes require less effort and the risks are greatly diminished because the criminal can perpetrate his crime from anywhere in the world while sitting in his easy chair. All he needs is information people readily put out in the open. Most times, this information that is made public seems harmless and meant for friends and family. Today’s criminal are a lot more savvy than the criminals of yesteryear, they slowly collect any little tidbits the victims puts out on social media, until the criminal can literally piece together the victim’s life.

It’s easier than you think to get your name address, phone number, email, marital status, family members, income level, place of work, type of vehicle, favorite hangouts, whether your armed, current location, and even your mother’s maiden name. Perfect for applying for a credit card in your name, taking out a loan, or even buying a car. A pervert can also take advantage of targeting you for stalking or voyeurism with a little software and some ingenuity either for self-gratification or to sell online.

If a criminal works the local areas, dumpster diving, mailbox picking, and contest entry boxes are ridiculously easy sources for personal information.

Scenario 1: Susie receives a credit card application in the mail and fills it out, signs it, and puts it back in the mailbox, (a habit we still cling to). A mailbox picking criminal takes her application and changes the delivery address to a temporary PO Box or checks her mailbox every day to receive the actual card. A savvy criminal, he calls Susie representing the credit card company to “confirm” that she did apply for the card, and states that they need some additional security information, he asks Susie to verify her social security number, her cell phone number and another credit card number to transfer a balance from because he now reduced her APR to 5% on transfers. Susie excitedly obliges and gives him the additional information. He then tells Susie it will take an additional seven days to receive the card. That gives the criminal an extra seven day to splurge on Susie’s new credit card.

A month later, Susie receives the credit card bill for $10,000.00 for credit card purchases she never made. Her credit bureau will be notified, and the criminal will be enjoying the fruits of Susie’s labor while Susie is left to fight with the credit bureaus, credit card company and stores who will all deny any blame and offer little or slow help.

While Susie is returning from work, she stops in a mom & pop convenience store for a coffee. The sees a contest poster and application for an all-expense paid trip to Disney Land. Susie thinks she could use something like that after the credit card fiasco and fills out the application and drops it in the box. The drawing will be in two months. The next day, the criminal goes to the store and picks up the application drop box. He takes the applications and gathers all the information and posts them online for sale to others. He keeps a few applications, one is Susie’s. He extracts the information and checks it with the other personal files he’s gathered from trash bins and dumpsters. Bingo! He has other info on Susie, plus a credit card application she through away last week.  All he needs now is her place of business, work phone, and mother’s maiden name.

He goes on Facebook and searches for Susie, bingo! Her profile shows she works at a restaurant in town. He does a Google search for restaurant phone number. Back on her profile, Susie friended her mother, who has her maiden name listed for search purposes.  Two months goes by and Susie didn’t win the trip but did receive another credit card bill from a company she never applied with. This one is a maxed out Platinum card and has a 26 % interest rate and tons of fees. Susie has no idea how this is happening and has no way to make it stop.

To try to catch up on her exploding bills, Susie applies for a loan and is denied because of her debt. She later gets turned down for a car loan. The bill collector calls are increasing along with bills for a flat screen TVs, clothing, spa services, and a paint job of a Mayan goddess on a low rider. As a final straw, Susie’s wages are garnished temporarily after a lien was placed on her home.

Think this scenario is far fetched? If you do, your doubt may be what makes you vulnerable, the criminals are thriving on society’s doubt, carelessness, and lack of understanding. Think about how much this whole scenario cost Susie then ask yourself this question, what would be cheaper? Being a victim of identity theft or a shredder and a little more attention to your personal information? Are you posting too much on social media and giving out personal information too freely. There is enough information on you online already, don’t add to it, because someone could be making their living with your information.

TYPES OF IDENTITY THEFT

There are several types of identity theft which a criminal may use to facilitate these crimes. The crimes include illegal immigration, receiving government benefits, getting medical treatment,  espionage, and terrorism. Identity theft could also be used to blackmail you or someone in your family. Below are some of the types of identity theft.

• Identity Cloning
  Occurs when a person takes someone else’s identity and assumes the victim’s identity in his or her daily life. This could be used to hide from the authorities. For example, an illegal alien could be hiding under a citizen’s name and receiving free benefis.
• Financial Identity Theft
  The use of someone else’s financial information to steal his or her identity. With this information, the criminal can steal money, open new accounts, or launder money from criminal activity, and eventually ruin your credit.
• Criminal Identity Theft
  This happens when a criminal steals personal information or uses a fake ID to steal someone else’s identity. An arrest warrant could be given for the arrest of the victim who is thought to be the criminal. The criminal is free from facing the consequences. 

METHODS OF IDENTITY THEFT

Identity theft can happen a number of different ways. These methods are usually carried out by physical contact with actual paperwork or through electronic means. Either way, the results are the same.

• Dumpster Diving
  A criminal literally searches through garbage bins and dumpsters for personal information.
• Account Hijacking
  The fastest growing form of identity theft, some 2 million people were victimized last year alone. Account hijacking occurs when a criminal obtains your personal banking information and uses it to take over your bank accounts. 
• Pickpocket
  Physically stealing payment information or identification.
• Shoulder Surfing
  Eavesdropping or looking over someone’s shoulder for personal information.
• Hacking
  Taking information from computers through viruses and Trojan horses, and spyware.

Phishing
Impersonating a reputable institution to gain trust, and then asking for information. For example, someone sends out a phishing email imitating your credit card company. This e-mail will contain a link that asks you to update your information. This link will take the victim to a look-a-like website of the company. Once that personal information has been entered, the thief now has access to the information provided by the victim.

So how do you protect yourself against these crimes?

·         Avoid carrying your Social Security card or passport unless they are needed.

·         Never print your Social Security Number or driver’s license number on your checks.

·         Carry as few credit cards as possible and periodically check to make sure you still have them.

·         Write “See Photo ID,” on the back of your credit cards instead of your signature. If a thief steals your card, it cannot be used without your identification.

·         Shred any documentation with your identifiers on it or other personal information. A cross shredder is best.

·         Use USPS mail collection boxes or a P.O. Box instead of your home mailbox.

·         Don’t leave mail in your mailbox overnight or over the weekend.

·         Use firewall software to protect information safe on your computer. Keep virus and spyware software programs updated.

·         Don’t give out personal information on the phone, mail or over the internet unless you initiated the contact.

·         Know your billing cycles and contact creditors. Review bank and credit card statements carefully.

·         Reduce the number of preapproved credit card offers you receive: 888-5OPT-OUT (you will be asked for your SSN)

Check your credit report annually.

Helpful links.

http://www.texasfightsidtheft.gov/

http://www.idtheftcenter.org/Protect-yourself/id-theft-prevention-tips.html

http://www.justice.gov/criminal/fraud/websites/idtheft.html

http://www.irs.gov/uac/Identity-Protection

http://www.lifelock.com/

Don’t ever rely solely on your institution to fix an identity theft problem immediately. Their websites may imply they are there to help you in a crisis, but they must also initiate an investigation to ensure they are not being the victimized by fraud. That investigation will take at the very least, a month. Your may even feel like your institution is interrogating you during their investigation. In the mean time, the criminal will be running up bills for you. Take action as soon as you realized you’ve been victimized. Start with the police and follow the path uphill. Keep records of every case or incident number you are given. The links above will give you some direction and the steps to take.

Knowledge is power.