How Identity Theft Happens

Credit card transactions that are not authorized is probably the most common identity theft that the general public is aware of today. Thieves not only take and use your credit card numbers, they open some accounts of their own using your information.

A lot of their fraudulent transactions are done by mail order. Many thieves using business credit cards contact suppliers and convince them they work for the business and are authorized to use the card.

Sometimes it is after thousands of dollars has been spent before the theft is found out. Then the damage is done and it takes a lot of hard work to clear up.

A business’s identity theft is just as devastating as an individual’s. It can cause operations to be stopped and great losses to be incurred. It can even affect the business credibility. It can even cause business to not be able to operate.

Public records such as marriage certificates, voter registrations and property owner information are all accessible and have important confidential information that could be used for fraud.

We often think that these records are secure at places such as our courthouses.

The freedom of information act makes many records such as these public information. Therefore, if someone takes that information from these sources it is not theft or fraud. Some of these records can even include social security numbers, addresses, other used names or copies of personal signatures.

Today you even see advertised on television or on the internet companies that will locate someone for you or for a small fee find out anything about anyone. There are actually subscription services that can be purchased specifically to do such a search.

There are over two million computer viruses, key-loggers, and spyware at the current time. All are being used for fraud purposes.

Most are designed to steal your information and ruin your identity. Much of the fraudulent activity is done thru emails or links to trick you into downloading the virus into your computer.

Always erase your hard drive and dispose of it safely before you sell or get rid of a computer so no personal information is accessed by anyone else.

American consumers are at serious risk of identity fraud each time they give information to a financial institution, retailers, corporations, universities, employers, banks or entered on the internet.

You would think your information would be safe on your own computer but that is not even true.

Employees along with other trusted insiders in the workplace are the bigger culprits at identity theft than hackers according to the crime information gathered in the last five years.

Sometimes data is even stolen from corporations and used for fraud purposes but the corporations commonly hold back that bit of information from the public or its customers. They know it would cause bad publicity.

There are so many different types of criminals using other people’s identity in so many ways. According to the Federal Trade Commission much of this type of theft happens in the workplace.

People have been known to be hired specifically to be stolen from by placing them in jobs designed to access their personal information. It is hard to believe that this type of theft is strictly intentional. Data has proven it so.