Identity thieves will use any information they can get their hands on to steal someone else's identity, but your name, SSN, account numbers, and credit card numbers are where they make most of their money. With this information, an identity thief can plan his or her next trip right away. Because of this, you should be most careful with these things.
Thieves who want to steal your identity have come up with many creative ways to do it. Some are very technical, while others are less so:
- Do you have a mailbox outside that isn't locked? Why? This is where a person who steals IDs goes first. Your bank statements, credit card numbers, mortgage statements, and 401k account information are all easy to find in your mailbox. Your mailbox tells a lot about you. Put it away.
Have you ever gotten an email from a financial institution you don't deal with that said they needed your account information to process a transaction or something similar? This is a scam called "phishing." They threw their line into the ocean of email addresses, hoping to catch just one fish that didn't know what was coming. Even though you might not have an account with the bank they use, thousands of other people do. How many of them will be taken by surprise? By the way, if you open these emails, they look very official and can even look like they come from the real institution. Don't let it fool you.
Your company's website should have information about you, like a short bio and a picture. Ouch! Now, the person who stole your identity knows where you've worked, where you went to school, etc. The same is true for making your resume public. When an identity thief combines this information with what they can find in the phone book, they know a lot about you. They also know what they can find in your unlocked mailbox.
They could take your garbage. You've probably seen a movie or two where a bad guy steals someone's trash and learns everything about them. This is what people call "dumpster diving." (Is there a simple solution? Buy a shredder, run everything through it twice, and put the pieces into different trash bags. So, the shredded pieces of a single document shouldn't all fit into one trash bag.)
They might call you pretending to be a telemarketer from a company you do business with and try to get you to upgrade your service or buy something extra. They will be very convincing because they will have your account number, the amount of your last payment, your address, and any other information they can get from the statement they stole from your...you guessed it...unlocked mailbox. They'll talk you into adding that service or buying that new cool thing. "Now, sir, I just need your credit card number, the three-digit code on the back of your credit card, and your date of birth to place the order for you today." Ouch.
- Straight up stealing. Some identity thieves don't have time to pull off elaborate hoaxes or scams that use new technology. They will just take your purse or wallet whenever they can. Employee records are another thing they might steal. It's incredible how much information is in an employee file.
- They could fill out a form to change their address and have your bills sent straight to them.
- They may know who you are! It could be your brother, cousin, best friend, or even your spouse. It's not uncommon for someone who has had their identity stolen to get played by someone they know. This is one of the worst things that could happen, and there's not much you can do to stop it besides never giving out personal information. This can be hard to hide from a spouse or close family member, though.
This is just a short list of a few ways your identity could be stolen. Most of the above can be avoided with a little bit of planning and forethought. Getting rid of identity theft starts with realising that it could happen at any time.
