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Key Facts to Know About Fraud:
by Stephen D. Barnhill, Attorney 
Identify theft and identity fraud are terms used to refer to all types of crimes in which someone wrongfully obtains and uses another person's personal data in some way that involves fraud or deception, typically for economic gain. Your personal data, especially your Social Security number, your bank account or credit card number, your telephone calling card number, and other valuable identifying data can be used, if they fall into the wrong hands, to personally profit at your expense. In many cases, a victim's losses may include not only out-of-pocket financial losses, but substantial additional financial cost associated with time to restore their reputation in the community in correcting erroneous information for which the criminal is actually responsible. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) estimates that as many as 9 million Americans have their identity stolen each year. Identify is theft is serious.
Identity thieves may use a variety of methods to obtain your information, including:
1. Dumpster Diving. They rummage through trash looking for bills or other papers with your personal information on it.
2. Skimming. They steal credit/debit card numbers by using a special storage device when processing your card.
3. Phishing. They pretend to be financial institutions or companies and send spam or pop-up messages to get you to reveal your personal information.
4. Changing Your Address. They divert your billing statements to another location by completing a change of address form.
5. Old-Fashion Stealing. They steal wallets and purses, mail, including bank and credit card statements; pre-approved credit card offers; and new checks or tax information. They steal personal records, or bribe employees who have access to personal records.
6. Pre-texting. They use false pretenses to obtain your personal information from financial institutes, telephone companies, and other sources.
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