As of September 1, 2005, everyone in the US is now entitled to get a
free copy of their credit report from each of the three major credit
bureaus each year.
Unfortunately, many people are finding that actually getting their free credit report seems close to impossible.
According to the research organization, Gartner Inc., illegal access to
bank accounts is one of the fastest-growing financial crimes today.
Gartner estimates that during the past year, almost 2 million people in
the US have had money stolen from their bank accounts! The average loss
was $1200, with a total of more than $2 billion in losses for the year.
Imagine getting a phone call from someone from a reputable sounding
research firm asking you to participate in a survey. The questions they
ask seem harmless, including the name of your phone company, investment
firm, and even your pet's name.
In reality, you may have just been a victim of pretexting.
When college students think about complications at school, identity theft is usually the last thing on their mind. Concerned parents may well advise their college kids to stay out of dark corners, lock their doors at night, and travel in groups. While these measures might help prevent college students from getting robbed in conventional ways, they cannot protect them from one of the worst kinds of theft imaginable: having their identities stolen and used to defraud others.
- Article
- By Audri & Jim Lanford
- September 13, 2007
When college students think about complications at school, identity theft is usually the last thing on their mind. Concerned parents may well advise their college kids to stay out of dark corners, lock their doors at night, and travel in groups. While these measures might help prevent college students from getting robbed in conventional ways, they cannot protect them from one of the worst kinds of theft imaginable: having their identities stolen and used to defraud others.
- Article
- By Audri & Jim Lanford
- September 13, 2007
When college students think about complications at school, identity theft is usually the last thing on their mind. Concerned parents may well advise their college kids to stay out of dark corners, lock their doors at night, and travel in groups. While these measures might help prevent college students from getting robbed in conventional ways, they cannot protect them from one of the worst kinds of theft imaginable: having their identities stolen and used to defraud others.
When you get a
new computer, chances are high that it will come without the latest
security patches and with outdated antivirus software. Yet, many people
wrongly assume that their new computers are ready to 'plug and play.'
There are a lot of benefits for online banking and online brokerage accounts. It's certainly very convenient. Getting the status of your account activity is just a matter of logging onto a website and looking at your account details.
But does having such easy access to your brokerage and bank accounts put you at an increased risk of theft or fraud?
Identity theft is perhaps the top fraud issue, but one aspect of identity theft is very prevalent, yet is rarely discussed: when Social Security numbers are stolen, not for profit, but to get a job.
In order to get many jobs, illegal immigrants need Social Security numbers (SSNs). Since they obviously can't apply for them from the Social Security Administration (SSA), they often buy a stolen SSN and use it to get work.
The scammer calls claiming to work for the local court and claims you've failed to report for jury duty. He tells you that a warrant has been issued for your arrest. Specifically, the scammer asks for the victim's Social Security number, birth date, and sometimes even for credit card numbers and other private information -- exactly what the scammer needs to commit identity theft.
