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Examples of How Identity Theft Occurs

Examples of How Identity Theft Occurs


Examples of How Identity Theft Occurs

by Paul Cameron

Considered one of the most common crimes in today's society, identity theft can happen to anyone. Although this has been a popular thing to talk about for quite a few years, there is still widespread confusion about what identity theft is and why it occurs. Identity theft can happen to anyone and the worst part is that most people are completely unsuspecting. Here are a few examples to help introduce you to some of the various ways identity theft criminals work, and how they are able to get access to someone's personal information.

Rummaging through trash seems to be the most common starting point that thieves choose to retrieve information they can use to commit identity theft. They will walk along a street that has trash bags out on the road because it is pickup day the next day and they will either go through the bags right there if they don't think anyone's looking or they may even pick the bags up and take them home with them to go through them more thoroughly. The best way to avoid this is to make sure that you are not leaving bags of garbage out on the street any longer than necessary. Make sure that you shred up all your mail before throwing it away and especially ensure that you never throw out old driver's licenses, health cards and other identification before destroying it.

You have probably heard about identity thieves who swindle information from people by calling them at home and asking questions. They will usually pretend to be a credit card company or some other financial institution and try to get information such as your name, address and social security number. To avoid this happening to you, make sure that you know who you are talking to before giving out any information over the phone.

Another common way to steal information is known as phishing. Phishing is done online through the internet by sending certain types of malware applications to your computer, which then gives them access to your files and other information they can use to actually open credit accounts under your name that they will proceed to use. It is a scary thing to know that someone could access your personal computer files that easily which is why you need to always have properly running and updated antivirus software.

These were only a few examples of the way that people can hijack your identity and begin ruining it for their own malicious practices. The main thing to keep in mind is to always protect your identity as much as you can. If you get a hint of suspicion that someone may have stolen your identity, you should contact the authorities immediately.

About the Author:
These days, nobody is safe from identity theft. It is one of the fastest growing crimes internationally. And it can happen to you. Learn more about how to protect yourself from identity theft at Identity Theft Facts.

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