Recent identity theft statistics and what exactly is identity theft.

Identity theft has been called the largest white-collar crime in the history of the United States. The Federal Trade Commission has reported that “1 in 6 Americans will be a victim of identity theft this year alone. In the past twelve months, 9.93 million people have experienced some type of identity theft crime against them. Victims spend an average of $1,200 in out-of-pocket expenses and an average of 175 hours in their efforts to resolve the many problems caused by identity thieves.” Criminal identity theft occurs when an imposter gives another person’s name and personal information, such as a driver’s license, date of birth, or Social Security number (SSN) to obtain a job, housing, money, property, or other services. Or the impostor may present a forged license or form of identification containing someone else’s information. There are 5 different types of identity theft and most people don’t know about them!

The five types of identity theft

1. DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES: Identity thieves could get a driver’s license in your name and rack up traffic tickets in your name, and possibly get a DUI on your license and not show up in court.

2. SOCIAL SECURITY – An identity thief could use your social security number for work purposes and you could get your tax bill. Many illegal aliens are buying the name and SSN of many Americans. There are now 11 million illegal aliens in USA Today. Most of them are working under someone else’s name and birth certificate. They could file taxes on your behalf and get the instant refund online.

3. MEDICAL INFORMATION BUREAU – An identity thief could use your personal information to obtain prescriptions or medical help that reduces your available benefits. This area of ​​ID THEFT is growing rapidly as more and more people cannot afford health insurance. They could get an AIDS test in your name that would go to the MIB.

4. CRIMINAL IDENTITY: An identity thief could use your information to escape fines or prison. You might discover that he has a criminal record for bad checks, theft, pornography, prostitution, etc.

5. FINANCIAL IDENTITY – An identity thief could use your information to obtain money, goods or services and leave you with the bill. They could lease a car in your name and not return it. They could buy vehicles, real estate, etc.

How to help avoid becoming a victim of fraud or identity theft

First, every home needs a shredder, you should buy one if you don’t have one. “Garbage diving” is an older method, but it’s still the first way criminals get our information. The shredder will help eliminate the amount of information that thieves can get from your trash. Second, get up-to-date anti-spyware or anti-theft software for your computer. Outdated software could compromise much that you hold dear. Also, never give out personal information over the phone. How can you know that someone is who they say they are, if it is by phone? Lastly, invest in some restoration insurance and identity theft protection. Many companies only offer to monitor your financial identity and only alert you to activity on your credit report. Remember that monitoring is not the cure for identity theft, because you have still been a victim! Identity theft protection and restoration is the only answer to this problem! In a nutshell, monitoring will only alert you to the problem. In most cases, the amount of fraud exceeds thousands of dollars. So without an attorney, most financial institutions are hesitant to simply drop the charges. Which could take weeks, months, or even years to fight alone! So if you have an identity theft problem, now you have a legal problem. Restoration is the only solution to identity theft!

3. What are the ways thieves obtain personal information?

1. Rummage through dumpsters: Thieves will steal your information from paperwork that hasn’t been disposed of properly. They may rummage through trash, company dumpsters, or even the city dump for personal information.

2. Phishing and Pretexting: These are similar methods of identity theft. Pretexting is when someone pretending to be with a legitimate company, like your insurance company, will call and try to get you to verify their account numbers or even their SSN. Phishing is basically the same thing, except the thief will send you an email instead of calling you.

3. Shoulder navigation – This is where the thief will look over your shoulder when making transactions, for example at the ATM. They can even use devices like cell phones to record you without your knowledge.

4. Social Networking Websites – While most adults are careful about what information they post on sites like MySpace, many teens and even some unaware adults put themselves at risk of identity theft every day. Identity thieves find names, addresses, and even dates of birth on popular sites and use them to commit identity fraud.

5. Peer-to-peer or file-sharing software: People who access your music files also have access to other files on your computer.

6. Fake Job Postings – The crooks will post fake job ads and ask you to fill out an application, including your social security number.

7. Fake Sweepstakes or Sweepstakes: These offers are usually sent via email claiming that you won the Canadian lottery or some other sweepstakes you never entered.

8. Hacking – If your computer is not properly protected, a hacker can gain access to all the information you have stored. Hackers also obtain information by hacking into organizations’ computer systems to obtain large amounts of information at once.

9. Stealing Mail – This is similar to trash digging, except thieves will actually steal your mail right out of your mailbox. They steal bank statements, pre-approved credit card offers, etc.

10. Lost or Stolen Personal Items – It’s pretty obvious how thieves steal your identity by stealing your wallet, PDA, or laptop. The same thing happens when you lose your personal belongings.

11. Work at home- This can be one of the most invasive ways to get information. Contractors or other workers may find and use account numbers or other information you see.

12. Change your address: The thief will often forge your signature so that your mail will be forwarded to another address. They will then pull information from your bank statements, or they can request your pre-approved credit card offers.

13. Copying Information During Transactions: Dishonest company employees will sometimes steal your credit card information while processing your transactions. They can do this when you are in the company or when you give your information over the phone.

14. Credit Report – Thieves can pose as potential employers or landlords to get a copy of your credit report. They can find much of your information this way.

15. RFID Reading: RFID stands for Radio Frequency Identification. RFID tags can be found on certain credit cards and other types of cards. Thieves build RFID readers that, if within range, can extract your card information. Whether it’s over the phone, the Internet, wallet theft, trash digging, or a company you trusted mishandling your personal information, these thieves are getting more creative every day!

4. Medical identity theft can be an individual’s worst nightmare.

Imagine applying for the job of a lifetime and you can’t get it because someone used your social security number. Get an infectious disease treated on your behalf. Or worse yet, a diabetic steals your insurance information and uses it. If you were hospitalized and unable to speak…in this case, correct or incorrect medical information in your record could be the difference between life and death. Medical identity theft currently accounts for only 3 percent of identity theft crimes, or 249,000 of the 8.3 million people whose identities were taken in 2005, according to the Federal Trade Commission. But as the push toward electronic medical records gathers pace, privacy experts fear those numbers could grow substantially. They’re concerned that as doctors and hospitals move from paper records to electronic medical records (EMRs), as they’re called, it will be easier for people to gain unauthorized access to sensitive patient information on a large scale. . Additionally, Microsoft, Revolution Health, and Google announced in 2008 that they are developing services that will allow consumers to store their health information online. Consumers may not even be aware that their records have been compromised. This could be a nightmare, and with EMRs, medical identity theft will increasingly occur across the country.

5. Is it possible for someone to get information and use it for child identity theft?

Yes, if thieves obtain a social security number from a minor, anything is possible. The thieves just changed the date of birth. Thieves like to target children because their credit files are untouched and rarely checked. As parents, we don’t even think to check. Even before identity theft became so prominent in the 21st century, identity thieves were targeting children. Now that security breaches are so common and hackers can find personal information through phishing, your child’s identity is even easier to steal than ever.