Tips To Keep Your Identity Safe

Phising is one of the most common forms of identity theft. It can manifest itself in the form of emails and their attachments, bogus links, pop up screens and also by phone. The list of recommendations that I attached from fraud.org are simple and what will likely seem too many as common sense. However, the number of novice computer users continues to grow as more and more people begin using computers as our reliance on technology grows exponentially. By simply following the recommendations listed below identity theft will not cease to exist but criminals that rely on phising to fund their activities will undoubtedly feel the effects. Basically, if you’re unaware where the email, link or any other medium that is requesting your personal information originated from and cannot 100% verify the source just don’t enter any personal information. I believe that it is a simple, yet effective, rule to follow.

• Watch out for “phishy” emails. The most common form of phishing is emails pretending to be from a legitimate retailer, bank, organization, or government agency. The sender asks to “confirm” your personal information for some made-up reason: your account is about to be closed, an order for something has been placed in your name, or your information has been lost because of a computer problem. Another tactic phishers use is to say they’re from the fraud departments of well-known companies and ask to verify your information because they suspect you may be a victim of identity theft! In one case, a phisher claimed to be from a state lottery commission and requested people’s banking information to deposit their “winnings” in their accounts.
• Don’t click on links within emails that ask for your personal information. Fraudsters use these links to lure people to phony Web sites that looks just like the real sites of the company, organization, or agency they’re impersonating. If you follow the instructions and enter your personal information on the Web site, you’ll deliver it directly into the hands of identity thieves. To check whether the message is really from the company or agency, call it directly or go to its Web site (use a search engine to find it).
• Beware of “pharming.” In this latest version of online ID theft, a virus or malicious program is secretly planted in your computer and hijacks your Web browser. When you type in the address of a legitimate Web site, you’re taken to a fake copy of the site without realizing it. Any personal information you provide at the phony site, such as your password or account number, can be stolen and fraudulently used.
• Never enter your personal information in a pop-up screen. Sometimes a phisher will direct you to a real company’s, organization’s, or agency’s Web site, but then an unauthorized pop-up screen created by the scammer will appear, with blanks in which to provide your personal information. If you fill it in, your information will go to the phisher. Legitimate companies, agencies and organizations don’t ask for personal information via pop-up screens. Install pop-up blocking software to help prevent this type of phishing attack.
• Protect your computer with spam filters, anti-virus and anti-spyware software, and a firewall, and keep them up to date. A spam filter can help reduce the number of phishing emails you get. Anti-virus software, which scans incoming messages for troublesome files, and anti-spyware software, which looks for programs that have been installed on your computer and track your online activities without your knowledge, can protect you against pharming and other techniques that phishers use. Firewalls prevent hackers and  unauthorized communications from entering your computer – which is especially important if you have a broadband connection because your computer is open to the Internet whenever it’s turned on. Look for programs that offer automatic updates and take advantage of free patches that manufacturers offer to fix newly discovered problems. Go to www.onguardonline.gov and www.staysafeonline.org to learn more about how to keep your computer secure.
• Only open email attachments if you’re expecting them and know what they contain. Even if the messages look like they came from people you know, they could be from scammers and contain programs that will steal your personal information.
• Know that phishing can also happen by phone. You may get a call from someone pretending to be from a company or government agency, making the same kinds of false claims and asking for your personal information.
• If someone contacts you and says you’ve been a victim of fraud, verify the person’s identity before you provide any personal information. Legitimate credit card issuers and other companies may contact you if there is an unusual pattern indicating that someone else might be using one of your accounts. But usually they only ask if you made particular transactions; they don’t request your account number or other personal information. Law enforcement agencies might also contact you if you’ve been the victim of fraud. To be on the safe side, ask for the person’s name, the name of the agency or company, the telephone number, and the address. Get the main number from the phone book, the Internet, or directory assistance, then call to find out if the person is legitimate.
• Job seekers should also be careful. Some phishers target people who list themselves on job search sites. Pretending to be potential employers, they ask for your social security number and other personal information. Follow the advice above and verify the person’s identity before providing any personal information.
• Be suspicious if someone contacts you unexpectedly and asks for your personal information. It’s hard to tell whether something is legitimate by looking at an email or a Web site, or talking to someone on the phone. But if you’re contacted out of the blue and asked for your personal information, it’s a warning sign that something is “phishy.” Legitimate companies and agencies don’t operate that way.
• Act immediately if you’ve been hooked by a phisher. If you provided account numbers, PINS, or passwords to a phisher, notify the companies with whom you have the accounts right away. For information about how to put a “fraud alert” on your files at the credit reporting bureaus and other advice for ID theft victims, contact the Federal Trade Commission’s ID Theft Clearinghouse, www.consumer.gov/idtheft or 877-438-4338, TDD 202-326-2502.
• Report phishing, whether you’re a victim or not. Tell the company or agency that the phisher was impersonating. You can also report the problem to law enforcement agencies through NCL’s Fraud Center, www.fraud.org. The information you provide helps to stop identity theft.

Identity Theft and Globalization

A Brief History taken from the United States Department of Justice Website.

In one notorious case of identity theft, the criminal, a convicted felon, not only incurred more than $100,000 of credit card debt, obtained a federal home loan, and   bought homes, motorcycles, and handguns in the victim’s name, but called his victim to taunt him — saying that he could continue to pose as the victim for as long as he wanted because identity theft was not a federal crime at that time — before filing for bankruptcy, also in the victim’s name.  While the victim and his wife spent more than   four years and more than $15,000 of their own money to restore their credit and reputation, the criminal served a brief sentence for making a false statement to procure a firearm, but made no restitution to his victim for any of the harm he had caused.  This case, and others like it, prompted Congress in 1998 to create a new federal offense of identity theft.

You can see from the above excerpt that I’ve used from the DOJ the severity of Identity Theft and the damage that it can cause; and that was circa 1998!!  It was not a federal crime back then but became one in 1998 due to the increasing number of incidents.  The number of people experiencing Identity theft has risen dramatically in recent years.  In 2000 the number of reported cases was 31,000 while in 2008 that number spiked to over 313,000. One of the main reasons for this is the spread of the internet not only in the US but throughout the world.  The term Globalization is often used to describe this spread of technology.  It enhances not only communication but also allows such a thing as small businesses to able to have a much broader clientele base.

Credit has become a much more frequently used form of currency than in the past.  For most purchases one can rely solely on a credit card or other form of electronic identification.  What this exposes is the risk of having your personal information acquired by people that can utilize it to commit any number of crimes.  One popular method of acquiring such information is the use of Phishing.  Phishing is a “scam where Internet fraudsters send spam or pop-up messages to lure personal and financial information from unsuspecting victims”.  It seems though, that regardless of the potential risk, people still answer emails and use their personal information to respond to inquiries sent from unreliable sources.  Phishing is popular due to the increased use of the internet as we have mentioned.  A little more awareness on where the email originated, why your information is needed and how secure the senders website is can go a long way in defeating something that has experienced a 22% increase from 2007-2008 and only expects to get worse based on our inevitably increased reliance on technology to make things easier on ourselves.