What
Is Identity Theft?
 Identity
theft is the fraudulent use of one’s
personal identifying information, essentially making a carbon
copy of your identity for illegal purposes.
Frequently, identity thieves
can use
another person’s personal information, such as a social
security number, mother’s maiden name, date of birth,
or account number to obtain new credit cards, charge existing
credit card accounts, write checks, open bank accounts, or
obtain new loans.
Identity thieves can usually obtain this personal
information by:
- Stealing wallets that contain identification information, ATM and credit cards
- Stealing bank statements
from your snail mail
- Diverting your mail from its intended
recipients by submitting a change of address form in
the post office
- Rummaging through your trash for any personal
data and relevant papers
- Stealing personal information
from office and school records
- Intercepting or obtaining
information transmitted electronically via the Internet
or through fax
What is Pretext Calling?
Pretext calling is
defined as a deceptive means of obtaining personal information.
Pretext callers could possibly
contact bank employees, posing as their customers,
to access personal
account information and status. Information obtained
from pretext calling is usually sold to debt collection
services,
attorneys,
and private investigators to use in court proceedings.
Identity thieves also engage in pretext calling to
obtain personal
information to create fraudulent accounts and credit
cards.
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