How
Identity Theft Affects You
How Identity Thieves Operate
 New research confirms that four out of every
five victims have no idea how an identity thief obtained
their personal information. Among those who think they know
what happened, many believe that the identity theft occurred
when their purse or wallet was stolen or lost.
Thieves can
also walk off with identities from the trash — this
is more popularly known as “dumpster diving” — and
it can occur at home, at the office, or at school. Regular
mail can be easily stolen from your home mailbox, from a
drop-box, at businesses, and even directly from the postal
service.
Home computers can be infected with viruses
that transmit
your data to thieves, known as spyware. Group identity
theft has
become a serious problem for some consumers. If a thief
gains access to a place that keeps records for numerous people,
all their personal information is at risk. Targets have
included
stores, fitness centres, car dealerships, schools, hospitals,
banks and even credit bureaus. Thieves can either use the
stolen
identities for themselves or sell them to other criminals
for a hefty price.
“
Pretexting” is a technique of identity theft that is
on the rise. The identity thief poses as a genuine agent of
a survey firm, bank, Internet service provider, employer, landlord,
or even a government organization. The thief then contacts
you through the mail, telephone, or e-mail, and attempts to
get you to reveal your personal information, typically by asking
you to “confirm” some inconsistent data that they
say they have.
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