How Thieves Steal an Identity

There are many ways that thieves can steal your information:

• DUMPSTER DIVING – Thieves go through your trash or the trash behind businesses to obtain information.
• SKIMMING – Thieves copy your credit card information by hand or with a machine. This can happen any time that your credit card is out of your sight, such as when paying for a bill at a restaurant. In this case, you can still have your credit card and thieves can still use it.
• PHISHING – E-mails or pop-up adds that request you to provide personal and/or financial information.  These often appear to be legitimate e-mails from a bank, etc.
• UNLOCKED MAILBOXES – Also called "red-flagging" – thieves check mailboxes for outgoing or incoming mail that includes checks, credit card offers, etc. Thieves can chemically erase certain inks and fill in the "Pay to the Order of" and amount sections on a check, while leaving a valid signature. Thieves also take credit card offers and open the accounts themselves.
• THEFT OF WALLET, CHECKBOOK, PDA, OR COMPUTER
• TAKING INFO FROM UNSECURED INTERNET WEBSITES
• SHOULDER SURFING/EAVESDROPPING
• DATA COLLECTION DEVICES ~ high tech theft – keynote loggers, skimmers, and camera phones, computer viruses
• THEFT BY FAMILY/FRIENDS/ACQUAINTANCES
• BUSINESS RECORD THEFT – employees stealing or selling customer information, etc.
• FRAUDULENT CALLS OR MAIL – requesting funds over the phone or in the mail for fraudulent purposes (i.e. false charities, etc.)
• CHANGE OF ADDRESS – mail is misdirected because of a change or lack of change of an address or thieves change your address.