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Protect Yourself
Identity Theft
By:
Alejandra Serna
Imagine
the last time you spoke on the phone or used the ATM. That "someone
is watching me" feeling might have not paranoia, but a quick brush
with shoulder surfing. The Federal Trade Commission estimates a total
of 500,000 to 700,000 identity theft victims a year and these numbers
continue to grow. This proves just how vulnerable the average person
is to this crime. Fact is, all you need for your identity to be taken
away is to have one.
The process begins by attaining someone's
personal documentation, an eerily easy task. The two most common methods
are "shoulder surfing" and "dumpster diving". The first method involves
spying and overhearing in search of such things as PINs, SSNs and
account numbers. This is why experts suggest being exceptionally careful
in regards to personal data, even at the risk of being rude. The second
type, dumpster diving, is the more hands-on procedure of digging through
garbage in search of your phone bills, bank/credit card statements
and other personal documents. Take a minute to examine your garbage.
How many of these items did you find in legible condition? Three,
four? If you found just one, that is more than enough.
The end results of these methods fall
into two kinds of identity fraud. The first, "account takeover," involves
using your credit card or account information to run a shopping-muck.
It is the less harmful of the two since the bill will eventually come
to you with the unknown charges in your name, and you can quickly
take appropriate action. On the other hand, "Application fraud," also
referred to as "true name fraud," is a painful story. Here they use
your personal information to open new accounts, such as a Capital
One card in your name, and usually the bills are sent to a different
address. In this case, the victim is oblivious to the existence of
the new account and the purchases being made. Since no bills or statements
arrive monthly, victims suffer unknowingly for years. Usually the
victim discovers this when they try to open a new account and find
their credit ruined. The best way to identify this situation is to
analyze a person's Credit Report, which outlines all financial matters
under an individual name. Unfortunately, the average person only requests
this document every couple of years. Meanwhile, their credit is continuously
damaged for what they deem "inexplicable reasons" as their financial
doubles splurge.
Although these situations are not hopeless,
the road to recovery is indeed a long and difficult one and requires
the help of The Federal Trade Commission. As with most hazards, the
best way to be safe is to be well informed.
The
Internet has practically broken down the walls of privacy; therefore,
people must realize that identity theft is a victim-facilitated crime.
In order to be protected, we must open our eyes and "see ourselves
as others see us;" easy prey.
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