In just one year, the number of data breaches has risen from 24 to 60, comprising 888 million records. † You can find out anyone’s social security number for a small fee. The smartest card choice doesn’t have any of these fees (although you may not be able to escape paying a transfer fee). They call credit card issuers. Even if you are vigilant in monitoring your own credit report, there are some types of non-credit identity theft that won’t be detectable with a credit report review, such as criminal and medical identity theft. There are unexpected pop-ups on your computer or mobile device asking if you want to allow software to run. After backing up the data and transferring the files, you can «sanitize’’ the computer by magnetically cleaning the disk or using software to wipe the disk clean. A recent problem is the tendency of businesses to exaggerate the threat of identity theft to sell products tailored to prevent it, such as insurance or software.
Government agencies and businesses keep computerized records of their clients. Keep it to yourself. Some methods are more popular than others, as is clear from Figure 1, which is based on data collected by the FTC and reported by the General Accounting Office. Another option is the Intuit GoPayment, from the same company that makes QuickBooks accounting software. They steal PINs and user IDs, using software available on the Internet; trick Internet users into giving their passwords and other personal information; or watch users punch in their PINs on telephones or at ATMs. They steal wallets or purses from shopping bags, from cars, or by pickpocketing. Identity theft happens when a criminal gets your personal information and tries to steal money from your accounts, open new credit cards, apply for loans, rent apartments, and commit other crimes-all using your identity theft protection solutions. They open a bank account in the victim’s name. They open a new credit card account using the victim’s name. They obtain people’s credit reports by posing as someone who is legally permitted to do so, such as a landlord or employer. Laptop Pictures Kids need to be taught to not turn a blind eye when a friend is cyberbullying someone.
You’re not much safer on your personal laptop or smart phone if you connect to a public Wi-Fi network, where even moderately tech-savvy criminals can steal your data right out of the air. People routinely give out personal information during business transactions, such as in shops and restaurants. Take out loans or run up bills in your name so keeping your personal information secure helps. This kind of safety can cowl your monetary losses for those who wind up being a sufferer of fraud, as it could pay for bills like lawyer charges and reimbursement of stolen funds. When the Eagles did win, that they play for the NFC and it was kind of a ho-hum year for the stock markets. For instance, you can elect to have income tax withheld from crop disaster payments from the government so you aren’t hit with a big bill at the end of the year. The offender immediately runs up charges on the account, knowing that the victim will not receive the bill for some time, if ever. Victim characteristics are probably not related to identity theft vulnerability, though more research is needed in this area.
Businesses are enormous. The U.S. ‡ U.S. residents do not own personal information contained in agency databases, so they have little control over how that information is used. In 2001, the U.S. Instead of signing the back, write «please ask for photo id» to minimize the risk of identity theft and your cards being used by anyone but you. This is a particular risk for people who work in defense or law enforcement. Recent «opt-out» laws allow people to prevent their information from being provided to others, but these laws are not widely publicized. People’s trash can serve as another source of information. Burglars can get information from victims’ homes, and «Internet burglars,» or hackers, can obtain personal identifying data from people’s home computers. People carry personal information on them, which offenders may obtain via pickpocketing, mugging, or, if it is lost, simply finding it. Mail that is useful to offenders includes preapproved credit card applications, energy or telephone bills, bank or credit card statements, and convenience checks. For example, just one act of hacking into a database may reap thousands of credit card numbers and other personal data.