There are many different forms of criminal theft. The focus here will be on identity theft and how to prevent becoming a victim of it. More than 9 million people each year suffer the repercussions of this crime, and it is time to put an end to it. The following will offer some common-sense methods to avoid becoming the target of an identity thief so everyone can contribute to the demise of this felony.
Pittsfield, MA -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/04/2013 -- When someone’s personal information is stolen, it wreaks havoc in their lives. Not only will their once-impressive credit rating suffer great damage, but their reputation as a worthy credit risk will be demolished. Criminal ID theft occurs when someone uses another person’s private data for their own gains without the other person’s permission or knowledge. Some of the methods these thieves employ to gather an individual’s information include “dumpster diving,” which is exactly what it says it is: A thief goes through a commercial dumpster, usually found behind large apartment complexes, searching for documents that contain personal information such as a Social Security number (SSN), date of birth, credit card data, or a full name; “phishing,” which occurs when a person receives an e-mail or pop-up from a company he has dealt with successfully in the past requesting an information update; and the old-fashioned “shoulder surfing,” which happens when the person behind a customer using a credit card to pay for something peeks over that person’s shoulder and steals the charge card numbers. Once a thief has any of this data, he can go to town, purchasing vehicles, taking out loans, or setting up bogus utility accounts.
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Criminal theft of one’s identity is disturbing. The way to avoid having to repair the damage this crime causes is to prevent its occurrence. There are many common-sense tips to employ to keep one’s identity safe, and here are just a few of them. If a woman is carrying a purse that contains her identification cards, she should carry it across her body, as doing so makes it more difficult for a thief to grab and run with it. If a male keeps his ID in his wallet, he should carry the wallet in his front trouser pocket, rather than the more commonly used rear pocket. This causes far more difficulty for a thief to pickpocket the wallet. Never carry a Social Security number on one’s person. That identifying number is the key an ID thief needs to unlock the treasure trove of one’s good name, so protect it carefully. Shred all documents containing private information, including credit card offers.
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