What is Identity Theft?

Identity theft (identity theft) is a criminal act of misappropriating important personal information of others, such as social security numbers and driver's license numbers, in order to use other people's name to do things.

Identity theft

Right!

Identity theft (identity theft) is a criminal act of misappropriating important personal information of others, such as social security numbers and driver's license numbers, in order to use other people's name to do things.

Chinese name

Identity theft

Brief introduction

Illegal access to other people's account passwords

Harm

Financial fraud

Prevent

Don't disclose social security numbers on unnecessary occasions

Identity theft is divided into two categories: name theft and account theft. Name theft refers to the use of the identity of the stolen person to open a new account. He can open a new credit card account, mobile service or checking account to get a bank check. Account theft refers to the use of the stolen person's personal information to obtain the person's existing account. The thief usually changes the mailing address on the account information and takes a lot of money before the thief discovers the problem. The Internet facilitates identity theft as all transactions do not require face-to-face contact and can be completed online. ^[1]

It is a crime to impersonate someone else's account and password, such as a social security identification number, driver's license number, or credit card number. This information may be used to obtain goods or services using a credit card in the name of the victim, or to provide false credentials to the thief.

Identity theft can invade many places in our lives. Identity theft occurs when someone uses other people's identity documents or other personally identifiable information to commit misconduct. According to a survey report by the US Federal Trade Commission (2003.9), about 10 million Americans suffered identity theft in 2002. It may be more appropriate to call it identity scams, as your identity is often stolen for the following purposes:

• Financial fraud -This type of identity theft includes bank fraud, credit card fraud, computer and communication fraud, social activity fraud, tax refund fraud, mail fraud, and more. In fact, as many as 25 types of financial identity fraud have been investigated and handled by the United States Secret Service. Identity theft is most common in financial fraud cases (94% of the 10,000 financial crimes investigated and handled by the Secret Service in 1997 were suspected of identity theft), but this is by no means the only category. However, other types of identity theft incidents are more or less money-relatedmore typically, raising funds for some kind of criminal risk-taking.

• Criminal activity -this type of identity fraud is suspected of embezzling another person's identity to commit a crime, sneak into another country, obtain some kind of concession, deliberately conceal his identity, or carry out terrorist activities. Such criminal activities include:

• Computer and Cybercrime

• Group crime

• Drug dealing

• Sneak

• Money laundering

  Have you ever forgotten to get a credit card purchase order after paying by credit card at a restaurant? Did you know that most of these purchase orders have your credit card account number printed on them and can be easily seen (and used) by anyone? Also, if you signed it, your signature may be carefully counterfeited by some people. This leads to the simplest type of identity theft. With this personal information, criminals can also use your credit card account to make purchases over the phone or the Internet. You won't know about it until you get your bill (so you have every reason to check your credit card purchases often!). In most cases, all the information criminals need is your billing address, which can be easily found in the phone book or the Internet.

Credit card fraud is the simplest and most common form of identity theft. It can happen in the situation we just discussed, or when your credit card pre-approval form unfortunately falls into the hands of a thief. All the criminals need to do is to steal the approval form from your mailbox (or trash can), apply to the relevant authorities for a change of address, and then splurge. If the successful personal information is accurate, he can even apply for a new card in your name. Unless the credit card company comes to your door to clear the entire cost of "you", you will always be left in the dark.

With their name, social security number, and date of birth, people can apply for a loan, use an existing bank account, open a new bank account, rent or buy a car, and buy insurance, and you can think of almost everything. Think about what you put in the trash. After you transfer your salary to a checking account, do you leave the pay slip with you? See what's written on this seemingly insignificant paper:

• Your Name

• address

• social Security number

• Full bank account number (if you are using direct deposit)

• Company name and address

• Your salary grade

Now think about the information you need to provide when you apply for a credit card, apply for a loan, or buy a car. You rarely need to show any other information when applying for a loan. Not long ago, I applied for a house mortgage loan. Except not being able to autograph on the phone, I completed all other procedures and faxed all personal financial information directly to the loan acceptor. If you recreate those materials with another person's social security number, bank account number, and other personal information, I'm afraid it won't be difficult. What a terrible idea! Imagine what happens when you find someone getting a mortgage in your name! Asking the bank to cancel the loan and eliminate it from your credit history, you have to work hard. You have to spend a lot of time recovering your credit history and getting your finances back on track.

People can find your personal information in many places. Your personal information may:

• Out of your trash can, so-called "junk search"

• Remembered or copied by the salesperson or waiter

• Lost as tax notices, financial statements and other bills were stolen from mailboxes. Before that, you might not have seen these documents, or even knew about it.

• Retrieved secretly or with the help of a thief from your employer's documents

• Obtained from your hospital file, this situation is usually achieved with the help of an insider

• Retrieved from the loan provider's file

• Retrieved from your host's profile

• Paid (or free) from internet (or offline) databases

• Obtained from the "clone" website (Some people have imitated a website that looks the same as a regular business website and get your personal and credit card information when you place an order.)

• Use hacking techniques to steal from commercial databases (This is not as simple as other thefts.)

• Dive into the transaction website or your personal computer, and use software to record the operation traces of the keyboard to obtain your credit card information

• Get information through "clone" chat rooms. These chat rooms contain links to other websites that provide services or goods (these are fake merchants, criminals can easily get your information to spend your money elsewhere).

Basically, as long as you have left personal information, it can be the target of criminals. Those who know the personal information of other employees often sell other people's information in order to accept bribes or take royalties. The more sophisticated the perpetrator is, the more stolen property and people involved. Sales clerks can even install card readers on credit card swipe machines to record customer credit card information for later use. Because temporary workers rarely need to go through any background checks before they become hired, they seem to be more involved in such identity theft scandals than regular employees.

Public information

So, what happened to all your public information available to them? Sources of this information are:

• Public records-These records are designed for public investigations, including driver's license information, real estate records, business records, vehicle information, certain occupational certificates and permit information, and other data collected by public utilities.

• Publicly accessible information-this refers to classified ads and reports published in newspapers, and entries in phone books.

• Open source information-such as information about you that can be found in journals or online.

Some information related to your life, such as medical, business, academic records, etc. is quite safe, while other identity information (social security number, home address, etc.) is not. Here is a shocking set of statistics: According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), 19% of victims who suffered identity theft in 2000 and filled out the FTC complaint form had a personal relationship with the offender (and this data 13% in 2001); and 10% of the hackers were the victims' families.

To stay away from identity theft, you must plan ahead. You cannot take it for granted that these troubles will not find you and affect your life-it can happen to anyone, even celebrities. Oprah Winfrey, Tiger Woods, Robert De Niro and Marta Stewart have all encountered identity theft. It may not be possible for you to stay completely safe from thieves, but at least you can do your best to prevent others from easily accessing your personal information and avoid becoming your target. Here are a few suggestions for self-protection :

• Do not disclose your Social Security number on unnecessary occasions. Many companies ask people for all kinds of information, but not so much is really useful to them. Make sure that what you provide is information that is necessary for them and that they will protect your privacy.

• Destroy all unwanted credit card application forms, take torn, shredded or burned or any other measures. However, you receive similar credit card pre-approval applications almost daily. If you do not want the three major credit bureaus to continue to sell your personal information to these companies, you can send a letter or call (888) 5OPTOUT (567-8688) to request a rejection. For the next two years, your name will not appear on the mailing and telemarketing lists of TransUnion, Equifax, Experian, and INNOVIS. You can also write to the Direct Marketing Association's Delivery Preferences Service to request removal of your name from the delivery list.

• Do not append any additional information next to the check's name and address fields. When writing a check or setting the checkbook aside, be mindful. Some people can write down your name, address, and phone number within just minutes of writing a check.

• Shred sensitive documents (cross-cut) before discarding them. This method may seem extreme, but "spam search" can happen at any time, and your personal information is unknowingly leaked.

• Don't keep social security cards, passports and birth certificates in your wallet, and bring only the necessary credit cards. It is also recommended that you copy all the documents in your wallet so that they can be cancelled in time if stolen.

• Check your credit report every year and make sure that no new credit card account or other account has been created in your name, and no irrelevant person has left any inquiry records. In addition, you can customize related services (such as CreditExpert's services) to keep you informed of any changes in the credit file.

• Don't disclose your personal information to strangers who call you on the phone. Scammers often impersonate customer service staff at financial services agencies, call unsuspecting victims, and ask them to provide personal information. The usual phrase is to "update the record" or to promote a business. We recommend that you leave their name, phone, and address, and then call back using the contact information you wrote down or the phone number printed on your bill.

• Check your credit card monthly statement every month to make sure there are no spending records that do not belong to you. Also, make sure you get your bills every month. If your bill is late, be sure to contact your credit card company in time. Maybe someone has already submitted an application for a change of address to the company in order to spend more weeks, but you don't know it.

• Do not use your personal mailbox to post bills or documents containing personal information (such as tax bills or cheques), and go directly to the post office or official postal service mailbox. Personal mailboxes located on the street are vulnerable to theft. Criminals can also use special chemical reagents to erase the information on the cheques and re-fill their names!

• If you are refused to swipe your card multiple times, especially if you haven't checked your credit report before then, be sure to find out the reason in time. This may indicate that someone is stealing your identity and spending on your credit account.

• If a creditor company or merchant calls you to call your debt, you must act immediately. It also indicates that you may be experiencing identity theft. Get as much information as possible from them and immediately investigate the facts.

• Just like a check, take care of your deposit slip. Not only does it have your name, address and account number, but you can also withdraw money from your account with a deposit slip. All the thief has to do is write a blank check, and when you deposit it into your account, select the "minus cash withdrawal" column and you can withdraw cash.

Stored value cards (you can purchase a stored value card with a specific amount). Online shopping is popular with consumers because it is easy to buy and can easily compare products and prices. How do you keep your transactions secure and your credit card information is sent only where you want it? There are many ways to provide security for online transactions , and methods are endless. Here are a few:

• Smart cards (can be used as credit, debit and / or stored value cards)

• Point of sale terminal (POS machine) (such as your PDA or mobile phone)

• Digital currency

• electronic wallet

• Online payment services like PayPal

Credit card payments are still the most common online payment method, and here are some suggestions to ensure secure transactions. For more on encryption and network security, read How encryption works.

• Use the latest version of your web browser. The program used for web browsing is called a browser. This software has built-in encryption that encodes the information sent to the server. With the latest version of the browser, you can be sure that your data is protected by the latest version of encryption technology. The technology also refers to the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol, a network security protocol used for the transmission of sensitive information between web browsers and servers. The server receiving the data uses a special "key" for decoding. You can check if you have used the SSL protocol by checking the URL-the "http" in front of the URL should become https. You should also find a small lock icon in the status bar at the bottom of the browser window.

• Find a digital certificate to verify the agency you deal with. Independent services such as VeriSign can verify the website you are visiting. Websites that enjoy this service (generally websites that shop or provide online services) have the VeriSign logo. By clicking on this logo, you can determine if this is a legitimate website or a cloned website created to collect your personal and financial information.

• Read the privacy policy. The information you enter on the website should be kept confidential. Be sure to read the company's privacy policy to make sure your personal information is not sold to others. Service agencies such as Trust-E review (paid) companies' privacy policies, and if they find that their policies meet certain industry standards applicable to consumer protection, they will be awarded the company's Trust-E logo.

• Make all online purchases with just one credit card.

• Never reveal your password and user ID on the Internet unless you know who the other party is and why they need it. If your internet service provider asks you for such information via email, also don't disclose it. This is a recent scam that is designed to deceive people's account numbers and credit card numbers, as well as other related personal information.

• Keep a record of all online transactions. Review the payment on your credit card statement and verify that everything is correct.

• After completing the online transaction, check the email in time. The merchant will usually send you a confirmation or other letter about this order.

• What do you do if you find yourself experiencing identity theft through a phone call from a creditor company or your own review of a credit report, or even a police visit? The first thing you need to do is report it to the police station and get a copy of the police report or case number. Most credit card companies, banks, and other agencies will ask you to provide this information to confirm that a case of identity theft is real.

• After that, you should contact the credit card issuer immediately, cancel your existing account, and use the new account to apply for a new card. In order not to affect the credit report, it was determined that the situation reflected in the original account was "cancelled at the request of the customer". It's also wise to summarize your request and send a written letter to the other party after you make a phone call with your credit card company.

• Cancel all accounts opened by the hijacker in your name. If you opened new accounts yourself, remember to set a password for those accounts. No matter what password you set, make sure you use characters that are not easy to think of, such as your mother's maiden name, the last four digits of your social security number, and any other easy-to-guess letters or digital.

• Next, call the anti-fraud departments of the three major credit reporting bureaus to report the theft of credit cards and / or card numbers and ask them to indicate the "fraud warning" sign on your account. This way, no one has the right to open a new account in your name unless the credit card company calls you at a specific number. Check with the credit bureau staff and provide a specific phone number to contact you. Doing so may cost you the opportunity to win "instant credit" at the department store. But this sign, or so-called "victim statement", is the most effective way to prevent hackers from opening an account without permission.

• Remember to keep a record of your conversations with authorities and financial institutions, and keep a copy of all documents provided by you.

• If your Social Security number is stolen, you should immediately report to the Office of the Inspector General of the Social Security Administration, contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Consumer Response Center, and file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. The FTC is the federal data clearinghouse that receives complaints from victims of identity theft. Although the FTC does not have the authority to deal with criminal cases, it can provide victims with effective information to help them solve financial and other issues caused by identity theft. The FTC can also submit the victim's complaint to other relevant government agencies or civil society agencies for further action.

• FTC also has an online identity theft complaint form, which can help them collect more information about identity theft and take appropriate legal enforcement measures. You can find the form here.

  The U.S. Congress passed the Identity Theft and Embezzlement Prevention Act in 1998, declaring identity theft a federal offense. Under normal circumstances, the crime is punishable by up to 15 years' imprisonment, fines, and confiscation of all personal property that has been or is intended to be used for criminal acts.

• Identity fraud cases may also include crimes that violate other laws, such as identity document fraud, credit card fraud, computer fraud, mail fraud, telecommunications fraud, or financial institution fraud. All of these federal counts are felony and face severe penalties-in some cases, up to 30 years in prison, fines and confiscation of personal property.

• Federal prosecutors have partnered with federal investigating agencies to file identity theft and fraud cases, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Secret Service, and the United States Postal Inspection Service ).

• According to survey data provided by the US Secret Service, the potential loss caused by identity theft jumped suddenly from $ 851 million in 1998 to $ 1.4 billion in 2000. The occurrence of this phenomenon may be partly attributed to the increase in related investigations, and the more likely cause is the general advancement of Internet technology.

• One problem is that the United States currently lacks a formal, centralized identity authentication system. Driver's license is currently the most commonly used identity document, but it is often not necessary to pass very strict personal identity verification when issuing a driver's license. Social security numbers can be used for identity verification and for the processing of various accounts, loans, and other financial needs, but social security numbers are easier to find, purchase, or misappropriate than ever before. You can find your social security number in insurance cards, employee records, student IDs, payrolls, and of course fund account records. The most important thing is to protect your social security number anyway. Unless absolutely necessary, do not reveal your Social Security number or carry your Social Security card with you.

• Recently, many states in the United States have strengthened their identification requirements for driver's licenses. The method of finding witnesses to prove their identity is no longer effective, and the applicant must provide more specific identification; some states also require that the applicant's materials must pass the inspection of the anti-fraud department, and only a temporary driver's license is issued before this.

• In the future, the prevention of identity theft will rely on more high-tech means to use certain physical characteristics of the human body for identity verification. This is the so-called biometric authentication technology, which uses unique individual characteristics such as fingerprints, iris (/ retina), facial structure, voice, facial thermogram, hand shape, and handwriting for identity verification. Not only does it identify you, it also identifies the agency you are dealing with. For more information on biometrics, see How biometrics work.

Other research on digital signatures is also underway. These studies include not only public and private key encryption systems, but also third-party authentication systems such as the use of public key infrastructure (PKI).