Identity Theft

What is identity theft?

Identity theft is a serious crime that occurs when someone uses your personally identifying information, like your name, Social Security number, or credit card number, without your permission, to commit fraud or other crimes.

The FTC estimates that as many as 9 million Americans have their identities stolen each year and many spend thousands of dollars and many days repairing damage to their good name and credit record. 

How does identity theft occur?

Skilled criminals may use a variety of methods to get hold of your information, including rummaging through trash looking for paper with your personal information on it or stealing your credit/debit card numbers by using a special storage device when processing your card.

More recently, these criminals have moved online to steal your personal information. They may pretend to be financial institutions or companies and send spam that get you to reveal your personal information. This is called a phishing attack.

They may also use more sophisticated techniques such as disabling your anti-virus software and installing a Keylogger on your computer that captures what you type (including passwords) or a Trojan that gives them unauthorized access to one of your computers so they can copy files and other personal information.

The list goes on but it’s safe to say that online identity theft is an increasing concern.

Why do criminals steal your identity?

The short answer is to make money as criminals can use your personal information in many ways:

• Credit card fraud
• Phone or utilities fraud
• Bank/finance fraud
• Government documents fraud
• Other fraud including renting a house, getting medical services, or giving it to a police officer, etc.

What can you do to help fight identity theft online?

First and foremost, be aware of how information is stolen and know what to do when you suspect your identity has been stolen. But, more importantly, be proactive in protecting your information and identity online.

Here are some steps you can take to protect against identity theft:

• Virus protection software should be updated regularly and patches for your operating system and other software programs should be installed to protect your computers from keyloggers, viruses and other attacks.
• Do not open files or emails sent to you by strangers, or click on hyperlinks or download programs from people you don’t know.
• Use firewall programs to stop uninvited access to your computers or enable the firewall on your home router.

You should also have an additional layer of protection against identity theft that works when your anti-virus and other security programs do not. A good security practice is to apply the security solution in layers so that if one element fails you are still protected. That’s where the Kindsight Identity Theft Protection service comes in.