Sources of Identity Theft

Identity theft is on the rise. According the Javelin Strategy and Research Center, in 2008, incidents of identity theft rose 22 percent over the prior year. Obtaining your personal data has real advantages for a criminal. He can manipulate employment applications, apply for a fake driver's license and make use of your credit ranking. Money becomes available from banks and credit-card companies. The sources of identity theft are vast. Finding information that enables perpetrators of this crime to stay in business is far easier than you may realize.

Stealing

Stealing a wallet offers a wide range of information about an individual. Once your wallet is in the hands of a criminal, he acquires access to your credit cards, driver's license and possibly your social security number. Other targets of theft include intact credit cards retrieved from trash dumpsters and mail pulled from mailboxes. Personal information is available from employment files. Someone watching you during an ATM transaction may note your PIN number. Prior to the development of the Internet, common theft was the primary means of procuring information.

Phishing

Phishing is a term that describes email messages sent to obtain your personal information. Emails that appear to come from banks, Web services, schools or even an employer will ask you to update your personal information. A link or form is provided that asks for your bank account numbers, social security number and passwords. Many phishing schemes are well planned and effective. They utilize official logos, provide accurate employee names and even feature links that appear to go to pages from official websites. As a policy, you should never answer an email requesting personal information. Legitimate companies will not ask you to provide information via email.

Data Breaches

Data breaches occur when a hacker infiltrates customer account records. Companies at risk for such invasions include credit-card services, banks and employers. Once procured, the information is disseminated among an underground network of parties interested in purchasing information in bulk. The data hacked may be sold en masse or as individual records. Most companies provide security features to prevent these breaches from happening, but the criminals' technology may be advancing faster than that of the security systems available.