How Can Someone Steal Your Identity?
Despite your best efforts to manage the flow of your personal information or to keep it to yourself, skilled identity thieves mayuse a variety of methods to gain access to your data.
They get information from businesses or other institutions by:
• stealing records or information while they're on the job
• bribing an employee who has access to these records
• hacking these records
• conning information out of employees
• They may steal your mail, including bank and credit card statements, credit card offers, new checks, and tax information.
• They may rummage through your trash, the trash of businesses, or public trash dumps in a practice known as "dumpster diving."
• They may get your credit reports by abusing their employer's authorized access to them, or by posing as a landlord, employer, or someone else who may have a legal right to access your report.
• They may steal your credit or debit card numbers by capturing the information in a data storage device in a practice known as "skimming." They may swipe your card for an actual purchase, or attach the device to an ATM machine where you may enter or swipe your card.
• They may steal your wallet or purse.
• They may complete a "change of address form" to divert your mail to another location.
• They may steal personal information they find in your home. • They may steal personal information from you through email or phone by posing as legitimate companies and claiming that you have a problem with your account. This practice is known as "phishing" online, or pretexting by phone.
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