Page 67 - Book6E

CHAPTER 8
Protecting Yourself Against Identity Theft
Even though we would prefer not to have to think about it, virtually every one of us is at risk of identity theft today. It occurs when a crimi- nal uses another individual’s personal information to commit fraud or other crimes. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), skilled identity thieves may use the following or other methods to gain access to your data despite your best efforts to manage the flow of your personal information or to keep it to yourself:
• Steal your mail, including bank and credit card statements or offers, new checks, and tax information.
• Steal records or information at your place of employment.
• Rummage through your trash, the trash of businesses, or public trash dumps in a practice known as “dumpster diving.”
• Obtain 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.
• Steal your credit or debit card numbers by capturing the information in a data storage device in a practice known as “skimming.”
• Steal your wallet or purse.
• Complete a “change of address form” to divert your mail to another location.
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