Millions of Americans Fall Victim to Identity Theft - From Gratitude to Greatness: Brownlee Global's Path to a Purposeful LifeFrom Gratitude to Greatness: Brownlee Global's Path to a Purposeful Life

While online, your personal information is constantly exposed to bad actors. Take actions to protect your identity and prevent the theft of your identity.

A shocking amount of information about you can be found online. From Social Security numbers to bank account numbers to social media profiles, a savvy thief potentially has access to all the data he or she needs to assume and steal your identity.

Identity theft is a serious crime. It happens when someone uses your Social Security number or uses other personal information about you without your permission to open new accounts, make purchases or get tax refunds. They could use your:

Name and address
Credit card or bank account numbers
Social Security number
Medical insurance account numbers

Many Americans whose information was compromised did not realize their identity was stolen until years later when they tried to buy a car, file tax returns or purchase a home.

Experts warn that identity thieves can use social engineering to steal your information. Social engineering is the art of manipulating someone to divulge sensitive or confidential information that can be used for fraudulent purposes.

Social engineering can happen everywhere, online and offline. And unlike traditional cyberattacks, whereby cybercriminals are stealthy and want to go unnoticed, social engineers are often communicating with you in plain sight. Consider these common social engineering tactics that one might be right under your nose.

Your “friend” sends you a strange message. Social engineers can pose as trusted individuals in your life, including a friend, boss, coworker, even a banking institution, and send you conspicuous messages containing malicious links or downloads. Just remember, you know your friends best — and if they send you something unusual, ask them about it.
Your emotions are heightened. The more irritable we are, the more likely we are to put our guard down. Social engineers are great at stirring up our emotions like fear, excitement, curiosity, anger, guilt, or sadness.
The request is urgent. Social engineers don’t want you to think twice about their tactics. That’s why many social engineering attacks involve some type of urgency, such as a sweepstake you have to enter now or a cybersecurity software you need to download to wipe a virus off of your computer.
The offer feels too good to be true. Ever receive news that you didn’t ask for? Even good news like, say winning the lottery or a free cruise? Chances are that if the offer seems too good to be true, it’s just that — and potentially a social engineering attack.
You’re receiving help you didn’t ask for. Social engineers might reach out under the guise of a company providing help for a problem you have, similar to a tech support scam. And considering you might not be an expert in their line of work, you might believe they’re who they say they are and provide them access to your device or accounts.
The sender can’t prove their identity. If you raise any suspicions with a potential social engineer and they’re unable to prove their identity — perhaps they won’t do a video call with you, for instance — chances are they’re not to be trusted.

A thief can get your personal information in person or online. Here are some ways thieves might steal someone’s identity. A thief might:

Steal your mail or garbage to get your account numbers or your Social Security number
Trick you into sending personal information in an email
Steal your account numbers from a business or medical office
Steal your wallet or purse to get your personal information

Identity experts share five recommendations for how to protect your identity:

Once a year, order and closely review a free credit report from each national credit reporting agency: Experian, Equifax and Transunion.
Browse and purchase online while only using a secure connection. Never use autofill features when filling out online forms, unless it is on a trusted site.
Refrain from giving solicitors personal or financial information over the phone, by email or through pop-up message.
Opt out of pre-screened offers of credit and insurance by mail.
Avoid oversharing on social networking sites so you’re not sharing a potential scam with others.

If you do think you’re a victim, call the three major credit bureaus and place a credit freeze and file a report with law enforcement.

Even if you don’t believe it’s that big of a deal, reporting these crimes can help law enforcement prevent others. It took identity theft victims an average of 10 hours to resolve the fraud in 2020, according to LifeLock.

Moreover, you may be responsible for what the thief does while using your personal information. You might have to pay for what the thief buys. This is true even if you do not know about the bills.

How can that happen?

A thief might get a credit card using your name.
He changes the address.
The bills go to him, but he never pays them.
That means the credit card company thinks you are not paying the bills.
That will hurt your credit.

This is the kind of trouble identity theft can cause for you.

Your best defense against identity theft and social engineering attacks is to educate yourself of their risks, red flags, and remedies. To that end, stay alert and avoid becoming a victim.

References:

Like this:

Related