Identity
Theft
Identity theft is a relatively new phenomenon. It has been in
the news a few times but is something that's really in its
infancy. Generally, Identity thieves are after sufficient
information about a person that will enable them to purchase
things and make cash withdrawals at somebody else's expense. The
point is that the victim is rarely the target of the crime. the
victim is often just a hapless bystander. The criminal - like all
criminals - wants things and money but is too idle to work for
them in the normal way. The fact that they do 10 times as much
work as everybody else in order to get the information etc.
doesn't seem to occur to them.
Who are Identity thieves? It's not really possible to identify
a specific group as identity thieves. It's like asking whether
all the people in London left-handed. Obviously, the people who
do it are technically capable but they're not all the aggrieved
computer "nerds" and "geeks" that popular
fiction imagines. The only things that do bind identity thieves
together is time - Identity theft takes time and patience. It
also takes privacy and investigative powers. Frequently such
people work alone although groups can be involved. Those that
seem to be convicted in the courts seem mostly to be disaffected
and unemployed teenagers - frequently with a grudge against
society or an immature outlook. Having said that, organised
criminals in the former USSR are very keen on credit card fraud -
a form of identity theft.
How do identity thieves work? Mostly they work via the
Internet. The press likes the idea of criminals rooting though
the rubbish bins and stealing sacks of rubbish in order to read
the details off bank statements etc. The reality is though that
while that might be the case for some criminals and the would-be
sleuths of this world, most criminals prefer to sit in a nice,
warm house, drinking cold beer while they commit their crimes.
Criminals - like other people - see no reason why they should go
outside if they can make a living inside. Some of the information
can come from bogus web sites they set up. It's relatively easy
to set up a bogus web site that takes credit card information.
This site, for example, doesn't take credit card information -
instead, the "Buy Key" buttons redirect the user to a
German web site that specialises in online software sales. It
would, however, be quite easy to set up a site with bogus buttons
that ask for the user's credit card number and address etc. Once
the thief has that information, it can be used to buy things
online. In August 2002, a spammer in Russia sent out an email
offering credit card numbers that had been stolen. Obviously an
astute user should check that the site from which they're
ordering is genuine but how many people check to see whether
there's a padlock in the bottom right hand panel of their web
browser or that the web page address begins https?
How do I guard against identity theft? There is no sure and
certain way to guard against it. While people can get credit
cards issued to their pet dog, criminals can get credit cards
from credit companies. The best advice is:
-
Keep copies of all bank
statements, credit card bills etc.
-
Keep copies of all receipts
etc.
-
Don't buy anything online or
over the telephone unless you can verify the company is genuine
- No address equals no business. Don't be satisfied that the
address is genuine. Check the telephone book to make sure the
company exists where it says it does and ring the number in the
phone book and verify the web site is genuine. The council in
the company's locality - particularly the Consumer Protection
department can occasionally be helpful in providing information.
-
Don't let your credit cards
out of your sight.
-
Whether home or abroad, make
sure you know where your passport is - at all times. When abroad
- if you trust your hotel - lock it in their safe or carry it on
your person (preferably tucked away in a pocket no thief can
reach).
-
Shred all official
correspondence once it is no longer required.
-
Tick the "Do not share my
address with others" box on every form you complete.
-
Do not allow the phone company
to list your details in the phone book. Not only will this stop
the majority of telephone canvassers but it will also keep your
information off the internet. All phone books are available for
viewing via the internet. Somebody in Australia can check to see
the phone number of Bill Nobody of No Street, No Town in
Britain, if they desired.
-
Do not store your personal
details online. It's quite common for bored children to hack
into web sites and email inboxes and then to prove they have
done so by posting the details on newsgroups.
-
Do not store your credit card
details on your own PC. Microsoft Wallet, for example, is secure
only until somebody gets a virus onto your system that will
transmit the contents to their email account.
-
If you publish your resum
online or send it to a recruitment company online, omit the
details of your referees and both your home address and your
home phone number. If the recruitment company is genuine, it'll
understand and cooperate. If not, it'll come out with vague
threats or nag for the address.
-
Your address can be traced
from your phone number. A few years ago, a free CD was available
that allowed people to see anybody's contact details. The full
version of the CD cost a mere two hundred pounds. As the owner
of one business remarked: "That's the equivalent of only
four bounced cheques". Once your phone number has been
entered, your address can be traced along with a list of
everybody living with you. Don't publish your phone number.
-
Don't automatically assume you have privacy. Privacy is a
right that everybody had before computers took it away. Now one
must work hard to maintain one's privacy and safety.
How do I know that I'm the victim of identity theft?
-
Strange entries and charges
appear on your phenol.
-
Strange entries and charges
appear on your credit card bill.
-
Strange direct debits or
withdrawals appear on your bank/building society statements.
-
Share transactions are
documented that you know nothing of.
-
Bills start to appear from
organisations of which you know nothing.
-
Strange letters start to
arrive, demanding payment or notifying you of your account
status or that an account has been opened.
-
The Police or Customs and
Excise come visiting, looking for people you've never heard of
or asking about items about which you've never heard.
-
Speeding tickets or Parking
tickets begin to arrive for cars you don't own or for cars that
you do but about times and places that are inconsistent with
your movements.
-
Road tolls arrive that are inconsistent with your
movements.
What do I do if I suspect I am the victim of identity
theft?
-
Be very suspicious of the
evidence. If it comes in the form of a letter, take it to the
police as evidence of possible identity theft. It could be
somebody writing a spurious letter in the hope of a reply,
confirming your existence.
-
Alert your phone, credit card
companies and banks to your suspicious and give the reasons.
-
Inform the police and insist
on being given a crime number.
-
Do not wait for more evidence
to arrive. Act quickly but don't forget to check to see whether
it's a genuine bill for something you have bought for yourself.
-
Keep copies of everything. It
may be necessary to prove your financial record over the last
few years.
-
Keep copies of all your receipts and travel tickets. You
might have to prove you were in a different country.
It's a lot of work to do to keep safe. It's a lot of work to
do to prove your innocence too and it requires constant vigilance
to ensure your identity is not stolen. The world is getting
increasingly less safe, with online bandits and real-world
bandits taking over both the internet and the streets. The
watchword of the 21st century is vigilance just as it was in the
19th.
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