Scams Articles

In the course of a busy day, you may write a check at the grocery store, charge tickets to a ball game, rent a car, mail your tax returns, change service providers for your cell phone, or apply for a credit card. Chances are you don’t give these everyday transactions a second thought. But an identity thief does. Identity theft is a serious crime. People whose identities have been stolen can spend months or years – and thousands of dollars – cleaning up the mess the thieves have made of a good name and credit record. In the meantime, victims of identity theft may lose job opportunities, be refused loans for education, housing, or cars, and even get arrested for crimes they didn’t commit. Humiliation, anger, and frustration are among the feelings victims experience as they navigate the process of rescuing their identity. How identity thieves get your personal information: • They get information from businesses or other institutions by: 4 stealing records or information while they’re on the job 4 bribing an employee who has access to these records 4 hacking these records 4 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.”