How Do They Do It?
- "Shoulder Surfing" - Looking at your financial information (checking account number, etc.)while behind you in line.
- Dumpster Diving - Looking through your trash to get your account numbers.
- Mail Theft - Actually stealing your credit cards and other information from your residential mailbox.
- Internet - Sending fraudulent emails to "verify accounts" that require disclosure of financial information.
- Work - Dishonest co-employees accessing your employment records to obtain social security numbers, etc.
- Home - Dishonest relatives going through your mail or applying for credit cards in your name.
- "Wiping Checks" - Stealing your checks and then changing the name of the person you made it payable to while leaving your valid signature.
- Needless Information Gathering (Stores) - Disclosing unnecessary information during purchases, i.e. phone number? when buying auto parts?
- Skimming (Swiping) - Dishonest employees accessing your information when making a legitimate charge to your credit card.
- Change of address forms - Filling our unauthorized change of address forms to have all your mail, including financial information, to another address.
- Phishing (Fake Problems) - Calling your house with fake "problems" with one of your actual accounts and requesting your account information.
- Posing as landlord or employer - Calling your bank and trying to "verify" your account information while posing as your landlord or employer.
What Do They Do With It?
- Change billing address for credit cards
- Apply for new credit cards
- Get a phone in your name and never pay the bill
- Get a bank account in your name then write bad checks
- Counterfeit checks or credit cards
- Take out auto loans
- File for bankruptcy in your name (Their debts in your name)
- Driver's License (Get drivers license in your name and then use it as identification when charged with a crime)