The Dangers Of Online Identity Theft

What Is Identity Theft?

The definition of Identity Theft is:(1)
"Any kind of deception, scam, or crime that results in the loss of personal data, including the loss of usernames, passwords, banking information, credit card numbers, Social Security Numbers and health ID's, that is then used without your permission to commit fraud and other crimes."

According to the FTC (Federal Trade Communication) on average 9 million Americans have their identities stolen every year.(4)

Some cases have quick fixes, like simply changing your passwords, however for most that is not the case. Many have to pay thousands of dollars, take months to resolve, cause damage to their reputation, possibly lose job opportunities, even rejections of loan applications for school, homes or cars because potential employers or loan companies see the damage done to their credit scores by the thief. Some victims may even be arrested for crimes that the person who stole their identity did and have to prove their innocence.

Online Identity Theft In The News

From Global News(6) in an article from January 10 2018, in Alberta there was a tip to the police that someone was buying stun guns from outside of Canada and illegally selling them online to Edmonton locals, who were involved in drug trading. When the police looked into it, they found that a woman who worked at a hotel stole the identities and credit card information from over 150 of her hotel guests. She gave this information to the two men who were buying and selling the illegal weapons. The three are now facing several offenses and are still awaiting trial.

How Are Identities Stolen Online?

There are many different ways to have your identity stolen online. Some include…
  1. Falling for an online scam
  2. Downloading content that has viruses or spyware onto a computer or smartphone that steals any personal information that is on the device
  3. Using unsecured wireless wifi networks
  4. Taking out money from an ATM that has been equipped with a device that steals the user's personal information
  5. Sharing passwords with untrustworthy people
  6. A hacker breaches a government, educational, or company site and collects victims' personal information
However, there are less sophisticated way to steal someone's identity, such as dumpster diving for old bills or forms with any personal information and even mail theft.

What Can Identity Thieves Do With Your Information?

Once the identity thief has your personal information without your knowledge, there is a vast variety of things they could do with it. Some include...

Signs Your Identity Has Been Stolen

Anyone's identity can be stolen online without the victim even knowing. Usually, victims don't realize until they get suddenly denied a loan, job or rent because of their credit score. This is why it is very important to check your credit score at least once a year because for some people, it can be too late.

You can check your credit score at https://www.annualcreditreport.com/index. action

Other signs include bills and statements not arriving on time, whether they have been stolen from your mailbox or had your mailing address changed, receiving calls from collection agencies for accounts you haven't opened, and seeing withdrawals or transfers from your account that you didn't make. (2)

What To Do If Your Identity Is Stolen

Report it - if you think you are a victim of identity theft you need to...
  1. Contact the police to file a report
  2. Contact your bank and credit card company
  3. Contact the two national credit bureaus and put a fraud alert on your accounts

How Can You Protect Yourself?

These key steps to follow will help to prevent Identity Theft in the future…
  1. Updating your security software and keeping it up to date
  2. Learning how to spot email scams, whether in email, text messages or on social media, just be sure to never click any links.
  3. Using strong passwords and having different passwords for different things.(best case: over 10 characters, uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols)
  4. Watching your credit score to make sure there isn't any activity that wasn't you, like a new credit card or loans
  5. Using well-known websites when making any kind of purchase
  6. Stay alert, be aware of any signs

Questions!

  1. Ture or False, all identity theft cases have quick fixes?
  2. What is the first step to take if you think you are a victim to identity theft?
  3. What are two ways to protect yourself from identity theft in the future?

For the answers to these questions click here.

Bibliography

  1. How to Protect Yourself from Identity.(n.d.). Retrieved from https://www. webroot.com/au/en/resources/tips-articles/how-can-i-protect-myself-from- identity-theft-online
  2. How to Avoid or Recover from Identity Theft. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.ontario.ca/page/how-avoid-or-recover-identity-theft
  3. Government of Canada, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, & Federal and International Operations.(2015, December 04). Identity Theft and Identity Fraud. Retrieved from http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/scams-fraudes/id-theft-vol-eng.html
  4. Identity Theft. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/ topics/identity-theft
  5. Author Bill Fay Staff Writer. (n.d.). Identity Theft: What is is and How to Prevent it. Retrieved from https://www.debt.org/credit/identity-theft/
  6. Staff. (2018, January 10). Dozens of hotel guests scammed in Alberta stun gun buying scheme: Police. Retrieved from https:// globalnews.ca/news/3956992/red-deer-rcmp-hotel-stun-gun/
  7. 1920x1080 Pale Pink Solid Color Background. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.solidbackgrounds.com/1920x1080 -pale-pink-solid-color-background.html