Think You're Safe From Identity Theft?

Identity theft: it’s one of the fastest-growing crimes, victimizing over 10 million North Americans last year alone. It can cost $2,000 and 130 hours to clear your name. So, Woman’s World magazine interviewed several reformed identity thieves. Here’s what they had to say about their shady practices – and the five tricks they don’t want you to know:

• They use phony email links. One scammer mentioned in the article sent an email blast to over 1 million people, claiming that “fraudulent activity” had frozen their PayPal account. The email included a link so they could verify their account information. The result? Over 1-thousand people logged onto a fake website, and had their identity stolen. The fix: Remember that legitimate companies never ask for personal info via email.
  
  
• Another identity theft trick: Reading computer hard drives pulled out of the trash. Know this: When you delete a computer file, only the title is erased and a thief armed with simple software can easily recover and read the files. The fix: Use a program that writes random data over the info on your hard drive so it’s gone for good. Like Gutmann software’s WipeDrive 5 for Macs or PCs.
  
  
• Another identity theft trick: Stolen mail boxes. Thieves put stolen, big, blue government mailboxes on street corners and simply collect all of the bills and checks tossed into it. The fix: Make sure the mail drop-box you use is actually bolted to the pavement.
  
  
• Identity thieves also follow mail carriers, and steal preapproved credit card offers from unlocked mailboxes. They can easily open a new card with your name on it, tack on a fake address, and rack up thousands of dollars in debt before you even know what hit you.
  
  
• The final trick: Scammers file phony change-of-address forms tore-route a victim’sutility bills and bank statements. So, if you don’t get any mail for two days, call your post office and ask why. With all the junk mail arriving daily, an empty mailbox is too suspicious to overlook.