Identity Theft - How Common?
The FTC estimates that approximately 9 million Americans EACH YEAR have their identities stolen. Even children are victims of identity theft-about 400,000 each year listen to this interview with Linda Foley of the Identity Theft Resource center in an interview with CBS. To be sure, the numbers of victims is staggering. That means every 3.5 seconds, someone's identity in the United States alone is stolen.
How do the thieves do it? Here is how, according to the FTC:
Identity theft starts with the misuse of your personally identifying information such as your name and Social Security number, credit card numbers, or other financial account information. For identity thieves, this information is as good as gold.
Skilled identity thieves may use a variety of methods to get hold of your information, including:
- Dumpster Diving. They rummage through trash looking for bills or other paper with your personal information on it.
- Skimming. They steal credit/debit card numbers by using a special storage device when processing your card.
- Phishing. They pretend to be financial institutions or companies and send spam or pop-up messages to get you to reveal your personal information.
- Changing Your Address. They divert your billing statements to another location by completing a change of address form.
- Old-Fashioned Stealing. They steal wallets and purses; mail, including bank and credit card statements; pre-approved credit offers; and new checks or tax information. They steal personnel records, or bribe employees who have access.
- Pretexting. They use false pretenses to obtain your personal information from financial institutions, telephone companies, and other sources.
