Identify Theft Stories-The Bad & the Ugly |
 |
 |
Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes on an
international level. By some estimates, there are over 10
million victims every year. The Federal Trade Commission also
estimates that about 3.7% of Americans have made fraudulent
purchases by using money that is not theirs. The most common
motive for identity theft is economic gain. By stealing personal
information, such as your Social Security Number, bank account
or credit card number, telephone calling card number, identity
thieves can make a profit at your loss.
Identity thieves use several different tactics to collect the
information that they want. One such method is known as
“shoulder surfing,” whereby a thief will be standing in a public
place, such as near a public telephone, and watch over your
shoulder as you punch in your credit card number.
They may also be able to overhear your conversations with hotels
or rental car agencies as you dictate your credit card
number aloud. One other commonly used practice is what is known
as “dumpster diving.” Identity thieves commonly sift
through the trash receptacles of their victims where
they might discover old checks, bank statements, and credit card
bills which contain personal information. With this sort
of personal information, it is easy for thieves to get control
of bank accounts and other assets in the future.
Identity theft happens just about everywhere. Jennifer Mullner,
a former loan services representative at a small bank was
charged with stealing over 240 bank documents and passing them
along to a man by the name of Anthony Wood through her
boyfriend, William Roman. The trio accumulated over
$100,000 in assets by stealing the identities of five people.
They were later found and arrested.
Toni Hall, a single mother of two children created a huge
problem for herself when she logged into her online banking
account to pay off some bills. She figured that the $1,000 in
her bank account was more than enough to pay off all of these
bills. Yet the next morning, her bank called asking to know why
she transferred all the money out of her and her
son’s accounts into an unknown bank account. A while later, the
companies whom she had written checks to wanted to know why they
couldn’t collect their money. The reason, her checks had
bounced. Although the bank refunded her money to her, she was
not able to recover from the damage to her reputation. She is
still unable to write checks in certain establishments and the
whole fiasco wasn’t even her fault.
Another woman, Tina Ryan, was arrested and sentenced to ninth
months in jail for copying credit card information at her
company and then using the information to purchase gifts for
herself and others. Investigators have discovered that she had
purchased over 100 gifts in such a manner. When it comes to
identity theft and protecting yourself from it, there are some
clear do’s and don’ts. First of all make sure to shred all
credit card and bank statements after your done using them.
Close all of your old and unused bank and credit card accounts.
Keep your pin number hidden when using it in a public place. Be
sure to contact your service provider
if an expected bill fails to arrive. At the same time, never
give out personal information over the phone or internet unless
it’s a company that is known to you. Never carry details like
bank account numbers, pin numbers, and your SSN in your wallet
and this can be easily stolen. Also,
avoid using your SSN on your checks as a personal identifier as
copies of these checks may be easily discovered.
In summary, identity theft is a crime that can happen to you.
Use common sense and evasive action to ensure you’re not one of
the victims.
|
We are bonded and insured |
| |
|
|
| |
 |
| |
 |
ShredEx is capable of providing document destruction for both small businesses as well as large corporations. Whether you require a "one-time" use for the purge of archived documents that you are no longer required to maintain”
Mayer Kotlarsky
DMD Pharmacy Services |
 |
| |
|
