Articles of Interest
Learn About Identity Theft
IDENTITY THEFT is not only about financial (credit cards, bank accounts & ATM cards). That only represents 22%. About 12% is internet related. That means the 2/3 that are left are areas that most people do not even think of or consider when it comes to discussions about identity theft. The rest is Driver’s Licence, Medical Files, Social Insurance Cards, Passport, Children’s Identity, Your Character and Good Name, "Ghosting" deceased people and more. Any reason the other person has to “clone” you.
Sometimes it is for a short term gain, sometimes it is for a long term gain. No matter which, to the victim, it is a long term loss and pain.
Somebody using your Identification could result in YOU having a criminal record for the rest of your life. The words “It was not me”, may not help you. How could you prove that you are not you, if you had to?
It is not unusual for Identity to be used 12 to 13 months after it was taken – well after you have forgotten that is was missing – if you even knew in the first place.
Identity Theft is 2 times the problem in Canada (per capita) than in the United States.
Many times the identity thief is working from Europe or Asia.
Would you know where to start if it happened to you?
The police are creating Identity Theft Task Forces, however, we must be more responsible for our own situations and actions. We must realize that caring for our identity first begins from in our own homes and offices. We can not rely only on police and governments to do it for us
It is not unusual fo an identity theft case to take 600 hours of time, between $1,200 to $1,800 of out of pocket expenses, as well as the cost of lost wages and legal counsel to restore your good name.
Most valuable tip of them all…
Do not fall into the trap of believing that you are safe, therefore it can’t happen to you.
What Thieves are looking for in order to commit Identity Theft
- Use of a Name
- Current Home Address
- Birth Dates
- Telephone Number - home, work, cellular
- Previous Home Address
- Current Employment & Location
- Employment Record
- Employee identification number as set by the employer
- Driver's License and Registration Numbers
- Type of Vehicle & Plate Number
- Birth and Marriage Certificates
- Passport
- Citizenship Card
- Social Insurance Number and Card
- Credit Cards, Debit (ATM) Cards and Account Information
- Bank Account Information
- Passwords & PINs
- Store & Restaurant Receipts and Credit Card Slips
- Mother's Maiden Name
- Children's Names
- Pet's Names
With any combination of the above, what we call your "Personal-DNA" (Data Now Available), any identity theive can be well on their way to "cloning" you. The first basic habit to alter is to reduce the number of places that have access to this information. We need to be far more vigilent as to where this information goes, who has it, why do they need it, how is it being used, where is it being stored and who has access to it?
The basic fact is, the more our personal information is "out there", the more chance there is for abuse. Naturally, the vast majority of places we deal are very honest, straight forward and work within integrity - but it only takes one. Question - What does that one look like? Answer - probably no different from the rest.
How Thieves OBTAIN Personal Information
- Theft of Wallet or Purse
- "Dumpster Diving"
- Mail Theft
- ATM Tampering
- Dishonest Employees selling information
- Finding personal information while inside your home, office or vehicle
- Submitting Change of Address forms
- Shoulder Surfing or Eavesdropping
- Skimming
- Your information can be found via:
- Public records
- Tax records
- Municiple records
- Postal service records
- inter-net sites
- Employment files
- Past
- Present
- Military files
- On Computer
- stolen computers
- stolen files from computers
- e-mail scams
- chat rooms & Blogs
- school reunion sites
- store loyalty programs
- "phishing"
- "pharming"
- "keystroking"
- Retail stores and Business files
- Medical files
- School files
- Grave Stones
- Phoning you and asking for it
- "Vishing
TYPES OF IDENTITY THEFT
Driver's Licence Identity
Someone gets charged for a hit and run, DUI and uses your Driver’s License. Someone uses your Driver’s License as identification, perhaps with the photo changedand gets linked to a criminal activity. You get stopped by a police officer for a simple routine traffic citation, seat belt check or a malfunctioning tail light.You get a surprise when the officer wants to “invite” you downtown due to outstanding warrants.
Social Insurance Number Identity
Someone gets a job, using your name and experience, instructs the employer not to take off taxes. CCRA comes looking for you.
A criminal under house arrest in the United States uses your SIN as a Social security number in order to get a job in the US. You visit the U.S.and get questioned about how you have illegally worked there.
They have been cases like the one where an individual was to shown to have over 30 jobs in multiple provinces, at the same time.
Medical Identity
Someone needs and decides to get tested for a medical condition, but uses your name and Carecard number. They get the results, but it goes on your medical file.
What if you are taken into the hospital for an emergency surgery, your file has become "someone else's" and you are given insulin or the wrong blood type?
This could affect your job, your ability to qualify for insurance, future hospital treatments – which in turn could affect your life.
Character Identity
A crime gets committed in your name – live or on the inter-net. Someone uses your identification to purchase narcotics, commits fraud, create internet porn, or anything else – using your name. The embarrassment and inconvenience or job loss may take years and thousands of dollars to fix – if it even can be.
There was a case concerning a school teacher who could not work with the children of her class due to the discovery of multiple counts of prostitution on her record. A few months prior, her purse was stolen. After retrieving it and checking - all her cards and identification were accounted for. The cards were not taken - but the information was.
Child Identity
A very sobering thought is that there could be thousands of kids throughout Canada right now that are victims, and do not know it yet. They won’t know until they get much older and they apply for jobs, driver’s licenses and loans.
This where a child's name and identification is used. Usually on the premise that "they're too young. It won't both them. No one will ever know!
Over 400,000 cases in North America in 2005 alone.
“Ghosting” Identity
Where someone takes on the identity of someone who has died, assuming that they can use that name and just keep it going. Some times the names used are recent deaths or from the past.
Credit/Financial Identity
Credit or ATM card theft, wrong information filed with a credit reporting agency. Your “0” liability on your credit cards may not be what you think it is. Banking information is violated, accounts are hacked into. Someone acquires your passwords and pin numbers. Financial identity is the one that gets the most media coverage.
Malicious Identity
The same information about the victim can be obtained by the perpetrator; however in these type of cases, it is used directly against the victim in order to mutilate his good name and financial standing. The victim usually knows this perpetrator, whose intent is usually based on motives of retaliation, a vendetta, or getting rid of a competitor. In some cases, small businesses have been known to go under… due to malicious identity theft. These cases are much more complicated and usually require investigators to get down to the bottom of who the perpetrator actually is.
WHAT CAN BE DONE WITH COLLECTED DATA
How Thieves Use Personal Information
- Open credit card accounts
- Commit Bank fraud
- Commit serious criminal activity
- Import people
- Get Employment
- Enter the Country
- Start a fraudulent business
- Start up phone and/or utility service
- Purchase a vehicle with a fictitious loan
- Evade citation, arrest, criminal record
- Avoid tax
- Fraudulent health services claims
- Rent property or storage areas in someone else’s name, for criminal intent
- To be anonymous
- Many cases the use is short term
- In some cases, the person has used the identification to start a new life
- In many cases, the purpose is to transform them into a "CLONE" of YOU.
