The number one growing crime in the world today is identity theft. It has not only cost billions of dollars, but has negatively impacted the lives of millions of people. In essence, it simply involves someone pretending to be another individual or company in order to steal money or other benefits. Although it has been around for centuries, it has grown in criminal popularity due to the ease of information available on the Internet superhighway. You really need to be asking yourself what you can do to protect my identity.

It’s important to remember that this type of theft is not limited to isolated individuals and can be used for purposes other than stealing money, such as terrorism, espionage, illegal immigration, identity cloning, and even just to receive personal gratification for pretending to be someone famous. There are five main types that are known to date including business/commercial – in order to obtain credit, criminal – where the thief poses as another when caught in the act of a crime, financial – where they obtain goods and services under the name of another, identity – where they pretend they are another in daily life, and medical – where they use someone else’s identity in order to receive medical care and drugs.

The most common form of impersonation is called “wireless identity theft.” This can happen when criminals find documents that reveal personal information about individuals in unexpected placed. To achieve this they often rummage through trash, search out old computers donated to charities or disposed of improperly, search about individuals through Internet search engines and in government records, pick-pocketing or skimming credit card readers, and even while listening in during public transactions and phone calls like when buying a car.

Technology, however, is making it easier than ever to access personal information. For example, chips in smart cards, credit cards, and even passports can be read from a remote location. Hacking has also become increasing problematic with viruses. Even browsing places on the Internet, and many of the other social network sites can reveal an incredible amount of information about a person. Any type of data breach can reveal everything there is to know about an individual so protecting that information is becoming increasingly important.

Protecting personal identifiers is still the best intervention strategy. The best precaution is to not give personal information out at all. In this way, the information can’t be inadvertently collected and used for illicit purposes. Although it is required in many cases to prove identity, the times used should be carefully selected in order to ensure the information doesn’t fall into the wrong hands. If you ever feel like you have become a victim of ID theft, consider putting a fraud alert on your credit reports to alert creditors.

For those who love the convenience of being online, ensuring computer security and operating systems are kept up-to-date will help prevent invasion by those phishing, hacking, or using other types of attacks. For those who continue to worry, many new identity theft services are now available that will ensure one’s assets remain secure and that the loss of personal identity is no longer a concern.

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