The
Loot: Your Personal Information
Your personal information is a gold mine for ID thieves. Look at each item below to see what might happen if an ID thief got his or her hands on it.
If someone has both your ATM card and your PIN number, they can withdraw money from your account or use it to make purchases at stores, gas stations, and other places.
With your bank account and routing number, someone may be able to create fake checks in your name or, posing as a legitimate merchant, withdraw money from your account for a purchase that you never made.
Your bills may contain all sorts of information – your name, address, telephone number, bank account, credit and debit card numbers, even your social security number if it’s used by the business to identify your account. That information can be used to take over your accounts, to open new accounts in your name, and for other purposes.
With your calling card number (and PIN, if there is one) crooks can make long distance calls to anywhere in the world on your dime.
Store clerks can’t tell that a check is forged, so it’s easy to use stolen checks to make purchases. Most banks won’t cash checks for people unless they are customers, but there are many check cashing outlets that thieves may be able to use.
Many stores don’t ask for identification or compare the signature on the back of your card with your receipt. That makes it relatively easy for thieves to use them to make purchases at stores, on the Internet, over the phone, or by mail. It isn’t necessary to have the physical card to make long-distance purchases – all the thief needs is your name and account number. The thief can arrange for the goods to be delivered to a different address. If fraudulent merchants have your credit or debit card account numbers, they can charge or debit you for purchases you never agreed to make.
Your credit report lists many of the accounts that you have with businesses. It contains your social security number (full or partial) and information about where you live, where you bank, and where you work. If this information falls into the wrong hands, it can be used to take over your accounts, open new accounts in your name, and impersonate you for many other purposes.
Your name and address by themselves aren’t very useful to ID thieves, but they may be the foundation for fraud when combined with other information that may be available from public records and other sources.
The passwords that you use to go online and for various online accounts enable thieves to use your accounts to send messages and computer viruses in your name, pose as you to buy or sell things, and get access to online banking accounts and other sensitive information.
Records about you at work contain your name, address, social security number, and your bank account information if your pay is directly deposited. They may also have information about family members. This information can be used to impersonate you for many fraudulent purposes.
Pre-approved Credit Card Offers
Crooks can apply for new credit card accounts using preauthorized offers of credit originally sent to you. They change the address so the cards will come to them.
Your social security number is the key to your identity and can be used to impersonate you in order to open new credit accounts in your name, get your credit report, apply for government benefits, get a job, open a bank account, rent an apartment, obtain a drivers license, get utility service, and secure a loan. It can even be used to get a marriage license, file bankruptcy, and pay taxes in your name. If someone using your identity is charged with a crime, you could be arrested.