In identity theft, a criminal uses your personal details without your permission to commit a crime (such as fraud). The Internet has made it easier for con artists to contact individuals and try to get them to divulge important information--information that could allow the criminals to steal an identity.
Criminals use two primary methods to try to get individuals to divulge important information.
- Email. A criminal can set up a computer so that it will send out hundreds of thousands of email messages a day to try to trick recipients into disclosing valuable personal information. This process is called phishing, in which criminals are trying to get the recipients to click a link that takes them to a Web site that looks legitimate. Some examples include a faked bank or credit card company site where customers input passwords or account details. Or, criminals want recipients to reply to the email, giving passwords or account details. These email messages often look official, with logos, employee names, business addresses, and so on.
- The best defense against phishing email is to ignore it. No reputable company will ask you to divulge information by email. Treat any email that appears to be trying to get you to disclose information with suspicion. If in doubt, contact the company directly by phone or letter. Be sure to type in the Web address (URL) of your bank's Web site; never click a link or trust your Favorites. Always check to make sure you've typed the URL correctly.
- Another technique used by fraudsters is to install spyware on PCs to capture information that might be useful to them, such as usernames, passwords, credit card information, tax information, or other valuable financial data. After capturing this information, it is sent back to the con artists, who sift through it looking for anything important.
- The best defense against spyware is to have an antivirus application installed and run regular spyware scans. Follow the advice laid out in Lesson 2.
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