How Does Identity Theft Happen?

By Author: Jesse Whitehead
Total Articles: 130
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Identity theft--where personal information is stolen by for the purpose of committing fraudulent and illegal acts--is a very lucrative business for online criminals. In fact, it is so lucrative that identity theft happens every day to thousands of people in the U.S. and around the world.

It is not difficult to steal someone's identity. While you may be aware of spoof e-mails that entice you to enter your full name, address, phone number and sensitive account information, this article points out some other ways that online criminals can steal your identity, and how you can protect yourself against it.

Your "identity" consists of all of your personal information as well as your Social Security number, your record of payment on credit card and other financial accounts, your bank information and so forth. It also includes your address, phone number, where you work, and how much money you may make.

Nearly everyone has an online presence of one sort or another these days. In fact, there is a good chance that if you Google yourself (i.e. type in your name in the Google search box), you will find information ...
... about you that is publicly available online. Criminals can use this easily obtained information as a starting point for stealing your identity.

You should know that when you fill out online applications, or enter your logins, passwords, PINs or any other type of information online, that identity thieves may attempt to intercept this information with key log trackers.
A key log tracker allows a nefarious person to see exactly what you are typing into the information field. In this way, they can intercept your personal information.

Once an identity thief obtains your full name, address, phone number, they can begin searching out your other information as well, including driver's license number, what banks you use, your Social Security number, and a variety of other bits of information about you. When all put together, this stolen information allows them to begin filling out applications for credit, buy cars, buy a home, or a variety of other uses.

Because it is so easy for criminals to steal your identity in this way, you must never enter personal information on unsecured websites or internet connections. A secure site will either show a little lock on the lower right hand corner, or the URL will being with an https:// and not http://. The "s" in the https indicates that the server is using a secure protocol.

In conclusion, your personal information can be easily compromised and appropriated by others for illicit use. To avoid becoming a victim, you must maintain constant vigilance in protecting your identity, and exercise care in whom you give your name and address to, as well as other information relating to you.
Jesse Whitehead enjoys writing articles on a variety of different subjects. His newest interest is in 3 phase converters. Learn more about 3 phase rotary converters at RotaryPhaseConverters.org