The advent of Internet
in 90's has spawned a new variety of crooks called
identity thieves. Their stock in trade is your
everyday transaction.
We execute many transactions in the course of
a busy day. You may write a cheque at nearby consumer
store, pay restaurant bill through credit card,
post your resume for a job, order a new cheque
book, apply for a mobile telephone connection
or credit card. We seldom pay any attention to
these transactions - but beware, someone else
may.
All these transactions require you to share your
personal information with another party - your
name, address, place of employment, credit card
number, PAN number, bank account number, telephone
number, your income etc.
An identity thief collects such pieces of your
personal information and appropriates it without
your knowledge to commit fraud or theft.
Identity theft is a serious crime in more developed
countries where misrepresentation of credit record
or social security number can wreck havoc. However,
it is no less a threat in India or South Asian
countries either.
How the Identity thieves work
An identity thief can be very creative and do
innumerable mischief using your personal information.
Here are a few examples:
- Identity thief uses photocopy of your passport
or ration card to obtain mobile connection in
your name. (there are several such cases pending
with Delhi Police)
- The thieves open a new bank account - using
your name, date of birth, PAN number etc. and
use it for fraudulent purposes.
- The identity thief takes a car loan in your
name
- They call your credit card issuer and, pretending
to be you, change the mailing address on your
credit card account. The imposter then purchases
goods from Internet stores using your credit
card information. As your bills are being sent
to the new address, you may not immediately
realize there's a problem.
- You have just got a credit card, may be for
the first time in your life, and have not yet
signed at the back of the card (something you
should do immediately on receipt of a new credit
card). A man, claiming to be from credit card
issuing bank, says the card has some defect
and needs replacement. You hand over the card
to him. The imposter puts his own signature
at the back and starts his shopping binge.
- You receive an e-mail request, presumably
from your Internet Service Provider (ISP) stating
that your "account information needs to
be updated" or that "the credit card
you signed up with is invalid or expired and
the information needs to be re-entered to keep
your account active". This could be a scam
to get your user-id and password. The identity
thief changes the password and start using your
Internet account. What is worse
- Apart from losing money, you may face legal
suit in case the identity thief commits criminal
act using your mail account
How identity thieves get your
personal information
Despite your best efforts to manage the flow
of your personal information or to keep it to
yourself, skilled identity thieves may use a variety
of methods - low- and hi-tech - to gain access
to your data. Here are some of the ways imposters
can get your personal information and take over
your identity.
- Get a copy of your ration card from local
ration shop
- Get your credit card information from unscrupulous
restaurant employees
- Steal your wallet containing identification
and credit / ATM cards.
- Steal your mail - including your bank and
credit card statements, income tax information
etc.
- Complete a "change of address form"
to divert your mail to another location.
- Rummage through your wastepaper basket for
personal data.
- Fraudulently obtain your credit report by
posing as a landlord, employer or someone else
who may have a legitimate need for and a legal
right to - the information.
- Get your business or personnel records at
work
- Find personal information in your home.
- Personal information you share on the Internet.
- Buy your personal information from "inside"
sources. For example, an identity thief may
pay a store employee to obtain your credit card
details.
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