Enterprising criminals can gather remarkable amounts of information about a victim through debris of everyday electronic transactions. They can use this information to gain access to all of the victim s financial information. The most common way thieves get information is by stealing a victim s wallet. However, other ways include looking over a victim s shoulder at an ATM or phone booth to capture a PIN, stealing from a victim s mailbox, digging through discarded trash, or fraudulently ordering a copy of the victim s credit record. Some of these techniques have been supplanted by more technologically savvy methods.
Perpetrators use telemarketing scams to trick consumers into revealing personal information.
People misrepresent themselves as law enforcement agents, social workers, or other authority figures to obtain the private data of others from banks and other financial institutions. Some individuals even go online to purchase fake IDs, including birth certificates, driver s licenses, and Social Security cards. In the most advanced cases, hackers penetrate corporations databases and download credit card numbers and other information. Check financial information regularly. Obtain a copy of a credit report annually.