What Type of Information Are Thieves Looking For?
Thieves are looking for any and all personal information that will help them access your bank accounts, apply for loans or credit in your name, or even get a job or run a business using your identity.
They’re looking for your:- Name
- Address
- Phone Number
- Birth Date
- Social Security Number
- Previous Employers
- Name of your spouse or children
- Mother’s maiden name
They use your name to search online and offline for more of your personal information. As they pick up pieces of information, they will use that to get more new pieces. For example, if they know your place of employment and your doctor’s name, they will call and pose as you, trying to get more information (perhaps by claiming they need to contact you right away and need your cell phone number.) Every little piece gets them one step closer to your identity.
Your address can be used in many ways. They might use it as a legitimate street address to get credit, then run up a bunch of debts in your name. They could also use it on an employment application. If your mailbox is open and accessible, they may even use it as their own personal mailbox to receive contraband.
What would you do if you found drugs in an envelope in your mailbox? What if the Postal Service found it first? Who would help you?
Businesses are increasingly using phone numbers as account numbers to store your customer profile. If an ID thief has your phone number and name, he can pose as you to any number of businesses you patronize, particularly your phone service provider.
You might not think your birth date matters, but it does. Armed with your name and birth date, a thief can obtain your driver’s license data in most states. He can also use that information to get credit data.
The golden key, however, is the Social Security number. With this, a thief can get your credit report, establish credit in your name…even potentially refinance your property and get cash out of the deal. This is why it should concern you when colleges, insurance companies, banks and others use SSNs as ID numbers. Just think what you can do with only the last 4 digits of your SSN. Think a thief can’t do the same in your name?
Previous employers can be used to gain access to your credit report, or to build a history that the thief can present as his own to gain credit or loans in your name. He could even buy a car or house in your name. So where are thieves getting all of this information? We will cover this a little more later, but some of the more common places are:
- Your mailbox
- Your trash
- Stolen purses or wallets
- Overheard phone conversations
- Credit card and bank receipts and statements
- Online spyware that they put on your computer
- Online hacking tools
- Clean out your bank account
- Charge things on your credit cards
- Open new credit in your name and buy more things
- Get cell phones and service in your name
- Get a job and/or professional licensing in your name
- Declare bankruptcy in your name
