Identity Theft And Fraud Is On The Rise

Different countries have dedicated agencies engaged in fighting identity theft and fraud cases and, complaints may be made to agencies in different countries to locate as well as apprehend fraudsters that may be operating from foreign shores. In addition, various agencies provide helpful information regarding what needs to be done in case of identity theft and fraud. For instance, the Social Security office has online identity theft and fraud fact-sheets that provide information that is helpful in case one’s social security number gets lost or stolen. A common form of interaction over the Internet is that of social networking that allows people to post information about them as well as communicate with others through forums, interest groups and, more. This may be a fun way of meeting new people but, also exposes one to identity thieves, hackers, con artists as well as other criminal elements.

To prevent the occurrence of identity theft and fraud, one should guard one’s financial as well as other sensitive information, view social networking sites as billboards in cyberspace, be extra cautious about meeting new people through cyber dating, take care not to click links and download attachments without knowing their source and, also protect one’s computer with the help of spam filters, anti-virus software and anti-spyware software.

Types of Identity Theft and Fraud

The National Fraud Information Center is a site that provides visitors with information related to different fraud practices and imparts knowledge about how to spot and report instances of identity theft and fraud. Another agency one can check for help with identity theft and fraud is Privacy Rights Clearinghouse which has comprehensive fact sheets regarding coping with identity theft as well as reducing the risk of fraud.

According to them, there are two types of identity theft and fraud which are “account takeover” and “application fraud. Account takeover happens when the thief gets hold of existing credit card account information and begins to shop using these stolen cards. Application fraud occurs as a form of ‘true name fraud” in which the thief uses the social security number as well as other identifying information and, opens a new account in the victim’s name. This gives them a head start and, victims realize the fraud much later, when the monthly account statement arrives.

No doubt, one cannot prevent identity theft and fraud and, because of lax credit industry practices, criminals get away with a lot of theft and fraud and, leave victims counting their losses in dismay. One need to take adequate precautions such as reducing the number of debit or credit cards one opens, keep passwords as well as PINS secure, protect one’s social security number as well as protect one’s computer by installing firewalls, so that hackers cannot access sensitive information from your hard drive. Taking adequate precautions will certainly help reduce the risk of becoming a victim of identity theft and fraud.

The Federal Trade Commission and Identity Theft

For a number of years identity theft has been on the rise. It is now at the top of the list of fraud-related crime complaints received by the Federal Trade Commission. FTC reports that,as far as consumer fraud is concerned, identity theft is highest in the case of Internet auctions. Identity theft is believed to have risen by 17% between 2003 and 2004. Of the total crimes reported to the FTC in 2004, id theft accounted for as much as 39%, which was 1% lower than the previous year. These crimes were mostly related to credit card fraud, followed by phone or utilities fraud, bank fraud and employment fraud. Internet fraud was the most common form of FTC identity theft, accounting for, it is believed, 53% of all fraud complaints. The value of such fraud amounted to more than US$265 million in the year 2004. These figures have been obtained from complaints that were made to consumer protection agencies as well as law enforcement.