Falling victim to identity theft is not a fun experience and it can lead to several consequences for the individual who experiences this unfortunate crime. Did you know that in some cases you could be making identity theft easier for criminals? That’s right; we all have habits that could be indirectly contributing to our chances of falling victim.
Do Your Best to Avoid the Following Habits:
- Oversharing on social media
- Giving out your Social Security number without much consideration
- Throwing credit applications into the garbage
Remember that fraudsters are knowledgeable and know how to exploit small pieces of your personally identifiable information to use to their advantage.
An identity thief might use the information that’s gained to access and drain your bank accounts, damage your credit, or more. For your own knowledge and protection, it is important to understand the many ways fraudsters typically attack. Let’s look at some of the most common forms of identity theft:
Criminal Theft
This takes place when someone commits a crime under your name. It is extremely challenging to sort out and it can come back to haunt you down the road. For instance, it is not unheard of for a victim of this crime to apply for a job and get rejected due to a criminal record that the individual wasn’t even aware of. You could also be pulled over by an officer for a minor concern but then it quickly escalates because they looked you up and discovered there’s a warrant out for you currently. Sound scary? It can be! People claim innocence all the time when their guilty of a crime, so this situation isn’t the easiest to maneuver yourself out of.
Medical Theft
The theft of your medical records could cause a whole whack of issues. In what sense? Most notably, you could receive hefty medical bills in the mail for surgeries, medications and other medical services that you never received as a patient. The other major problem with identity theft is if injuries someone else experiences are treated with medical care under your file, you may be faced with medical advice for issues that were never yours. Sure, not impossible to deal with but it could make for an awkward situation, and it only causes hassle that’s not necessary.
Financial Theft
This is when your credit and bank account information is stolen to purchase goods and services using your money. Usually the criminal in question will use the maximum amount of funds they can access from your accounts, leaving you with significant bills to somehow pay. All of this will leave you with lower credit scores, and massive debts that aren’t yours in the first place.
Tax Theft
You may not enjoy filing your taxes, but it’s better than having an identity thief file them. Criminals use sophisticated scams to get their hands on your PII. Later, they may file a return and claim a refund.
Here are a few scams to stay mindful of:
- Phone calls or text messages that appear to be sent by the Internal Revenue Service. The IRS will never request personal information via social media, text message or email, and it definitely won’t threaten legal action.
- Emails that look like they’re from the IRS or a financial institution This refers to the term “phishing,” and the idea behind this crime is to trick you into offering up personal details or to click on links that either populate bogus websites or install malware—short for malicious software—on your computer.
If the IRS refuses your tax return, it may be because of a red flag populated under your account; for instance, someone may have already fraudulently filed a return under your name. Contact the IRS and ask questions. You may need to file a fraud claim using Form 14039. The IRS will confirm your identity, and you’ll be given a unique PIN to use on future tax returns.
Preventing Theft
There are preventative measures you can take to reduce the chances of any of these crimes happening to you! The biggest step and most effective step you can take, is to properly manage and dispose of your sensitive documents. Secure document shredding is the best way to reduce the risks of identity theft, and the easiest way to have this done is through hiring a professional service provider such as ATI Secure Docs.
If you are done taking chances and are ready to start increasing your security, reach out to us, we’ll come and help you stay secure.
Call: 1-877-314-5273