COMMON WAYS IDENTITY THEFT HAPPENS
OVER THE INTERNET

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COMMON WAYS ID THEFT HAPPENS:

Skilled identity thieves use a variety of methods to steal your personal information, including:

Hacking: Computer or network intrusion through unauthorized access.

Vishing: Criminal practice of using social engineering and Voice over IP (VoIP) to gain access to private personal and financial information from the public for the purpose of financial reward. The term is a combination of "voice" and phishing

Skimming: They steal credit/debit card numbers by using a special storage device when processing your card.

Pharming: A method used by phishers to deceive users into believing that they are communicating with a
legitimate Web site

Phishing: They pretend to be financial institutions or companies and send spam or pop-up messages to get you to reveal your personal information. Internet scammers use e-mail bait to “phish” for passwords and financial data
from the sea of Internet users.

Dumpster Diving. They rummage through trash looking for bills or other paper with your personal information on it.

Plain old common Stealing. They steal wallets and purses; mail, including bank and credit card statements; pre-approved credit offers; and new checks or tax information. They steal personnel records from their employers, or bribe employees who have access.

SEE PROTECT YOUR ONLINE PASSWORD

 

Spamming
Sending unsolicited commercial e-mail advertising for products, services, and Web sites. Spam can
also be used as a delivery mechanism for malware and other cyber threats.

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Spoofing
Creating a fraudulent Web site to mimic an actual, well-known Web site run by another party. E-mail
spoofing occurs when the sender address and other parts of an e-mail header are altered to appear
as though the e-mail originated from a different source. Spoofing hides the origin of an e-mail
message. If a hacker can learn your name and e-mail address -- not a particularly hard feat -- he's at liberty to change his mail, news, and chat settings to impersonate you. He might send death threats to an ex-boss under your name. He might raid your contacts list, then pretend to be you while asking vendors for information about your order history, including the account numbers used to pay invoices. If the masked hacker slanders your competitors in a newsgroup, you could be faced with trying to clear yourself in court.

Denial-of-service attack
An attack in which one user takes up so much of a shared resource that none of the resource is left
for other users. Denial-of-service attacks compromise the availability of the resource.

Distributed denial-of-service
A variant of the denial-of-service attack that uses a coordinated attack from a distributed system of
computers rather than from a single source. It often makes use of worms to spread to multiple
computers that can then attack the target.

Viruses
A program that “infects” computer files, usually executable programs, by inserting a copy of itself
into the file. These copies are usually executed when the infected file is loaded into memory,
allowing the virus to infect other files. A virus requires human involvement (usually unwitting) to
propagate.

Botnet
A network of remotely controlled systems used to coordinate attacks and distribute malware, spam,
and phishing scams. Bots (short for “robots”) are programs that are covertly installed on a targeted
system allowing an unauthorized user to remotely control the compromised computer for a variety
of malicious purposes.

Trojan horse
A computer program that conceals harmful code. It usually masquerades as a useful program that a
user would wish to execute.

Worm
An independent computer program that reproduces by copying itself from one system to another
across a network. Unlike computer viruses, worms do not require human involvement to propagate.

Malware
Malicious software designed to carry out annoying or harmful actions. Malware often masquerades
as useful programs or is embedded into useful programs so that users are induced into activating
them. Malware can include viruses, worms, and spyware.

Malware wages war on Gamers: Most gaming sites themselves are safe , or at least can detect something like SQL code injection.  But the real danger lies outside the actual games were gamers gather and trade tricks, tips and swap code. In these peripheral sites hackers utilize socail engineering techniques to get players to let there guard down and allow their computers to become infected.

Spyware
Malware installed without the user’s knowledge to surreptitiously track and/or transmit data to an
unauthorized third party.

Botnet
A network of remotely controlled systems used to coordinate attacks and distribute malware, spam,
and phishing scams. Bots (short for “robots”) are programs that are covertly installed on a targeted
system allowing an unauthorized user to remotely control the compromised computer for a variety
of malicious purposes.

There are a variety of forms of personal identification that a thief may steal from you. If you believe you have a been a victim of identity theft, be sure to check all of your accounts. Here's what to do if you discover someone has been abusing your accounts.

Stolen Checks
If you have had checks stolen or bank accounts set up fraudulently, report it to the check verification companies. Close your checking and savings accounts and obtain new account numbers. Give the bank a secret password for your account (not your mother’s maiden name).

ATM Cards
If your ATM card has been stolen or is compromised, get a new card, account number and password. DO not use your old password. When creating a password, don’t use common numbers like the last four digits of your Social Security number or your birth date.

Fraudulent Change of Address
Notify the local postal inspector if you suspect an identity theft has filed a change of address with the post office or has used the mail to commit credit or bank fraud. Find out where the fraudulent credit cards were sent. Notify the local postmaster for the address to forward all mail in your name to your own address. You may also need to talk to the mail carrier.

Social Security Number Misuse
Call the Social Security Administration to report fraudulent use of your social security number. As a last resort, you might want to change the number. The SSA will only change it if you fit their fraud victim criteria. Also, order a copy of your Earnings and Benefits statement and check it for accuracy.

Passports
If you have a passport, notify the passport office in writing to be on the lookout for anyone ordering a new passport fraudulently.

Phone Service
If your long distance calling card has been stolen or you discover fraudulent charges on your bill, cancel the account and open a new one. Provide a password, which must be used anytime the account is charged.

Driver License Number Misuse
You may need to change your driver’s license number if someone is using yours as identification on bad checks. Call the state or District of Columbia office of the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to see if another license was issued in your name. Put a fraud alert on your license. Go to your local DMV to request a new number. Also, fill out the DMV’s complaint form to begin the fraud investigation process. Send supporting documents with the complaint form to the nearest DMV investigation office.

Social engineering attack
To launch a social engineering attack, an attacker uses human interaction (social skills) to obtain or compromise information about an organization or its computer systems. An attacker may seem unassuming and respectable, possibly claiming to be a new employee, repair person, or researcher and even offering credentials to support that identity.

False Civil and Criminal Judgements
Sometimes victims of identity theft are wrongfully accused of crimes committed by the imposter. If a civil judgment has been entered in your name for actions taken by your imposter, contact the court where the judgment was entered and report that you are a victim of identity theft. If you are wrongfully prosecuted for criminal charges, contact the state Department of Justice and the FBI. Ask how to clear your name.

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MORE USEFUL SITES:

• Avoiding Internet Investment Fraud
  Find out how to protect yourself from fraud while investing on the Internet and obtain information about safe online trading.
• Cyber Crime Information
  Obtain general information from the Department of Justice about cybercrimes and how to protect yourself. Also find information about legal and policy issues surrounding cybercrimes.
• FBI Warning about False FBI E-mails
  Read this warning about false e-mails that claim to be from the FBI, but contain the w32/sober virus.
• Financial Crimes (International)
  Read this State Department brouchure about common internet schemes that originate overseas, like the Gorgeous People in Trouble, Long-Lost Inheritance, Work Permit schemes and more.
• Fraud and Identity Theft Trends
  View current trends in consumer fraud and identity theft. The trends are based on consumer fraud and identity theft complaints received by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and over 60 U.S. and Canadian federal, state, and non-governmental organizations.
• Identity Theft Information
  Visit the U.S. government's central website for information about identity theft. Personal Information and Computer Security
  Information security tips from the Federal Trade Commission.
  
• Phishing Scams
  Learn to not get hooked by "phishing" scams that use spam or pop-up messages to deceive you into disclosing your credit card numbers, bank account information, Social Security number, passwords, or other sensitive information.
• Spyware Consumer Alert
  Spyware software monitors or controls your computer use. It may send you pop-up ads, redirect your computer to websites, monitor your Internet surfing, or record your keystrokes, which could lead to identity theft.
• Statistical Data and Reports on Internet Fraud
  Get timely information on fraud. These statistics are based on complaints received from the Internet Fraud Complaint Center, a joint partnership between the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center.

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