What Are Phishing Emails

The word “phishing” is obviously a derivative of the word fishing, because scammers would send a bait to a potential victim in the hope of reeling in the victim's personal data. Emails are the the most common medium used, hence the term “phishing emails.”

How Can You Lose Your Identity? Let Us Count The Ways

The best way to protect yourself from identity theft is to be vigilant. How Can You Protect Yourself?

• Keep a photocopy of all your credit cards, bank account numbers and investment account numbers in a safe place;
• Keep your credit card receipts – don’t throw them away in a public place;
• Put a “fraud alert” on all your credit reports;
• If you apply for credit and the card doesn’t arrive on time, call the card issuer;
• Choose difficult to guess PIN numbers or passwords. (Don’t use birth dates, your mother’s maiden name, pet’s name, etc.);
• Never give personal information to anyone who sends you an email, a letter or calls you asking for it;
• Shred any personal information – such as bills, credit card or bank statements, even pre-approved credit applications before throwing them away;
• Don’t use the ATM machine if someone is watching you;
• Pay attention to what’s going on around you – cell phones often have cameras in them. If someone is standing close by you with a cell phone while you're entering a PIN number at the ATM or in line at the grocery store, block their view;
• Review your bills each month for unusual or suspicious charges.

Personal Information On Storage Devices

It is quite common nowadays to read items in your newspaper about reports of criminals stealing people's identities in mass quantities. Banks, credit card companies, and businesses that store passwords or other sensitive user information on their computer servers are all susceptible to break-ins.

It becomes all the more risky when these companies' storage servers are available online. Another huge risk is when the storage media (such as hard drives) are constantly being physically transported. There have been news items in recent years about these companies losing hard drives because an employee misplaced them or were burglarized while carrying the hardware.

Consumer awareness regarding identity theft has risen in the past years. Media coverage and maybe even knowing someone who became a victim has helped bring the spotlight on this electronic epidemic.

The positive is that consumers have become cautious in terms of disclosing personal information, especially on the internet.

Legal Sanctions On Identity Theft

Public outcry against identity theft has moved legislators to deal with this issue, both on the federal and state levels. As a result, the Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act (18 USC 1028) was signed in 1998, it made identity theft a federal felony.

Federal agencies such as the FBI, the Social Security Administration and even the U.S. Postal Service are involved in the investigation under the auspecies of the U.S. Department of Justice, who handle the prosecution. The thrust of this law is to imprison the thieves and seek reimbursement for victims.

Forty other U.S. states would eventually enact laws that criminalize ID theft. The bill called "Identity Theft Prevention Act of 2000" would be enacted by the U.S. Senate. The Identity Theft Penalty Enhancement Act would also be signed into law later on.

Most of today's identity theft happen to people who conduct activities over the internet. It could be something as simple as opening an email or conducting business over a compromised server.

But most the of the time, identity theft occurs due to a user's ignorance. There really is no other way to sugar coat this fact.

Most computer users are just not knowledgeable enough about the actual things that can occur on the internet. As a result, they leave their computers wide open to abuse from cyber criminals. They can do as they please once they take control of your personal information.

Install A Complete Security Suite On Your Computer

Nowadays, an antivirus program is not enough to protect you from internet attacks. Such a program only detects and solves problems related to computer viruses. What your computer needs is a protective solution by keeping the attackers out.

As was mentioned previously, identity theft can occur both in the real world and the online world. In the real world, or "offline" world, identity theft involves stealing your credit card receipts, buying your personal information from unscrupulous credit bureau employees or just the traditional picking your pocket.

When you check out the stories from people who recovered from identity theft, you will hear them use descriptive words like "burden," "suffering," "nightmarish" and many other similar terms. They will also tell you about the period of time it took to recover, ranging from two to six years.

Those are just the number of hours wasted trying to get back their identities. Factor in the amount of money (usually in the thousands of dollars) that they have to spend in the recovery process and you will surely agree that their descriptions are accurate enough.

When you have reason to believe that your identity has been stolen, reporting the crime is an important first step to take in order to limit your liability. When strange credit corporations start contacting you about payments you missed or charges you never made, it may already be late in the process. So acting fast is really important.

Report Stolen Cards

If you believe that a criminal may have obtained information about your bank account, credit, ATM or debit card:

1. Check your statements for any unauthorized charges;
2. Report the unauthorized charges to the respective financial institutions;
3. Inquire about their procedures for minimizing your liability to the charges;
4. Cancel the compromised account.

Identity theft can happen to your both in the online and offline worlds. When it happens, a criminal can easily assume your identity and gain access to your bank accounts, your credit cards and other financial instruments that are valuable to you.

There is a world of headaches that will be unleashed when criminals gain control of your finances. It is therefore imperative for you to understand some signs that may begin to show when your identity has fallen into criminal hands.

Hey you! I just saw this video of you on Facebook and it's really embarrassing. Click here.

If you see that on your Facebook wall, then you should put on a red alert for possible identity theft. In fact, if you have fallen for that post and actually clicked the link, chances are you may have already been victimized by an online scam artist.

Facebook Scams That Could Steal Your Identity

The motive of this scam is obviously to capitalize on a person's vanity. Imagine being told that you were exposed in an embarrassing video on the internet!

Just remember that if you've never been involved in any embarrassing videos, then it's somebody's malicious intent to just get you to click on a link that will lead to you compromising your computer.

Facebook never introduced an "Unlike" button. And until they make an official announcement, the Unlike button does not exist.

For someone to tell you that you can now install or click on a button that does not exist, that should raise some alarm bells. Another attempt to compromise our computer.

This scam appeals more to a person's natural curiosity and perhaps even to that paranoid streak in people. There is someone stalking me!