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

There are basically two ways in which a person's identity can be stolen--1) through high tech or online means and 2) through more "traditional" methods.

High Tech Methods Of Identity Theft

The high tech method involves the use of a personal computer and internet access. Cyber criminals usually slip some kind of malicious code into your computer and these are better known as viruses or trojans.

The virus can be in the form of a keylogger. This type of code will keep track of everything you punch on your computer's keyboard and send the information over the internet to a central server that collects these kinds of information.

For example, an unsuspecting user may type their social security number or credit card information because they are conducting some form of online transaction. Unknown to them, the information they type is already being logged and sent to the cyber criminal. It is just a matter of time before the thief takes advantage of the information they have just harvested.

Other forms of high tech identity theft include:

• Hackers breaking into online banking sites or credit card networks and stealing users records;
• Rogue websites pretending to be payment processing companies;
• All other forms of hacking that break into websites that store users or clients records.

Older Methods of Identity Theft

While most cases of identity theft being reported these days are online related, there are still those who would steal through the more "traditional" manner. You can also refer those as "offline" methods of identity theft. Some of the methods include:

• Stealing personal and private information from wallets, purses, mailboxes, etc. Beware of pickpockets!
• Retrieving personal information by "diving" into your garbage cans that you leave in your front yard.
• Criminals posing as a creditor or employer to get a copy of your credit report from related agencies.
• Buying the information from a dishonest employee inside a credit reporting company.

As you can see, criminals will go to any lengths just to obtain somebody else's personal information. These kinds of crimes are very lucrative to them but extremely costly to the victims.

By the examples cited above, people should therefore be more careful with how they use their personal information online or even in their everyday routines.