| Robbing Identities |
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VICTIM: It was very scary, I felt very helpless, I did not know who had taken my money. PETER HOLLAND: If they have your name, your date of birth, and your social security number, they are well on their way to getting the tools they need to steal you of your identify and rack up thousands of dollars of debt in your name. VICTIM: My fishing attack happened in January 2004. IRWIN KRAMER: Clever con men are literally "phishing" for this information via e-mail and on the internet. VICTIM: I received an e-mail from what I thought was my bank asking me to fill out security information, as what they said. PETER HOLLAND: Do not give out your date of birth, do not give out your social security number, and do not give out your phone number. IRWIN KRAMER: An identity thief who really wants this information and is willing to work for it, can probably get it, but they are not thieves because they want to work hard, they are after easy money and the problem is that many people make themselves easy targets by volunteering this information. VICTIM: I responded and I filled out my password, my pin number, my mother's maiden name, sensitive information about my bank account under the impression that I was protecting myself. The next day when I went to the bank to withdraw money, I saw that over $1600 of my account or just about all the money that I had in my bank account was missing. IRWIN KRAMER: So, be very careful about what you do online because what you say can be used against you. PETER HOLLAND: Make sure that an internet, merchant or the bank that you are doing business with is legitimate. IRWIN KRAMER: Check your current report once a year to be sure that the accounts reflected there are really yours. PETER HOLLAND: Some people have been caught for literally years trying to fix the misinformation. IRWIN KRAMER: You will be surprised just how many credit reports contain errors, some of them put there by people who are trading on your good name. PETER HOLLAND: And the way you can avoid that trap is if you become the unfortunate victim, act immediately. Cancel all of your credit cards and put a fraud watch on them, put the breaks on it immediately to minimize the headaches that will come down the road and contact the Federal Trade Commission at 1-877-ID-THEFT. 
Felons are phishing for your finances. If they mess up yours, take the following steps as soon as possible, keeping records of your conversations and copies of all correspondence.
To help prevent future incidents, use PIN numbers that no one else could possibly know. Identity thieves know that many people use their mother's maiden name, their birth date or the last four digits of their social security numbers. In many cases, these were the keys that these con artists use to trade on your good name. Resources for Fighting Identity Theft
Of course, Shakespeare also wrote something about killing all the lawyers, but let's consider the following quote instead: "I'm Too Smart to Be a Victim of Identity Theft"Identity thieves don't care about your IQ. They care about your ID. Many people do not realize how easily criminals can obtain our personal data without having to break into our homes. In public places, for example, criminals may engage in "shoulder surfing" watching you from a nearby location as you punch in your telephone calling card number or credit card number or listen in on your conversation if you give your credit-card number over the telephone to a hotel or rental car company. Even the area near your home or office may not be secure. Some identity thieves engage in an unseemly sport known as "dumpster diving" going through your garbage cans or a communal dumpster or trash bin -- to obtain copies of your checks, credit card or bank statements, or other records that typically bear your name, address, and even your telephone number. These types of records make it easier for criminals to get control over accounts in your name and assume your identity. If you receive applications for "preapproved" credit cards in the mail, but discard them without tearing up the enclosed materials, you never know who may retrieve them, attempt to activate them, and rack up bills on your good name. Felons are phishing for your finances. Often, their weapon is the computer. Identity thieves LOVE the Internet, "phishing" for passwords, banking information and other personal data. Indeed, many of those seemingly legitimate emails cautioning you about internet security are actually composed by those seeking to violate it. SCAM the Scammers!To combat identity theft, use the "SCAM" method to frustrate these devious scammers:
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