The advanced digital technology in this day and age has brought many benefits to the lives of people. Many of these benefits are evident in many aspects of life. People can now easily communicate with others around the world. People can now build up a personal brand on social media and actually start a thriving business where reaching your target audience is easier than ever before.
The internet has created countless opportunities for small brands and medium to large sized companies to get the word out and grow a brand.
But there are drawbacks and unfortunately some darkness to the vastness of the internet. Everything related in and around the Internet is certainly not perfect. Because of its vastness and widespread use of social media, keeping your privacy secure is tougher than ever before.
Unfortunately, different types of identity theft are happening often in the online and “offline” world as well. Security has certainly improved, as many security businesses have popped up over the years investing a lot of time, money, and effort in helping protect consumers and to guide them on how to fix identity breaches.
Although hackers, spammers, and scammers always find a way to trick people, most consumers themselves do not take actions to be careful enough to deter the cyber-thieves. Many consumers are continuing to irresponsibly expose their private information both on and off the internet.
The first way to reduce the number of victims is to use due diligence and of course, be careful when sharing personal information.
Many consumers are not even aware of all the types of identity thefts out there in the real-world market.
Here, we will highlight some of the most common types of identity thefts currently happening in a widespread manner.
There are more than 20 different ways for scammers can steal your identity. Here are a few of the more common ones to look out for.
Types of Identity Thefts
Many people have the wrong way of thinking. They usually say, “Something like this won’t happen to me” or “Why would they want to steal my identity?” This the wrong approach to have. The best way to take action against identity theft is to learn more about common types and how they can be avoided.
Driver’s License Identity Theft
This kind of identity theft happens all the time and therefore, you should always be very careful with your driver’s license. By obtaining your license or a copy of your license, the scammer has a chance to make purchases under your name. They can also use your license to obtain different ID forms by changing the picture to reflect themselves. Having ID forms under your name can lead to criminal identity theft. This is another important reason why you should add initial security alerts to your credit files.
Social Security Number Identity Theft
You are a victim of this type of ID theft when someone else is using your social security number. Sometimes people steal your number when applying for a job or for new credit.
Always check your credit reports when something like this happens. It is a good idea to report the theft to the FTC and also request a credit freeze with the three major credit agencies.
Online Shopping Fraud
One of the benefits that comes from the Internet is the ability to purchase stuff from the comfort of your home. Many businesses have started to sell their products online and the e-commerce industry experienced huge popularity growth because of the new trend. However, along with the boom in the e-commerce industry came an increase in online hackers and scammers. This means that you should be careful each time when purchasing something.
So, what exactly e-commerce and online scammers do?
When you make a purchase online, your payment information can be stolen if your internet connection or the site you are shopping on is not secured.
Unfortunately, sometimes the account owner is not even aware of this happening and hackers will use the credit card information to make additional purchases.
Do not let the fear of online shopping fraud stop you from making purchases online. Always make sure that the sites you are using are secure and that you are shopping from a legitimate website. Always check your credit reports for suspicious activity or transactions.
Email Identity Theft
Mail identity theft is one of the oldest and most prominent types of identity theft. Criminals will use fake email addresses to steal the identity of an individual. Many people consider emails as a traditional tool of communication, so they do not invest a lot of effort in protecting it.
To prevent becoming a victim of email identify theft, you should not open any emails or click on any links that seem suspicious. If you become a victim of email identity theft, the hacker can easily steal all of your financial account information. They will not only get the chance to purchase things online. The hacker will also get the chance to open up a new credit card or change the address on your bills.
How to Solve this Problem?
There are different identity theft services that may be used to solve the problem. For instance, you can file a mail theft complaint with the US Postal Inspection Service. Do not hesitate to file a police report if you realize you became a victim of this sort of crime. Immediately add a fraud or freeze alert to your credit report when this happens.
As we said, these are only the most common types of identity theft. The most important thing is to always stay alert and act responsibly. Even if you become a victim, you must react promptly and use the services mentioned.
Debit/Credit Card Fraud
Debit and credit fraud are happening often and the consequences can be huge if people do not realize them quickly. The fraudsters can steal your PIN or security code to make purchases that you didn’t authorize. If they have these pieces of data, they do not even need to possess your physical credit card. Check your credit report actively to be sure that nothing like this has happened to you.
Bonus Tip: How to Raise Your Credit Score?
We have mentioned “credit file” and “credit report” many times in this article, as these tools are very important in identifying when you have fallen victim to identity theft.
Your credit score can be influenced by many factors, and we understand that many people have trouble raising theirs.
You may have considered hiring a credit repair company to help you achieve your goal. There are many credit repair companies online that will promise you a raised credit score, but only a small number of them will both meet and exceed your expectations. Because of that, we recommend you visit creditrepairreviews.co and find out more information on the best credit repair companies.
Nicola Holder 