When the U.S. Director of National Intelligence called cybercrime “the number one national security threat” facing Americans, it should have been a wake-up call. When we learned that a data breach affecting one of the three major credit bureaus compromised the personal data of over 143 million people, a lot of us took notice.
But incredibly, very few average Americans are actively taking steps to protect themselves from identity theft. As technology continues to improve and our lives become ever more automated and connected, it’s only a matter of time before apathy makes us targets. And if you do become a victim of identity theft, you can expect to face years of difficult credit repair, frustration, and even criminal records.
So, what sort of identity theft scams are most popular right now? How can you protect yourself from these, and what’s coming next?
The most popular ID theft scams being used right now
It’s far too much for this article to list all of the ongoing scams identity thieves are using and describe all their various methods in detail. For an up-to-date accounting of known identity theft scams, you can always visit the Identity Theft Resource Center online.
However, there are some tried-and-true types of scams that are incredibly popular. And, if a scam is popular or has been around for a long time, it’s because it works. Here are a few of those types of scams below.
Synthetic ID theft
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) estimates that as much as 85 percent of all identity fraud involves “synthetic” or fictional IDs. In this type of identity theft, the thief will use real stolen details (like a social security number and birthday) along with real details from another individual or details they’ve created, to make a brand new person. This new identity can then take many actions, such as applying for loans or credit cards, without raising as much suspicion or alerting authorities as quickly, due to the mixture of data being used.
The best way to catch synthetic ID theft is to monitor your credit report closely. If you see anything out-of-the-ordinary, such as addresses you’ve never lived at or jobs you’ve never had, it’s possible you’re a victim of synthetic ID theft.
Tax ID theft
As we’re in the midst of tax season, it’s important to recognize that tax ID fraud has historically been woefully easy for criminals to commit. The sheer volume of incoming tax returns and the efforts that have been made to make tax filing as quick and easy as possible have resulted in a simple but effective scam.
The fraudster collects your name, social security number, and birthday, then either reports your actual income or enters fake income information that will result in a sizeable refund. Entering their own checking account information on the return, the refund deposit goes directly to them. Then, you learn of the fraud when you try to file your own taxes and learn that “you already have.”
Phishing scams
Phishing scams have been around for years and come in many different forms. Perhaps the most common and recognizable is the version that often plagues your email inbox: an email arrives, looking and sounding like it’s coming from some large company you’ve probably done business with (think, Amazon, Google, or Walmart). The message thanks you for your recent order of some item, or your subscription to a service that you know you haven’t ordered. At once, your red flags rise and you look for a way to fix this problem. Conveniently, there’s a button right there at the bottom that says, “if you did not place this order, click here now.”
The trouble is, the link you’ve clicked takes you to a website that looks like Amazon or Google, but it’s not. And, when it requests your login and password (which you fully expect to have to enter on these trusted sites,) you’re actually handing these valuable pieces of personal data to the scammers on a silver platter.
Then, while you’re still looking around on the fake site for some way to cancel the bogus order that never actually happened, the scammers are logging into your actual Amazon, Google, or Walmart account and copying down the rest of the details they need to steal your identity, such as your address, phone numbers, email addresses, and even banking information.
Most of the common and popular identity theft scams you’re likely to face in 2018 are variations of these three types. Even if they don’t fall exactly into these bucket descriptions, though, the same basic security measures can keep you safe from nearly all scammers intent on stealing your identity.
What can you do to protect yourself from identity theft?
Despite the creativity of modern scammers and the incredible power of the technology available to them, the fact is that protecting yourself is primarily a matter of common sense, and following a few simple, logical rules.
The Identity Theft Resource Center identifies the key pieces of data identity thieves are looking for:
- Social Security Numbers
- Bank account or credit card numbers
- Driver’s license number
- Insurance policy numbers (medical and auto)
- Date of birth
- State or employee identification number.
Logically, if you ever need to share any of this, you’ll want to be absolutely sure that you’re sharing it with trustworthy individuals who have a need for the information. If you write any of it down, be sure the paper is either destroyed or securely stored, not left sitting in the open or thrown away with the standard garbage.
And, you should never work with these items while connected to a public, unsecured Wi-Fi channel, such as in a coffee house or library, as these channels favor identity thieves.
The ID Theft Resource Center goes on to provide a few “universal rules” for recognizing and avoiding scams that can result in your identity being stolen:
- If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
- A bank, credit card company, or utility company will never ask for your personal information by email, whether you have an account or not, period.
- Never give out personal information, credit card or account numbers on calls/emails/texts that you didn’t initiate.
- Before clicking on any links within emails or text messages, be sure to confirm the sender is legitimate.
- Always be on the lookout for bad English and grammatical errors.
With these key points in mind, you’re in a better position to protect yourself from identity thieves and keep yourself from becoming another statistic.
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