Robert Siciliano is a NextAdvisor.com Expert Guest Blogger
A woman from Boston was indicted for allegedly stealing at least 34 identities, which she was able to access from their workplace, a medical cost management company.
"It was an extensive scheme in which the defendant used his access to personal identifying information of victims as a way to steal their identity, get credit cards in their name without their knowledge, and then use these credit cards to make purchases for his own personal gain, "said local district Attorney." the defendant had access to a large database of healthcare professionals that contained their personal information. "
state police learned of the fraud when a doctor discovered a credit card had been established in his name and sent to a PO Box in Lowell, Massachusetts. Further investigation by postal inspectors revealed that other cards have also been sent to P. O. Box. If convicted, she could face 75 years in state prison for 15 counts of robbery, 100 for 20 years credit card fraud charges, 55 years for 22 counts of theft identity, and in 20 years of being a "common and notorious thief."
as much as 70% of identity theft is committed by someone with access to the inside for organizations such as businesses, government agencies or banks, or just someone who has a relationship with the victim. People with access to sensitive personal data are more likely to commit identity theft. For many it is just too easy not to.
An identity thief begins by personal acquisition of target identification information: name, social security number, date of birth and address, in that order. If the thief has regular access to a database, you can simply copy and paste the information into an online credit application or hand write the information on a paper application of a credit card.
Many credit applications require current and previous addresses. So the thief meets current address as "previous" and plugs of the victim in a new address, usually a P. O. Box address of the thief or where the new credit card will be sent. I am amazed that a business lender or credit card can be careless enough to send a new credit card with a relatively anonymous P. O. Box. The lender verifies all the victim's credit and, since everything matches, no red flags pop up. The card is issued and the fun begins.
Once the thief receives the new card, he or she activates from a disposable cell phone. The next step is to either use the card to withdraw as much money as possible from an ATM, or max it out with loads and then sell the stolen goods through classified ads or online auctions. If the thief is suffering from a drug addiction, it may be impossible to stop this cycle, because steal identities is associated with addictive behavior. It is like gambling. Thieves get a high or a rush when they feel they are beating the system.
In the case of the wife of Boston mentioned above, the first response of most people would be a determination that the employer should have done more to protect data. There are many technologies that monitor, manage, control and restrict who has access to sensitive information. Today, these technologies are being more often than ever before deployment, because of various regulatory issues. However, regardless of what technologies are deployed, all you need to open a workbook is a key, even if the cabinet is locked in the first place. So how do you protect yourself when someone has complete access to all your information?
Get a credit freeze. Conduct an online search for "credit freeze" or "security freeze" go ConsumersUnion.org and follow the steps for the state you live in. This is an absolutely necessary step to secure your credit. In most cases it can prevent new accounts being opened in your name.
invest in identity theft protection. Although all forms of identity theft can be prevented, you can effectively manage your personal identifying information by knowing what that buzz out there regarding you.
Robert Siciliano, identity theft speaker, discusses identity theft.
Robert Siciliano is CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com, an expert on identity theft, professional speaker, security analyst, published author and television news correspondent. Siciliano works with Fortune 1000 and start-up companies as a consultant on product launches, branding, messaging, representation, SEO and media. the thoughts and advice of Siciliano on all these issues often appear in both television and print media news, including CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, FOX, Forbes and USA Today. He has 25 years of safety training as a member of the American Society for Industrial Security. He is the author of two books, including The Safety Minute: Living on high alert; How to take control of your personal safety and to prevent fraud . He also established a partnership with Uni-Ball to help raise awareness of the growing threat of identity theft and provide tips on how you can protect yourself.