3 Ways Identity Thieves Work

Identity theft refers to the act of someone stealing and using your personal information for their gain. Recovering from identity theft can be costly, stressful, and time-consuming. Knowing some of the methods that identity thieves use during their crimes can help you to better protect yourself from becoming a victim. Here are three ways that identity thieves work.

1. By Digging Through Trash

Potential identity thieves may dig through the trash in an attempt to find paperwork containing sensitive information, such as credit card statements, utility bills, old identification cards, and tax documents. To help prevent this from happening, try to eliminate this paperwork by doing business online, and destroy old paperwork by using paper shredding services Boston.

2. By Phishing

Phishing happens when a bad actor sends an email or text message that looks like it is from a legitimate company or bank, and an unsuspecting user puts their information into a link provided in the email or text message. These credentials and pieces of information then go to the identity thieves. Never click on links from unknown sources, and call your bank if you receive an email that claims to be from them, but you are unsure whether or not it actually is.

3. By Executing Data Breaches

A data breach occurs when a would-be identity thief steals personal and financial information from a website or computer system. Usernames and passwords can also be stolen from a variety of systems, and thieves will then use this information to break into other accounts owned by the user. If a company has experienced a data breach, they should let their customers know so that they can change their passwords and keep an eye on their personal information.

Protect yourself and your data by being aware of these three ways that identity thieves may work.