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Business & Tech

My Experience With ID Theft And How It Can Happen to You Too

Many new-age criminals can hit you without you even knowing they were there. They look for ways of stealing your identity through cyberspace.

When it comes to local crimes here in Altadena our Sheriff’s Department issues a Crime Summary Report at our monthly Town Council meeting tracking the number of various crimes that were reported.

The statistics are broken down by categories such as violent crimes or property crimes. They are further broken down by statistics such as criminal homicide, rape, robbery, assault, burglary, auto theft, arson, and the like.

However, there is another very important crime statistic that does not appear on the local sheriff’s crime report. For the most part they are completely invisible and they can attack you from almost anywhere on the planet. They are the new criminals that come with the ability to conduct business (through cyberspace) on the Internet.

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To be truthful most people are not aware of an agency that is assigned to investigate cyberspace crimes. Such agencies are just being developed, and yet these predators have already victimized so many of our local citizens, right here in Altadena.

In this new age of social media and with the ability to reach out and easily connect with others there comes a price. There are Internet predators and hackers who are smart geeks that know exactly how hack into your personal information and steal your identity, many times without your awareness.

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Just recently I received several attempts to compromise my identity through companies that I regularly do business with. I was asked to update my personal information including credit card information, and other very personal information.

The request appeared to have come from places that I know such as my bank, online-ordering companies, and/or places that I have an account with.

These sophisticated predators uses the actual company’s logo in their messages that has a link which sends you to a site that you would assume is a secure page. But when you go to that link you are actually into their site where they are then in a position capture all your vital information.

Once they have your security information they start pulling out funds from your bank or ordering product through your financial resources.

They normally start with small withdrawals that you might not notice, but it quickly gets larger and larger. If your bank does not call you about “suspicious activity” on your account the predators are able to rob you through the Internet.

When I checked with my bank they told me that if you are requested to go to a link that does not have the prefix http(s), but instead http, then more than likely it is not a secure site. In addition it’s even more than likely a cyberspace predator.

The bottom line is that you should not update your secure information online at the request of an e-mail until you actually call the bank or institution that you do business with and confirm that they are the ones trying to reach you.

The email that I received stated that there was an attempt at fraud in my account so in order to avoid it they needed to update and confirm my secure information. Since I saw the company’s logo on the email that looks exactly like the ones that I’m used to seeing I did not think twice about filling out the requested information.

This is how they get you to freely give up your security information, including credit card numbers, social security, date of birth, mother’s maiden name and other vital security information.

Another way they are getting into our circles is by accessing Facebook pages, list-serve, Yahoo groups or other places where people send out group e-mails. Once they get into your list they will start sending out feelers from one party on the list to another in order to promote something they are trying to sell. Many of the pharmaceutical online drugs or sexual services are promoted in this manner.

I receive solicitations from such persons trying to become my "friend" or follow me on Twitter this way. If you don’t know these people, you shouldn’t let them into your circle of friends. Once they are in they start doing what they do because you no longer perceive them as a threat.

Although I try not to be overly paranoid about doing business online, I still need to take the proper precautions to protect my identity.

We are getting so used to this new social media craze that we are letting down our guards. That is what the predators are counting on.

Many of them study computer technology and know how to hack into systems. They are professional thieves and hackers who know what they are doing while the average consumer barely understands how to use their computers or the security features necessary to protect themselves.

I know it’s fun to be popular and to "blog" freely to large audiences, but while doing this you need to be aware that there are predators out there who are very cunning, sly, and convincing while stealing your identity!

The really good ones are in and out before you were even aware that they were there. If they steal a little from a million people chances are they are not readily noticed. It is when they become greedy and try to steal too much from too few that they run the risk of being caught.

Just think: thieves no longer need to put on a mask and carry a weapon to rob us. They can do so from home, smart phones, portable computers and pads, from a foreign country, or in their PJs’ without even risking personal contact with you.

This is just a friendly caution. Whenever you are asked to give up your vital security information online make sure you know who is at the other end of that e-mail request. Contact the institution directly without responding or replying to the request and ask them if they sent you such an inquiry.

Use caution and prudence ALWAYS! Once they get your identity you almost have to become someone else because they know and use all your personal secure passwords and information.

There is a big price to pay for having all this freedom and convenience through cyberspace. Protect yourself always and never give out secure information until and unless you are quite sure who you’re giving it to. – Word to the Wise. - 

Here is a link to several agencies that deal specifically with reporting cyberspace or Internet crimes.

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