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Posts Tagged ‘phishing’

Identity theft is a definite threat to us all, effecting hundreds of people everyday across the globe. There are insurance policies that can be taken out in order to cover yourself against ID theft, but this may not be necessary, as there are a number of measures you can take to help you to avoid becoming a victim, most of which rely on simple common sense.

ID theft is a technique used by criminals allowing them to benefit financially through claiming they are you, for example taking out loans, applying for credit cards etc. all in your name.

One of the problems when attempting to tackle this type of fraud is that the are limited by resources, particularly when these criminals are working outside of the UK.

Doing all you can to avoid becoming a victim of ID theft is easier than you may think and being aware of the following points could save you a lot of grief.

1. Be sure to keep all important documents and financial related documents such as passports and bank statements in a safe place out of sight. These include official documents such as passports and driving licence documents, as well as financial documents such as bank and credit card statements, bank account details, insurance documents etc.
2. Frequently monitor your bank accounts and credit card statements to ensure there are no suspicious transactions. If you have access to the internet, set up online banking wherever possible, as this allows you to keep a close eye on up-to-date statements without having to wait for your monthly paper version. Online banking is also very secure, with many banks now providing customers with card readers which generate pass codes that must be used when logging in to your account, or making a payment. If you do notice anything that looks suspicious, contact your bank or credit card provider immediately.
3. Purchase a paper shredder. You can pick one up from £5 to £30 and you can use it to shred any official documents that you don’t need to keep. This includes bank statements, loan or credit card application forms and even junk mail containing any of your details i.e. name, address, telephone number etc. Simply throwing these documents away could result in them falling into the wrong hands.
4. Make sure you are aware of when your regular financial documents arrive, ensuring you are aware of anything out of the ordinary, for example you haven't received your credit card bill for 7 weeks.
5. Each year, get a copy of your credit file to make sure no unauthorized finance arrangements have been set up without your knowledge in your name.
6. You should never give out sensitive information over the phone unless you made the call or you are 100% sure the call is legitimate. For example, you receive a phone call from somebody claiming to be your credit card provider and they request personal information such as your full name, DOB and Mother's maiden name. These are types of information that fraudsters will want to get hold of, so be vigilant.
7. Never trust emails claiming to be your bank or Credit Card company. Some of these emails can look extremely convincing and the irony is that many of them claim to require your details to help tackle fraud. You can usually spot these emails as the URL that you are required to click may appear to be the official site, but on closer inspection you will see it is in fact close, by hovering your cursor over this link. You will then be re-directed to a spoof page that looks genuine but is actually used to steal your login details
8. When moving house, subscribe The Royal Mail’s redirection service. This will ensure that any mail intended for you is delivered to your new address.
9. Always check your bills as soon as they arrive in the post. If you find anything that looks suspicious, always contact your service provider immediately.

There are a few main techniques employed by criminals to carry out ID theft. These include:

Bin Diving

Going through your bins searching for bills or other documents containing your personal information.

Skimming

Used to steal credit/debit card numbers using a special storage device. The riak can be reduced by keeping your card on your person or in view when using it to make payments.

Phishing

Claiming to be a legitimate financial institution to gain your trust then push you to reveal your personal information.

Changing Your Address

Diverting your bills, statements and other sensitive documents to another address by filling out a change of address form.

Old-Fashioned Stealing

Stealing wallets; mail etc. to get enough information about you.

Pretexting

Used to obtain personal information from a number of sources such as financial institutions, telephone companies, and other sources by impersonating you

When these types of criminals get their hands on your personal information, they can use them for a number of different things.

Credit card fraud:

• A new credit card can be applied for in your name. The card can then be used to get credit and all unpaid bills will appear on your credit report, damaging your credit history.
• After changing your address, they could charge purchases to your account, leaving you unaware as the bills are no longer being delivered. It could be some time before you notice anything unusual.

Phone or utilities fraud:

• A new phone or wireless account could be opened in your name, or even utility services like electricity, water, or satellite television.

Bank fraud:

• Counterfeit checks made with your details.
• Bank accounts opened in your name.
• Credit or debit card cloned giving them access to your accounts.
• A loan taken out in your name.

Government documents fraud:

• Used to get official ID cards such as a driving licence under your name but with their picture.
• Use of your details to get government benefits.
• Fraudulent tax return made using your information.

Other fraud:

• Qualify for a job using your personal information
• Rent a property in your name.

These days, most banks have intelligent anti-fraud systems that recognise any unusual activity on your card, for example you withdraw money from a cash point in the UK and later that day money is withdrawn from an ATM  in Canada. 

When taking out a credit card, you will probably find that you are offered some kind of anti-theft insurance to protect you against fraud. But the fact is that ID theft is heavily promoted and sometimes over exaggerated to help sell the product.

A spokesman from the UK's fraud Prevention Service - the CIFAS, has ID theft is still a relatively rare crime, but it is on the increase.

So as long as you’re cautious with who you give your personal information to, keeping it in a safe place, shred all unwanted documents containing your information, you should remain safe from fraud.

Quite often we get an email in our inbox from a website that we do business with, asking us to update our information on their site. But, how can you really be sure that the site you have done business with is the one requesting the information, and not an identity thief?

Criminals crafting websites to pass themselves off as a business or financial institution is a problem that is growing. The sole purpose for these websites is to mislead you into revealing your personal data. The partnership of making use of email and websites to dupe you into revealing your private data is called phishing. Phishing is a great reason to always be using a identity theft fraud protection company.

Finding a phishing email is not as simple as you might think it is. These emails most often appear to be very genuine and will impersonate the emails you would get from the real business. The difference is that, when you click on a link in a phishing email, you are taken to a website which has the sole purpose of stealing your personal information.

The fake, or phishing, websites usually have the same look and feel of the real website. One way to differentiate between the fraud and real website is to take a close look at the website domain name. The impostor usually will have the real website name in its name, but it will also have extra characters that revel it is a phishing site.

The organizations that come up with the phishing emails and sites are usually professional identity thieves. They usually can afford to use a lot of money and resources to make very real looking emails and websites since a whole lot of money to be made in stealing personal information. These thieves are out to get you, so it is always a great idea to be using a identity theft security plan.

Because they ultimately want to steal your identity, or other information that can be used to make money, they want to seem genuine. They will have the same look and usability that the real company uses, which includes real logos and slogans.

Since these fake emails and websites can be so good, it is often times hard for people to tell that they are not on the real website. The better effort the crooks put into the design of these duping sites and emails, the more likely they will trick unsuspecting people.

If you do not want to become a victim of a phishing attack, the best thing you can do is never ever click on a link in an email. If you think of the genuine nature of the email, then just visit the website like you normally would. The only defense against these phishing attacks is to never click on the email link in the first place, and by using a identity protection theft service.

Phishing is a fairly recent approach being used by criminal elements that are committed to stealing your identity or getting their hands on other information that is personal to you. They do this by sending out bulk emails that imitate emails that are sent out by genuine businesses, in hopes to get you to click on links which will take you to a website designed to get your information away from you.

With the phishing technique, thieves create emails that are modeled after emails companies that you have done business with might send out. With these sham emails, you are instructed to click on links which will take you to a fraud website which too looks like the real thing. You are duped into giving out your personal data which is used by the criminal. This is a perfect reason to use a protect against identity theft service.

Media outlets have been devoting more attention to phishing exploits as they are becoming more popular. The entire phishing exercise has become very advanced, with it being very difficult to distinguish if you have received a phishing email, or have found yourself on a phishing website. Therefore, it is very critical that you be aware of emails you receive and links you click on.

Phishing schemes can be considered as a very innovative form of spam. Most spam is an attempt to get you to visit a site and buy something. The advent of phishing takes this to a whole new level as they are trying to fool you into clicking through to a site and providing valuable personal information to the thieves.

This means that once you have given out your valuable personal data, the criminal organization then has free reign to do anything they want with it. An example of this would be if you were to give out your login information to your online banking, the thief could log into your account and take all of your money and leave you with nothing. The possibilities are limitless.

Phishing sites and schemes are up for only a very short period of time, which means that even if you were successful in notifying the appropriate agencies about the criminal activity, chances are nothing would happen. All the thieves need is a short bit of time to convince a handful of victims to provide the information the crooks are looking for, then they are long gone.

Many of the large phishing attacks come from overseas, which means even if the authorities could could figure out where the criminals are, there is little that they can do. Your best defense to a phishing plot is to refrain from clicking on any link in an email and to protect your identity with some sort of stolen identity protection solution.

This phishing scheme is just one more way criminals are making use of powerful techniques to steal your personal information so so they can profit from it. Be wary of emails that appear to come from a bank or other company you might do business with. And to be safe, consider using a identity fraud protection solution.

As a fairly new approach, phishing is being used by criminals that are intent on stealing your identity or getting their hands on other personal information. They do this by putting out emails in bulk that imitate emails that are sent by actual companies, hoping that you click on links which will take you to a site whose sole purpose is to get your information away from you.

With the phishing technique, thieves create emails that are modeled after emails businesses that you have done business with might send out. With these sham emails, you are directed to click on links that have you end up on a fraud site which too looks like the real thing. You are tricked into giving out your personal data which is used by the criminal. This is a perfect reason to use a protect against identity theft service.

The main stream media has been devoting more attention to phishing exploits as they have become more common as of late. The whole criminal exercise has become very developed, with it being very difficult to distinguish if you are in receipt of a phishing email, or have found yourself on a phishing site. It is very critical that you be aware of emails you receive and links you click on.

Phishing schemes can be considered as a very innovative form of spam. Most spam is an attempt to trick you to visit a site and make a purchase. But phishing takes this to a much different level as they are trying to trick you into clicking through to a site and giving away personal information that is valuable.

This means that once you have given out your personal information, the criminal organization has free reign to do what they wish with it. For example, if you were to give out your user name and password to a online financial institution, the thief could log into your account and take all of your money and leave you with nothing.

These criminal sites are online for only a very short period of time, which means that even if you were successful in notifying the appropriate agencies about the attack, they most likely couldn’t do anything. All the thieves need is a short bit of time to trick a handful of people to give out the information the thieves are seeking, then they disappear.

Many of the large phishing efforts come from foreign countries, which means even if the authorities could could figure out where the criminals are, there is not much that they can do. Your best defense to a phishing attack is to refrain from clicking on any email links and to protect your identity with some sort of identity protection solution.

This phishing scheme is yet another way criminals are using sophisticated strategies to steal personal information belonging to you so so they can profit from it. Keep a sharp eye out for any email from a bank or other company you might do business with. And to be safe, consider using a LifeLock Reviews solution.

As a pretty new approach, phishing is being used by criminals that are committed to getting ahold of your identity or gaining access to other information that is personal to you. They accomplish this by sending out emails in bulk that imitate emails sent out by genuine businesses, in hopes to get you to click on links which will take you to a website designed to get your information away from you.

With the phishing technique, thieves create emails that are modeled after emails sent out by companies you might have done business with. With these fake emails, you are told to click on links which will have you end up on a impostor website, again modeled after the real company website. You are duped into providing them with personal information which is used by the criminal. This is a perfect reason to use a protect identity theft solution.

Media outlets have been devoting more scrutiny to phishing exploits because they have become more common as of late. The entire criminal process has become very sophisticated, with it being very difficult to distinguish if you have received a phishing email, or have found yourself on a phishing site. It is very critical that you be paying attention to the emails you receive and links you click on.

Phishing schemes might be thought of as a very innovative form of spam. Traditional spam is an attempt to get you to visit a website and make a purchase. The advent of phishing takes this to a whole new level as they are trying to fool you into clicking through to a website and providing valuable personal information to the criminals.

Of course, once they have gotten your personal information, the thief has complete freedom to do anything they want with your information. For example, if they got a hold of your user name and password to your online banking, the criminal could gain access to your online account and transfer all of your money to their bank account. Really, the sky is the limit.

Phishing sites and schemes are up for only a very limited time, so if you were successful in notifying the appropriate agencies about the attack, chances are nothing would happen. All the thieves need is a short bit of time to dupe a small number of people to provide the information the thieves are looking for, then they are long gone.

Many of the large phishing attacks come from foreign countries, which means even if law enforcement could could figure out where the criminals are, there is not much that they can do. Your only defense to a phishing attack is to not click on any link in an email and to use a good protect your identity plan.

Phishing is yet another way criminal organizations are making use of powerful techniques to steal your personal information so so they can profit from it. Be wary of emails from a financial institution or other business you are familiar with. And to be safe, think about using a identity protection solution.

Phishing is a fairly new tactic being utilized by thieves that are committed to getting ahold of your identity or getting their hands on other information that is personal to you. Emails are sent out in bulk that imitate emails sent by real companies, hoping that you click on links which take you to a website designed to steal your information.

When using phishing, criminals come up with emails that are modeled after emails sent out by businesses you might have done business with. With these sham emails, you are directed to click on links that take you to a impostor site which too looks like the real thing. Therefore, the thieves are hoping you are fooled into giving out your valuable information for the thief to use. This is a perfect reason to use a identity theft fraud protection service.

Media outlets have been giving more attention to phishing exploits as they are becoming more popular. The entire criminal exercise has become very sophisticated, which is making it very difficult to tell if you are in receipt of a phishing email, or have found yourself on a phishing website. It is very vital that you be paying attention to the emails you receive and links you may be clicking.

These phishing schemes can be considered as a form of evolved spam. Traditional spam is an attempt to trick you to visit a site and buy something. But phishing takes this to a whole new level as they are attempting to fool you into clicking through to a site and giving thieves your personal information.

Of course, once you have given out your valuable personal data, the criminal organization then has free reign to do anything they want with it. For example, if they got a hold of your user name and password to your online banking, the thief could gain access to your online account and take all of your money and leave you with nothing.

Phishing sites and schemes are online for only a very short period of time, so if you were able to notify the appropriate agencies about the criminal activity, they most likely couldn’t do anything. A short time is all the thieves require to dupe a small number of people to give out what the thieves are looking for, then they are long gone.

Many of the large phishing attacks come from overseas, which means even if law enforcement could track them down, there is not much that they could do about the situation. That means that your best defense to a phishing attack is to refrain from clicking on any email links and to use a good identity protection service.

The technique known as phishing is yet another way criminal organizations are using complex strategies to get their hands on your personal information so so they can profit from it. Keep a sharp eye out for emails that appear to come from a financial institution or other business you are familiar with. If you want to be safe and secure, consider using a protect your identity service.

As a pretty recent technique, phishing is being utilized by thieves that are committed to getting ahold of your identity or gaining access to other personal information. Emails are sent out in bulk that look like emails that are sent by genuine businesses, hoping that you click on links which take you to a site designed to get your information away from you.

When using phishing, thieves make emails that look just like emails sent out by companies you might have done business with. With these fraud emails, you are told to click on links that take you to a impostor website, again modeled after the real company website. Therefore, the thieves are hoping you are fooled into giving out your valuable data for the thief to use. This is a great reason to use a identity theft protection plan service.

Media outlets have been devoting more scrutiny to phishing exploits as they have become more common as of late. The entire criminal affair has become very developed, with it being very difficult to distinguish if you are in receipt of a phishing email, or have found yourself on a phishing site. It is very vital that you be aware of emails you receive and links you click on.

These phishing attacks might be considered as a very innovative form of spam. Most spam is an attempt to convince you to click through to a website and buy something. The advent of phishing takes this to a much different level as they are trying to fool you into going to a website and giving away personal information that is valuable.

This means that once they have gotten your valuable personal information, the criminal has free reign to do anything they want with it. For example, if they got a hold of your user name and password to a online financial institution, the thief could gain access to your online account and take all of your money and leave you with nothing. The possibilities are limitless.

Phishing sites and schemes are up for only a very short period of time, which means that even if you were able to notify law enforcement about the criminal activity, they most likely couldn’t do anything. All the criminals need is a short bit of time to trick a small number of victims to provide the information the crooks are looking for, then they disappear.

And because most of the big phishing schemes are run by overseas criminal syndicates, even if the authorities could could figure out where the criminals are, there is not much that they could do about the situation. Your best defense to a phishing attack is to not click on any email links and to protect your identity with some sort of stolen identity protection plan.

This phishing scheme is just one more way thieves are making use of highly evolved methods to steal your personal information so so they can profit from it. Be wary of any email that appear to come from a bank or other business you are familiar with. If you want to be safe and secure, consider using a protect your identity plan.

As a fairly new tactic, phishing is being utilized by criminal elements that are intent on getting ahold of your identity or gaining access to other information that is personal to you. Bulk emails are sent that mimic emails that are sent by actual companies, in hopes that you click on links which take you to a site designed to get you to give up your information.

With the phishing technique, thieves make emails that are modeled after emails businesses that you have done business with might send out. Through these impostor emails, you are directed to click on links which will take you to a fake site, again modeled after the real company website. You are duped into providing them with personal data for the thief to use. This is a excellent reason to use a protection against identity theft solution.

The main stream media has been devoting more scrutiny to this criminal activity as they are becoming more popular. The whole phishing affair has become very sophisticated, which is making it very difficult to distinguish if you are in receipt of a phishing email, or are on a phishing site. Therefore, it is very vital that you be paying attention to the emails you receive and the links you may be clicking.

These phishing schemes can be considered as a form of evolved spam. Most spam is an attempt to trick you to click through to a website and buy something. The advent of phishing brings spam to a whole new level as they are trying to fool you into clicking through to a site and providing valuable personal information to the criminals.

This means that once you have given out your personal information, the criminal organization has complete freedom to do anything they want with your information. For example, if you were to give out your login information to your online banking, the criminal could log into your online account and transfer all of your money to their bank account.

Phishing sites and schemes are active for a very limited time, so if you were successful in notifying law enforcement about the criminal activity, they most likely couldn’t do anything. All the thieves need is a short bit of time to trick a handful of people to give out what the criminals are seeking, then they disappear.

Many of the large phishing efforts come from foreign countries, which means even if law enforcement could could figure out where the criminals are, there is not much that they can do. Your best defense to a phishing plot is to refrain from clicking on any link in an email and to protect your identity with some sort of Trusted ID solution.

Phishing is just one more way thieves are making use of powerful strategies to steal your personal information so that they can use it for evil means. Be wary of emails from a bank or other business you might do business with. And to be safe, consider using a LifeLock Review solution.

Phishing is a fairly new tactic being utilized by criminals that are intent on getting ahold of your identity or gaining access to other information that is personal to you. They accomplish this by sending out emails in bulk that look like emails that are sent by genuine companies, in hopes to get you to click on links which will take you to a site whose sole purpose is to get you to give up your information.

With the phishing technique, thieves create emails that look just like emails businesses that you do business with might send out. With these sham emails, you are told to click on links that have you end up on a fraud site, again modeled after the real company website. Therefore, the thieves are hoping you are fooled into giving out your personal information for the thief to use. This is a great reason to use a identity protection theft solution.

Media outlets have been giving more scrutiny to phishing exploits because they are becoming more popular. The entire phishing affair has become very sophisticated, which is making it very hard to tell if you have received a phishing email, or are on a phishing site. It is very vital that you be paying attention to the emails you receive and the links you click on.

These phishing schemes can be thought of as a very innovative form of spam. Most spam is an attempt to convince you to click through to a site and make a purchase. But phishing brings spam to a whole new level because the criminals are attempting to fool you into going to a site and giving away personal information that is valuable.

This means that once you have given out your personal information, the thief then has free reign to do what they wish with it. For example, if you were to give out your user name and password to a online financial institution, the thief could log into your online account and transfer all of your money to their bank account. Really, the sky is the limit.

These criminal sites are active for only a very limited time, so if you were able to notify the appropriate agencies about the criminal activity, chances are nothing would happen. A short time is all the criminals require to dupe a small number of victims to provide the information the crooks are seeking, then they are long gone.

Many of the large phishing efforts come from foreign countries, which means even if law enforcement could track them down, there is little that they could do about the situation. Your best defense to a phishing attack is to not click on any email links and to use a good identity protection service.

The technique known as phishing is just one more way criminals are making use of sophisticated strategies to get their hands on your personal information so that they can use it for evil means. Be wary of emails from a bank or other business you are familiar with. If you want to be safe and secure, consider using a identity fraud protection solution.