Phishing, proxy services and identity theft
Identity theft, one of the fastest-growing crimes against consumers, victimizes more than ten million people each year.
In order to steal someone's identity, an identity thief needs to have some information about the prospective victim. Such information could include the victim's:
- Social Security Number,
- passwords,
- date of birth,
- place of birth,
- mother's maiden name,
- drivers license number,
- credit card numbers,
- bank account numbers.
Armed with this information, an identity thief can open credit card accounts, obtain loans, make purchases, etc., all in the victim's name.
The U.S. Department of Education has created a website to help college students avoid credit card fraud and other forms of identity theft. The site describes:
- the identity theft threat,
- steps to reduce your risk,
- what you can do if you become a victim,
- the school's responsibility in protecting identities, and
- scholarship scams.
Visit the site by clicking the following link:
