7 Common Identity Scams & How to Avoid Them
This post was written by active-duty law enforcement officers. Please join in on the conversation with your comments, questions, and suggestions.
Identity thieves prey on those who look like they aren’t paying attention and appear to be easy targets. Stop being easy targets!
There are several easy ways to appear more “with it” and self-aware in public, starting with paying attention to your surroundings. An attentive person walks confidently with their head up, as if they have a purpose. Basic precautionary measures include watching where you park your car; in other words, not isolating yourself or parking a long way away from your destination.
In this day and age, we can also use technology to increase our awareness. There are several emergency apps you can install on your phone that will call 911 or a close contact in case you are in danger. Some apps will even send your exact GPS location to the police department.
How to Avoid the Most Common Identity Scams
Wallet & Purse Thefts
Keep your purse closed and secured at all times.
Keep your purse physically close to your body.
Rather than carrying a large purse, use a clutch with only the cards and identification you’ll need to complete your errands or plans for the day.
Never leave your purse or clutch in a shopping carriage. You only need to look away for a few seconds for someone to grab it and run!
Don’t Rule Out Carrying Less-Lethal Weapons that can help to protect you.
Check out more information on what Prepare To Act professionals recommend for you.
The Byrna Gun - It shoots pepper ball projectiles
The Birdie Alarm - A personal alarm you can carry anywhere!
Self Defense Keychain - So many options - find out which is right for you.
Know the difference between a stun gun vs taser - It’s an effective choice!
Garbage Thefts
Dumpster divers could easily pick through your trash and find enough personal information to put together and assume your identity. Did you know that in most states, once your garbage can is pulled to the end of your driveway for pickup it is legal for anyone to go through it?
It’s true; police use that all the time to discover evidence that may be helpful in securing a search warrant. We call them “trash pulls.” Protect yourself!
Shred everything before putting it into your garbage.
Go paperless and pay your bills and receive your bills online.
Always keep track of your credit report. Check our product review section to see what we suggest to be the best companies to work with.
Mail Thefts
Vital information is delivered directly into your mailbox on a daily basis. If the bad guys get their hands on this, you will definitely have some issues. Protect yourself!
Use a locking mailbox.
Do not leave your mail in the mailbox for too long.
Rent a PO Box at your local post office.
Shoulder Surfing Thefts
So you’re at the ATM and not paying attention, but the bad guy behind you is. He/she will simply stand close enough to you to steal your pin as you enter it. In a more advanced scenario, hidden cameras are placed and aimed directly at the keypad and card scan slot. Protect yourself!
Be aware of your surroundings and keep a presence of mind.
Use cash as often as possible rather than your debit/credit cards.
Do not write down your passwords and pins where someone can find them, like your wallet or purse.
Pay Attention to an even more violent crime when using the ATM
It’s called Bank Jugging - it’s violent, it’s real and it’s sweeping the world.
Read more about it - Here!
Vishing Thefts
These could be automated voice calls informing you that you have won a prize or that there’s been an emergency and they need you to disclose your personal, identifiable information. Protect yourself!
Always be suspicious of unsolicited phone calls.
Use your Caller I.D.
Once you have the number from your Caller I.D., use the internet to look up the number and confirm the information. You can do this by following this link: whitepages.com/reversephone
Pharming Thefts
This is simple and taken for face value, but to pull it off takes a little work. The bad guy is able to adjust or tamper with the website you may be searching for and ultimately, send you to the website that they’ve created.
When you visit this site, it automatically captures your personal information. Now, you feel that you are on a trusted site and feel way more comfortable supplying deeper personal information. Protect yourself!
If it’s a merchant account, check the padlock symbol in the right-hand bottom of the website’s scroll bar.
Contact the website administrator or the organization directly via telephone to verify that such requested information is needed.
Review your credit report.
Social Engineering Thefts
This is the practice of someone — either in person, over the telephone, or on the computer — using means to deceive someone else into divulging sensitive information. Protect yourself!
Do not give your personal information to anyone you do not trust or do not know.
Get a good contact number to call back before supplying any of your own information.
Verify the caller’s information & call the company directly before giving out any information.
These are just some of the scams that are happening — there are so many more out there. We cover more scams than the ones listed in this blog. Also, we are in the middle of reviewing and learning about several identity theft organizations, products, and offers that you will soon be able to find under our product reviews page.
Bonus Content - One Last Scam To Be Aware Of - The Kidnapping Scam
If you receive a phone call from someone claiming to have kidnapped your loved one, it's important to stay calm and not panic. This is a common phone scam that preys on people's fears in order to extort money from them. The first thing you should do is try to verify the caller's identity. If you can't do that, then simply hang up the phone. Do not give out any personal information or try to negotiate with the caller. They will often use aggressive language and threats in order to try to get what they want, but this is just a tactic to scare you into giving them money. If you do receive one of these calls, the best thing to do is just hang up and report it to the authorities.
Stay Safe. Stay Passionate. Stay Focused.