Boo! Are you scared? You should be, you see I’m a ghost and every day I tap in to the information cyber world.
And every day I have access to you. Worse yet I could be you. According to the secret service approximately one-half a billion dollars is lost every year to identity theft online. What people don’t seem to realize is that the internet world is just like any other community. so its safe to assume the cyberworld would act as any natural community would with entrepreneurs, vast corporations, little guys selling warez, doctors visiting patients in their cyber offices, church organizations, and cybercrime as well as cybercriminals. With so many new users signing on everyday the cyber world has become a tourist trap so to speak where nameless faceless con artists work the crowds.
Ghosts. Anybody can fall victem to a ghost. Nobody is really truly safe because our personal information is distributed like candy on Halloween. Weuse our social security numbers as identification numbers Credit card numbers are printed on every receipt. And our liscense number is used on a daily basis.
Despite this there are ways to prevent yourself from falling victem to identity theft. you see a criminal likes easy prey. They don’t want to have to work forit. It’s like locking your car at the mall, sure someone might break in anyway, but chance are if your doors are lock they will probably move on to another car.
First off. . . Never give your credit card number online out unless you are positive that the company you are dealing with is legitimate and reputable. If you aren’t sure call the better borough of business.
Never give out your social security number unless you absolutely have to, the only times you are legally obligated to give out your social security number is when you are requesting government aid of some kind or for employment reasons. Also, I have information packets that I will hand out regarding a company that for a small cost has information about everybody. The packets have detailed information patio onhow to have your name and your family members names removed from their database system. Now you might be thinking ” Granted I can see why you wouldn’t want to give out your credit card numbers but What could actually be done with my social security number?; Everything.
This is your most vital information. Say I were a cybercriminal. Say I came across your social security number while perusing the school database. With your social security number I can obtain information about you through the school by oh requesting a transcript for instance. LaterI could sign on to my anonymous account and fill out an application for American express and maybe a master card and oh I could use a new beeper to, this one is shot.
By changing your adress to a PO box or an abandoned apartment box. I could pick up my new cards and legitimately become you. I could also takeit another step and request a new birth certificate, because It’s not at all dificult to find out where you were born because the service I ment ionedearlier has all of this information for me. I can even get a photo license with your information. Scared yet’so I charge you thousands of dollars and you don even know it until you try to take out a loan for your daughter’s new car.
Granted in most cases you might not have to pay for the monitary damage directly but it will take you years to fix your credit. This is identity theft. . As Isaid earlier anybody can become a victem.
But now you have vital information that could prevent you from becoming one. So Never give out your information unless you have absolutely have to. Do yourself a favor and do your transactions in person. The information cyber world is a wonderful place to visit, but justlike in Tijuana don’t let the little mexican guy sell you a gold necklace for$80 bucks, and don’t fall prey to the ghosts. .
