Four Methods Criminals Utilize To Take Your Personal Identity Via The Phone

Identity thieves have become very sophisticated. According to IBM's X-Force Trend and Risk Report fraudulent e-mails rerouting someone to a bogus site typically referred to as phishing is rising. It does not end there unfortunately. There have been an escalation in internet server breaches. Not surprisingly the same is true for cellular phones given that lots of people have foregone the traditional land line and use their cell phones exclusively.

No matter what type of phone someone uses identity thieves have a scam ready and waiting. And it's not like they have to break into it either. Talking with you specifically often yields the best results given that it plays on a number of emotions as well as the immediacy of the situation. Examples of these are

1. You Currently Owe The IRS

Very few things will rattle you like getting a call from the Internal Revenue Service. The fraudster says something was wrong with your tax information from this year or previous ones. If you want to stop an audit, a severe fiscal fine or going to jail it is vital that you cooperate with this fake representative.

They take the gamble that after saying all of this you will be to scared to do anything else. Therefore you proceed to provide as much private information as possible.

2. You Missed Jury Duty

A bench warrant has been issued for your arrest. You had jury duty on whatever day and failed to appear. Saying that you never received a summons of any sort does no good. The sheriff's office is on the way. Then they ask you to verify some information. Afterwards they inform you that they need to verify everything is correct and then get back to you.

3. The Process Servers

This could be by means of a court subpoena or an alleged financial debt. Like the Internal Revenue Service and jury duty scams, the identity thief can be quite pushy. This document needs to be sent to you immediately therefore they want to confirm the home address as well as make sure you are going to be there in the next hour or so. To your temporary comfort the address does not match what's on their records so they decide to verify the social.

4. Congrats You Won A Prize

It's an ancient routine nonetheless it can still get the job done. Particularly on the elderly considered to be one of the segments most targeted by identity thieves. You've won whatever sweepstakes. The award will be delivered to you right away but first the "agent" needs you to provide answers to the following questions.