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How Identity Thieves Steal Your Identity
You hear a lot about identity theft these days, but how exactly do they do it? Thieves use a variety of illegal techniques to procure identity information. Here are a few: 1) Take mail from a mailbox, 2) Divert mail to another location by filling out a change of address form, 3) Go through trash to find identification and financial documents, 4) Access credit reports by posing as landlords or employers, 5)Hack into personal computers, 6) Pose as legitimate companies or government agencies to request personal information via email (called phishing), 7) Steal hard copy or electronic files from your workplace, 8) Stand close to you at the ATM to learn your Personal Identification Number and 9) Work at restaurants, gas stations, or other businesses to steal money or information from credit/ATM/debit cards (called skimming). While you can't protect yourself completely, make sure to take common sense steps that help protect you from these common forms of identity theft (i.e. pick up your mail once a day).