What is Identity Theft?
Impersonating someone without their knowledge by obtaining their personal and/or confidential information is called Identity Theft.
What leads to identity theft?
A lot of people are tricked into their confidential personal information to criminals by
- Phishing emails or
- Social engineering
Malware discreetly installed onto your computer without your knowledge may steal your passwords and other credentials.
Another vector is shoulder surfing – peeping over someone’s shoulder to check what username and passwords are being typed.
What are the threats?
The more the services available online, the more are the chances of your identity getting stolen.
The latest threat are sophisticated Trojans, installed at Point of Sale (POS) system, which steal credit card data numbers from the register at which it is swiped. Then stolen card numbers are then used to make online purchases billed to the unsuspecting victim.
What are the risks?
The identity thief may take a loan in your name and disappear, leaving you in enormous debt and having to face debtors when they come to collect.
Criminals may also be using your bank account to remote transfer money to various locations without your knowing until it is too late.
Online profiles impersonating you can result in
- unwanted negative publicity
- ruined social relationships
