The ruse had the agents posing as buyers who intended to use the false documents to obtain loans in other people names. It was also learned during the investigation that the identity theft ring worked with a hacker who had provided them with some 2,700 ATM codes and matching passwords and that they had been using to access and drain accounts.

NY Grand Jury Indicts Five in Identity Theft Plot

A federal grand jury out of Buffalo New York has handed down a four count indictment charging five people with conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Charged were Rungen Huang, Jia Ming Huang, Chang Keng Zheng, Zhen Qiang Liang and Siu S Cheng. All of them lived in Florida and New York.

The groups method of operation was to obtain stolen credit card and debit account numbers then use that information to manufacture counterfeit debit and credit cards. It was determined through the course of the investigation that over a six month period running between last July and December, the group had drained accounts of some $510,000 using ATM machines in area casinos.

Using Romance as a Ruse

The more straight forward of these hustles involves simply meeting people online, meeting them in person and then when the opportunity presents itself gathering up their personal information or even their credit cards. Romance hustlers like this will often even work in pairs. One will distract while the other does the thieving.

Here is One of the Most Common Scams

While that’s the most straight forward ploy, its not the most common. The most encountered identity theft con game that’s ran in dating chat-rooms in fact doesn’t even involve taking your ID. It revolves around convincing you to receive, sign for and then re-ship goods that have been purchased with stolen credit cards.

One of the Most Surprising Identity Protection Tips

You see the big problem that identity thieves commonly face, is buying and receiving goods. Buying them online is the easy part but the risk comes into play when it comes time to receive and sign for them. So how to do it without being seen or leaving a trail? The answer to that is one of the most surprising identity protection tips it turns out.

Receiving and Reshipping for a Friend

The all to common method is for an overseas con artist to cultivate an online chat-room relationship with someone in the U.S. The next step is to convince the person to take delivery of goods then reship them. They will usually claim that there are some problems related to tariffs and that’s why they need to be reshipped without the receipt.

Love Truly is Blind Online

In fact in one recent police operation, the investigation trail led to a man in his 60s who thought he had an attractive 20-something year old girlfriend in Spain, who he was shipping to. He had taken delivery of goods worth hundreds of thousands of dollars and had even been duped out of $48,000 of his own money that he had spent on shipping charges for his fake girlfriend.

There was a time, a handful of decades back when protecting yourself from identity theft was something that you really didn’t have to give much thought to. Well times have sure changed and the number one factor that can be blamed for the increase of this crime is the Internet.

Back in the good old days, a crook who was intent on assuming someone else’s identity, for the most part had to actually physically get their hands on a persons vital documents. That alone made things quite a bit more difficult. In those days mail boxes were a prime source of ill gotten information.

Similarly on the same note; once a person did go through the steps to highjack someones ID and establish lines of credit, the overall risk factor was higher as well. Back then all too often to use the fraudulently obtained credit, they had to show their face.

Times sure have changed. Because now your private information can be stolen and offered up for sale online with the simple click of a computer mouse. Then when it’s time to make purchases and trash your credit, more often than not it’s a foreign national operating in some far flung country.

In fact with so many people out to get their hands on it. Criminals who have so many uses for it. Once your identity is stolen, you’re stuck having to deal with the consequences for the rest of your life. It will be passed around back and forth for decades, as each crook tries their best to find some new nefarious use for it.

So there is much that you can do in your home and your local area when it comes to protecting your identity but for the most part, the bigger job is to be done online. For instance identity protection services now employ specialists who’s job it is to interact with online stolen identity marketers in search of their clients personal information.

• Who Better to Ask?

The one big problem that you most likely have if you want to protect yourself from identity theft, is that you don’t think like thief. You see stealing and abusing an identity fraudsters personal information would be an extremely difficult task. They no doubt would have all their bases covered.

A Thief Knows How To Protect Yourself From Identity Theft

So then who do you suppose are the best people to talk to if you want to protect yourself from identity theft? That’s right! You guessed it. The best people who would know what thieves are looking for, is thieves themselves. So then what are convicted identity fraudsters saying today?

Identity Thieves are Prowling Parking Garages

They’re saying to never leave your purse, wallet, checkbook or credit card receipts in your car. You would be amazed at just how easy it is for a knowledgeable pro to get in and out of a vehicle without an owner knowing it. Merchandise left in bags often has credit card receipts in with it and they know it.

Destroy Unused Credit Cards

Carefully review your credit card account statements every month and only use cards that have the very latest in up to date security measures. Even then, make it a point to toss out cards that you aren’t regularly using. Keeping several cards with high credit limits is just asking for trouble.

Never Use Checks or Debit Cards Online

Never use a check or debit card when shopping online. Checks can be washed and rewritten to higher amounts and a debit card is a one way ticket into your savings. Consider using just one card for online shopping and make sure it’s a card from a company that uses up to date security measures.

Be Tight Fisted With Your Social Security Number

Start being stingy with your social security number. More businesses and organizations, such as you local gym are relying on social security numbers for tracking members because it’s easy and efficient. Learn to just say no! If they don’t have an alternative than you can be that they are a gold mine for an identity thief.

Several People Can Use Your Social Security Number

What you need to understand is that your social security number can be sold over and over again online or where undocumented workers congregate. It has a value and all it takes is one renegade employee in business that tracks members this way and every social security number in the files can be for sale on Internet.

Here is Something You Have Done Before

The last bit of advise from the convicted thieves is to never print your social security number or drivers license number on a check you have written. It’s a common security measure but it’s just too risky in this day and age. Use a check guarantee card and that should be enough.

For years now fraudsters have been having a heyday robbing people blind and ruining their credit. Of course one of their all time favorite tools of the trade has been stolen credit card information. Well finally some credit card providers have finally instituted new protection from identity theft. It’s about time too!

Protection From Identity Theft that Works

This is a three or four digit code that now can be found on the back of most Visa/MasterCard and Discover cards, as well as on the front of American Express cards. The concept behind how this code operates is so simple that you may wonder what took them so long. Anyway the fact is that they have now done it and here is how it works.

No Card No Purchase!

In a nut shell, the code is used to verify that the person making a purchase, either over the phone or the Internet, actually has possession of the card. It basically makes stolen numbers or magnetic strip information all but worthless to anyone who attempts to use it. If they don’t have the actual card they can’t make a purchase.

They Don’t Transfer to Card Receipts

The code enables a seller on the other end of the line to verify information that is cryptographically contained in the code. Also the numbers of this code are not raised, so they’re never recorded on any credit card receipts. Hence; in theory the code will only be available to you the card holder.

Even Merchants Now Need an Access Code

To make it even more difficult for Internet fraudsters, credit card companies that are using this code system now require all online merchants who want to accept their cards to obtain a security code themselves. It’s a merchants access code that enables them to check your code. There are still other new security measures that are being developed but this one is so simple and basic you have to wonder what took them so long.

• Is your identity theft service doing enough?

With each identity theft service holding itself up to be the one amongst all of them to protect your savings, credit and personal information, it can be rather difficult to decide which one to choose. In the end the best tip you can get, is to make an effort to understand how an identity thief works to make an educated decision.

It’s Primarily Done on the Internet

By and large most transactions that are made with stolen or fraudulently obtained lines of credit and credit cards are done on the Internet and initiated from an overseas location. That is that it’s primarily people in foreign countries making online purchases using Americans stolen credit.

The First Step in Shipping Goods Overseas

So then how do they get their hands on the merchandise without having it traced to them? Also won’t the fact that the products are being shipped overseas arouse suspicion? The solution to that problem is to have them first shipped to a person in the U.S. who then re-ships them overseas.

Just Another Old Romantic Fool

Would you believe that it’s lonely hearts who are found in online dating chat-rooms who are often tricked into accepting then re-shipping merchandise bought with stolen credit card numbers? It’s an all too common scenario. An older lonely man who thinks he is involved with an attractive younger woman in another country.

The Trail Always Runs to a Dead End

So the trail of the stolen loot all too often ends at the doorstep of some old fool who in most cases even used his own money to pay for the shipping. Just one more victim among many, so they’re never prosecuted. Of course the overseas location where he sent the goods ends up to be some cheap flat rented under a fake name.

The Best Identity Theft Service

The best identity theft service monitors online venues and chat-rooms using software that is programmed to detect their clients personal information. It’s places like these, where stolen credit card numbers, pin codes, debit cards, bank account numbers, etc are bought and sold for as little as $5.

It All Happens in 10 Minutes or Less

So then how long does it take for your card to be limited out or your bank account accessed, once it’s bartered on one of these underground Internet venues? A recent CNBC investigation found that on average, unless a stolen credit card was detected by an identity theft service, it took around 10 minutes for it to be depleted with online purchases.

For one thing, in many cases people have been led to believe that the police are out there to protect them. They pay their taxes and have watched their local police department balloon in size. Surely with so much police protection out there, the criminals must be wary?

They’re not! In fact if you don’t have an identity protection plan in place, stealing your identity is about as close a crook can get to committing the perfect crime. In fact if you’re vulnerable enough, your stolen identity can be resold on the black market after the initial thief has finished up with you.

For the most part, police agencies and that includes your local sheriffs department, just don’t have the resources to spend trying to track down and apprehend criminals involved in identity theft. It’s busts like drug related crimes that make the news and make career promotions.

What cop worth his salt wants to get stuck on an identity theft detail? There’s no free donuts and coffee for them! Even if they do track down a crook and make a bust, no one ever hears about it. It’s the cop that catches the guys smoking loco-weed down at the park that gets his name in all the local papers.

So it really is up to you to cover your own butt when it comes to preventing your personal information from being stolen and misused. This means that unless you have already started putting one together, now is the time to sit down and draw up your own in depth and comprehensive identity theft protection plan.

• Your Annual Tax Refund Sent to Someone Else?

One of the most common scenarios involving identity theft, is stolen social security numbers being use to get jobs. For the most part, it’s illegal aliens that do this but people with child support or other types of liens can also end up using your identity to work. Inevitably it leaves the true owner of the identity searching for identity theft solutions relating to income taxes.

It’s Happening to People Right Now!

As you can imagine it can be a difficult job to deal with because the onus is on you to prove that you weren’t the actual person who was working. You see almost without exception, they will file tax exempt which can leave you looking at an entire years wages with taxes due on them. So then what about the employer?

Will they Help You With Identity Theft Solutions?

Don’t count on him or her being cooperative because the whole thing will leave them with mud on their faces. Also by law, they are under no obligation to hand over anyone’s tax or employment records to anyone and that includes you. Besides, chances are that it’s some agricultural enterprise in another state and they’re used to people like you calling.

Hey is that really you?...Nice hat!

Don’t Count on Any Help From them!

They have loads of undocumented workers on their payroll with fake IDs and the last thing that they are going to do is admit complacency. They have acres of crops to bring in and a business to run and dealing with people like you is just the cost of doing business. They’re going to act stupid or just hang up on you.

Meanwhile Fines and Penalties are Adding Up

Now as far as the IRS is concerned, they just want their damn money. Besides for all they know, your claim that you didn’t work at the job and earn the money, is just ruse to get out of paying your taxes. Now add to that they can tack on fines and penalties while you’re scrambling to sort the whole mess out.

The IRS Now Has a Toll Free Number

The good news, is that the IRS now has a toll free number (1-800-908-4490) to assist you if you feel that you’re a victim of identity theft. This number was established for people to call and have their accounts marked so identity theft solutions can be found more expediently. Keep in mind that they can only take information that’s required for marking your account only.

Act Now If you Feel You’re ID Has Been Stolen

Now if you feel that you’re safe if the person who stole your ID and worked with it actually filed for a tax return and didn’t leave you with a tax bill, consider this. If they filed before you did, they will not only receive the tax refund on the wages that they earned but they’ll also receive any money they you’re due at the same time. You must act now, if you feel your identity has been stolen.

Don’t Get Taken By Phishing Scams

The word phishing is used to describe techniques that are employed to extract information from you by way of email and online chat services. The most basic of them involve convincing you to click to a link or respond to a site that is set up to “appear to be” PayPal, a bank or credit card service.

Only Shop at Secure Websites

Online shopping can be as secure as shopping at your local mall, just as long as you know what to look out for. Before you shop on any site, make sure to check the bottom of your browser for a locked graphic. Another thing to look for to insure that a site is safe is https in the address bar. If there’s no secure connection, hackers can eavesdrop on your transactions.

Shred All Mail and Documents

Buy a good paper shredder and make it a policy to shred all mail and personal documents that you throw out. In fact if you have a fireplace it too can be used to destroy sensitive material that otherwise would be left sitting in your trash container. Trash diggers aren’t looking for junk anymore. They’re on the hunt for your personal information.

Keep Your Anti-Spyware and Anti-Virus Software Up to Date

A spyware program or computer virus that finds its way into your computer can can make your private information available to identity thieves. The best way to block this threat, is to use at least one anti-spyware program and one anti-virus program. Also make sure to keep them both up to date.

Research and Ask About Identity Theft Protection

When was the last time you asked your employer about what steps they are taking to safeguard employees personal data? Have you called your credit card company to find out if you will be held liable for fraudulent charges? What about asking your local bank manager about their anti-theft policies?

Guard Your Social Security Number

Increasingly today, more institutions and organizations are using social security numbers to identify and track members and clients. It’s great for them because it’s more simple and fool-proof. However; for you it’s not so great because it makes one of your more sensitive items of personal information vulnerable. Always ask for and consider other options.

Check Your Credit Report Carefully

You’re entitled by law to one free copy of your credit report from each of the three major reporting agencies each year. You can even get them online. Rather than getting them all at once, consider checking one very four months. This way you have a better chance of detecting a problem much quicker.

Keep Your Important Documents Locked Up

The prices on small fire resistant personal safes have dropped significantly over the years. In fact you can now buy one that’s large enough to keep all your papers in at your local Walmart or Home Depot for as little as $50 now. Buy one and use it.

Guard Your Incoming and Outgoing Mail

If you live in a nicer, low crime neighborhood with steady police patrols, you are in fact more vulnerable to mail box raiders. They know that you feel secure and are less likely to take anti-theft measures. Install your own locking mail box or talk to your neighbors about having a group security mail box system installed.

Before I get started explaining this particular aspect of identity theft services, you need to know one thing. That is that no service provider can stop someone from stealing your ID unless you follow their advice religiously.

Even then if one of your relatives decides to run off with your checkbook one day while you’re taking a nap, how can some service stop that? So in the end, no matter what service you use, you do still retain some level of personal responsibility.

Today’s identity theft monitoring services in short work to cover areas of vulnerability outside of your home and let me state right now that not all services and plans are alike. Some offer more service options and some are more expensive than others.

Now perhaps you have by now heard that so much of what these services do, you can in fact do yourself. Things like having a credit freeze installed on your accounts at all three credit reporting agencies. As it turns out, this is in fact true but if you think that protects you completely, you are wrong.

You have to understand that if some attempts to obtain a line of credit in your name and is frozen out, they still have your identity and there still are illegal uses for it. For example it can be used by someone to get a job. Of course they will claim tax exempt and you end up owing the taxes.

So why would someone want to use your ID to get a job? Actually there are two types of people who most commonly obtain employment with other peoples ID and the first one is illegal aliens. The second group is people who face having their wages garnished. Usually for child support or back taxes.

Only through an identity theft monitoring service that scans the Internet for clients stolen identification, such as social security numbers can protect you from being victimized this way. They use state of the art software to scan lists of stolen Ids that are up for sale online and also employ people to monitor topic related chat rooms.