Profile of Identity Thieves

Identity thieves can take on many forms. But, there are certain profiles that repeatedly pop up in multiple identity theft cases. Instead of trying to capture a virtual thief without a face, your greatest chance of preventing identity theft just might be studying common behavior patterns of known identity theft suspects. Although it would be impossible to write an article with a conclusive list of common methods used to obtain information and commit identity fraud, this article covers some of the more widely used methods.

The Fronts: Who Do Thieves Pretend to Be?

Although some cases of identity theft involve hacking into various accounts, and thieves have virtually no personal contact with their victims, there are also numerous amounts of thieves trying to dupe people into giving away their personal information. So, what type of person should you be on the lookout for?

1. The too good to be true lover. It’s no secret that identity thieves use social networking sites to their advantage whenever possible. Many of them pass themselves off as friendly and attractive people looking for romance on the World Wide Web. In many cases the thief will even send a photo (either a clip art image or a photo of someone else) and try to pass it off as him or her. Usually, the relationship begins with the thief sending expensive gifts meant to woo the unsuspecting victim. But these gifts generally tend to be bought with a stolen credit card. Once trust is established, the thief will ask his or her new love interest for help. Sometimes the thief asks the love interest to wire money to help him or her with medical expenses. But, other times he or she will ask the victim to help him or her run the family business. The thief will ask the love interest if he or she would be willing to receive packages and then repackage the items and ship them overseas. The love interest is, of course, asked to front the shipping charges but is assured he or she will be reimbursed later. What the victims don’t realize is that these items have been purchased with stolen credit cards and are technically considered hot merchandise. 

2. The blast from the past. Identity theft and credit card theft are two distinctly different crimes, but they have become so intertwined that the terms have almost become synonymous. Some identity thieves prefer to engage exclusively in credit card fraud, so they seek to establish online relationships with people in an effort to gain access to information that may allow them to hack into a person’s bank accounts and drain their funds. These thieves lurk on sites like MySpace or Facebook and they randomly contact people claiming to be an old classmate from high school. Since most people blindly accept friend or buddy requests online, they accept these people even though they cannot seem to remember them. The thief will usually join some sort of online alumni network to try and establish credibility. Then he or she will strike up friendly conversation trying to learn as much about you as possible. Before a victim realizes what’s happening, a thief can extract all of the information necessary to reset email passwords, reset bank passwords and gain control of the victim’s bank accounts.

3. A business or bank you legitimately work with. Phishing is very common among identity thieves, and almost everyone with an email account has been the recipient of some sort of phishing email at one time or another. These types of emails appear to come from your bank or other institution (eBay, Pay Pal, etc…) where you have an account. The email claims something is wrong with your account and that you need to log in via a link provided and reenter your information. Instead of directing you to a legitimate website, this email will really send you to a convincing fake and instead of giving your information to your bank or another trusted company you will be placing it right into the hands of eager identity thieves.

4. The potential business partners promising huge returns. Another common ploy used by identity thieves is the guise of a potential business partner who has a “great” idea but needs your resources to help make it happen. Thieves using this method usually contact victims via email and open their correspondence with very generic greetings like “Dear Sir or Madam.” They usually claim to be foreign nationals needing the help of someone in the states. Although many people delete these emails without even reading them, a surprising number of people fall right into the trap.

The Real Face of Identity Thieves

In almost all of the cases above, the identity thief isn’t one person acting alone. Instead, an entire ring of identity thieves usually works together to pose as one person or one institution. These rings are commonly based outside of the United States, and are even sometimes operating from anti-US countries because they cannot be prosecuted there if they are caught. Bad grammar is a general sign that these emails are being sent by someone who speaks English as a second language. Because victims aren’t dealing with just one person, and these identity theft rings are generally experts at pulling off their crime, it can be easy for even the most intelligent people to get duped.

In order to prevent identity theft, you must make sure you always follow these guidelines:

1. Never ship packages to someone you haven’t met in person at his or her request and on your own dime. This is a telltale sign that you are dealing with a thief of some kind. If you are in an online relationship and you are asked to do this, politely decline and end the relationship immediately. It would also be a good idea to report the person who asked you to do this to the online community where you met.

2. Don’t become online friends with people you don’t know or don’t remember from the past. Be very careful about who you invite into your online social circle. Don’t engage in conversations with people you don’t know in person, and do not release any personal information about yourself to a stranger. It would also be a good idea to use phony information when answering security questions for your bank or credit card company if you have an online presence. Often, things like pet’s names or the name of the street you grew up in are unintentionally revealed in blogs or on social networking profiles thus rendering them useless for security purposes.

3. Only login in to your accounts by going to the website directly. Don’t follow a link. If you receive an email from your bank or a company you regularly do business with and you think it might be legitimate, login to your account by visiting their actual website instead of clicking the link in an email. That way, if you do have to type in any personal information you can be assured it is going to a legitimate institution and not an identity thief.

4. Don’t do business with people you don’t know and avoid get rich quick schemes. If a business proposition comes from someone you don’t know, and it sounds too good to be true, avoid it. Anything that promises to cost little and yield a lot should be approached with suspicion—especially when it comes from a stranger. Face it, if someone really has a million dollar idea or access to a large sum of money why would they need to share it with you?

Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in America and the internet is its playground. Constantly be on guard against identity theft at all times. Be watchful and wary when it comes to online scammers. One simple mistake could cost you your identity. So don’t fall for common schemes.