Victims Willingly Provide Information In Recent Identity Theft Scams
One of the most profitable scams being perpetrated against individuals today is the theft of personal information, with which the thief can take advantage of a person's credit rating and all the potential benefits that go along with it. By using internet access and email, the thieves no longer have to use the telephone or dig through garbage cans as most of the recent identity theft scams give the victim the chance to volunteer their personal information.
The two biggest methods being used on the internet are called phishing and spoofing. Sometimes the perpetrators of these thefts use both methods and may appear to actually be doing the victim a favor. In fact, in one of the recent identity theft scams the target victim will receive an email claiming to be from a trusted source, informing them their personal information has been compromised and they need to visit a specific website in order to clear their name.
When they visit the site be using a provided hot link, they are actually going to a site that is designed to look official, but is operated by the scam artists. If the victim fills in the form and submits it, their information has been given to the person using the recent identity theft scams to gather even more personal information and will not even be aware their identity has been stolen until they get hit with tons of bills.
Caution Required When Claiming Prizes
One of the other popular recent identity theft scams involves email advising people that they have won a prize or have been identified as being owed a tax refund from the IRS. Most victims do not realize they never entered the contest in which they have been named a winner and the form they fill out with the winner's information is just another of the recent identity theft scams. With tax refunds, the Internal Revenue Service will not send an email, or ask for personal information, as they already have it.
Many of the recent identity theft scams involve websites that have been designed to resemble the actual sites, fooling a lot of people into believing they are entering a site they have visited numerous times in the past. There are indications that sites are not what they appear to be but for those that have been scared into believing they have to provide information or risk having their bank account frozen, or the eBay and PalPal accounts compromised. Once the information has been submitted the person becomes a victim of one of the recent identity theft scams.
