Common Ways Your ID Can Be Stolen: Talk to your Teens Today

How many people and especially teens don't believe that bad things can happen to them?  You hear about robberies, car accidents, even other people who get STD's, but all this bad stuff - it won't happen to you. Many teenagers believe they are immune to these sorts of terrible things in life.  However the truth is - bad things can happen to good people.

Well, identity theft is a horrible situation, not as deadly as an auto accident, but emotionally and financially can be devastating.

Starting Sunday October 17th - 23rd is the 3rd Annual Protect Your Identity Week and hopefully you will take the time to secure your private information.

Knowing how these thieves can steal your identity can help you to use precautions.
According to Federal Trade Commission, here are some common methods that thieves use:

1. Dumpster Diving. They rummage through trash looking for bills or other paper with your personal information on it.
2. Skimming. They steal credit/debit card numbers by using a special storage device when processing your card.
3. Phishing. They pretend to be financial institutions or companies and send spam or pop-up messages to get you to reveal your personal information.
4. Hacking. They hack into databases or steal business records to get customer PII.
5. "Old-Fashioned" Stealing. They steal wallets and purses; mail, including bank and credit card statements; pre-approved credit offers; and new checks or tax information. They steal personnel records from their employers, or bribe employees who have access.

Learn more at Protect Your Identity Now.

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