Common Identity Fraud Scams

To help prevent you from becoming a victim of identity thieves it is important that you make yourself familiar with the common types of scams that these criminals can use to try and trick you into revealing your private personal data, so that you can spot and avoid them if you are ever targeted.  The FBI has identified and listed many of the common identity theft scams on its official website, and you can find out more information at: http://www.fbi.gov/majcases/fraud/fraudschemes.htm.

Telemarketing Scams

Unless you are ex-directory, your name and telephone number appears automatically on telephone marketing lists.  This means that you could receive a number of telemarketing calls from third parties who have access to the list, and this can range from people trying to sell you goods and services through to harmful scam calls that are used by fraudsters to try and trick you into revealing your sensitive personal information or to hand over money.  Common scams include fraudsters pretending to be from legitimate financial services calling to ‘confirm’ your account details, or those pretending to offer fantastic deals on goods, services or investments, which in reality are fake and once you have handed over your money you get nothing in return (identity theft reviews).

You can get you name and number removed from telemarketing lists by contacting the FTC’s National Do Not Call Registry, and once you have registered your number telemarketers are required under legislation to remove your details from their calling lists within 31 days, and you should start to see a significant decline in the number of telemarketing calls soon after registering.

Junk Mail Scams

Fraudsters commonly use consumer mailing lists to send out scams, and this can include fake advertisements for goods or services such as brochures, special offers and leaflets, and also fake charity donation requests.  If you reply to these scams you will often get nothing in return for any money you send, and you will also run the risk of having the personal information you supply misused by identity thieves in order to run up charges on your existing account or fraudulently apply for new accounts in your name.