How Identity Thieves Hack into Computers
Young PC Users Are Still at Risk When Using Computers at Home
Mar 12, 2009
The Federal Trade Commission released a report in 2007 that stated the most vulnerable victims of identity theft are between the ages of 18-29 years. Also in 2007, the Identity Fraud Survey Report released by Javelin Research & Strategy came to a similar conclusion. They said people in the 18-24 age bracket are least likely to take small but important preventative measures to keep their identities safe, like using shredders to dispose of old documents and incorporating antivirus programs/firewalls into computer systems.
But while university students can be careless on campus, those in the aforementioned age groups who use computers at home are inadvertently inviting hackers and cybercriminals into their living rooms. Here's why identity theft is so overwhelming and becoming the number one crime in the United States.
Unsecured Electronic Networks
Identity thieves know exactly which computers are ripe for infection by an insidious program known as trojan horses, or simply trojans. Unlike computer viruses, they do not replicate themselves. But, they allow the hacker to gain remote access to the victim's computer and once that happens the criminal can automatically program the trojan to send back information that should remain confidential i.e. credit card numbers, account numbers etc.
Once in the system they are incredibly difficult to get rid of. The victim's computer can be turned into a "botnet," part of a network of zombie computers that send out spam and other malicious kinds of software to thousands of other systems.
Tips: Keep security measures up to date. Trojans are designed to look like something harmless, like downloadable music or games. Unless you know exactly where these messages are coming from and what it contains – do not click on it.
Popular Social Networks
Facebook, MySpace and other sites of this sort provide a fertile ground for criminal activity. By listing every bit of personal information like the full date of birth, physical address and phone numbers, active users are setting themselves up for identity theft. Criminals can fill out a change of address form and send it to the U.S. Postal Service. Once your mail is redirected to another location an identity thief will have all the information that is necessary to pretend to be you.
Friend requests may seem benign, and it can be fun to see a list of friends from around the world get bigger. However, highly skilled cybercriminals can hide behind images of seemingly real people.
Impostors can pose as friends and even real friends can steal your identity. Javelin Research found that a shocking 17% of identity theft victims had their information stolen from somebody they knew. Do not assume that once a piece of information is deleted it will be gone forever. It would be a simple matter for anybody to save and use it to their advantage, so think about what you're going to broadcast online before you type it especially anything to do with specific times you'll be away from your home, i.e. "time and place" information.
Online Shopping
It's easy for identity thieves to replicate websites that are otherwise safe, and this technique is known as phishing. A common method is to alert an internet user there is a problem with a bank account, and unless he/she acts immediately the account will be deactivated. Once the victim enters some important numbers and clicks OK or SEND, the damage is done.
Tips: Never use debit cards online and never divulge a Social Security number while surfing the web. To be on the safe side shop from a site that uses the https:// in the URL browser. Look for companies that display the Better Business Bureau logo.
