The home computer is one of the newer places for identity theft to occur. Many people don't understand how it can happen to them but later realize they really messed up using online services that just weren't secure.
An intelligent identity thief can easily get all of your personal information and use it to destroy your credit which could take years to repair even if you prove you are a victim.
One of the easiest ways for someone to get more information than you can imagine is when you simply upgrade, donate or throw away your old computer.
People can be so excited about their new computer that they simply unplug their old one and set it aside until it's time to dispose of it.
This is one of the worst things you can do. That old computer has all of your computer cookies, bookmarks, emails, and everything you ever looked at on it.
Someone just has to take it home and plug it in to see what you have been doing, buying, and looking at.
The Internet itself is used to gain access to all kinds of personal information. College students are at very high risk because their personal information and grades are often posted on the Internet so they can check it.
All it takes is someone to figure out their password and they now have everything they need. It's not hard to stop this from happening in the first place.
Use difficult passwords. Don't use anything that is related to you. No numbers, no names, nothing like that. Choose a password that is eight to ten characters long with numbers and letters in it. That is very hard to crack.
Identity Theft Related Articles
Identity theft is when a criminal acquires and uses someones personal information and then uses that information to, in a sense, become that person for awhile.
The most common uses of identity theft are credit card and check fraud. Some other uses that can occur are illegal immigration, blackmail, crime or just attacking an individual for revenge.
Identity theft can really destroy someones life for months or even years. The most common result is destruction of credit.
People often get credit cards and open bank accounts in the victims name and buy all kinds of expensive merchandise they can either keep or sell for cash.
In extreme cases, loans can be taken out for thousands of dollars and the identity thief can simply disappear. Luckily, a photo identification is necessary for high priced transactions and loans most of the time.
Credit isn't the only thing that can be destroyed by identity theft. Many times, criminals will use your personal information to get a drivers license because they are wanted or plan to commit many crimes very soon.
If these criminals rent a car that is used in a crime, guess who is the first suspect? That's right, its YOU. By the time you even realize this has happened, your name and picture might be all over the news.
This can annihilate your good name in your community or even the entire country. Even when it is proved you had absolutely nothing to do with the crime, people will still associate you with that particular event.