Outsmart Scammers: Are You A Victim Of The Biggest Case Of Identity Fraud?

With millions of Americans falling victim to identity fraud schemes each year, you are probably already taking numerous steps to protect yourself in order to avoid becoming one of them. By making sure to use only a secure checkout when shopping online, ignoring email or pop-up window requests for personal information, and shredding any credit card offers or other personal documents before throwing them away, you are taking some important precautions to protect your identity.

But how can you protect yourself when a major retailer has had their information hacked? This week, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) charged 11 people with various crimes related to the largest identity theft case ever to be prosecuted by the U.S. DOJ., involving over 40 million stolen credit card numbers. Ringleader Albert “Segvec” Gonzalez and his cohorts used a technique called “wardriving“, which involves driving around and scanning the wireless networks of retail stores in search of security holes. The thieves were able to hack into the computer networks of many major U.S. retailers such as Barnes & Noble’s, OfficeMax, Sports Authority, T.J. Maxx, and Forever 21.  They would then install “sniffer” programs that would capture customers card numbers, passwords and account information from credit and debit processing systems. So that means even if you’ve been extra careful when handling your own accounts and passwords, a simple transaction could have resulted in your information being captured by scammers.

You should always be careful to keep your personal information protected.  Here are some tips from the FTC to make sure you detect any fraudulent activities on your accounts as soon as possible.

• Inspect your credit report. A credit report will contain information about your accounts and your bill-paying history.
• The three major credit reporting companies provide one free credit report each year. Visit annualcreditreport.com to get yours.
• Check all of your financial statements regularly and search for charges you did not make.
• If you check your bills or bank account online from a public computer, make sure to always log off of the website before you leave the computer.
• Watch out for red flags that require immediate action. Bills that don’t arrive as expected, unexpected credit card or new account statements, being denied for credit for no reason, or receiving calls about a purchase you didn’t make are all signs that you might be a victim of fraud.

Check out our Identity Protection Toolkit right here on the AMW Safety Center for some more information about how you can protect yourself against fraud.