How do Identity Thieves get your personal information?

Stolen Mail
A thief can get all of the necessary information from credit card and bank statements, new checks, or tax information you receive or send in the mail.

Dumpster Diving
Certain unscrupulous and less hygienic people will actual steal your trash and rummage through it to find old statements or any other documents that may have your personal information on it.

Credit Reports
Identity thieves may pose as a landlord or an employer to obtain your credit information from a credit reporting agency.

From Legitimate Businesses
They can obtain your information from regular businesses in a number of ways:

• Conning employees.
• Bribing employees.
• Hacking the business' computer information systems.
• Stealing records or information from their employer.

Good Old Fashioned Robbing and Stealing
They can steal your wallet or purse with all of your important information in it. They can also break into your home and steal any important documents that are not securely filed away.

Skimming
The more technologically advanced thieves will use a credit card scanner they have mounted to an ATM machine or tucked away that you will inadvertently run your card through thinking it is the regular ATM machine card scanner. In reality, you will be giving them all of the necessary information to start using your card number to go shopping.

Phishing
Identity thieves will pose as your bank or credit union and contact you by phone or e-mail and give some story about needing to verify your account information because they believe there might be something wrong with your account. If you give them all of your personal information, the thieves can then do whatever they want with your identity.

Phishing variations include "Nigerian government officials" who have money tied up in a local bank and need a bank account outside of the country to wire the money to. In exchange for your letting them temporarily deposit the money in your account, they will give you a percentage of the funds. Another common scam that has popped up lately is the “bulldog puppies” that are in a kennel in another country and need homes if you pay for the transportation and registration fees to bring them into the U.S.