One way that an employed person can become a victim of identity theft is if a person who has access to personnel information gets fired and then in retaliation they steal personal information.  They may not do anything with it or they might sell the information to criminals who in turn resell it to illegal aliens.  They may even use it to apply for government benefits.  It is also not unusual for a scammer to put in an ad for a job that does not exist in hopes of enticing the unemployed to apply for the job and be able to obtain their personal information for the fake application.

There are identity theft protection ways that you can protect yourself from these types of scams whether you are unemployed or employed.  Here are some of the ways you can protect yourself.

• There is one scam that a job seeker is asked to provide their social security number before an interview.  The reason for this request is that they want to do a preliminary background check before the interview.  Make sure if that happens that you say no.  It is illegal for an employer to do a background check until after the interview.
• If a potential employer asks for bank or credit account information so they can do a credit check do not give it because if they want to do a credit check they can do it with just your address, name and social security number.
• Pay close attention when you are applying for a job online because a lot of communication will pass between you and potential employers because this is the time that the identity thieves are trying to steal your personal information.  Make sure that you pay attention to the email addresses of anyone you are communicating with and make sure that the email address comes from a company and not a personal email which is a good way to tell you are being scammed.

A paper shredder is not that expensive and is a worthwhile investment for any home or business.  Here is a list of papers that should be shredded and not just thrown in the trash.

• Old Tax Returns–you should save your tax returns for at least three years but after that time, it is safe to destroy them.  When you keep them, they should be kept in a firebox.  What an identity theft is looking for is not just your name and address but your Social Security numbers.  This includes your dependent’s numbers also.
• Bank Statements–any papers with your bank account numbers should be shredded.  If you do not need to receive bank statements, opt for online bank statements via email.
• Credit Card Offers–if you are not going to take the bank or credit card company up on their offer, shred them right away.  People do not like to think about it but identity theft does happen within family members.  Some family member could fill these out and open an account in your name.
• Old Photo ID’s–this includes any old security badges from previous workplaces or school ID’s.  A photo ID is not enough to steal your information by itself but it does contain personal information.  It could be used as part of a bigger identity theft scheme in order to bypass some fraud prevention measures.
• Pay Stubs–many people may not realize it but that pay stub is loaded with personal information that could be used by a skilled identity theft.  It has your name and many times your Social Security number. If you use direct deposit, it will also have the name of your bank and maybe part of your account number.
• Credit Card Convenience Checks–some credit card companies will send their cardholders these types of checks.  They can be used to borrow against the line of credit that you have for quick cash.  If you do not plan to use them, shred them immediately.
• Canceled Checks–even if you write void on a canceled check still has personal information on there.  There are your routing and account numbers on the bottom of the check.  Some people make sure that their checks have their name, address, and phone number on it.  Some will even have their phone number and Social Security number printed on the check.  In the info line, you may have even put an account number there and whom the number belongs too.
• Canceled Credit Cards–this includes any cards that you no longer plan on using.  Even the one that may have had the number stolen should be destroyed.  If you cannot put it through your shredder, cut through the magnetic strip, cut into four pieces, and put the pieces in different trash bags so they cannot be pieced back together and this is always a good credit protection practice.

In conclusion, if anything you are about to toss in the trash has any personal information on it, and then it should be shredded.  You do not want to become a victim of identity theft.

Protect Yourself

There are two identity theft protection ways that you can protect yourself from becoming a victim of a scam.  One of the most important things that you can do is making sure that you read the fine print not only at the bottom of the paper but anywhere that there appears to be small fine print.  In addition to the small print you should read the contract or agreement entirely before you sign it.  Scammers may use small print, sophisticated language, or asterisks to either confuse or hide the true meaning of what you are signing your name to.

You should also make sure that you guard all your personal information.  Make sure that you verify their identity if anyone asks for your personal information.  Make sure that you ask for their name, the name of their organization, the address, and the phone number.  You need to make sure that you verify this information through an outside source such as the telephone directory or their website.
If you Should Become a Victim

If you should become a victim of identity theft in spite of doing everything that you could to avoid being taken in by a scammer, demand a refund if you paid in any money.  If they give you an evasive response or refuse to give you a refund, tell them that you are planning on notifying the law enforcement officials and follow through with it if you do not get a refund.

Make sure that you document everything so you will have records in case this turns out to be a scam and you have to take some type of legal action against the company or organization.  Make sure that you track all the phone calls, do your best to record all the costs involving the time you had to spend recovering your money, and keep copies of all the paperwork.

If the company will not refund your money there are several agencies that may be able to help you get your money back.  If you suspect that you have become a victim of consumer fraud make sure that you contact the Consumer Hotline of the Attorney General’s Office. You can also contact your local Better Business Bureau, the Federal Trade Commission, or the United States Postal Inspection Service.

If you decide to freeze your credit repot these creditors and lenders cannot check your credit score or report unless you give the credit bureau a password.  Since most places will require a credit check before they will give a person a loan an application for credit will most likely denied if they do not have the correct password to check your credit score.  You can freeze your credit report with all 3 major credit bureaus.

If you already have credit with a company they can access your credit score and report without the password.  In addition, there are certain government entities and law enforcement agencies that can access your credit score and report.  Your credit score is not affected by the credit freeze.

Here are some reasons that you might want to freeze your credit report.

• If you have been a victim of identity theft
• If your credit card number has been stolen
• If your mail has been stolen or tampered with
• If you want to protect yourself from becoming a victim of identity theft
• If you have subscribed to a credit monitoring service

In all but nine states there are laws requiring credit bureaus to allow security freezes on credit report.  In the nine states where there are not laws requiring this, the credit bureaus voluntarily allows you to freeze your credit report.  In many states the freezing of your credit report will remain in effect until you take it off but in some states it will expire after seven years.

The fees to put a freeze on your credit report, remove the freeze, replace your PIN. Or temporarily lift the freeze can range from five to twenty dollars.  There is no fee to freeze your credit report if you have been a victim of identity theft.  You do have to contact each credit bureau individually to put the credit freeze on your credit report.

If you should get a phone call of this type make sure that you do not give out any information even if they sound legitimate for the simple reason is that you did not initiate the call.  Some of these scammers are so smart that they can even have your credit card company’s number show up on the caller ID by spoofing your caller ID.  Only trust calls that you make by using the number on the billing statement or on the back of your credit card.  If you get any numbers in an email or left on your answering machine that you do not know do not call them back and give them any personal information.

Call your credit card company immediately if you mistakenly give out your personal information.  The credit card company may give you a new credit card number or even a new credit card and deactivate the old one to prevent fraudulent charges from being made on your account.
Make sure that you check your credit card statement closely each month when you get it to see if there has been any unusual activity.  If you spot any unusual activity make sure that you call your credit card company and report it immediately.  If you mistakenly give out your social security number make sure that you place a fraud alert on your credit report.  You just need to call one of the credit reporting bureaus and they will let the other two know about the fraud alert.

The best line of defense is if you should get any type of phone calls like this to hang up.  Credit card companies would not be calling and asking you for your credit card number or security code because they already have your credit card number.