Posted on 12/1/2017 3:00 AM By Florida Peninsula Insurance Company
Synthetic Identity Theft is a type of fraud in which a criminal combines real and fake information to create an entirely new identity. This identity is then used to open fraudulent accounts to make fraudulent purchases. This makes it easier for criminals to steal money from credit card companies and lenders who extend credit based on the fake identity. This way, they are not stealing from actual people making it a lot harder to get caught.
Banks are usually the victims of synthetic ID fraud since most of the information these criminals provide is legitimate, such as a real name (but a stolen social security number). After all the purchases are made and they use up all of the credit, it’s the credit card companies who pay the price, since they cannot collect payment from the fake identity who established the account. This is a very tricky situation to handle.
Synthetic identity fraud has become one of the most common types of fraud, yet the most difficult to catch, and ...
Posted on 12/1/2017 3:00 AM By Florida Peninsula Insurance Company
Identity theft is a serious crime which happens when someone uses your personal information without your consent to commit fraud or other crimes. Personal information includes things like your name and Social Security, or credit card numbers. ID theft can happen anywhere, at any time. Fortunately, there are some simple ways to lower your risk of becoming a victim.
1. Always verify who you are speaking to over the phone: Remember, banks or creditors will never call you randomly and ask you to verify your credit card numbers or social security numbers. This only happens when you are the person calling trying to get information about your account. Always search online directly through your bank or creditor’s website to obtain their official contact numbers. Never dial a number from a third-party. To be even safer, go directly to the branch to solve any issues you may have.
2. Handle financial documents with care: If you need to throw away documents ...