A recent article by identity theft expert Robert Siciliano outlines the damaging effects of a relatively new type of identity theft: Social Media Identity Theft.
While Siciliano warns that identity theft can happen to anyone (children, elderly, celebrities, politicians) of any financial means (poor, middle class, rich) and in many forms (criminal, medical, or business identity theft), one of the most damaging to a person’s professional character in society is Social Media Identity Theft, in which identity thieves pose as other people – usually rich and famous ones – in order to disrupt their lives, harass and stalk them or people they know, or steal their social media identity for financial gain.
The most recent victim of Social Media Identity Theft was the St. Louis Cardinals MLB team manager Tony La Russa. An identity thief created an account in La Russa’s name and posted derogatory and demeaning comments on Twitter.com – a free an extremely popular social networking and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based updates of up to 140 characters known as “tweets.”
However, La Russa – who has filed a suit against Twitter.com – is just the latest in a line of celebrities to be targeted on the site. Months ago, the Twitter accounts of pop princess Britney Spears, Fox News (and anchor Bill O’Reilly), and even new President Barack Obama were all hacked and false and inappropriate messages were posted.
While Social Media Identity Theft is no doubt embarrassing and should be punished, the overall effects are less financially straining than other forms of identity theft that cost victims – most neither rich nor famous – both money and time. These ordinary people cannot just erase a fake message; they must deal with the real ramifications of criminal identity theft for years, even decades.
Preventing identity theft in all forms is becoming more difficult in today’s digital age due to the popularity of social media websites like Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and YouTube. One method is to run a "personal background check" to view and manage Personal Identifying Information (PII) such as name, data of birth, and Social Security Number (SSN). In an effort to control PII, and online reputations, many individuals have preformed these personal background checks on themselves. Why? Because a personal background check can ensure that an individual's information is free of errors, inaccuracies, or discrepancies – and has not been taken over by an identity thief.
A personal background check is a series of different searches that are compiled into a single report using Personal Identifying Information to access various public and private sources to determine if any criminal, credit, employment, or other records exist. Companies like MyBackgroundCheck.com – one of the first web-based background check companies focusing on individual consumers – helps keep Personal Identifying Information used in background checks secure, accurate, and up-to-date. The company provides fast and affordable background check results tailored to the needs of consumers. These multi-use, portable background checks can be used as individual screening for jobseekers, students, renters, in-home help, contractors/vendors, and also as identity theft protection.
For more information on personal background checks, please visit www.mybackgroundcheck.com, email info@mybackgroundcheck.com, or call 1-800-503-2364.
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A recent story from GreenwichTime.com, proves once again the importance of background checks when hiring a nanny, babysitter, au pair, or other live-in home help.
According to the report, a nanny in Connecticut allegedly stole checks from the homes of her employers – moving from job to job and committing a crime at each stop – and even showed up at a local day care to pick up a child after having been let go by the child’s parents months before. After the day care incident, police found the woman working as a nanny for another family and arrested her. She was charged with breach of peace, first-degree larceny, eight counts of third-degree forgery, and eight counts of fraudulent use of an ATM card.
According to police, the woman came to America from Brazil on a work permit and did so well on her interviews at the homes where she worked as a live-in nanny that most families never checked her references or ran a background check, which is how she managed to steal sensitive financial information from the people for whom she worked. In one instance, police said the nanny cashed forged checks worth $16,000.
This nanny is a prime example of how residents need to protect themselves when hiring an in-house employee, particularly one in charge of watching children like a nanny, babysitter, or au pair. When people allow someone into their house, they should know that person’s background. One way to find that information out is to run a background check on that individual.
For families that rely on full-time nannies, this nanny’s story may become more common, especially with the recent slump in the economy. As a result, police said it is vitally important for people to do thorough investigations of their prospective employees in the form of extensive background checks.
The most important steps in hiring a nanny or other live-in help are the interview and background check. The prospective help should fill out a form detailing their work history so references can be fact-checked to ensure they are legitimate. Background checks should be performed by a professional, accredited background check provider to ensure maximum efficiency.
MyBackgroundCheck.com – a leader in consumer-requested and applicant-supplied background checks – offers a comprehensive Home Help Screening service to protect families from the people they hire to work in their home. In many cases, the prospective employee will pay for the background check to help speed up the hiring process. For more information on background check services for live-in home help, please visit www.mybackgroundcheck.com, email info@mybackgroundcheck.com, or call 1-800-503-2364.
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tahearn@mybackgroundcheck.com
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In a series of articles, the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) takes an in-depth look at the impact identity theft has on individuals and society. The first part discusses the easy availability of Personal Identifying Information (PII) for identity theft.
From birth to death, everyone leaves a trail of Personal Identifying Information. What exactly is PII? The most recognized forms are:
- Name
- Social Security Number (SSN)
- Date of Birth
- Driver's License Number
- Birth Certificate
Besides these obvious choices, the federal Identity Theft & Assumption Deterrence Act of 1998 states that a person’s PII – or “means of identification” – may also include any of the following:
- Alien Registration Number
- Government Passport Number
- Employer or Taxpayer Identification Number
- Unique Biometric Data (fingerprint, voice print, retina/iris image)
- Unique Electronic Identification Number, Address, or Routing Code
- Telecommunication Identifying Information or Access Device
The many forms of PII – and their prolific use in everyday life – make the task of controlling personal information next to impossible, and the chance for identity theft much greater. Since everyone with PII is vulnerable to identity theft, that Personal Identifying Information should be monitored as frequently as possible to expose any wrongdoing and lessen the risk of identity theft. One way this can be done with a "personal background check," which is a background check that individuals perform on themselves. Personal background checks, like background checks run by employers, reveal an individual's personal information.
MyBackgroundCheck.com – a leading supplier of personal background checks for individuals – helps consumers view, monitor, and protect their PII. By requesting a personal background check, individuals are empowered with control of their own personal information. For more information on personal background checks to protect PII from identity theft, please visit www.mybackgroundcheck.com, email info@mybackgroundcheck.com, or call 1-800-503-2364.
Contact Us @ MyBackgroundCheck.com
tahearn@mybackgroundcheck.com
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Drivers may want to keep the following story in mind if they ever get into a fender-bender in the future.
A Phoenix, AZ man was recently busted for committing identity theft on a hit-and-run victim. The man – who was accused of getting into an accident with the victim in 2008 – supposedly delivered a letter sent by some “detectives” that claimed the victim was at fault and needed to pay for damages.
The victim emailed the fake detective agency to say he was not at fault and received an email back with an attachment. After trying to open the attachment, the victim's computer crashed. Soon after that, he discovered his computer was infected with a virus and he found unauthorized charges on his credit card. He was a victim of another type of "hit-and-run" crime: identity theft.
A search of the accused man’s house uncovered keystroke logger software and documents and access devices with the victim's personal information. Investigators also discovered that someone obtained pre-paid credit cards using that information and had them delivered to a private mailbox rented in the victim's name with a fake driver's license.
In many ways, identity theft is like a hit-and-run accident, since the guilty party disappears and the victim is left with the damages. Most experts agree that identity theft could become far more prevalent because of the current economic situation. According to Javelin Research, almost ten million Americans were victims of identity theft in 2008, and that figure is expected to rise.
Identity theft is a federal crime in which a person obtains key pieces of personal identifying information (PII) – such as Social Security numbers and driver's license numbers – and uses them for personal gain. With identity theft, the best defense is a good offense. People need to know what is contained in their personal information – including criminal background checks – before identity theft strikes, not after.
MyBackgroundCheck.com offers individuals background checks to help them to control their personal information and prevent identity theft. By giving themselves a personal background check, individuals can secure, monitor, and protect their PII. For more information on MyBackgroundCheck.com’s personal background check services, please visit www.mybackgroundcheck.com, email info@mybackgroundcheck.com, or call 1-800-503-2364.
Contact Us @ MyBackgroundCheck.com
tahearn@mybackgroundcheck.com
*We welcome relevant comments and questions from consumers, experts, and human resources professionals. Please do not submit comments with advertisements as they will not be posted publicly. Thanks for visiting our blog!