A recent article from BusinessWeek finds that criminals are hacking into corporate job sites, emailing as potential employers, posing as recruiters, and creating fake job boards to collect personal data from unsuspecting jobseekers in order to commit identity theft.

As if the over 14 million Americans currently looking for work didn't have enough to worry about already, now they have to be on the lookout for identity theft. As the unemployment rate soars, scammers are trying everything to trick jobseekers into giving up sensitive personal information. Jobseekers in particular are vulnerable to identity theft because many are eager to give information they believe will get them a job. As a result, the jobseeker market has slowly but surely been invaded by scammers.

Security experts say criminals appear to be using false job-listing sites more frequently for identity theft. In some cases, they sell data on legitimate jobseekers to people who lack credentials to land jobs. According to a February 2009 report by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, of the 313,000 cases of consumers registering complaints of identity theft in 2008, about 15% said the identity theft was employment-related.

While it is unclear how many identities are stolen through the job-application process, identity theft is growing. According to the 2009 Identity Fraud Survey Report released in February by consulting firm Javelin Strategy & Research, the number of identity theft victims reached almost 10 million in 2008, a jump of 22% over 2007. The report also claimed economic misfortune may have contributed to the increase in identity theft, since higher rates of identity theft have historically occurred when the economy worsens.

In another popular scam, criminals pose as recruiters ready to extend an offer who request Social Security numbers or other personal information to do background checks. But they really want to commit identity theft. They use the fact that a person needs a job and that he or she will do anything – including give away sensitive personal data – to get that job.

One way a jobseeker can avoid this popular scam is with a personal background check. While most background check companies focus on employers, MyBackgroundCheck.com offers consumers, including jobseekers, the chance to give themselves a background check and keep personal information secure, accurate, and up-to-date.

For more information about how personal background checks can help jobseekers avoid identity theft, please visit http://www.mybackgroundcheck.com, email info@mybackgroundcheck.com, or call 1-800-503-2364.

tahearn@mybackgroundcheck.com

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According to a new survey from Internet security software provider Webroot, members of online social networks such as Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, and Twitter may be more vulnerable to identity theft, fraud, and financial loss than they realize.

The survey of over 1,100 members of popular social networks uncovered numerous risky behaviors by social networkers that put them at risk for identity theft and other crimes, including two-thirds of users knowingly or unknowingly sharing personal information with strangers. Among the highlights:

• Two-thirds of respondents don’t restrict any details of their personal profile from being visible through a public search engine like Google;
• Over half aren’t sure who can see their profile;
• About one third include at least three pieces of personally identifiable information (PII);
• Over one third use the same password across multiple sites; and
• One quarter accept “friend requests” from strangers.

In addition, three in ten people polled in the survey experienced a security attack through a social network in the past year, including identity theft, unauthorized password changes, and “friend in distress” money-stealing scams. The survey respondents who reported experiencing identity theft, a hijacked account, and unauthorized username or password changes may have been victimized by hackers who were able to access their profiles and guess their passwords based on the personal information they included.

The growth of social networks presents hackers with a huge identity theft target. The first step in stopping identity theft is to know what the threats are and how to prevent them. One step social networkers can take to avoid identity theft is closely monitoring their personal information – including criminal records and credit reports.

To help prevent identity theft, MyBackgroundCheck.com offers individuals a way to "self" background check themselves. With a MyBackgroundCheck.com account, members can keep a close eye on their personal information to make sure it stays current, secure, and accurate – and protected from identity theft.

For more information how self background checks can stop identity theft, visit www.mybackgroundcheck.com, email info@mybackgroundcheck.com, or call 1-800-503-2364.

tahearn@mybackgroundcheck.com

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