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Tip 6: Protect Personal InformationTo protect personal information, it is vital that as many possible leaks are covered. There is more than one way in which identity thieves target our private details. Whilst much of this site looks at ways of preventing documents and information from being stolen, much is quite simply given away. It is a well known and well used fact that many people will happily pass their personal secrets on if they feel comfortable in doing so. This is why many an ID fraudster has used the telephone to call and ask a mark to confirm facts. There have been numerous television shows where people pretend to offer a service and members of the public complete order forms which include their credit card and driving licence details. In fact, one such show in the UK had an investigative journalist doing the work. He built a stand in a shopping centre and posed as a company who offered an 'identity theft protection' product. In fact, he had over 40 people give him their full name, address, date of birth, credit card details and CVV numbers! For one day of work, a real identity thief would have made a small fortune from that information! This level of trust is exactly why phishing is so successful. Although it must be said that many phising scams rely on high levels of greed lurking in the targets - we all want something for nothing. If we as individuals do not protect personal information well, can we expect others to do the same? Ultimately, the real risk of becoming a target lies with us all - others are not so well incentivised to protect us as we should be. This can be summed up in one concise sentence: Do got give out personal information unless you are 100% certain that you trust the people or company involved.
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