Cybercriminals uses this information to commit identity theft or sell it on the dark web. The software may be able to mine your computer for personal information and send it to a remote computer. The links in these emails or texts may be used to download malicious software - malware, for short. PhishingĬybercriminals send fraudulent emails or texts that may look legitimate. Identity thieves may access your personal information in different ways. That represents a 17 percent increase over 2018. There were 1,473 reported data breaches in 2019, according to the Identity Theft Resource Center's End-of-Year 2019 Data Breach Report. Pass an employment background check or rent an apartment, using your identity and financial standing.Use your health insurance to get medical care.File a tax return using your Social Security number in order to claim your refund.Make unauthorized purchases using your existing credit and debit cards.
Open new credit cards or other lines of credit using your identifying information.Here are some examples of what identity thieves might do with your sensitive personal information. Using that information is the next phase in the identity-theft process.
Whether an identity thief overhears you reading out your credit card number on the phone, buys your information on the dark web after it has been exposed in a data breach, or steals your information some other way, there are a lot of ways to access your personal details. Once thieves access this information, they may use it to commit identity theft or sell it on the dark web.
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Your personal identifying information could include your full name, home address, email address, online login and passwords, Social Security number, driver’s license number, passport number, or bank number.