There are also sites that, if not asking for personal information, are charging you fees for services that they claim to offer. There have been many victims of this kind of fraud – they paid for services that they were not able to receive at all. This type of online scam is so effective that there is a continuous increase in the number of related complaints. These criminals are difficult to catch because they “close down” their businesses after a while and simply disappear.

For job hunters like you, it would help if you remember these few tips that would keep you safe. Do not provide any personal information that is not related to work. For example, a legitimate prospective employer would not ask for your social security number, date of birth, home address, etc. In fact, it is advised that you should not give out any of this information over the phone, through email, or by fax.

Your resume is your most valuable “capital” as a job hunter. It contains so much sensitive information about yourself that you have to keep private. Do not just give away your resume without having a valid reason. If you want to post it online, choose a job site that has a clear privacy policy. Go for one that verifies recruiters before allowing them to gain access to your records.

If you need to verify a prospective employer or recruiter, look for the company’s contact number and call it. If it is convenient enough, you can visit the company in person during regular business hours. After doing so, you can agree to a background check if they request it.

The woman stole the identity of her ex-boyfriend, who was a police narcotics detective. The self-destructive posts appeared to be made by him and everything seemed real. One of the comments made was about him being “high all the time”. The rest of the comments were about his admittance of his illicit activities such as frequenting prostitutes and escort services, and that he had herpes.

Such cases of identity theft are always done to get a benefit for one’s own self or to injure or take advantage of another. Issues of online impersonation and cyber bullying first came out of a famous case in 2006. A 13-year-old girl committed suicide because she was targeted online by a fictitious 13-year old boy. Investigations in the case turned out that the “boy” was in reality the mother of another teenage girl.

The defense lawyer of the New Jersey woman attempted to have the case dismissed. The attorney argued that New Jersey law does not talk about electronic communications. This prompted the New Jersey legislature to re-examine the law and to incorporate the needed amendments. The lawyer continued by saying that revising the law is tantamount to admitting that his client’s action is not covered by it.

Whatever the result of the case turns out to be, what is obvious is that identity theft can really be damaging. The present case of impersonation shows that anyone can destroy another’s reputation and character. There is, at present, no effective way to check with 100% precision, the identity of a user who is hiding behind a fake account.

When paying at the counter, beware of skimming. This happens when the store clerk takes your card and swipes it through a device. This process copies the information from the card’s magnetic strip, and the thief will have your information. Obviously, purchases can then be made using your card. You might not have noticed this because you thought it was just the credit card reader.

Compared with debit cards, credit cards have more protection associated with them. When using a credit card, it is safer to use the same card for all of your holiday transactions. This makes it easier for you to track your purchases and to find out if there are any suspicious activities. The best thing to do, of course, is to use cash because cash does not have any of your identifying information.

When using multiple cards for your purchases, take the time to regularly check your card activity. Make sure that all transactions that appear on your statement were made by you. If you find any that are not yours, do not waste any time in contacting the card issuer so that you can file a dispute on the charge.

Thieves can also make use of ATMs to perpetrate their crimes. Carefully read and follow the security and safety instructions that are generally posted at ATMs. Sometimes, thieves can manipulate a machine so that the card will become stuck inside it. If this happens, do not just leave without reporting the matter to the bank or to any authorized ATM representative at the time of the incident. The thief might just retrieve it when you leave, having stolen your PIN by using a small camera that was hidden somewhere near the machine.

Use secure websites when making online purchases. Look for the “https” in the URL address. This assures you that your personal information is treated with the utmost security. Special technology is used so that your personal details cannot be stolen by computer hackers. Better yet, always limit the amount of personal information that you provide online. The less personal information you have online, the safer you are from identity thieves.

Regardless of the manner you conduct your holiday shopping, always bear in mind that identity thieves are “just around the corner”. There is no substitute for staying safe and secure and getting the most out of your money.

Debit cards are dangerous.  You do not get the same protections on a debit card that you get with a credit card.  So why would anyone want to have a card that can take money right our of their bank accounts?  Seriously, what benefit is there that outweighs the risks?

Watch the You Tube video and decide for yourself.

So for those of you who thought this could not happen to you, 130,000,000 credit cards are an awful lot of cards.  Could it be that one of them was yours.  After watching this video, I checked my cards again and I would urge you to do the same.

One thing to take away from this is that protecting your privacy, and your identity, is up to you. You need to be vigilant. Think about the issues and put safeguards in place so that you are not the subject of a You Tube video on identity theft..