Identity Theft it could happen to you...

A friend had his credit stolen from a credit application to get 10% off his purchase at a do-it-center. You know...  those nice folks sitting at an Official looking desk at the front entrance to the store. Unfortunately my friend learned the hard way. Within a week, the thieves ordered a cell phone, applied for credit cards, had a credit line approved, and change his DMV record online. They knew where he went to college, his degree and more. They changed his mailing address from Ohio to Georgia for much of his information. Since he rarely used his credit cards he never received statements. He found out his credit was stolen when a bank came after him for non payment of his new No Money Down, Cash at Closing, Georgia home. Oh he also owned a Corvette. The sad part 15 years later he still has problems resurface.

Another friend was hooked by Phishers through an E-mail scheme. The E-mail looked like it came from her bank warned of a possible problem and provided a convenient clicker to go to her banks website and she committed the deadly sin of clicking on what she thought was the bank's website in the E-mail. Never go to the Website through the E-mail letter. Always close the E-mail and then go to the internet and log into the website. They got her when she logged in through the E-mail and went to a phishing (fake) website and entered her account login name and password and within a day the crooks attempted to transferred $13,000 from her account. Fortunately the bank called her and questioned the transaction.

For several other schemes attackers use go to Family Circle article February 2008: http://www.parents.com/parents/story.jsp;jsessionid=E35YGCRVFXKXXQFIBQPSAOQ?storyid=/templatedata/fc/story/data/1200581797908.xml