According to the Federal Trade Commission, identity theft thieves get your personal information by:
- Stealing records or information while they're on the job.
- Bribing an employee who has access to these records.
- Hacking these records.
- Conning information out of employees.
- Stealing your mail, including bank and credit card statements, credit card offers, new checks, and tax information.
- Rummaging through your trash, the trash of businesses, or public trash dumps in a practice known as “dumpster diving.”
- Getting credit reports by abusing their employer's authorized access to them, or by posing as a landlord, employer, or someone else who may have a legal right to access your report.
- Stealing your credit or debit card numbers by capturing the information in a data storage device in a practice known as “skimming.” They may swipe your card for an actual purchase, or attach the device to an ATM machine where you may enter or swipe your card.
- Stealing your wallet or purse.
- Completing a "change of address form" to divert your mail to another location.
- Stealing personal information they find in your home.
- Stealing personal information from you through email or phone by posing as legitimate companies and claiming that you have a problem with your account. This practice is known as “phishing” online or pretexting by phone.
