Online identity theft is not something you spend too much time thinking about. That is, not until someone clears out your bank account or goes on an internet shopping spree with your personal details. And it doesn’t stop there. Now that they have your details they can use them whenever they choose and before long you’ll find yourself married to an illegal immigrant with insurmountable debts. Ouch.

So, perhaps it is time you started giving the topic some thought, because there are thieves out there who think about it all the time. And according to Pat Cunningham, executive director at the South African Fraud Prevention Service, the problem is a growing one.

“At this point I would say that offline identity theft is possibly more prolific than online identity theft. Irrespective the problem is a growing one and we are tracking similar situations in the USA and Europe. Maybe our offline problems are as a result of fewer people in SA having internet access and an identity document system that is easy to forge.”

But what if you do use the internet regularly – to do your banking, shopping and communicating – what dangers are you facing?

Internet scams

According to Cunningham, the extent and impact of fraud is “only restricted by the limitations of the mind of the perpetrator”. However there are also a number of fairly standard practices and scams utilised by identity thieves.

Phishing
The criminal tries to access your personal information through either an email request or a link to a false website. The fraudster generally pretends to be from a legitimate company (such as a bank) and asks you disclose confidential information such as passwords, account numbers and ID numbers.

Banks never ask for personal information via emails. Never respond to an email that requires you to enter personal information, threatens to suspend/close your account if you don’t, or states that your account has been compromised in some way. Rather contact the bank directly and enquire if there is a problem with your account.

Spoofing
The fraudster builds a website which closely resembles another legitimate website – even the URL would look similar – and then accesses your information when you unwittingly enter it into what you regard to be a legitimate site. Generally the thief lures you to the website via an email which contains a clickable link.

Never access secure websites via a link – rather type the address into the browser address bar or save the real address as a favourite.

Key-loggers
Key-loggers are devices (hardware or software) that record every key stroke made on your computer keyboard and transmit the information to the fraudster who can then gain access to your passwords and personal information. The software can be installed manually or via a trojan horse attachment to an email.

Physically check for key-loggers on the back of your computer every time you use it and avoid using vulnerable machines such as those at internet cafes.

419 Scams
For the most part, 419 scams only work because people are greedy. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. The way around this one is easy: ignore all emails that promise you money – inheritance payouts, lottery wins, laundering funds and get-rich-quick gimmicks.

Stolen identity?

So, what should you do if you suspect that your personal or financial information has been compromised?

“Firstly, do a credit profile check with the credit bureaux to see what data they have shown against your name,” says Cunningham. "If you see enquiries being made by banks and retailers which you know nothing about, then there is something wrong and you need to go to these banks and retailers and find out why they carried out enquiries on your name.”

For a small fee, you can check your credit rating with either of these two major credit bureaux:

ITC – www.itc.co.za or on 021 401 4200 or 011 488 2911

Obviously if your banking information has been stolen, you need to notify the bank immediately so that they can freeze your account (and so that you will not be held liable for the money which is stolen from your account).

In the case of identity theft, you must report the theft to the police and get a case number. Then contact the South African Fraud Prevention Service on their hotline (0860 101 248) or through their website (www.safps.org.za) and ask them to register your case. They will then circulate your identity number to all their member banks and retailers to try and stop the fraudulent use of your identity. You will be given a protective registration number to quote when applying for credit in the future.

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