Articles
Way To Much Information
by Robert A. FalacePublicly-Available Information: Public Announcements, Directories, and Genealogy Websites
In addition to public records, consumers often freely publish, or allow to be published, a great deal of information about themselves, completely unaware of the possible consequence. It is a sad fact that in today’s world, people must be concerned about the possible consequences of publicly sharing information—whether about an important event in their lives, such as a birth or marriage, or for fun and fulfilling hobbies such as tracing their family lineage. Newspapers, public announcements, and genealogy sites are valuable sources of information for identity thieves and scam artists. Birth announcements, marriage announcements, and obituaries are full of information helpful to thieves including full names, mothers’ maiden names, places and dates of birth, names of other relatives, and so more. Many people post an enormous amount of information about their family on genealogy research sites and related message boards. “Who’s Who†style directories are yet another favorite target packed with important information that typically include addresses, telephone numbers, family information, current and previous employers, licenses or professional designations, colleges attended, and other very helpful information.
Thieves and scam artists regularly use telephone directories to identify potential targets. An unlisted telephone number will not be given to callers using directory assistance services, and an unpublished number will not appear in telephone directories in print or online. Many telephone companies distinguish between the two, and the consumer may need to specifically request that their number be both unlisted and unpublished. If a consumer does choose to have their telephone number listed in directories, limiting the listing information can help to prevent being targeted for attempted scams by phone and mail.
For example:
Provide only a first initial and last name in the listing. This can help to thwart many common telephone scams by not providing the scam artist with prior knowledge of how to properly address the intended victim when calling, and reducing their ability to obtain basic background information to use in the scam. Example: “J. Jones†could be the family of John Jones, or Jane Jones—a single mother, or the widowed Mrs. Janet Jones.
Do not have the street address published. Reverse directories can still provide others with the street address associated with a published telephone number; but, many scams, whether in-person, by telephone, or through the mail, are implement using the information that is simply obtained from the local telephone directory.
Do not include professional credentials in the residential listing, that could indicate possible wealth this might draw the unwanted attention of thieves and scam artists.
Identity thieves and scam artists frequently use a tactic known as “pre-texting†to obtain consumer’s private information. Calling their intended victim under false pretenses, the thief attempts to trick the person into divulging personal and financial information with a message that is designed to catch the person off guard. Armed with the information obtained from the announcement, directory, or other source, a quick search of the telephone directory can provide the intended victim’s telephone number, and the thief is now more than adequately prepared to make a successful pre-text call.
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About Robert A. Falace 
80 connections, 0 recommendations, 118 honor points.Joined APSense since, January 29th, 2009, From United States.
Created on Dec 31st 1969 18:00. Viewed 0 times.
