ID thieves attack via email, Web

November 27, 2011 at 12:00a.m.

Locking your car doors might seem like overly simplistic advice. But if you read local crime reports, like I do, you’d be surprised at how many people lose laptops, wallets and all kinds of cool stuff because they leave their car doors unlocked.

Ditto for the world of cyber-crime.

Do you share passwords with someone? Respond to every legitimate-looking email? Take a picture of your child at home and then post it online where anyone can see it — and connect a home address to your child? Do you give anyone who asks your Social Security number?

The Federal Trade Commission received 250,854 complaints in 2010 regarding ID theft — making it the No. 1 complaint.

Online scam artists can be based in Canada or overseas and are able to trick consumers into giving personal information.

Identity thieves want information that’s easily available — and what’s easier than someone in a rush, someone who needs cash quickly or even an unsuspecting child?

“In general, people really need to keep their address, phone numbers and other information more private than they do,” said Susan Grant, director of consumer protection for the Consumer Federation of America in Washington, D.C. The same is true for information regarding children.

We know about warning our children about cyber bullying. But ID theft is a threat, too. The FTC reported that victims age 19 and younger accounted for 8 percent of the identity-theft complaints it received in 2010.

And we’ve still seen plenty of phishing scams.

More shopping means more spending — and possibly more online banking — so consumers need to watch out there, too.

Chuck Whitlock, an ID-theft author and expert, said identity thieves want to lure victims much like a fisherman with a hook.

The bait created for some emails makes you concerned about your bank account, tax refund or something of value. You’re caught off guard, and you do something stupid.

According to the Federal Trade Commission’s data, 6,880 identity-theft complaints were filed in Michigan in 2010.

Daily, we still see banking-related emails — and another popular one that looks like it’s directly from the IRS. “You’ve got $68 coming your way,” says one scam that claims to be an email from the IRS.

You do not have a $68 tax refund, of course, but you could be tempted to click. And that’s true especially if you start hearing about “unclaimed tax refunds.”

But the IRS is not sending emails to people who are owed refund money. You could end up giving away valuable identification — and get nothing but a headache if that information is used to open up new credit.

Whitlock’s advice: Do not give in to your curiosity and make certain to never click on any links in an email that arrives out of the blue.

During the holidays, consumers need to watch out for cyber threats via mobile phone and other devices.

Watch out for phony Facebook promotions and contests, according to Web security group McAfee Labs.

Who doesn’t want to snag a great deal? But cyber scammers have been known to sprinkle Facebook with phony promotions aimed at gathering personal information.

The high jobless rate makes it more tempting for people to want to steal someone else’s Social Security number to try to get a job.

“Once you get online, you are part of a global system,” warned Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano in a meeting with the Detroit Free Press editorial board.

So, she said, it’s key that adults and young people think before they hook up to a computer or smartphone. Do not answer unsolicited emails. And, she said passwords should be long and strong so that they cannot be easily figured out by others.

I guess we shouldn’t be surprised that warnings about cyber crooks should be given to grade school-age children who have computers, too. It’s like learning to look both ways before you cross the information highway.

Susan Tompor is the personal finance columnist for the Detroit Free Press. She can be reached at stomporfreepress.com.

2011 Detroit Free Press