In a slumping economy thieves have found yet a new effective way to steal your identity. They make job offers.
Due to tough times, people are increasingly desperate for work, posting resumes on job boards, answering job postings in the classifieds, and using websites to gain exposure to the job market. But putting yourself on the market too liberally can have drawbacks.
The identity theft goes like this:
An HR director from a large organization calls you after finding your resume online. Impressed by your credentials and experience, you are offered a position within the company. But in order to expedite the hiring process you are sent application forms asking for your personal information, usually for the purposes of a pre-employment background check.
Eager to be hired and not willing to seem difficult, you hesitantly provide your personal information.
Days roll by and the HR director has not replied nor is responding to your phone calls or emails.
Using your credit card the next day, your transaction declines because your account has been maxed out. In fact, numerous accounts have now been created in your name and credit is being borrowed against you.
Then it dawns on you: you have been cleverly exploited by identity thieves.
What are some ways to protect your personal information?
For starters, do not provide sensitive personal isuch as a date of birth, address, or SIN\SSN number on your resume. Instead, provide an email address and phone number. If an employer is interested in your resume, you are more likely to receive an email or phone call asking you to meet for an interview.
One of the best ways to prevent this form of identity theft is to call the company back at a legitimate number provided on their website. This will ensure that you are not using a fictitious phone number to communicate with a would-be identity thief.
Written by Mark Goldstein
http://www.privacysense.net
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