Identity theft scams are increasing; consumers need to be more vigilant

The list of sources for identity theft criminals is getting longer and longer. They’re taking personal information from underage children, stealing information from the deceased, and even stealing the identities of active duty military personnel. The latest source of personal information for identity theft crooks is Websites devoted to people seeking employment. 

The economy has sagged during the last five years, and many Americans have been either unemployed or underemployed. This has led to the proliferation of Websites devoted to helping job seekers. Monster.com, CareerBuilder.com and Dice.com are but a few of the many Websites that offer help to job seekers and employers. These sites allow those seeking employment to post personal information, including work histories and resumes. Often, as a matter of course, job seekers include Social Security numbers in their resumes, along with phone numbers and home addresses. By posing as employers, identity thieves can easily steal this information, and armed with Social Security numbers of the unsuspecting victims, can open new credit accounts or borrow money in the victim’s name.

Identity theft is a growing problem that typically takes a year or more to detect. Victims are often left with thousands of dollars worth of bills and debt, and despite often having healthy credit records, frequently have to resort to debt consolidation, credit counseling or even personal bankruptcy to get out of the mess. It can take many years to clear up the problems caused by an identity thief and yet, the problem is easily avoided.

It is perfectly safe to use a site such as Monster.com to seek employment. Job seekers must understand, however, that it is vital not to offer too much information to the general public. Basic information offered on a job Website should be limited to basic contact information only. At most, an e-mail address or a phone number should be offered. Providing any other information, such has an address, adds to the risk. Under no circumstances should you list your Social Security number. The Social Security number should be given out only when meeting with the company and discussing employment opportunities. In fact, if you can, you should avoid giving the number until you have been offered employment. This isn’t always possible, but protecting your Social Security number is the best thing you can do to avoid being a victim of identity theft.

The Internet is a useful tool that comes in handy for job seekers. It provides a great opportunity to receive up to date job information that’s more flexible than traditional job-seeking methods, such as classified ads in a newspaper. Like any source of information, the Internet has good points and bad points, and it provides a great source of information for criminals, too. Be careful when posting personal information on the Internet.

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