It is a common practice to impersonate someone. This has been done by clowns and comedians through the centuries. Identity theft is not something to be taken lightly. It can have serious consequences for a person’s health.
It used to be simpler to keep your identity secure than it is now. The global identity theft losses have more than doubled since the COVID-19 epidemic, according to cyber security watchdogs .
They aren’t large organisations either. These threat actors trap many people. We’ll be sharing the top seven forms of identity theft that are currently prevalent in this article.
Takeover of an Online Account
Online Account Hijacking is the first type of identity theft. Online Account Hijacking is another name for identity theft. This involves gaining the credentials to an online victim’s account on a platformer. In order to prevent the victim from having access to their account, the threat actor modifies the victim’s account. This usually means the password and account recovery email address are changed.
The threat actor has multiple opportunities to use this identity to harm others. This violated identity could still be seen as someone they trust and know in the context of social media.
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Social media account cloning
Ever received a friend request via a social media platform? It could be from someone you already know, or a relative. It could be called Social Media Account Cloning. It happens when someone poses a threat to you and creates a similar social media account.
The threat actor may impersonate the victim to persuade family and friends to share sensitive information online. This allows the threat actor the ability to do serious damage to the reputation and livelihood of the victim.
Identity Theft Social Security Number
It is very bad for citizens to lose their government identification, no matter where they live. It is no different in the USA. Many Americans have been victim to social security frauds. A typical Social Security Number scam would see a threat actor create a website which looks identical to a trusted institution.
A threat actor can coerce a victim into signing up for an online platform that requires PII or Personally identifiable data. Sometimes it will say “confirm your details, or you’ll be locked out.”
Unsuspecting victims enter their PII along with their Social Security number, which gives the threat actor everything they need to make a fraudulent persona. The persona has all the legal rights of an American citizen. They can apply for credit cards and take out loans.
Online Shopping Fraud
This type of fraud usually involves an online victim looking to buy an item for a significantly reduced price. A fictitious online shop is set up by threat actors to sell high-end items for a very low price. Once the user has registered, they are granted access to an online store.
This is because many internet users use the same passwords and usernames to log in to their accounts online (a huge mistake that you already know). The threat actor has this information as a way of banking.
Conclusion
Being a good cyber-sensible person is the best way to prevent yourself from falling prey to this sinister flavor of cybercrime. There are a number of very simple ways to protect your privacy.
The following summarizes cyber discipline:
- Strong passwords should be unique to each subscription site.
- Social engineering techniques should be avoided.
- Make sure you have strong anti-malware protection on all your devices.
- If you don’t have a VPN, avoid using public WiFi connections.
- Register for social media and personal accounts using your company email address only.
- Don’t be too strict with your PII.
