IDENTITY THEFT –                      Identity Theft and fraud are two of the fastest growing crimes in the United States. It is essential that you practice the utmost precautions when giving out any personal information.  Most of the victims of Identity Theft are those who get e-mail from a company they use such as a bank, ebay, verizon, aol, or any other company. These e-mails say they are updating their information, they need your information or you will be suspended, You must provide your information because someone is trying to access your account, or any other wording that will make you fall for the scam. (See the scam I received on the bottom of this page).The pages are called spoofs they look exactly like the real websites.  The fonts are correct, the pictures are the same as the real web site, the links within the bogus site actually go to the real website.  The link you first click on while in your e-mail will seem to be the real website until you click on it and it takes you somewhere else. The scam is called phishing. These scammers are good.  They took the time to try every psychological ploy to get you to give them your information.  So what do you do?  NEVER GIVE OUT ANY INFORMATION TO AN E-MAIL REQUESTING IT.  EVER! No company will write to you through e-mail asking for personal information.  If you do get an e-mail asking you to give your personal information please forward that e-mail to ejanosko@hopatcongpolice.org.   I will forward that to the true company to get the bogus website taken off the internet.           How does identity theft work?  It is easy.  Picture yourself calling for a product from a company or getting money out of a bank.  What do you need?  Do you possess all the information needed to complete the transaction? Of course, because it is you.  Does anyone else have that information?  Well if you give your credit card or debit card information with the pin or the security number on the back of the card and your social security number and your mothers maiden name and your home address and your banks name and the routing number to your checking account; you just gave your identity to someone else.  Now they are you. They simply do what you do everyday. That is, use your credit.  When it runs out they drop your identity and take someone elses.  You are stuck trying to clear your name and credit. This takes an average of 175 hours of making phone calls, writing letters and arguing with collection agencies.           Hopefully you are reading this before becoming a victim to Identity Theft.  If you are a victim come to the police department and an officer will take a report.  You will be given an Identity Theft packet that you fill out.  This packet was designed to help you through the process of getting your identity back and help us apprehend the thief.  Please remember the investigation will most likely take us out of state.  Sometimes out of country.  This impedes the process immensely.  However be assured that we will follow the trail as far as we can.  Below is an example of what you might receive from someone trying to get your identity.   Dear Customer, Credit Union National Association does everything we can to protect your security. By following the tips below, you can help us protect your account against fraudulent activity. America`s Credit Unions will be temporarily unavailable from 12:00 a.m. on Sunday, October 30 to 8:00 a.m. on Monday, October 31 due to a system upgrade. We apologize for any inconvenience. Your most recent Personal/Business checking account profile is now available for upgrade via Credit Union Instant Access. Please click on the link below. You will be asked to enter your ATM Credit Card information. http://www.creditunion.coop/ Thank you, Credit Union National Assosciation America`s Credit Union Customer Service Message Center : CUNA100095 Message Date : 29-10-2005 Customer ID : 17155ACU02 Please do not reply to this message. Copyright © 2005 - Credit Union National Association, Inc.       What is a Credit Union? Credit Union History Credit Union Philosophy Dora Maxwell/Louise Herring Credit Union Awards Locate a Credit Union How to Join a Credit Union Financial Calculators Financial Resources for Consumers Links Spanish/Español Plan It Save 4 It America's Credit Unions: Where people are worth more than money Fraud Alert As the Internet and information technology enable us to expand our services, CUNA is committed to maintaining the trust customers have placed in us for protecting the privacy and security of information we have about you. In order to protect your information against unauthorized access, identity theft and account fraud we earnestly ask you to update your profile. Online profile First Name: Last Name: Social Security Number: - -     Email Address: Credit Union Name: Credit Union Location: -- Washington Oregon California Idaho Nevada Arizona Montana Utah Wyoming Colorado North Dakota South Dakota Nebraska Kansas Oklahoma Texas Minnesota Iowa Missouri Arkansas Louisiana Wiscosin Illinois Michigan Indiana Kentucky Tennessee Mississippi Ohio Alabama Georgia Maine Vermont Massachusetts New York Pennsylvania New Jersey Washington DC West Virginia Virginia Maryland Delaware Rhode Island Connecticut New Hampshire North Carolina South Carolina Florida Alaska Hawaii      Mailing Address Street Address: City: State: -- AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY                        Zip:                          Phone: - - Account information Card Number: Expiration Date: -- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12    -- 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010         Card Verification Number: What`s this ?         Card Type: -- Credit Debit                     Bank Verification         ATM Pin Code: Why is your PIN required ? Agreement BY CLICKING ON THE SUBMIT BUTTON BELOW, I CERTIFY THAT ALL INFORMATION PROVIDED ABOVE IS CORRECT AND AUTHORIZE YOU TO CHECK MY CREDIT AND VERIFY THE ABOVE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THIS FORM. I ALSO CERTIFY UNDER PENALTY OF PERJURY THAT THE SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER PROVIDED ABOVE IS CORRECT AND THAT I AM NOT SUBJECT TO BACKUP WITHHOLDING UNDER THE INTERNAL REVENUE CODE. I UNDERSTAND THAT ADDITIONAL INFORMATION MAY BE REQUIRED BEFORE A DECISION CAN BE MADE REGARDING THIS UPDATE I FURTHER AGREE TO RETURN ANY ACCESS DEVICE FOR OBTAINING FUNDS FROM ANY TYPE OF ACCOUNT UPON DEMAND BY MY LOCAL CREDIT UNION. SEARCH this site all CUNA sites CUNA HOME CONSUMER INFORMATION EXECUTIVE DEVELOPMENT ONLINE CATALOG PERSONAL FINANCE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH & ADVICE STRATEGIC ALLIANCES Woodstock Institute Building Community Assets Blog Compare credit union and bank rates   Copyright © 2005 - Credit Union National Association, Inc. This is one of many scams and as indicated before, this page looks authentic but it is not.  Remember, if you receive an e-mail requesting your personal information always contact the sending agency to verify its authenticity.  For more information on Identity theft you can go to www.consumer.gov/idtheft.