Thieves use a variety of illegal techniques to obtain identity information. They may:

• Take mail from a mailbox
• Divert mail to another location by filling out a change of address form
• Go through trash to find identification and financial documents
• Access credit reports by posing as landlords or employers
• Hack into personal computers
• Pose as legitimate companies or government agencies to request personal information via email (called phishing)
• Steal hard copy or electronic files from your workplace
• Stand close to you at the ATM to learn your Personal Identification Number
• Work at restaurants, gas stations, or other businesses to steal money or information from credit/ATM/debit cards (called skimming).

Once identity thieves have your personal information, they may use it to:

• Charge on existing credit accounts
• Open new credit accounts in your name
• Use existing or open new checking accounts in your name and write bad checks
• Establish phone or wireless service in your name
• Use your debit cards or counterfeit checks to drain your checking account
• Take out loans to buy cars and other big ticket items