Identity Theft Webquest

Part I Use the Justice Departments website to learn more about identity theft.
http://www.justice.gov/criminal/fraud/websites/idtheft.html
1. What is identity theft? When someone else steals all of your personal information. This is a crime.

2. Define the following ways thieves might steal your identity
a. Shoulder Surfing this is when someone either watches or listens to you give out or write down your
credit card/account numbers from a nearby location.

b. Dumpster Diving- this is when people search through garbage cans or dumpsters to find copies of you
checks, account information, or bank statements.

c. Via the mail- this is when you receive mail applications for preapproved credit cards in the mail and dont
rip up the documents before throwing them out if you are uninterested.

d. Spam Emails-this is when someone uses the emails that youve spanned to retrieve your personal
information.

3. To avoid being a victim of identity theft, it is recommended that you SCAM what does this stand for? Stingy,
Check, Ask, Maintain.

4. Explain what one part of SCAM means. The ask part means that you should periodically ask for a copy of your
credit report so you can see all of your transactions and see if theres something wrong or suspicious on it.

5. What groups do you need to contact when you find youre the victim of identity theft or fraud? [Hint - there are 7
specific bureaus/organizations + 2 more generic companies and institutions]
You need to contact the Federal Trade Commission, your local Postal Inspection Service, the Social Security
Administration, the International Revenue Service, and the Fraud units of Experian, Trans Union, and Equifax. You
will also need to contact all the creditors where your name and information was fraudulently used and the financial
institutions where your account information was stolen from.


Part II For this assignment, you will read a story of one persons experience with identity theft and use the internet to
further your understanding of what happened to the person. Questions where you will need to research the answer
online are indicated as such.
Article -
http://www.protectmyid.com/images/education_center/pdf/060IdentityRecovery/050%20id%20recovery_one%20victi
ms%20story.pdf
6. Why was Joe Tremba confused when he received a collection letter about a past due credit card account? He has
always paid his bills on time and in full every month.

7. What does it mean to be assigned to a collections agency? [Look up online] You are assigned to a collection agency
when you ignore to pay lenders back their money.

8. How has this identity theft affected Joes life? He cant get good interest rates on a home that he wants to buy with
his family. So they have to wait to buy one.

9. What does it mean to opt out of credit card offers that arrive in the mail? [Look this up online] This means that
you dont want to be sent pre-approved credit applications in the mail.

10. How many people are victims of identity theft each year? 11.1 million.

11. What is the average amount stolen according to the Javelin Identity Fraud Survey Report in 2010? $4,841.

12. When must suspicious credit activity be reported so creditors can efficiently track fraudulent purchases? Within the
first 30 days.

13. What are the 3 big things you must look for when reviewing your credit report? Accounts and personal information
that doesnt belong to you. Also if theres outdated or incomplete information.

14. What steps should be taken when you are the victim of identity theft? You should call the police, call the credit
bureaus and cancel all of your cards and close the accounts which you think someone has been using, and fill out an
identity theft complaint.

15. What is a fraud alert with the FTC? [Look this up online] This is when you think someone has used your card so you
freeze your accounts and cards. This means that you cant use these cards or accounts.