How does identity theft occur?

Identity theft occurs when an individual uses your personal identification information such as your name, Social Security number or credit card number, to commit fraudulent crimes. The FTC lists the common methods below used by fraudulent individuals to obtain your personal information: 

• Dumpster Diving
• Skimming
• Phishing
• Changing Your Address
• Old-Fashion Stealing
• Pretexting

To learn more about these theft methods, visit the FTC's website About Identity Theft section.