Identity Theft Scams

Monday, November 2nd, 2009 - CV Tips, CV format, cv examples, cv help, cv security, employment, job application, legal

Identity Theft Scams

Claire, an unemployed bank worker, asks: Identity fraud, do you think i should be worried about this, is this an Identity Theft Scam? I put my CV up on monster jobs, a jobs board. It has been up there for over a year now. I forgot about it until I recently lost my job. I decided to update my file and put a picture up etc. After 4 weeks of nothing I got a phone call last Thursday from a recruiter claiming to represent an agency in England – I an based in Edinburgh. He gave me details of a job that’s up here and asked if he could send over my CV to the banking company to see if i would be suitable, he also said to ask around my friends of who needs a job to give him a call, but to keep the location and the job details hush hush as to keep off the competition. He told me he had email stuff over to fill out and I would hear from him that day. He said that to complete the application, he needed my NI number but nothing else. All my details are on my CV except my bank details. I never thought anything of it as I am desperate for a job right now and anything is welcome. However, talking to my friend yesterday about this as she is also looking for a job, however she thought it sounded very dodgy and I should watch I haven’t been a victim of identity fraud. I am still waiting on the info to be emailed to me and haven’t heard anything back at all. Tried calling the agency number he gave me, that’s not obtainable, so all I have is his cellphone and that goes straight to voicemail. Should be cautious and worried? Assuming the worst has happened, who should I report this to ? My friend has got me really worried now and I will feel so stupid if that is the case.

In answer:
Oh dear Claire, I do feel sorry for you. At present at you have been slammed by the CV database system, and at worst been the victim of an Identity Theft Scam.

Our previous article Have you fallen foul of “Denis Atlas” and his CV/Resume security scams, we wrote about how Identity Theft via CV’s is rising in this current economic climate.The data was from a controlled exercise run by iProfile.org and supported by the Metropolitan Police and the Information Assurance Advisory Council

Job Application Identity Theft

iProfile ran a job advert, asking applicants to apply to Dennis Atlas (an anagram of “Steal an ID”), which 100 people replied to:

• The average CV received contained eight pieces of information
• 61 CV’s (57%) included a date of birth, despite this no longer being a UK legislative requirement due to age discrimination laws
• 98 (91.5%) included a full address
• 20 (19%) put others at risk by providing full details of references
• 1 included the applicant’s passport number and national insurance details

As security expert Frank Abagnale said in an interview: “I only need three pieces of information to get credit in someone’s name: their full name, date of birth and national insurance number.“

Further, you should note that job boards including Monster, have been subject to numerous Security Breaches.

Avoid Identity Theft

If you think your ID could have been stolen, then here are the actions to take:

1. Don’t panic! Collect all the data together, and call your local Trading Standards Office – you will find their number via your local Council’s website or Yell.com
2. If they advise, call your local Police Station – you will want an incident number, for insurance purposes if nothing else. They may refer you to the Metropolitan Police’s Identity Theft Unit
3. If the police advise, call your bank and the Credit Check agencies – start with Equifax. This will block use of your existing banking facilities, and anyone obtaining further credit in your name without additional checks
4. Inform the job board where your details appear, of the claimed identity of the agency. The agency might be false, but they know from their online log record who has accessed your online CV
5. Don’t make the same mistake again. Follow our check-list for avoiding CV Identity Theft

Good Luck!

===================================================================

If you need an interview winning solution, sign-up for our Professional CV service

If you want to check the suitability of your existing CV, then get a FREE CV review

If you have any questions about our service, call us on 0844 884 2825

===================================================================

3 Responses to “Identity Theft Scams”

1. Tweets that mention Identity Theft Scams | Professional CV Writing - CV4.biz -- Topsy.com Says:
   November 2nd, 2009 at 2:10 pm

   [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Ian R McAllister, Ian R McAllister and cv4biz, ProfessionalCV. ProfessionalCV said: #CV Identity Theft Scams: Identity Theft Scams Claire, an unemployed bank worker, asks: Identity fraud, do you think… http://bit.ly/4lVDZe [...]

2. uberVU - social comments Says:
   November 2nd, 2009 at 2:37 pm

   Social comments and analytics for this post…

   This post was mentioned on Twitter by cv4biz: socialmedian: Identity Theft Scams http://bit.ly/3kBaRg...

3. sam Says:
   November 15th, 2009 at 10:20 pm

   Definitely get a look at your credit reports – they will show up any applications for credit made in your name. Take a look at CIFAS online, they do something called ‘protective registration’ where they put an alert on your identity so creditors will ask more security questions to verify it’s you applying for credit.

Leave a Reply