The state of Vermont defines identity theft as the unauthorized use of another person’s personal identifying information to obtain credit, goods, services, money, or property. It is common that identity theft occurs from use of your credit card and bank account information.
There are some instances where your social security number and other personal information may be used to acquire identification, lines of credit, loans, or other consumer accounts fraudulently. For more information on Vermont laws regarding privacy and data security, click here.
Identity theft is more common than you would think and it is evolving rapidly with the growth of technology. All our information is a couple clicks away.
Here are 5 ways to protect yourself if you suspect you are a victim to identity theft:
Review Your Credit Reports. You can obtain your free credit report from each of the credit reporting bureaus through AnnualCreditReport.com. If you find anything that should not be there, be sure to save a copy of the report. Then, contact the credit reporting agency to dispute all inaccurate items.
Place a Fraud Alert or Freeze on Your Credit Reports. You can find out more information from the Federal Trade Commission about fraud alerts and freezing your credit files. To place a fraud alert or freeze on your credit files, contact the three credit reporting agencies: Equifax, Experian, TransUnion.
Close Accounts. Close any accounts that have been tampered with or opened fraudulently.
File a Police Report. File an “identity theft” police report and ask for a copy for your records. Find your local policy agency.
File a Complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.Click here to be directed to the complaint page of the Federal Trade Commission.
Want More Info?
Identity theft is a complex issue facing consumers all over the country. Find out more about identity theft by visiting identitytheft.gov, the Federal Trade Commission’s identity theft help and information site.
Navigating the identity theft recovery process can be overwhelming. Vermonters with questions about the process can call the Consumer Assistance Program at 1-800-649-2424 or the Federal Trade Commission at 1-877-438-4338.
My dad lost his hearing while working as a fighter jet mechanic on an aircraft carrier. As the jets took off and landed, he was uncomfortably close to their reverberating buzzsaw rumble. The resulting ringing in his ears (tinnitus) proved a constant source of agitation the rest of his life. When I talked to him about a potential solution, he would shrug and say, “Hearing aids are expensive, and they aren’t going to make the ringing go away.” He wanted an easy solution and a quick fix to bring back his hearing. If someone made the promise that he could have his hearing returned with the purchase of a low-cost over-the counter device, he probably would have bought it.
Such quick fix products are on the market today. The trouble is, unlike traditional FDA-approved hearing aids, which a consumer would purchase through the process of visiting their doctor and being fitted, the quick fix over-the-counter hearing aids come with no FDA backing—even if they say they do. Congress authorized the sale of over-the-counter hearing aids for adults with mild to moderate hearing loss in 2017. At the time, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was directed to establish regulations: standards for safety, consumer labeling, and manufacturing protections. FDA regulations of over-the-counter hearing aids have not yet been established.
When considering purchasing hearing aids or similar products, it is recommended to:
Be evaluated by a medical professional or licensed hearing specialist to determine if an over-the-counter hearing aid will help you.
Watch out for and avoidover-the-counter hearing aids that make false claims about the product, such as stating they are FDA-approved, endorsed by the FDA, or have an “FDA Registration Certificate”.
Do your homework! If a deal seems too good to be true, then it probably is.
Research the hearing aid seller on impartial review sites.
Consider all reviews, being skeptical of short reviews and extremely positive testimonials and reviews on a company’s website.
Be skeptical of promises of deals that are much cheaper than what consumers would pay for a traditional FDA-approved hearing aid.
Question free-trial offers, which claim the product is free to try for a set period but will bill you at the end of the free trial.
If you are having an issue with an over-the-counter hearing device, Vermont consumers can file a complaint with the Vermont Attorney General’s Consumer Assistance Program.
When I presented on the topic of identity theft a decade ago, the concept seemed somewhat distant, impacting few individuals with identity thieves using dated and laborious tactics to steal identities. A section of my presentation was devoted to informing about dumpster diving—the fact that people can get a lot of information about your identity from the trash you discard—and encouraging shredding as an identity theft prevention step. Another section focused on phishing and educating about what phishing is; not to be confused with fishing, except metaphorically of course.
In the age of the robocall and the internet, phishing and identity theft have become more sophisticated in that scammers can make the same automated call to many people at once and data security breaches expose consumers to widespread identity theft.
Even with advances in technology, identity thieves can still obtain your personal information by rummaging through your trash and phishing. To demonstrate, let’s take a quiz:
What do you do with your expired credit card when a replacement arrives in the mail?
A. Cut it down the middle and throw it out. The card cannot be used once the magnetic strip is severed.
B. Run it through a straight-line shredding machine. The card will be of no use when made into little strips.
C. Cut it into as many small pieces as possible, either with scissors or a cross-cutting shredder. Throw out the pieces in different trash bags. It will be virtually impossible to decipher the card with it in so many pieces and places.
D. Discard as it is. Without additional instruction from the bank, no additional steps are necessary. The card is of no use once it expires.
My answer is C: Cut the card into a million pieces and discard in multiple places. Why? Because even though the card is expired, with card updates the card number stays the same. Once a determined scammer has obtained the card, all they need to do is follow up with a strategic phishing phone call to you. When they call, they may claim to be your financial institution and ask a series of phishing questions, which exposes other important numbers about the valid card in your possession: the expiration date and the CCV.
What exactly is phishing?
A. A sport of catching fish, using a fishing pole.
B. A fun excursion with Vermont Phish Phans.
C. The fraudulent attempt to obtain your personal information or data.
D. Testing the water pH before ice fishing.
Hopefully this quiz question was easier. The answer is also C.
Identity thieves phish for information about you, your Social Security number, your bank account number, your credit card and debit card numbers, your birthday, and more in order to use the information for their own financial gain. When an email purports to be your bank, saying you have been locked out of your account and you must login using the enclosed link, a scammer hopes you provide them all of your personal information by completing their realistic-looking bogus form. Once you have, they can access and use your account. And, depending on the information you have provided, they may also open up new lines of credit in your name without your knowledge or consent. Identity thieves have opened home loans, car loans and credit cards. They usually don’t pay the bills they run up, creating a mountain of work for you to dispute debts you do not owe.
Phishing scammers may contact you by email, phone, text message, and any other communication mechanism you use currently, including social media. Phishing scams often present a problem that must be solved by you disclosing some personal information. They may even pretend to be your computer company, warning about viruses that need to be repaired on your computer. They offer to help you resolve your virus problem, if you grant them access to your computer and, unknowingly, your personal information stored on your computer. Phishing scammers may also say a package will soon be delivered to you and you must reply if you did not order a product, or else your credit card will be charged. Then when you call, they ask for your credit card number.
Phishing scams can be tricky, because there are scenarios in which a bank institution may contact you, such as if there has been fraudulent activity on your credit card. Scammers take advantage of this and try to replicate it. Rather than trying to determine the difference between a scam call and a call from your bank, take out the guesswork by disconnecting the contact and calling your bank directly on a number you know to be valid.
Resist the impulse to reply to urgent requests of phishing scammers. By slowing down and taking steps to verify, you can stop phishing scammers from reeling you into their trap.
Help CAP prevent scams by sharing this information with your community. Have a scam to report? Use CAP’s online scam reporting form.
For more information about identity theft, visit our website.
Help us stop these scams by sharing this information with those you care about. Get notified about the latest scams: Sign up for VT Scam Alert System alerts.
Nothing quite beats puppy snuggles to lift spirits and brighten moods. Though I speak now mostly from personal experience as the owner of a sweet cuddly chihuahua, Bobby, my sweeping generalization is based in fact. Loving on animals induces the cuddle chemical, oxytocin, giving the body a calming feel-good rush. Who couldn’t use a bit of pick-me-up right now?
Lap dog Bobby snuggling
I know I’ve been cuddling with my dog more. I feel lucky to have him and to have purchased him as a purebred puppy for the discount price of $225 from a legitimate breeder in Kentucky when I lived there. $225 was a steal for my companion. In retrospect, I would have paid much more for him and the joy he has brought my life. And realistically, I know many Vermonters do. They spend hours searching for the perfect pet to expand their family and when found, spare no expense to bring them home.
Sadly, scammers know this. They’ve devised skilled, deceitful plans to connect you with fake puppy companions, take your money, and give you nothing in return—except, perhaps, a broken heart. These scammers are mostly lurking in indiscreet corners of the internet, posting poached photos of someone else’s pets, claiming they are for sale and that they’ll ship them to you. Sometimes they’ll claim you can get the pet for the unbelievable price I paid, $225 or less. Sometimes they claim the pet is free but you must pay shipment fees or for medical complications that arose. Drawn by the plethora of adorable photos and the anticipation to snuggle your cutie, you send the money. The website looks legitimate and with all those photos, you never consider that this pup-for-sale is part of an intricately woven tale of fiction.
What are you to do then? News sources have reported more people are purchasing furry friends during the pandemic. While we’re tethered to our homes, online buying seems to make the most sense. What we’ve seen at the Consumer Assistance Program (CAP) through scam reports, however, is that when consumers purchase from online puppy sellers sight unseen, even from supposed Vermont businesses, folks are sending money and not getting a pet as promised.
The simplest way to avoid online puppy scams is to commit to “pet the pet” before turning over any money. If you don’t have the lovable furry friend in hand:
If you would like to help stop scams, consider being a CAP Cares Ally, by getting scam alerts and notices from our office and committing to sharing scam information with those in your community.
Get alerts from our office:
To receive scam alerts about scams on the rise in Vermont by phone call, text, or email, use the following link to sign up for Scam Alerts: https://ago.vermont.gov/scam-alerts-signup-form/. Need assistance signing up? Call the Consumer Assistance Program at 800-649-2424. We can help you sign up and we can assist if you have questions, concerns, or need help determining if you have been a victim of a scam.
