Hackers finding innovative ways to commit identity theft

Cybercriminals are getting creative in their techniques to commit identity theft.

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Cybercriminals want to victimize people in any way possible, including even collecting unemployment checks directly from the government. As much as $5.6 billion is taken in federal benefits fraud, stemming from identity theft and data breaches.

Hackers finding innovative ways to commit identity theft | TweakTown.com

Individual states and the federal government provide unemployment benefits directly to citizens, but if a person's personal information is purchased on the black market - and the fraudsters are able to file paperwork to collect the benefits. Each state must create their own system to identify - and stop - fraudulent claims, with thousands of suspected false forms submitted.

"The fact that this is so easy to commit is something that has been a real challenge to law enforcement because the fraudsters keep evolving, and they always find a new way to steal our identities," said Wifredo Ferrer, US Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, in a statement to CNN. "And all you need sometimes is a name, a date of birth and a Social Security number. And sometimes, you don't even need that to commit this crime."

NEWS SOURCES:cnn.com, blogs.absolute.com

An experienced tech journalist and marketing specialist, Michael joins TweakTown to cover everything from cars & electric vehicles to solar and green energy topics. A former Staff Writer at DailyTech, Michael is now the Cars & Electric Vehicles News Reporter and will contribute news stories on a daily basis. In addition to contributing here, Michael also runs his own tech blog, AlamedaTech.com, while he looks to remain busy in the tech world.

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