The Common Law

With so many people getting taken advantage of by consumer scam artists and identity thieves, it feels like identity theft is one of the fastest growing industries in the country. In an effort to keep its readers one step ahead of the bad guys, "The Common Law" likes to periodically highlight cutting edge scam tactics. Be on the lookout for the following new scams.

Pharming – "The Common Law" has already profiled "phishing," a form of identity theft where fake e-mails are sent out asking the consumer to update their bank account or credit card information, which is intercepted by identity thieves. Phishing has now evolved to "pharming," which occurs when scam artists create fake Web sites similar to the Web sites of banks or credit card companies. These fake Web sites get visitors through phishing e-mails, which offer a link to the phony Web site. Consumers who can't tell the difference try to log onto the bogus websites and their information is sent to the identity thieves. Experts suggest the best way to avoid pharming is to be on the lookout for different or strange Web addresses or to spend time exploring the site, as many of the scam artists have not re-created all the links of the site.

Keystroke catchers – This device attaches to the cable that connects the keyboard to the computer. It has a memory chip that records everything that is typed on the keyboard. Identity thieves generally use keystroke catchers on public-use computers (university computer labs, Internet cafes, libraries, etc.). The best way to protect against this is to never use a public-use computer to shop online, check your bank account, pay bills, or conduct other activities that will reveal sensitive personal or financial information.

Skimming – This involves placing a small reader on credit card scanners and when a credit card is run through the normal scanner, the reader captures the card's information for future use by identity thieves. Skimming is common in the service industry (restaurants, bars, etc.) and in foreign countries. Experts suggest using cash if you do not feel comfortable with the restaurant and suggest that when traveling abroad, it's best to use only one credit card, which makes it easier to quickly identify and report any improper charges.