Is Your CV Exposing You To Identity Theft?

Is your CV exposing you to identity theft? How ID scams can lose you thousands and ways to protect yourself

On November 16 2008, the Times reported how Caroline from Gloucestershire fell victim to an identity theft scam.

After she applied for a job online, criminals used her CV to clone her identity and steal £14,000 of her savings.

Caroline only became aware of the scam after she tried to withdraw money from her bank and the cashier called the police , suspecting she was one of the crooks.

She was even arrested before the fact that she was an innocent victim was established.

Could your CV expose you to identity theft?

ID fraudsters only need 3-5 pieces of personal info to clone your identity and start setting up things like loans and credit cards.

SCHOOLS EDUCATIONAL ESTABLISHMENTS ATTENDED FULL NAME MARITAL STATUS PLACE OF BIRTH DRIVING LICENCE STATUS NUMBER OF DEPENDENTS AND AGES DATE OF BIRTH CURRENT ADDRESS EMAIL ADDRESS PHONE NUMBERS EMPLOYMENT HISTORY PERSONAL INFORMATION SUCH AS HOBBIES AND INTERESTS REFEREES AND CURRENT EMPLOYER The average CV contains 8 pieces of info used in id fraud.

Beware! Fraudsters are placing fake job adverts and asking people to email or post their CVs.

Reformed ID thief, Bob Turney, said: “Whilst many people routinely shred bank statements and utility bills, they still seem happy to send their CV to complete strangers . They must realise just how easy it is to use the information in a CV to set up bank accounts or credit cards fraudulently.”

To prevent this happening to you, there are some basic precautions you can take…

Think about who you share your career information with, make sure they are a real business by doing web searches or calling up first

Be wary if the email address you’re asked to send your CV to only contains the name of a service provider, rather than the company itself

Take extra care when accessing personal information on public computers or using a laptop in a WiFi hotspot

Shred or destroy old copies of your CV

… and when posting your information to the web or on a job board database, remember:

Don’t include your date or place of birth

Don't include your marital status

Only give your first and last name

You may also want to think about using secure online CV services like the one offered at www.iProfile.org

The best secure online CVs let you:

Control who can see your CV

Track how they use your CV

Hide personal details until you’re sure its safe to reveal them

Protect your personal numbers through phone masking

Detective Superintendent Russell Day from the Economic and Specialist Crime Command, Metropolitan Police: "We are happy to support any campaign which aims to raise awareness of the growing threat of online identity fraud. We advise everyone not to post personal details on the internet which could collectively be used to clone your identity. This new campaign is an excellent method which could help prevent identity fraud and most importantly, protect you and your CV." Neil Fisher, Vice President, IAAC: “Identity fraud is a hugely serious issue and any campaign that raises awareness of the dangers should be commended. Many people are happy to send their CVs ‘blind’ without thinking about the consequences if their information fell into the wrong hands. Hopefully this campaign will help people better understand the risks involved and better protect the personal information on their CV in the future.” This presentation was compiled as part of the “Secure your CV” initiative, a campaign run by iProfile.org

Further reading: www.iprofile.org /Career-Advice/Secure-Your-CV Times article on CV ID fraud: http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/career_and_jobs/article5161151.ece www.denisatlas.co.uk CNN video about CV ID fraud: http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/living/2008/12/16/vanmarsh.uk.too.much.info.cnn