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Is your CV exposing you to identity theft?How ID scams can lose you

thousands and ways to protect yourself

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On November 16 2008, the Times

reported how Caroline from Gloucestershire

fell victim to an identity theft scam.

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After she applied for a job online, criminals

used her CV to clone her identity and steal

£14,000 of her savings.

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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.

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She was even arrested before the

fact that she was an innocent victim was

established.

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Could your CV expose you to identity theft?

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ID fraudsters only need 3-5 pieces of

personal info to clone your identity and start setting up things like

loans and credit cards.

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SCHOOLS EDUCATIONAL ESTABLISHMENTS ATTENDED

FULL NAME

MARITAL STATUS

PLACE OF BIRTH

DRIVING LICENCE STATUS NUMBER OF DEPENDENTS AND AGES

DATE OF BIRTHCURRENT 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.

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Beware!

Fraudsters are placing fake job adverts and

asking people to email or post their CVs.

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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.”

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To prevent this happening to you,

there are some basic precautions

you can take…

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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

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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

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…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

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You may also want to think about using secure online CV services like the

one offered at www.iProfile.org

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The best secure online CVs let you:

Control who can see your CVTrack how they use your CV

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

Protect your personal numbers through phone masking

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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

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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