Today, a person from India wrote to this blog wondering what to do after giving full identity information to an online lottery scam. The exact text of this poster reads as follows:
I don't know about the credit reporting agencies in India, but in the US, this person should immediately contact the three credit reporting agencies (Equifax, Experion and Trans Union) to put a freeze on new accounts being taken out in his name."Sir, iam also get the same email from uk online yahoo lottery promotion winning prize related once. Am from india. Its true or not? They collected my address, bank detail and my driving licence also. What can i do?"
Or he could call an identity theft protection company with more comprehensive coverage, that will not only block new credit attempts, but will search IRC (Internet Relay Chat) channels and bulletin boards where identity information is sold and traded and report to law enforcement. Costs for such services run about $10-15 a month.
Breach Shield is one such service that I am developing fraud protection education for. There are others, but be careful that you get a reputable firm because some of those you turn up in the search engines can also be scammers after your identity information.
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