Protect Your Identity

Spyware in the Mix

More worrisome is the likelihood that, according to David Jevans, chair of the Anti-Phishing Working Group, there's a "coming convergence of spyware and phishing." Spyware that loads onto your PC and, for example, tracks your keystrokes and sends the data to criminals has largely been the province of sophisticated thieves and hackers. But with users wising up to phishing ploys, spyware appears to be the new weapon of choice.

With this type of scam, you would be invited to click on an image--to get a low-priced item or sweepstakes entry, for instance. With that click, you'll unknowingly download spyware onto your PC.

Phishers may have to wait longer for your personal information, but eventually it will come as they analyze your keystrokes and correlate that data with the sites you've been surfing.

According to a study last year by the nonprofit Identity Theft Resource Center, identity theft victims spend on average 600 hours and $1400 to clear their names and credit histories. The average amount fraudsters spend in their victims' names, according to the FTC report, is $10,200. The total loss to consumers due to identity theft has reached a high of nearly $4 billion, with no signs of slowing. Businesses have lost an estimated $33 billion due to such things as unrecovered merchandise and overhead to deal with the problem, the FTC says.