Enough Info for ID theft?

Question

I received an OBVIOUSLY fraudster email supposedly from the government of Nigeria and DID NOT respond to it, claiming they would give me an ATM card with $800,000 in my name (of course they will) *all* they wanted was my.

1.YOUR FULL NAME:
2.PHONE NUMBER/FAX NUMBER:
3.ADDRESS TO SEND THE ATM CARD (P.O BOX NOT ACCEPTED)
4.YOUR AGE AND NATIONALITY:
5.OCCUPATION:
6.GENDER:

These things could be found rather easily by any one one who wants to spend a day or so of detective work, can this little bit be enough to apply for a credit card or a loan in my name?

Answer 1

This is 'baiting the hook' to see if you have read the email and are gullible enough to respond with actual information. Once you take the bait, no doubt you will be required to send additional information, such as banking or credit account information or other personal information before they can complete the transaction or whatever. Just delete the message. Don't worry, you'll get more.

Answer 2

With a small fee they can even find out your ss number on the net. I wouldn't give them anything. But yes with the information they can apply for virtually anything (not saying that the attempt would be successful but an attempt just them same.) You have to remember that most of these emails are generated from 3 world countries like Africa etc. They don't require all the same information as the US does. If you would like to report it then you can send a sopy of the email to Interpol. If it is in Canada than you can send it to their Better Business Bureau. One reason why they don't allow a PO Box is because they need an actual address for whatever they are trying to scam you for on different types of applications. The FTC.org usually has a list of the most recent scams that are circulating and can describe to you what some of the information gain from you is used for. I usually send them an email back saying if they have so much money then they can bring theselves to America ans take are of it themself.

Answer 3

I do not think so. Your Social Security Number is the most valuable information if somebody wants to steal your identity. Among other measures to prevent ID theft, the simplest and easiest way is to monitor your financial accounts at least on monthly, better weekly, basis, open every junk mail on your name, read it and only then destroy. Plus, in order to oversee your credit history, order report free of charge once a year. If you see anything suspicious, check it out immediately and if necessary take appropriate steps right away. The damage will be minimum and money will be recover much sooner.

Answer 4

First of all, destroying the hard drives doesn't mean you have to destroy the entire computer. I think you are confusing the word "hard drive" for that big box you plug your monitor and mouse into. That's not the hard drive, that's the computer. The hard drive is a device inside the computer which stores data. You can destroy it without destroying the rest of the machine. That being said, yes, you can erase all the information off of it without actually destroying it if you want to. There is plenty of tools available for free on the internet, just go to Yahoo and type in "free hard drive erasing software". You can also physically destroy the drive. Remove it from the computer, and destroy it as you see fit (personally I like blowing them up, but thats just me) Just however you decide to destroy it, make sure the metal platters inside are destroyed, or at least de-magnetized.

Answer 5

with that info alone nothing can be done credit wise in your name

Answer 6

yes, sadly, it is....remember, most criminals are lazy so why go looking for something when there are enough people who are willing to give you that information?