Nationwide identity theft is no big surprise to any Realtor. What might be a surprise is how their clients could have their identity stolen while on a business trip to locate their new home. For the most part most Real Estate offices have secure computers where the identity of their clients is safe.
So where might the identity of a client be stolen? Imagine with me as I describe a true story. All the way from Columbia, a citizen we'll call Salvador utilized illegally installed keystroke logging software on public computers in hotels, airports and lounges all over the United States. The people who used these computers were professionals who traveled for business.
Salvador used this software to collect the personal information of over 600 people over a 18 month period. He collected every bit of financial data including social security information, credit information, medical information, passwords, you name it. Salvador was able to steal and divert money from people who unknowingly were giving him their personal information with every keystroke on the public computers they were using.
The story goes on to describe the details of how Salvador's lavish lifestyle and how he was able to avoid being caught. This internet thief was eventually caught but not before living "high on the hog" with the money of over 600 people whose identity he stole.
Advice for your clients: Have them do their business with their banks directly or use the computers of people they know and trust. Advise them to watch avoid using unsecured wireless connections in hotel lobbies or anywhere else for that matter.
Advice for Realtors: Be certain to secure your wireless connections in your office and/or your home office, especially when working with your client's files online.
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