There is a new trend in online theft – criminals are targeting CV’s to obtain personal data. Job seekers have been cautioned to be extra careful when sending CVs to employers’ websites or online recruitment agencies. In an experiment using a fake website, 107 people submitted their CVs, full of personal information that could have led to identity theft.
From the 107 applicants, 61 CVs held sufficient information to apply for a credit card or loan. The experiment was carried out during the National Identity Fraud Prevention Week earlier this month. It involved a CV company called iProfile, with the support of the Police and the Information Assurance Advisory Council (IAAC), setting up a website for a bogus company called Denis Atlas. The fake firm placed an advert in a national newspaper for a job as an office manager, inviting people to apply by sending in their CVs to the website. Although 107 people did so, a quick search of the website would have shown that it was in fact a fake operation.The home page of the website reads:
If you have arrived at this website it probably means you’re researching a job advert we placed for the company Denis Atlas. Firstly, we have to tell you that both the company Denis Atlas and the job we advertised don’t exist. The advert was placed to raise awareness of the dangers of CV ID theft and the solutions available, such as the iProfile, to help combat it.
We hope you are not too disappointed and this hasn’t inconvenienced you too much. Let us explain what this is all about.
The advert was placed as part of a research project by online CV provider iProfile, who provide a solution to help combat CV ID Fraud. They wanted to raise awareness of CV ID Fraud by exploring the connection between the rise of identity theft and CVs. – http://denisatlas.co.uk/
“Many people are happy to send their CVs ‘blind’ without thinking about the consequences if their information fell into the wrong hands,” said Neil Fisher of IAAC. In the CVs submitted there were on average eight separate pieces of information that could be used by a fraudster to steal someone’s identity. The full address and date of birth are the most important pieces of information. In one CV the applicant also provided a passport and national insurance number. “We advise everyone not to post personal details on the internet which could collectively be used to clone your identity,” said Det Supt Russell Day of the Metropolitan Police. The most useful items of information for criminals, which should be
omitted from an online CV, are date of birth, marital status, and place of birth, according to iProfile.
With the current credit crunch leading to more job losses, and therefore more poeple in the employment market, it is possible that more unscrupulous companies may attempt to employ new methods to steal personal information. There has already been a rise in phishing (Credit Crunch Leading to Increased Phishing and Net Fraud) as a direct result of the credit crunch, and now CV theft is looking to become a greater problem. Our advice is to only provide the minimal information on a CV, and call the company before sending to confirm.
Source: BBC News
