Intro -- Foreword -- Introduction -- What Is Identity Theft? -- Statistics on Identity Theft -- Who Is at Risk for Identity Theft? -- How Do I Use This Book? -- Chapter 1 -- How Safe Is the Internet? -- How Serious Is Identity Theft? -- The Evolution of Identity Theft -- Who Is Stealing Identities? -- Celebrity Victims -- Chapter 2 -- I'm Just a Kid. Who Would Want to Steal My Identity? -- What Do Thieves Do with Your Information After It's Stolen? -- A Closer Look at Collectors -- How the End Users Use Your Identity -- Opening a new account -- Cleaning out existing accounts -- Non-financial Ways Identity Thieves Can Ruin Your Life -- Chapter 3 -- How Can Scammers Steal My Identity Online? -- Hot Commodities -- Hacking -- Gaining Access by Using the Backdoor -- Cracking Your Password Code -- Blocking Hackers -- Types of Hackers -- Malware -- You've Got (Spam) Mail -- Gone Phishing -- Email Spoofing -- IP Address Spoofing -- Website Spoofing -- Bots -- Typosquatting -- Drive-by Downloads -- Chapter 4 -- Old-School Ways Thieves Can Steal Your Identity -- Phone Thieves -- Grab and Run -- Trash and Dumpster Diving -- Skimming -- Smishing -- Chapter 5 -- Common Scams -- Auction Scams -- Fake escrow websites -- Advance Fee (Nigerian) Scams -- Charity Scams -- Social Catfishing -- Sweet Online Deals -- College Scholarships and Grants -- Contests, Competitions, and Awards -- Employment Scams -- Paid surveys -- Social Media Scams -- Chapter 6 -- How to Protect Yourself from Becoming a Victim -- Passwords and Pins -- Protection from Hacking and Spyware -- Avoiding Online Scams -- Using Your Computer -- Offline Protection -- Chapter 7 -- My Identity Was Stolen! Now What? -- Identity Theft Red Flags -- Understanding Your Credit Report -- Your Credit Report in a Nutshell -- Cracking the credit code -- Contact information for the credit reporting bureaus.

Who Else Should I Contact? -- File a police report -- Contacting creditors -- Contact the Federal Trade Commission -- Other Important Steps to Take -- Close compromised accounts -- Requesting a new Social Security card -- Chapter 8 -- When the Thief is a Family Member -- Who Commits Familiar Fraud -- The caregiver as thief -- Other family members as the culprit -- Figuring Out Which Family Member is the Thief -- Where to Turn for Help with Familiar Fraud Issues -- Chapter 9 -- Identity Theft Protection: What's Available? -- Can a Company Really Protect My Identity? -- Credit Report Freezing -- Websites for additional information -- Conclusion -- Glossary -- Bibliography -- About the Author.