Dollars and Sense: Identity Theft Challenge Quiz

Estimated Completion Time
1 min
Dollars and Sense: Identity Theft Challenge Quiz
Image: Getty Images, Sheer Photo, Inc

About This Quiz

Are you at risk of having your identity stolen? Do you know what to do if it happens? Find out how prepared you are to prevent identity theft by taking our quiz.
According to a 2003 survey, how many people in the United States were victims of identity theft in 2002?
5 million people
10 million people
20 million people
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The survey's results were sobering -- 10 million people in the U.S. fell victim to identity theft.

Advertisement

What is the most common form of identity theft?
Credit card fraud
Faked identification (licenses and passports)
Electronic card spoofing
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Credit card fraud is the most common form of identity theft -- a thief can commit credit card fraud by using an unopened credit card offer or by dumpster diving for old receipts.

Advertisement

What is phishing?
A scam designed to trick a person into divulging personal information
A police strategy meant to fool criminals into using stolen information
A credit card company policy that requires members to validate their information regularly
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Phishing is a way for thieves to trick victims into sharing personal information (such as bank accounts and Social Security numbers) voluntarily.

Advertisement

Which of these is not a method thieves use to gain access to passwords and other personal information?
Cloned Web sites
Keylogging programs
DDoS attacks
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

A thief can use a clone of a Web site to trick you into typing in sensitive information, or a keylogging program to record every keystroke you make. But DDoS attacks aren't meant to steal information -- hackers use them to overwhelm and crash Web servers.

Advertisement

What's the term for devices that attach directly to credit card machines and record information?
Spoofers
Cloners
Skimmers
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Sometimes credit card fraud starts as an inside job. A store clerk can attach a skimmer on credit card machines and record information -- some can even record debit card personal identification numbers (PINs).

Advertisement

Which of the following acronyms stands for an Internet security protocol used by many online businesses?
SSL
TCP
IP
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol allows mutual authentication between a client (your computer) and a server (the online business' machine). Eventually, the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol will replace SSL as the standard.

Advertisement

How can you tell if a Web site uses SSL protocols?
The site will have the official SSL seal in the lower left corner of the page
The site's URL begins with https
An unblockable pop-up dialog box will appear and let you know you're on a secure page
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Look in your browser's address bar -- if you see "https" at the beginning of the site's URL, the site uses the SSL protocol. There may also be a lock icon in the browser's status bar.

Advertisement

How many credit cards should you use for online purchases?
Just one
You should rotate three or four cards for purchases
You should never use a credit card
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

You should limit your online purchases to just one credit card to make it easier to monitor account activity.

Advertisement

Equifax and Experian are two of the three credit information services in the United States -- what's the third?
Innotech
Yoyodyne
TransUnion
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The third credit information service in the United States is TransUnion -- if you are the victim of identity theft, it's important to alert all three credit information services.

Advertisement

What federal agency is in charge of dealing with complaints of identity theft?
Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)
Federal Reserve System
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is charged with protecting America consumers from fraud and theft.

Advertisement

You Got:
/10
Getty Images, Sheer Photo, Inc