Identity Theft Risk Assessment & Prevention Flashcards

Which factor is considered the HIGHEST risk indicator when assessing an individual's vulnerability to medical identity theft?

Answer: Having multiple healthcare providers with uncoordinated records

Multiple uncoordinated providers create fragmented records that are harder to monitor for fraudulent entries, increasing medical identity theft risk.

A CIPA advisor is conducting a household risk assessment. Which discovery would MOST warrant immediate escalation?

Answer: Mail piling up at an unoccupied vacation home for two weeks

Accumulated mail at an unoccupied property is a high-priority physical risk because stolen pre-approved offers and financial statements enable new account fraud.

When evaluating synthetic identity theft risk for a minor child, which scenario presents the GREATEST concern?

Answer: The child's SSN has never been used for any credit

A pristine, unused SSN belonging to a minor is highly attractive to fraudsters who can build synthetic identities on it undetected for years.

Which prevention strategy BEST addresses the risk of account takeover through SIM swapping?

Answer: Setting a port freeze or SIM lock with your mobile carrier

A carrier-level SIM lock or port freeze requires additional in-person verification before a number can be transferred, directly blocking SIM swap attacks.

In a risk assessment for a recently divorced client, which asset deserves IMMEDIATE identity theft protection attention?

Answer: Joint credit accounts that have not yet been separated

Open joint credit accounts give an ex-spouse the ability to run up debt or open new accounts, making them a critical immediate risk post-divorce.

Which method of document destruction is recommended for disposing of pre-approved credit card offers?

Answer: Cross-cut or micro-cut shredding

Cross-cut or micro-cut shredding renders documents unreadable and unrecoverable, unlike simple tearing or other methods that can be reassembled.

A client reports they recently responded to an email from their bank requesting account verification. What identity theft risk has MOST likely occurred?

Answer: Phishing credential compromise

Responding to fraudulent bank emails is a classic phishing attack that likely resulted in credential compromise of the client's online banking login.