As quickly as technology evolves, so do the cyber crimes associated with them. Many of my clients have contacted me to find out what the latest cyberspace scams are and what to do about them. These scams quickly generate the information criminals need to perpetrate America's fastest growing crime- identity theft.

Last year we talked about phishing, the online scam designed to deceive you into revealing your credit card number, bank account numbers, Social Security Numbers, passwords, or other identifying information, often based on the claimed need to correct a problem with your account or replace lost information. The next generation of this type of fraud is called "vishing."

This new method exploits the low cost of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) to the same ends as phishing- thus the name. A visher often uses a stolen identity to set up a digital voice-response system through an Internet phone company with a strong likelihood that the phone number listed in the vish is routing calls to another number which could be anywhere in the world.

Vishing relies on pretextual calling to a consumer. The fraudsters prepare a recorded message alerting the consumer that their credit card has had fraudulent activity and requests that they call a phone number immediately. That phone number could be an 800 number or a regional telephone number often with a "spoofed" caller ID for the financial company they are pretending to represent. Then it asks the caller to enter their credit card number before talking to a customer service representative.

Because the visher has captured the caller's phone number and credit card, they now have the ability to access that person's full name and address through a simple reverse phone number look up. Since that information is captured, the call may go further in attempting to harvest additional details such as PIN, expiration date, date of birth, bank account number, etc.

How do you know if someone is vishing for your identity?

Your credit card company knows your name. They will normally refer to you by first and last name in any communication either in email or via a phone call. If they don't know your name, don't give them your numbers.

Your credit card company knows your number. If anyone calls claiming to be a credit card provider and requests your card number, immediately hang up and call the phone number on the back of the credit card and report the attempt. Do not respond to any emails regarding possible security issues with any of your accounts. Always call the phone numbers listed on your statement or the back of your card for information in these matters.

If you suspect you have been a victim of a vishing attack, contact your credit card company immediately and report your card as possibly stolen. If the credit card company did not make the call, the existing credit card number can be closed out and a new card issued, and your credit card company can conduct a check to determine if any fraudulent charges have been made on the card since the time of the call.

It is always advisable to stay aware and alert with regards to what personal information you reveal and to who. From this Privacy Guru's® perspective, the less you tell, the better.

Darity Wesley is CEO and Legal Counsel for Privacy Solutions, Inc. a San Diego based consulting firm. Her team of Privacy Gurus® work with you to create policies and procedures to establish the expectation of privacy for your members, clients, customers, prospects, affiliates, associates, employees and vendors. You can reach her at (619)670-9462 or Darity@privacygurus.com