PROTECT YOURSELF - PROTECT YOUR IDENTITY

Identity theft is on the rise, affecting almost 10 million people in 2008 (a 22% increase from 2007).  Victims are spending less money out-of-pocket to correct the damage from ID theft. The average cost per victim is $500.  71% of fraud happens within a week of stealing a victim’s personal data.  Low-tech methods for stealing personal information are still the most popular for identity thieves. Stolen wallets and physical documents accounted for 43% of all identity theft while online methods accounted for only 11%.

It’s The law - Federal Law
The Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act, enacted by Congress in October 1998, makes identity theft a federal crime.

What is Identity theft?
Under federal criminal law, identity theft takes place when someone knowingly transfers, possesses, or uses, without lawful authority, a means of identification of another person. Committing, aiding in, or being connected to this unlawful activity is a violation of federal law, constituting a felony.

Under this definition, a name or Social Security number is considered a “means of identification.” Also considered are a credit card number, cellular telephone electronic serial number, or any other piece of information that may be used alone or in conjunction with other information to identify a specific individual.

Violations of the federal crime are investigated by federal law enforcement agencies, including the U.S. Secret Service, the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General.  Federal identity theft cases are prosecuted by the U.S. Department of Justice.

How identity thieves get your personal information:
They get information by:
•    Stealing records or information while they’re on the job.
•    Bribing an employee who has access to these records.
•    Hacking records.
•    Conning information out of employees.
•    Stealing your Mail (which includes bank statements, credit card statement, etc).
•    Rummaging through your trash.
•    Abusing their employer’s authorized access to credit reports.
•    Stealing your credit or debit card numbers.
•    Stealing your wallet or purse.
•    Stealing personal information they find in your home.
•    Stealing personal information from you via email or phone.

How identity thieves use your personal information:
•  By calling your credit card issuer to change the billing address on your credit
    card account.  The imposter then runs up charges on your account.  

•  By opening new credit card accounts in your name. When they use the credit
    cards and don’t pay the bills, the delinquent accounts are reported on your credit
    report.

•  By establishing phone or wireless service in your name.

•  By opening a bank account in your name and writing bad checks on that account.

•  By counterfeiting checks, credit or debit cards, or authorizing electronic transfers in
    your name, and draining your bank account.  

•  By filing for bankruptcy under your name to avoid paying debts they’ve incurred under
    your name, or to avoid eviction.

•  By buying a car and taking out an auto loan in your name.

•  By getting an identification such as a driver’s license issued with their picture, in your
    name.

•  By getting a job and/or filing fraudulent tax returns in your name.

•  By giving your name to the police during an arrest. If they don’t show up for their court
    date, a warrant for arrest is issued in your name.

If your personal information has been lost, stolen, or compromised, these immediate steps can minimize the potential for identity theft:

• Close financial accounts, such as credit cards and bank accounts, immediately.

• Call the toll-free fraud number of any of the following three nationwide consumer-
   reporting companies and place an initial fraud alert on your credit reports:
    
• Equifax: 1-800-525-6285; www.equifax.com; P.O. Box 740241,
   Atlanta, GA 30374-0241

• Experian: 1-888-EXPERIAN (1-888-397-3742); www.experian.com;
   P.O. Box 9532, Allen, TX 75013

• Transunion: 1-800-680-7289; www.transunion.com;
   Fraud Victim Assistance Division,
   P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834-6790

•  Ask the Secretary of State to flag your file so that no one else can get a license
    or any other identification document from them in your name.


•  File a report about the theft with the police.

•  File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.
    You can file a complaint online at www.ftc.gov/idtheft. If you don’t have Internet access,
    call the FTC’s Identity Theft Hotline, toll-free: 1-877-IDTHEFT (1-877-438-4338); or
    write: Identity Theft Clearinghouse, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania
    Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20580.

• Carefully review your credit report.