Their stock in trade?  Your everyday transactions.  Identity Theft, when someone acquires key pieces of your personal information to use in fraudulent ways, is one of the fastest growing crimes in the country.  While thieves have been doing it for ages, there is a growing concern about the sharp increase, due to the relative ease today with which criminals are able to get personal information.  Certainly, recent news releases reveal this down side to the internet and fast, easy credit, but there is no shortage of thieves still doing it the low tech way: dumpster diving, shoulder surfing, mail theft, wallet theft.  It is one of the most invasive, insidious and frustrating of crimes, most often leaving the victim with a ruined credit rating and financial, as well as legal entanglements, which may take years and thousands of dollars to correct.  This crime crosses all socio-economic lines, from the young student to the vulnerable senior, and often is not realized until after a surprising credit denial.   

While you probably can't prevent identity theft entirely, you can minimize your risk, by managing your personal information wisely, cautiously and with an awareness of the issue.  You can help guard against identity theft:

•    Before you reveal any personally identifying information, find out how it will be used and whether it will be shared with others.  Ask if you have a choice about the use of your information; can you choose to have it kept confidential?

•    Pay attention to your billing cycles.  Follow up with creditors if your bills don't arrive on time.  A missing credit card bill could mean an identity thief has taken over your credit card account and changed your billing address to cover his tracks.

•    Guard your mail from theft.  Deposit outgoing mail in post office collection boxes or at your local post office.  Promptly remove mail from your mailbox after it has been delivered.  If you're planning to be away from home and can't pick up your mail, call the U.S. Postal Service at 1-800-275-8777 to request a vacation hold.  The Postal Service will hold your mail at your local post office until you can pick it up.  Do not use the red flag for the postman to pick up mail - it’s a red flag for thieves, too.

•    Minimize the identification information and the number of cards you carry to what you’ll actually need.  Put passwords on your credit card, bank and phone accounts.  Avoid using easily available information like your mother’s maiden name, your birth date, the last 4 digits of your SSN or Phone number, or a series of consecutive numbers.

•    Do not give out personal information on the phone, through the mail or over the Internet unless you have initiated the contact or know with whom you are dealing. Identity thieves may pose as representatives of banks, Internet service providers and even government agencies to get you to reveal your SSN, mother's maiden name, financial account numbers and other identifying information.   Legitimate organizations with whom you do business have the information they need and will not ask you for it.

•    Keep items with personal information in a safe place. To thwart an identity thief who may pick through your trash or recycling bins to capture your personal information, tear or shred your charge receipts, copies of credit applications, insurance forms, physician statements, bank checks and statements that you are discarding, expired charge cards and credit offers you get in the mail.  Additionally, if you choose to avail yourself of such an offer, first investigate the company sending you an application.   It may be a bogus company.

•    Be cautious about where you leave personal information in your home, especially if you have roommates, employ outside help or are having service work done in your home.

•    Find out who has access to your personal information at work and verify that the records are kept in a secure location

•    Give your SSN only when absolutely necessary. Ask to use other types of identifiers when possible, and don't carry your SSN card; leave it in a secure place.

•    Do not display your SSN on your checks.   If your current checks have your SSN printed on the face of the check, get your checks reprinted as soon as possible.

•    Do not use your social security number as your driver’s license number.  If your SSN is still your DLN, apply for a replacement license as soon as possible and request another number to be assigned as your DLN.

•    Be aware of others in your immediate surroundings.   Do not hesitate to ask a person to step back if you feel he/she is too close behind you at an ATM, or pay phone.

•    Order a copy of your credit report from each of the three major credit reporting agencies every year. Make sure your reports are accurate and include only those activities you've authorized.  Your credit report contains information on where you work and live, the credit accounts that have been opened in your name, how you pay your bills and whether you've been sued, arrested or filed for bankruptcy.

Crooks will look for the paths of least resistance.   By observing these simple procedures and checking your credit reports on a regular basis, you can help catch mistakes and fraud before they wreak havoc on your personal identity.

Janice Wahl
Attorney At Law