Residents
should consciously prevent identity theft
By: Dan Carlson
Identity
theft is one of the fastest growing areas of criminal activity in the United States
these days. It doesnít take a whole lot of computer skill for someone to
access your personal information and begin making purchases or conducting business
in your name. Unfortunately, I donít find too many people around here concerned
about identity theft. They should be. I have two stories that involve me personally
where I could have done some real damage if I were inclined to do so.
Our Piedmont
home is for sale and that meant several trips to the landfill recently as we threw
out a bunch of stuff that homes tend to collect over the years that never gets
used. On one such trip I stepped out of my pickup to unload my trash when the
wind brought a couple of envelopes blowing my way. I know weíre not supposed
to read other peopleís mail, but these unopened letters literally landed
at my feet and curiosity got the better of me when I saw the return addresses.
Both of the envelopes were addressed to the same person in Rapid City. One
was from the Social Security Administration and the other was from a local bank.
In seconds I was staring at a personís social security information, his
name and address, the name and address of his local bank, and a notice of intent
to repossess his vehicle unless the keys were surrendered in three days. There
was enough information in my hands to make life even more miserable for some poor
guy, but being the honest God fearing man that I am, I tore the documents into
little pieces and scattered them into the wind over the dump. The incident made
me glad that I shred every piece of mail involving banks, credit card applications
& business, and other personal data that an identity thief would find interesting
before I throw them in the trash. Bad guys patrolling the dump wonít be
finding much on me or my family. How about yours?
Identity thieves need not
visit the dump to steal your good name and credit. The airport is a good place
to hang out and just listen. I was at Denver International a while back eating
a sandwich when a man stood a few feet from my table and took out his cell phone.
It was noisy near the restaurant so he had to raise his voice above the din to
be heard. I listened and smiled as he used his name, credit card number, expiration
date, address and phone number to book a room at a hotel. I also dutifully wrote
down all the information on a napkin as he dictated it to the hotel receptionist.
When he was finished I stood up, walked over to him, and greeted him by name with
my hand extended. He extended his cautiously wondering who this stranger was that
seemed to know him. I then handed him the napkin, explained what I had done, and
watched the color drain from his face. I then presented him with my KEVN TV business
card, assured him I was one of the ìgood guysî, and advised that
he be more careful next time. You can be certain that the lesson he learned from
that experience will make him more cautious in the future.
Identity thieves
also employ a number of high tech gadgets these days. They use picture taking
cell phones to snap photos of credit cards lying on shop counters place there
by unsuspecting patrons in line next to them. Some carry portable credit card
scanners and work in teams. One team member distracts a shopper for a moment while
they make a credit card purchase then the other grabs the card from the counter,
scans it, and places it back on the counter before the shopper knows whatís
happened. Unscrupulous cashiers have also been caught using portable scanners
provided by identity thieves to double scan shopperís cards in exchange
for a cut of the take.
Itís sad, but in these days of high tech James
Bond type spy gadgets we must be extra attentive to matters of personal security
and privacy. There is nothing we can to short of living in a secluded mountain
cabin to be certain weíll never become victims of identity thieves, but
that doesnít mean we have to make it easy for them. Shred your mail, keep
your voice down, take a good look at people in line around you, and donít
take your eyes off your credit card when making a purchase. These simple steps
will increase the chances of you remaining you and you alone.
Courtesy
of: http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=
1300&dept_id=374730&newsid=12920007&PAG=461&rfi=9