It's not easy being SS No. 546-23-2345

Identity theft is growing more commonplace, but there are ways to lower your risk of becoming a victim

May 31, 2006

By DANE GOLDEN
ARGUS-COURIER STAFF

It's 2006 -- do you know where your identity is?

Were you one of more than 61,000 former Sonoma State University students and applicants whose names and Social Security numbers were on a campus computer that was hacked last August? Or were you one of an undisclosed number of Wells Fargo home loan clients whose information was on a computer that was stolen a few weeks ago? Perhaps you're one of 26.5 million veterans who had their Social Security numbers on a single laptop recently stolen from the home of an employee of the Department of Veterans Affairs?

Or maybe, just maybe, you trashed your old credit card statements without shredding them first.

Identity theft is in the news a lot these days as the most modern of crimes. But while stolen computers or hacked networks get the greatest attention, the majority of financial problems stemming from identity theft can be traced back to some more old-fashioned sources: paper documents and plastic credit cards.

Yes, although crooks might use your credit card information to make online purchases soon after stealing it, most of these crimes begin by stealing your mail, sifting through your trash, or breaking into your home or car.

According to one Petaluma retiree whose information was stolen, identity theft can be a quite frustrating experience.

Frank, who asked that only his first name be used to prevent further identity theft, considered himself extremely wary and vigilant with his personal information. He regularly checked his account balances online to make sure they had no false entries, and made sure he kept his Social Security number off the computer to protect it from hackers.

In fact, Frank had done a credit check on himself just a month before a thief took over his credit card last October, transferring $7,600 from Frank's account into the thief's New York bank account.

He never found out who the criminal was, or how they got his personal information. But he did find out that they had called up the credit card company, claiming to be Frank, and changed the account's phone number -- to an untraceable pay-as-you go cell phone, as it turns out.

"[The thief] changed the phone number so I wouldn't be notified until the last possible moment," Frank said. "They knew to do it right after the billing period."

When he found out about it, Frank put a 90-day fraud alert on his credit by sending a letter to one of the three credit services, which notified the other two. Eventually, the credit card company cleared the $7,600 charge off his bill.

"Information is obtained three ways -- it's either found, stolen or bought," said identity theft author and Petaluma resident Donald Hensic. "Identity theft has raised personal information to the point where it is a commodity, just like VCRs, DVDs, televisions, jewelry and money," he said.

The Petaluma Police department had 73 cases of identity theft reported to it in 2005. That figure doesn't include simple credit card theft, generally considered to be in the fraud category.

"The bottom line is it's all fraud and it's becoming a huge problem with online purchases and technological advances," said Sgt. Matt Stapleton. "It's becoming a huge problem in America."

He said that identity theft is commonly a component in drug-related crimes, particularly those relating to methamphetamine. And, increasingly, identity theft is committed by illegal immigrants, who must produce Social Security numbers in order to get work.

Stapleton said the original identity thief will often quickly pass the information on to third parties around the country or across the globe.

The best way to control identity theft, Stapleton said, is to be very protective of your information and to report to the authorities immediately at the first sign of theft.

(Contact Dane Golden at dgolden@arguscourier.com)

THREE WAYS TO HELP PREVENT IDENTITY THEFT

1. Secure your mailbox, either by a lock or other means

2. Shred or destroy papers which have personal data

3. Continuously check your credit card statements and other financial records to determine if they are accurate.

Source: Petaluma Police Department. For more info, see: www.cityofpetaluma.net/police/idtheft.html

IDENTITY THEFT SEMINAR

Who: Donald I. Hensic, author of "Identity Theft: What It Is: How to Combat It; How to Recover from Identity Theft."

Where: Petaluma Senior Center, 201 Novak Drive

When: June 13, noon

Price: Free

More info: 778-4399