| Most people go to great lengths to protect their personal property from thieves. But many don't give the same consideration to what is perhaps their most valuable asset of all.
Sgt. David Schultz of the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office white collar crime department said about 75 percent of his caseload involves some form of identity theft.
ID theft occurs when someone steals another person's personal information, such as a Social Security number or credit card number, for fraudulent purposes.
People who have been victims of identity theft can be hurt by old tactics - physical theft of property, or the discovery of personal information done by "Dumpster diving" - or by the computer, as the Internet has become an essential tool for many thieves, Schultz said.
In today's computer-connected world, Schultz admitted, total protection from ID theft is "almost impossible."
"I say this because your personal information is already in the possession of many people/businesses such as employers, banks, credit card companies, utility companies, doctors, hospitals, public records, etc.," he said.
There are some things you can do, however, to minimize your exposure, advised Schultz. "I recommend you use a shredder. Consistantly check your credit files with the three major credit reporting agencies and monitor your bank accounts. By doing this, you can detect fraud quickly and stop it before too much damage occurs."
Although there have been some some significant breaches of large institutions by computer hackers, gaining access into bank and credit card accounts is "not easy and requires very technical knowledge," Schultz said.
Personal identity thieves usually resort to an easier method, he said. "The way thieves get access to accounts is by tricking you into giving up your account information and passwords. This is called 'phishing', and there are thousands of attempts daily."
What kind of damage can a thief do with your account number?
Most often, Schultz said, one would also need the expiration date for a credit card, and for a bank account he would also need the routing number.
"However, these are very easy to get," he said. "For example, one of the most common frauds in the area is check counterfeiting where the thieves have obtained the routing and account number from one of your legitimate checks and created duplicates. They then create an identification and pass the checks. Keep in mind when we write checks and use our credit cards, we are providing all the information needed for somone to commit fraud."
So people should shred documents, including credit card bills, as they have enough information for an enterprising thief.
Local police have been taking moreID theft reports lately, said Sgt. Lowell D. Neinast, public liaison and training coordinator for the Richmond Police Department.
Neinast warns people about e-mail and phone solicitation scams.
"If anybody asks for your personal identification or credit card numbers over the phone - most companies will not do that - so don't give that information out," Neinast said. "If it's in a company where you have an account, they have that information. And if they're trying to get you to verify, they won't ask for all nine digits of your Social Security number. They won't ask for all the information that they would need to establish their own accounts. It's not going to happen. You just need to be very cautious."
The Federal Trade Commission recommends three steps if you suspect someone has stolen your identity:
€ Call the fraud departments of each of the three major credit card bureaus;
€ Call the creditors for any accounts that have been tampered with or opened fraudulently;
€ File a report with the local police.
Those who have been victimized by ID theft can call the FTC's Identity Theft Hotline at 877-438-4338.
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