Deputy: Protect your identity from theft
By JARED LEONE
Published January 15, 2007
REDINGTON BEACH - Not even small government is safe from risk of identity theft.
A $12,000 check mailed from Redington Beach to the county for sheriff's services was stolen and fraudulently cashed in 2004.
"If it can happen to us it can happen to the average citizen," said Victor Pavone, a deputy with the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.
Pavone taught a workshop at the Redington Beach Town Hall on Thursday to teach people about identity theft and how to keep from being a victim. Town officials planned the workshop to educate residents, but only a handful showed up.
"Identity theft is the fastest growing white collar crime in America," Pavone said. "It is a serious problem and it is here to stay."
Florida ranks sixth in the nation in identity theft cases per capita, with more than 17,000 Floridians reporting cases in 2005, according to a Federal Trade Commission report.
One resident who came out to learn identity crime prevention techniques was Margaret Umberger.
Umberger, 59, said she was a victim about 10 years ago when she lived in New York.
She was at Penn Station, where the hall was lined with pay phones. Umberger used a calling card linked to her home telephone and someone must have looked over her shoulder, she said. Pavone called this technique "shoulder surfing."
The thief used her calling card information to rack up $800 in charges on her phone bill. "It was very hard for me to get that $800 charge off my phone," she said.
While the majority of identity theft occurs with the under-30 crowd, a growing and more vulnerable number of seniors 60 and older are becoming targets, Pavone said.
Every day consumers give away small pieces of valuable personal information, Pavone said.
"Technology has made it so easy," Pavone said. "It's a matter of putting pieces of a puzzle together."
But identity thieves also can be low-tech.
"Check washing" is when a thief steals an outgoing bill and uses household cleaners to erase the writing on the check, leaving the signature. The thief then has a blank check.
Identity thieves will even dig in trash bins to get personal information. Pavone suggests shredding bank statements, credit card offers and other mail that has personal information.
Bill Finn, 90, and his wife, Helen, said they watch their mailbox to make sure no one steals its contents. The Finns also use a shredder.
"It just takes a little extra knowledge to protect yourself," Finn said.
Signs of identity theft include calls from collection agencies or checks missing from the checkbook. Victims should always file a police report, Pavone said, and close any compromised accounts.
"Am I scaring you?" he asked the crowd Thursday. "I hope I am a little. But you should know it's not hopeless."
Fast Facts:
How to deter identity theft
- Ask strangers calling why they might need personal information, such as a Social Security number. It's best not to give out personal information over the phone.
- Reduce outgoing mail, especially mail that contains personal information.
- Use a gel ink pen to reduce "check washing" fraud, where thieves alter and cash checks intended to pay bills.
- Order a credit report at least once a year. Each of the three credit agencies, Experien, Transunion and Equifax, is required to give consumers one free report a year. Order a copy of credit report from Annualcreditreport.com.
- Call toll-free 1-888-567-8688 to stop the tide of credit card offers that fill your mailbox.