October 24, 2001
Officers tackle identity crisis
Identity theft topic of seminar
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Watch those wallets, careful with your credit cards, be cautious is sharing your Social Security number.
Identity theft is a problem that can take months or years to eradicate and can ruin your credit rating, said Sergeant Kenneth Lady of the Michigan State Police. A problem growing exponentially, identity theft has increased 200 percent since 1997 and costs $745 million annually. Experts say it is the fastest growing Internet crime.
Lady and FBI Special Agent Rebecca Granger spoke to 25 people about identity theft at a seminar Monday evening sponsored by Credit Union One. Held at the Park Place Hotel, the two law enforcement officers shared basic tips for preventing fraud due to a stolen identity.
"The single most important thing is a pro-active approach, learn how to protect yourself and then do it," said Lady, a 24-year veteran of the State Police.
Protection can come by shredding or burning old paperwork, not making purchases or banking over the Internet and not carrying all of your credit cards or a social security card in your wallet. Securing your mailbox and having one central, secure location in your home for all medical and financial records are also good preventative measures.
The officers also recommended limiting any information given out. Lady suggested not putting a driver's license number on checks and not giving out your Social Security number unless required. He said that even if asked for it, many times businesses or institutions do not have a legal right to it.
"People are too loose with giving out their Social Security number," agreed Granger, who worked for years in the Washington, D.C., area investigating white-collar crimes. "You need to ask who is going to use this and why they need it, ask them to cite the statutes requiring it."
Telephone fraud is increasing in the area, Granger said. A popular scam offering winnings from a Canadian sweepstakes is catching many people unaware, luring them with the promise of a large payoff. As a general rule, phone solicitors asking for financial information or money up front should never be given any information.
Monitoring your identity is also an important component of preventing identity theft. Lady recommended consistently monitoring all personal information and regularly checking with credit bureaus, often the first place where an identity theft is revealed.
"You should look through all monthly statements every month and check your credit with the three major credit bureaus, each one time a year," he said.
For Don and Phyllis Waisanen of Traverse City, the information at the seminar was an eye-opener. The Waisanens said they have always been cautions and do not use buy anything over the Internet, though they do use it to pay some bills. They plan to take further precautions in the future to prevent identity theft.
"I'm not going to carry around all my credit cards anymore," Don Waisanen said. "We're going to take our driver's license numbers off our checks next time we order,"
The couple was already aware of the problem of identity theft because their daughter had lost a credit card recently. The person who found it purchased thousands of dollars of items on it within 30 minutes. Fortunately, the credit card company called their daughter to verify a purchase and uncovered the situation.
Despite living in a rural setting, they no longer feel immune to fraud from identity theft.
"We're getting bigger here in Traverse City and just that fact that all these things happening in bigger cities are happening here means we are not isolated anymore," said Phyllis Waisanen.
If the worst happens and someone does steal your identity, Lady and Granger recommended filing a police report as soon as possible. They also recommended notifying all financial institutions, both over the phone and in writing. Most times, consumers are not ultimately responsible for purchases made with a stolen identity and a police report backs this up.