Protecting Your Identity—Online And Offline

(NAPS)—A little knowledge
can be a dangerous thing, particularly
if it’s shared by strangers.
Last year alone, almost 10
million Americans became victims
of identity fraud. Despite
increased law enforcement and
consumer awareness efforts, consumers
are concerned about
becoming a target of this crime.
The major threat now comes from
online sources, but the traditional
offline method of theft continues
to require vigilance on the
part of consumers.
According to U.S. Postal
Inspectors, identity fraud occurs
when thieves open new accounts
in other people’s names and rack
up debts on existing accounts,
using consumers’ Social Security
numbers, bank account information,
addresses or phone numbers.
Identity fraud victims may spend
years—and large sums of money—
restoring their credit histories and
their good names. Some consumers
have been denied jobs or
insurance or been arrested for
crimes they did not commit. A
recent survey indicates that the
dollar volume of the crime was
$52.6 billion in 2004, and much of
that cost is accrued by businesses.
“Putting the criminals in jail is
rewarding but we also have a
responsibility to educate consumers,”
said Chief Postal Inspector
Lee Heath. Heath offers these
tips to consumers to minimize
their risk.
• Don’t give out personal information
on the phone, through the
mail or over the Internet unless
you’ve initiated the contact or are
sure you know who you’re dealing
with.
• Guard your mail: Don’t leave
it in your mailbox overnight or on
weekends, and deposit outgoing
mail in a Postal Service collection
box or give it to your letter carrier.
• Tear or shred unwanted documents
that contain personal
information before discarding.
• Be careful responding to
e-mails that ask for confirmation
of your account information or
password.
• Order your credit report
annually and check it for errors.
New federal legislation requires
credit-reporting companies to
provide a free credit report once
every 12 months to consumers
who request it. Get it at
www.annualcreditreport.com.
If you do become a victim,
report it to the police. Identity
fraud victims can obtain an ID
Theft Affidavit at www.consumer.
gov/idtheft. The affidavit can be
sent to multiple merchants to dispute
fraudulent accounts.
Consumers can order the free
DVD, “Identity Crisis,” at
www.usps.com/postalinspectors