Identity theft is one of the fasted growing crimes in the United States. It has been estimated that nearly ten million people are victimized on an annual basis. Most of which have no idea they are the victims of crime until it is too late. The rouse is quite simple as a criminal impersonates you by stealing your name, social security number, date of birth and last known address. Their intent is to siphon away your liquid assets or acquire goods and services in your name.

The most common form of identity theft is the fraudulent use of credit cards. The electronic age in which we live provides criminals with countless venues in which to swipe our personal information. There are a number of different methods for obtaining such data. One way is when an unsuspecting victim hands over their credit card to another person for the purposes of conducting a lawful transaction. Unbeknown to the law abiding citizen is the crook lying in wait for the opportunity to “skim” the personalized numbers off the credit or debit card. An electronic device is utilized out of sight of the cardholder and within seconds their vital information is zapped and stored for future criminal endeavors. Another scenario depicts the savvy computer criminal “phishing” for the sensitive personal information. They employ sophisticated spamming techniques such as pretending to be financial organizations in an attempt to lure data from unsuspecting people. The spam is disguised as an e-mail sent from your bank to either update or verify information about your account. Many of the inquiries appear to be valid as the criminals utilize sophisticated graphics depicting real bank logos with accurate addresses and telephone numbers.

If the former doesn’t work, criminals can always revert back to “dumpster diving” and / or “postal theft” to steal a persons’ identity. Many of us haphazardly discard our personal information in the trash without taking the time to audit the sensitive data. Credit card applications, utility bills, and bank statements all become gold mines to the financially motivated crook. Bear in mind that it is not illegal for someone to take your bag of trash from the public domain. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that trash placed on the curb is considered to be abandoned property and available for anyone to seize. Criminalization attaches when the person takes the confidential information from the discarded statements and assumes the identity of another for personal gain. The contents of a mailbox are a different matter all together. The theft of mail is a federal crime from the moment a person opens a mailbox and knowingly and willingly steals the mail therein. Title 18, United States Code, Section 1708, assesses a maximum prison term of five years and up to a $250,000 fine upon conviction of mail theft charges.

To combat potential instances of identity theft you should employ a three-prong regiment: First, remain vigilant with your personal information and never let your credit / debit card leave your sight. Second, don’t respond to e-mail solicitations that request any personal information without independent verification of the originating source; and third routinely check your mailbox and retrieve the contents inside. If you are going on vacation, have the U.S.P.S hold your mail or get a trusted neighbor or family member to retrieve such on a daily basis. Deposit any outgoing the mail directly into the U.S.P.S slots inside the post office. Don’t use the little red flag on the side of the mailbox. It is an indicator not only to the mail carrier but also the criminal casing the neighborhood.

There are some remedies available for victims of identity theft. First and foremost you should contact your bank and credit card companies to advise of the theft, place a fraud alert on your accounts and/or cancel the accounts and dispute any unauthorized transactions. The credit card companies will usually assign you a new account number and send another credit card to your desired location. Federal law limits your financial responsibility to $50 if certain provisions are met. Once you have notified the credit bureaus, immediately contact your local law enforcement agency and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in order to file an identity theft complaint. It is imperative that an official complaint is made indicating that you are a victim of identity theft. The next critical step in the process is to contact the three major credit reporting bureaus. This should prevent the fraudulent debts from re-appearing on your credit report and stop debt collection companies from attempting to secure payment on the alleged debt(s). Make sure that you document all of the phone calls with letters and send them via U.S.P.S Certified Mail. Your credit report is a vital document needed to secure future borrowing. If compromised, it is very difficult to cleanse. Make sure it is protected at all costs.

Here are some valuable sources of information for identity theft victims:

FTC, 600 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W., Washington, DC 20580. Telephone 877-438-4338

Equifax: P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374. Telephone 800-525-6285

Experian: PO Box 9532, Allen TX, 75013. Telephone 888-397-3742

TransUnion: P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834. Telephone 800-680-7289

Dr. Santarlas is a former Deputy Chief of Police. Thomas Santarlas